Iresh Sandaruwan
Iresh Sandaruwan began his career in travel in 2011 when he became a chauffeur guide. Before that he worked in finance as an account assistant but that was unsatisfying. He decided to head in a new direction and pursue his interest in travel when he signed up to take a course program to become a chauffeur guide. Once he earned his license, he quickly began to work.
“Getting paid to do this is awesome, isn’t it? This job also allows me to continue a lot of my hobbies as well on the job,” he said.
Those hobbies include singing and playing the guitar, and when home, he plays cricket and visits the village temple. Iresh is also an enthusiastic photographer. He put together a collection of images that he shot in Sri Lanka’s national parks and compiled a coffee table book called Wild Elephants of Sri Lanka.
He enjoys sharing the way of life of the people of Sri Lanka with Big Five travelers. While visiting magnificent sights and cities is important, Iresh believes it’s the people and how they spend their day-to-day lives that reveal the essence of place.
He feels the best part of the job is the creativity in making each tour he leads individual. That means the little things that make it special. Sometimes he carries his guitar on tour and sings local songs for the guests and teaches them a few songs. He enjoys leading each more now than when he began. “I’ve seen myself grow and improve with each tour.”
Click here to meet Iresh
