The Raid Amazones, a women-only adventure challenge, is set to hold its 26th edition in Kalutara from 2-10 November 2026, with Turyaa Kalutara serving as the base for the event.
The challenge will bring 250 international participants to Sri Lanka to take part in activities including cycling, canoeing and trail running, while also immersing themselves in local experiences such as cricket and Sri Lankan cookery. Participants will also take part in CSR initiatives in local schools.
The Raid Amazones is no stranger to Sri Lanka, having held eight previous editions across different regions, including the Eastern Province and the Cultural Triangle. Sri Lanka has hosted more Raid Amazones editions than any other country since the event was first established in 2001.
Connaissance de Ceylon Director of Marketing and Business Development Maxine Wickramasinghe said the aim is to ‘showcase the best of Sri Lanka’. This has been achieved by introducing participants to the country’s diverse landscapes and communities through each edition.
Raid Amazones founder Alexandre Debanne reflected on the decision to continue returning to Sri Lanka, stating that ‘the country has huge potential’. Each visit has offered the organisers the opportunity to explore different parts of the island, providing new landscapes and settings for the adventure challenges.
The decision to select Kalutara as the base for the 2026 edition was driven by the diversity of its surroundings. The region encompasses mangrove plantations, villages, paddy fields, tea, palm oil and coconut plantations. Maxine Wickramasinghe described the variety found in Kalutara as ‘second to none’, providing European participants with an experience that differs from previous editions.
The event is also expected to bring benefits to Kalutara itself.
Deputy Tourism Minister Prof. Ruwan Ranasinghe described the area as ‘a place we need to rejuvenate’. With previous editions of the Raid Amazones reaching a global audience of more than one million people, the 2026 edition is expected to generate more than $50 million in media value. This international exposure has the potential to place Sri Lanka and Kalutara in the global spotlight while supporting the country’s wider tourism industry.
Beyond the sporting element, the Raid Amazones is centred on empowering ordinary women and encouraging them to step outside their comfort zones. Debanne explained that the event deliberately focuses on selecting the ‘women next door’, emphasising that the Raid Amazones is not solely about competition or travel, but about the experience participants gain along the way.
‘The message was not sports or travel, it was experience,’ Debanne said.
Through this approach, the Raid Amazones offer European participants an opportunity to experience Sri Lanka beyond its conventional tourist attractions, while simultaneously showcasing the country’s landscapes, culture and communities to an international audience.