A TALE OF
LIVING HISTORY
WHAT WE DO FLOWS FROM WHO WE ARE 1978 marks a year of birth and becoming for JF Tours and Travels. It marks the beginning of a history of professionalism in the world of travel. It marks the moment of vision in planning and creating-cutting edge opportunities to experience a country and its people. It marks wheels a-turning on a journey of commitment to clients the world over. It marks the creation of connections between people, unseen places of untapped secrets. Experience, in the soul and business of travel, is a well-crafted art at JF Tours; it is a legacy that is passed through an organisational structure that is tuned into the needs of the most diverse traveller. With almost four decades of working as a limited liability company incorporated in Sri Lanka and licensed by Sri Lanka tourism as an inbound tour operator, JF tours has fine-tuned the practice of truly listening to a myriad of needs, and can thus boast of being able to create a personalised experience in travel for absolutely anyone.
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THE MAGIC OF A WELCOMING SMILE Sri Lanka - as you may have heard - is the country of a million smiles. So is the service we offer. We extend ourselves to fulfilling every possible need in the context of general tourism and travel-related business, starting with tour planning and reservation services. From exploring culture to nature, from relaxing beach holidays to wellness retreats, from pursuits in adrenaline-pumping adventure to safari and wildlife thrills, we understand that every traveller has different needs and desires, and thus are equipped to create individualised travel itineraries, handle hotel reservations, booking guides and all related activities. To support a journey in uninterrupted, hassle-free tranquillity, we also offer vehicle-hiring services that come with experienced chauffeur guides, designed for leisure and luxury. Our forte, an edge in the world of travel is our passion for railway experiences, which has inspired specially designed Rail Tours that is an unique travel experience offered only through JF Tours. A part of our legacy is having pioneered the exclusive heritage train: the “ Viceroy Special.” The Viceroy is the only vintage luxury steam train in the country; one that has delighted thousands of steam enthusiasts and many a happy traveller from various parts of the world over the years. The train journey to hill country of Sri Lanka is rated as one of the world’s most picturesque train journeys, which begins at an elevation of 14ft from sea level in Colombo and reaches 6224ft closer to Nuwara Eliya and in the luxurious Viceroy, this already spectacular journey becomes a voyage of stunning indulgence. Whilst handling special interest groups, professionals and incentive groups we also concentrate on up-market travellers from the countries such as UK, Germany, France and Italy, and are also responsible for providing travel arrangements for most of the visiting naval vessels from countries world wide which include aircraft carriers. We are also well equipped with a large fleet of comprehensively insured vehicles ranging from saloon cars to 4WD luxury jeeps, along with an excellent team of well experienced, knowledgeable English speaking chauffeur guides.
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At JF Tours, to host is both a pleasure and a privilege; our work ethic is founded on service that does not compromise on quality. We offer the flexibility and enjoyment of independent travel, with a personalized touch, irrespective of whether you are the one-off traveller or a diverse group. Approach us as a group, and you would feel as though the journey was designed just for you. To travel with us is to journey into serendipity.
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AT THE HEART OF SERENDIPITY Historically, Sri Lanka has been for travellers a place of rest, a place of discovery, a place of serendipitous journeys. The island is known for her ability to capture the imagination of writers and philosophers, and hold in a spell those who wandered into her magical landscapes and rich cultural heritage. In modern times, the country hasn’t lost her allure, drawing also the hip and trendy into her charm.
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At 65,610 sq.km, Sri Lanka is a small, but tantalising tour destination packed with the absolute best of so many worlds: sun-bronzed beaches, brilliant green paddy fields, ancient cities, small lively rural dwellings, urbane cityscapes, wildlife in tropical jungles and hill country tea plantation within hours of each other are just some of the country’s main attractions. In the sphere of biodiversity, Sri Lanka has always been the focus of attention. The World Heritage Committee of UNESCO quite recently identified three hot spots in the Central Highlands, 2500 meters above sea level, as World Heritage Sites owing to an extraordinary range of flora and fauna and several endangered specifies. Sri Lanka is now enriched with a total of ten such astounding sites. Traveller’s tales of yore have it that the ancient traveller who chanced upon the island, called her Serendib (the ancient Arabic, Urdu and Persian name for Sri Lanka) – the land stumbled upon by fortunate chance. Despite the passing of time, this joy of discovering Sri Lanka has not changed. Modernity has only heightened the experience. And, with JF Tours creating, designing and supporting your travel, not a single aspect of the sights and experiences that will bring you great joy will be left to chance. (Unless of course it’s a carefully planned island surprise!) Enjoy the island in her era of peace, and let us give you the best possible experience of the place they call paradise.
