Rickshaws & Ridiculous Decisions

What to Expect

A custom-built 14 day adventure anchored by a Rickshaw Run - as operated by The Adventurists, with pre-and-post run time in Peru or Morocco, transfers and logistics sorted out - so you can focus on your story - er…. I mean race.

The Vibe

Rickshaws & Ridiculous Decisions is what happens when adventure travellers hear “tiny three-wheeled rickshaw across Sri Lanka” and somehow decide that sounds like a reasonable use of vacation time. This is the Rickshaw Run Sri Lanka with The Adventurists — a one-week, tiny-vehicle misadventure through dense jungles, beaches, dirt tracks, elephants, wrong turns, roadside chaos, and the kind of travel decisions that make excellent stories later.

The route takes about a week, depending on how lost you get — which feels less like a warning and more like the entire point.

Adventure travel is one of those things everyone thinks sounds fun — until someone hands you the keys to a tiny rickshaw and points vaguely across Sri Lanka.

This is not a polished, hand-holding, matching-hat kind of trip.
This is not a luxury escape.
This is not where you go to come home rested and sensible.

The goal is the story. You and your people. One ridiculous rickshaw. A very loose sense of direction.

Think roadside chaos, beautiful scenery, questionable mechanics, snack stops, jungle roads, beach air, “are we sure this is a road?” moments, and the deeply specific bonding that only happens when your vehicle has the confidence of a lawn mower and the emotional range of a shopping cart.

Planned Run dates in sri lanka

Dec 31, 2026 to Jan 8, 2027

March 11 to March 20, 2027

Sept 30 to October 9 2027

itinerary / Trip Flow

  • Pre-Run Arrival: Land, Settle + Question Your Choices
    Fly in early to Columbo, shake off the travel day, get oriented, and make sure you are not trying to launch into monkey bike mayhem directly from an airport security line and a sad airplane sandwich.

    This is the “let’s make at least one responsible decision before things get weird” portion of the trip.

    Quote Inclusions:

    • Hotel Accommodation

    • Activities as selected

    Activities for consideration:

    • walking tour of town

  • START: Dutch Trails, Negombo**

    FINISH: Rekawa Beach, South Coast

    DISTANCE: 750km (ish)

    TIME: 2 days test driving, 7 days on the road

    Jungles, off-road tracks in the middle of bloody nowhere, the crumbling remnants of past kingdoms, mountains, elephants and remote villages. All this goes towards making an adventure that will melt your face with awesomeness.

    As this is an unsupported adventure the exact route you take, where you sleep and how lost you get is entirely up to you, just as it should be.

    **The direction you go in depends on the edition you do.
    As this is an unsupported adventure the exact route you take, where you sleep and how lost you get is entirely up to you, just as it should be.

    SSAInclusions:

    • logistics to get you to and from race start and finish

  • Post-Run Recovery: Soft Landing + Sri Lanka Proper
    After the finish, build in a proper soft landing and get you back to Columbo so you’re not crawling straight from rickshaw mayhem to an airport security line.

    Sri Lanka has beaches, wildlife, food, temples, tea country, coastlines, markets, and enough “we came all this way” energy to make the whole thing bigger than the run itself.

    This is where we add the good bed, good food, slower pace, and a few days where the only thing you’re steering is your next snack decision.

    Quote Inclusions:

    • Hotel Accommodation

    • Group dinner reservation

    • logistics to and from race point back to civilization and airport

    • Activities as selected

Pricing Starting From: $5,500* CAD per person

This is a custom-designed travel proposal, not a guaranteed package.

Before you pack your emotional-support roadside repair kits: * Starting price is for inspiration and planning only and is based on triple occupancy and estimated Adventurist Rickshaw Run entry fees, exchange rates, accommodation, flights, transfers, and select activities. Actual pricing can shift based on flights, hotel rates, transfers, travel dates, taxes and exchange rates, number of travellers, and how fancy or feral you decide to make this thing. Pricing can change until confirmed in writing.

  • Depending on your quote and final selections, this trip may include coordination for:

    • Suggested international flight routing

    • Rickshaw Run registration or entry fees

    • Mandatory Specialty Travel Insurance guidance

    • Pre-run hotel stay in Sri Lanka

    • Post-run recovery accommodation

    • Suggested trip flow and timing notes

    • Transportation planning around arrival and departure points

    • Rickshaw Run timing and logistics guidance

    • Optional Sri Lanka add-ons before or after the run

    • Beach, wildlife, food, temple, tea country, and coastline ideas

    • Practical travel notes and planning support

    • Group-friendly planning for your crew

    Final inclusions will depend on the quote you approve and the suppliers used at the time of booking.

