A 14-day, 1,000-kilometer cross-country journey wrapped up with a high-energy finish-line event at Hikka Tranz by Cinnamon. The TukTuk Tournament 2026, running for its 8th consecutive year after successful runs in India and Cambodia, was organized by tuktukrental.com.
The experiential travel venture, which won the Tripadvisor Travelers' Choice Best of the Best award and stands among the top 10% of travel businesses worldwide, brought 218 travelers across 94 teams and 27 nationalities to explore the island.
Village routes and local stays
The gamified expedition was planned to boost off-season slow travel and make visitors stay longer than regular tourists. The route started from Pegasus Reef in Wattala, moved through Cinnamon Citadel in Kandy, and finished at Hikka Tranz in Hikkaduwa.
Teams spent nights at homestays, hostels, luxury villas, and star-class hotels. Organizers rented 100% of the three-wheelers straight from local owners, taking tourism spending into off-the-beaten-path villages and straight to grassroots families.
Water and ocean clean-up
Social and green projects ran alongside the race. Scores earned during the tournament turned into lasting clean water supplies for families across Northern and Eastern provinces via the PALM Foundation, reaching 228 connections so far.
Working alongside the Zero Plastic Movement, 1 kilogram of ocean-bound plastic was collected for each traveler. The event was backed by international brands Red Bull and Valvoline.