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OUR TRAINS THE “ VICEROY SPECIAL” STEAM TRAIN (PIONEERED BY JF TOURS) The “ Viceroy Special” was inspired by a special locomotive called the SEAC special used by Lord Louis Mountbatten, the last Viceroy of India to travel between Colombo and his Headquarters in Kandy during World War ll. JF Tours leased four carriages and refurbished them using antiques to re-create the charm of train travel in heyday and were instrumental in restoration of several steam locomotives that were withdrawn from active service many decades before to constitute a special vintage train known as the “ Viceroy Special” to add a new dimension for promotion of tourism in Sri Lanka to provide an unique and memorable railway journeys, hauled by steam or diesel engines, dating back to the 19th century. The specialty of this 64 seats air-conditioned train is that it offers passengers the combination of heritage, luxury and dining. It is complete with two observation saloons, a club car, pantry/kitchen, fully stocked bar, modern toilets and high speed Wi-Fi. Ever since the launching of the “ Viceroy Special” train it has been an extremely popular attraction among ‘railway enthusiasts’ from around the world , some of whom visited Sri Lanka primarily to travel in the said train. The “ Viceroy Special” basically a product that is meant for the upmarket tourists and over the years we have carried tens of thousands of tourists to various destinations in the island bringing in much needed foreign exchange for the country. It is now celebrating 32 years of service!
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THE VICEROY ll This project was launched in collaboration with the Sri Lanka Railways on 23rd November 2012 with the successes achieved with the project “ Viceroy Special”. This dual-purpose luxury “ Viceroy ll” carriage was designed to increase the seating capacity of the “ Viceroy Special” to accommodate larger groups, as well as to be attached to the public service trains for the benefit of those smaller tour groups and individual passengers in a more affordable way. The carriage has been refurbished in period style with 24 arm chairs to reconnect with an old-world charm that is in the style of the authentic “ Viceroy Special”. T1 RAILCAR No.515 (Diesel Deluxe) As the pioneer of the “ Viceroy Special” and the forerunner in designing spectacular train travel opportunities and creativity in Sri Lanka, JF Tours embarked upon another venture in the form of the “ T1 RAILCAR” which was in the passenger service for nearly three decades since late 1940s. It was beautifully restored to offer not just the joy of train journey in luxury, which is the hallmark of JF Tours but, also the intimacy that comes with being with the right people in this perfect, cozy atmosphere of elegance and grandeur of a bygone era. It sits 32 passengers and ideally suits for family occasions, cooperate functions and small tour groups to journey through the Sri Lanka Railway network in air-conditioned comfort with dining and recreation.
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RAIL TOURS For groups of serious rail enthusiasts, or those intrigued by all that Sri Lanka has to offer with the time to experience this magnificence, the Rail Tours on offer would be the perfect choice. What better way to experience a country than to travel on board one of our luxury trains, supported right through the journey by JF Tours that takes charge of arranging coaches for hotel transfers and sightseeing, in addition to arranging accommodation, guide services and any other related ground services that will take logistics off your mind - and the only thing left for the traveller is to enjoy this journey of discovery.
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EXCURSIONS The Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage, The Kingdom of Kandy and The Galle Fort are our most popular rail excursions and we ensure that all aspects of the tour are looked after so guests can just sit back, relax and enjoy during their short holiday.
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TOURS Whether your perfect Sri Lankan holiday is to explore as much as possible or whether you are interested in adventure, nature and wildlife, or merely want to relax on a beautiful tropical beach, our variety of tours will have you covered. Our highly skilled team of travel consultants can adjust your tour however you choose, and they will be on call right throughout the tour to assist you in any situation. Trust JF Tours to discover the wonders of this beautiful island.
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TAILOR MADE JF Tours has been designing tailor-made holidays in Sri Lanka for the last 40 years. We start by understanding your idea of a perfect holiday and try and match it with your budget. Then based on your interests and wishes we will actively design a tailor-made holiday in Sri Lanka for you. Whether you want to explore Sri Lanka’s beautiful beaches or explore the cultural wonders we will give the help you need at competitive prices.
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TRANSPORTATION JF Tours provide 24-hours ground Transportation services to Corporate Groups, Executives, VIPs and Leisure Travelers relying on a fleet of well-maintained, high- quality Cars, Vans, SUV ’s, Mini Coaches and Large Coaches. All vehicles are driven by our experienced and highly-trained chauffeurs who are not only known for their courteous driving skills, but also expertise in multilingual communication abilities and excellent knowledge about ancient cultural sites and lesser known local hotspots. Most of our chauffeurs are also trained tour guides with experience in handling wildlife camping, jungle trekking and whale watching.
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The 24-hour service delivery comes with regular, on-site monitoring and streamlined communication managed by the relevant Transport Department Staff to ensure professional, safe and comfortable service to and from your destination. In addition, we also undertake air-taxi and helicopter reservations within Sri Lanka.
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www.threesixtyfive.us
CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION: JT TOURS & TRAVELS (CEYLON) (PVT) LTD. 189, Bauddhaloka Mawatha, Colombo 04, Sri Lanka. Tel: +94 11 2587996, 2589402 Fax: +94 11 2580507 Mobile: +94 777 486438 E-mail: inquiries@jftours.com