‘Colombo Dunes’ ATV adventure centre up and running in Port City
Colombo’s first-ever sand dune ATV adventure centre ‘Colombo
Dunes’ was inaugurated yesterday at the Colombo Port City, with the public able
to make bookings starting today. Managed by Crate Adventures Ltd., Colombo
Dunes seeks to fill the adventure tourism-sized hole in the market.
“At ‘Colombo Dunes’ by Crate Adventure in Port City Colombo,
one can unleash their adventurous self on the multiple tracks situated in the
heart of Colombo,” states a media release.
“Drive the ATVs through sand dunes and experience a
one-of-a-kind beach ride on Sri Lanka’s only artificial beach. The special
purpose-built trailer will provide a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for families
and senior citizens to explore Sri Lanka’s first man-made beach while the youth
enjoy the adrenaline-rushing experience of riding through the dunes.”
On offer at the moment are three separate adventure tracks –
beginner, intermediate and expert level. Having tried the first two, Daily FT
can confirm that there is a distinct difference in difficulty between the two,
with the second, in particular, replete with several sharp turns and the odd
sharp drop. It is also, crucially, a lot of fun.
Riding the ATVs themselves require no prior experience nor a
driving licence; all that is required is a signing of a waiver and a brief
tutorial on the acceleration and brake mechanisms.
As highlighted in the media release, Crate Adventure has
joined hands with “the world’s leading ATV manufacturer, a North American
company, Can-Am by BRP,” to feature “top-in-the-class, high-end ATVs that
exceed client expectations”.
Crate Adventure is not new to the Sri Lankan market though,
having been formed in late 2017, before being officially launched on 4 January
2018. The initial centre, which is still active, was based in Gampaha.
“Known as ‘Colombo Mountain’, this is an adventure seeker’s
hotspot nestled in a rocky mountain terrain,” noted the release.
“At the time of launch, this was South Asia’s First ATV
Adventure Park. This ATV track located in a natural forest terrain is home to a
great deal of fauna and flora, rock caves and panoramic 360-degree lookout
points, from where one could even see the Colombo skyline.”
The official website and booking facility were launched yesterday, with the public able to lock down their ATV excursions by visiting crateadventure.com. Rates range upwards from Rs. 6,900 per person, which includes three rides.
Speaking at the event, Chief Guest Sports and Youth Minister
Namal Rajapaksa spoke of how ventures such as that brought forth by Crate
Adventure fit into Sri Lanka’s overall plans for create a billion-dollar
sporting economy in the coming years.
“In our history, we have always been depending on the
Government and we have not concentrated on the sporting economy. It has always
been supported or sponsored by the Government, but now what we’re looking at is
creating a billion-dollar industry,” said Rajapaksa.
“At the same time, we’re looking for more sporting
activities to take place in our country, especially in relation to water
sports, hiking, tracking and now adventure sports. We believe this is a great
investment for us as a ministry, to promote more adventure sports and attract
people who are interested in adventure sports to Sri Lanka for holidays.”
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