  • Unless specifically included in your confirmed quote, travellers should expect to budget separately for:

    • Meals and drinks

    • Optional excursions and activities

    • travel insurance

    • Emergency medical or evacuation coverage, if applicable

    • Baggage fees

    • Personal gear or equipment

    • Visas, permits, vaccinations, or required travel documents, where applicable

    • Hotel, resort, parking, or destination fees where applicable

    • Local transportation not listed in your confirmed quote

    • Personal spending

    • Tips and gratuities

    • Any items not specifically confirmed in writing

  • click here for most up to date list - from the Adventurists

    • The Rickshaw

    • A state of the art 3-wheeled, 4-stroke air-cooled rickshaw rented from the local community to help boost their income, along with all the required paperwork.

    • Fully Comprehensive Insurance

    • Fully comp insurance for the rickshaw covering all drivers and parties.

    • Local Approved Driving License

    • You need a local driving license to drive a rickshaw in Sri Lanka, so we sort this out for you ahead of your arrival.

    • A day of Test Driving and adventure prep

    • A day of adventure prep and test driving including rickshaw driving lessons from the Rickshaw Run crew, including meeting the excellent people who will be adventuring with you.

    • Rickshaw repair lessons

    • Our expert mechanics will bestow their knowledge in sessions covering basic maintenance and repairs on the road.

    • Team Flag to Pimp your Ride

    • A ruddy great big flag, designed by you to mount upon your steed.

    • Official Team Swag

    • We like to give you some stuff along the way. So each team member will ceremoniously receive...

    • -A Rickshaw Run patch to prove your metal
      - A Rickshaw Run t-shirt in case you forget spare clothes.

    • Launch Party & Launch Day Ceremony

    • A ruddy great big knees up including dinner, some free drinks and awesome DJ. Plus an official send off ceremony on launch day.

    • Finish Line & Finish Party

    • We set the stage for your finish line photo and round things off with another bloody great big knees up to swap tales from the road. Much back slapping and a bit of falling over is likely.

    • The Adventure in between

    • 7 days of adventuring magnificence, offering the best and worst that Sri Lanka can throw at you and all the stories and glory that go with it. Off-road tracks, lush tropical forests, sand strewn beaches, lagoons, mountainous highlands, rivers and tea plantations all perfectly blended with the 3-wheeled unreliability of an auto-rickshaw.

    • The Knowledge

    • Info from our team of experts to advise you how to get to the start line, the best outfits for the parties and the best biscuits to pair with Ceylon tea.
      Plus the team handbook with all the pre adventure knowledge you need so you can keep the bit between the start and finish focused on getting totally lost.

    • A community of likeminded idiots

    • We'll introduce you to Sri Lanka Rickshaw Run veterans if you want a chat before the adventure. Most importantly you get the company of fellow Adventurists in Sri Lanka. You're joining a collective of genius-idiots drawn to the call of overland stupidity.

“You’re not too old for adventure. You’re just old enough to know which shoes to pack.”
— Ruckus

This adventure is a great fit for travellers who like:

  • Ridiculous adventure travel

  • Tiny vehicles and terrible ideas

  • Sri Lanka beyond the polished postcard version

  • Dirt tracks, jungle roads, beach air, and wrong turns

  • Travelling with friends who enable questionable decisions

  • Scrappy, story-heavy travel

  • A mix of planned support and loose adventure energy

  • Trips that come with better stories than souvenirs

  • The kind of travel where “comfortable” is not the main selling point

    This is especially fun for people who want a trip that feels weird, bold, funny, chaotic, scenic, and absolutely impossible to explain quickly at dinner parties.

Partner Note

This custom itinerary is built around the Rickshaw Run Sril Lanka as provided by the Adventurists.

The Adventurists fit the Second Shift vibe because they turn travel into a story before you even leave. Their trips are weird, bold, a little chaotic, and built for people who want more than a polished, predictable vacation. Tiny vehicles, loose routes, big laughs, and questionable decisions? Very much our kind of nonsense..

Want to see all that The Adventurists have in the lab? Click here.

trip pace

This trip has an active, rugged adventure pace with driving, heat, uneven roads, long days, physical fatigue, unpredictable routing, roadside stops, and conditions that may change quickly. This is not a soft landing trip. Travellers should be comfortable with discomfort, outdoor conditions, basic travel unpredictability, and the reality that a tiny rickshaw crossing Sri Lanka is not exactly a spa itinerary.

That said, the larger Second Shift travel plan can be shaped to make the beginning and end smarter. We can look at better arrival timing, more comfortable pre- and post-run hotels, recovery days, lighter add-ons, and routing that gives your body and patience a fighting chance.

Ready to make a terrible idea into an excellent trip? 

Get your personalized quote, claim your spot, and start preparing for the kind of adventure your group chat will reference for the rest of your natural lives. Click on the Start My Adventure Request Button Below.
Bring your crew.
Pack your sense of humour.
Leave room for the story to get weird.

WANNA GO ON
this ADVENTURE?

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Submitting this form doesn’t book anything or lock you into anything. It gives me the details I need to check real options, pricing, availability, logistics, and whether this trip actually makes sense before anyone starts throwing money at the internet.