Where It All Began
In the mist-wrapped tea estates of Kandy, the spice-scented hillsides of Matale, and the ancient forest corridors of Sri Lanka's central highlands, a transformative tourism vision was born — not from a marketing strategy, but from 27 years of living and working within the very landscapes that make Sri Lanka extraordinary.
Tarquin Travels was founded in 2015 by Mr. Muditha Rajasekara — a Diploma-qualified Plantation Management professional with 27 years of progressive experience culminating as Cluster Manager across multiple estate groups in Kandy and Matale. The company was built on a singular belief: that travel designed by someone who has genuinely walked the rows, managed the harvests, and understood the rhythms of Sri Lanka's agricultural soul delivers what no conventional operator ever could. This insider knowledge translates into exclusive, deeply authentic guest experiences completely inaccessible to operators without these established community relationships.
Where other operators approach Sri Lanka's tea country as outsiders arranging visits, Tarquin Travels approaches it as an insider opening doors — and that is a difference travellers from Sydney to London to Mumbai can feel in every detail of their journey.
Our Milestones
From plantation management mastery to Sri Lanka's most authentically grounded green tourism pioneer
A Plantation Career Meets a Tourism Vision
Mr. Rajasekara builds a 27-year career managing tea estates across Kandy and Matale — progressing from Assistant Manager to Cluster Manager across multiple estate groups. Throughout these years, a conviction takes shape: Sri Lanka's extraordinary tea country, ancient kingdoms, and biodiverse landscapes deserve a tourism framework built by genuine insiders, not conventional operators arranging surface-level visits.
Tarquin Travels Founded — Sri Lanka's Most Authentic DMC
Tarquin Travels is established in Horana, Western Province — Sri Lanka's first destination management company founded by a senior plantation management professional. The company launches across seven tourism verticals: tea heritage, cultural heritage, eco-adventure, Ayurveda wellness, culinary spice trails, premium coastal experiences, and corporate MICE. A curated partner network begins development across accommodation, estates, and conservation organisations.
SLTDA Registration & Signature Portfolio Launch
Tarquin Travels achieves SLTDA registration as an authorised destination management company. Twenty signature tour packages are professionally developed — The Greenway Tea Trail, Ancient Kingdoms Heritage Circuit, Wild Sri Lanka Safari & Coast, and seventeen more — targeting Australian, Indian, and European markets. A 40+ property premium accommodation network, 15 certified multilingual guides, and a fleet of 8 premium vehicles complete the operational foundation.
Operational Scale & International Momentum
Tarquin Travels reaches 30+ individually crafted itineraries monthly, with 97% guest satisfaction maintained across all markets. Testimonials from guests in Sydney, London, Mumbai, Berlin, and Edinburgh validate the plantation-expertise-driven model. Australia/New Zealand (35%), India (30%), and Europe (35%) become the three core source markets with targeted digital marketing and trade partnerships.
Recognition, Technology & Sustainable Growth
TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice recognition, Sri Lanka Tourism Ministry Best Newcomer award, and Green Travel Alliance Certification validate Tarquin Travels's service quality. Mobile guest application launches. Fleet expands toward 20 vehicles supporting 80+ monthly tours. German and French language capability added. World Travel Awards nomination for Sri Lanka's Leading Green Tour Operator is filed.
Leadership & Legacy
35+ vehicles, 70+ professionals, 1,500+ annual custom itineraries. International offices in Sydney, Mumbai, and London. Tourism training academy launches. 50+ village community partnership network. Carbon-neutral operations achieved. ISO 14001 Environmental Management certification. National Geographic Journeys partnership cements Sri Lanka's leading green tourism brand position.
Three Forces, One Purpose
The convergence that makes Tarquin Travels impossible to replicate
Plantation Management Mastery
Mr. Muditha Rajasekara — Diploma in Plantation Management, Cluster Manager
27 years managing tea estates translates into exclusive insider access — private factory tours, superintendent bungalow stays, master tea tastings — unavailable through any conventional operator. This is the company's founding DNA and enduring competitive moat.
Community Network Advantage
Decades of trusted relationships across the central highlands
Direct, trusted connections with estate managers, village leaders, artisan cooperatives, and conservation organisations — built over years of shared professional work. These professional bonds produce preferential access and authentic experiences unavailable anywhere else.
Genuine Sustainability DNA
Environmental stewardship rooted in a career of working with the land
Mr. Rajasekara's organic, deeply personal commitment to environmental stewardship and community welfare goes beyond corporate checklists. It is the lived commitment of someone who has managed, protected, and depended upon these landscapes for nearly three decades.
The Tarquin Travels Difference
Tea Heritage Insider Design
Every tea heritage itinerary designed by someone who has actually managed the estates guests visit — technical accuracy, genuine insider access, and storytelling only a plantation professional can deliver.
Exclusive Estate Access
Private factory tours, superintendent bungalow stays, and master tea taster sessions — exclusive to Tarquin Travels guests because they flow from 27 years of genuine professional relationships.
Multi-Market Intelligence
Tailored service for Australian adventurers, Indian cultural travellers, and European sustainability-conscious guests — developed through years of genuine market understanding across three source regions.
More Than a Tour Operator
Tarquin Travels embodies the convergence of genuine plantation expertise, authentic community partnerships, and unwavering commitment to responsible green experiences that benefit every stakeholder: guests, communities, and the natural environments we steward.
We are plantation management mastery meeting travel design. We are insider access meeting personalised itinerary excellence. We are commercial ambition meeting genuine community empowerment and authentic Sri Lankan cultural wisdom.
"Travel, when designed with genuine insider knowledge and authentic local relationships, transforms lives — and Sri Lanka's tea country, ancient kingdoms, and biodiverse coastlines are among the most extraordinary experiences on earth when accessed through the right hands."
The Road to 2030
Three strategic phases building Sri Lanka's leading green tourism brand
Foundation & Market Entry
- SLTDA registration and core operations
- 40+ accommodation partner network
- Flagship Tea Heritage Trail launch
- Australian and Indian market development
- UK and European market penetration
Growth & Market Deepening
- Fleet expansion to 20 vehicles
- 80–100+ monthly tours
- German, French & Scandinavian markets
- Mobile app and VR preview platform
- World Travel Awards nomination
Leadership & Legacy
- 35+ vehicles, 70+ professionals
- Sydney, Mumbai, London offices
- 1,500+ annual itineraries
- Tourism training academy
- Carbon-neutral operations
සුභ ගමනක් · Suba Gamanek · Journey Well
Be Part of the Tarquin Travels Story
Your authentic green journey adds another chapter to Sri Lanka's most plantation-grounded tourism story