Director

Technophile | Curious Cat | Travel Mad

Don’t let Kalhara’s techie background fool you. This chap is a travel mad adventurer and an amateur photographer who simply loves connecting with new people, soaking up in nature, diving deep into history and visiting new places. He’s also a very curious character who loves pursuing an in-depth understanding of how things work and has a ravenous appetite for learning new stuff.

Early Days

A fine product of Royal College, Colombo, Kalhara was an enthusiastic student whose curiosity, ability to lead and inspire others saw him hold various responsible positions at school. Most notably as an Office Bearer of the Mathematics Club, Library Readers’ Association, Science Club and Young Zoologist Association. He was also an avid participant of the martial art Wushu.

Kalhara is certified in Java (the programming language, not the island) and studied for a BSc Hons in Information Technology from SLIIT along with a diploma in Public Diplomacy from the Humanities University in Moscow, Russia. He has also represented Sri Lanka as the Youth Diplomat at the SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organization) Summit in 2013, held in Moscow.

From Tech to Travel

Starting off his successful career as a systems administrator and search engine optimizer at Maryland Software in Sri Lanka, Kalhara’s real passion and interest remained on the road and in the wilderness. Whenever his friends from abroad visited Sri Lanka, he was only too thrilled to act as their tour guide and share his passion for travel with them. His friends were impressed and recommended him to others and soon, Kalhara had set up a small side business to provide tour guides and other services to travellers.

In 2016, he was presented with the opportunity to broaden his horizons and be a part of Hayleys Tours where he was instrumental in setting up and managing the Company’s Bedbanks business. He is responsible for leading the effort and transforming Hayleys’ Bedbanks business into a huge success; a contributing factor for the Company to be ranked amongst the top 15 destination management companies in Sri Lanka in terms of passengers handled.

While at Hayleys Tours, Kalhara also acted as the systems administrator and was responsible for website development, SEO and digital marketing.

His Next Step

Kalhara knows that, while the world is in turmoil now, the human penchant for adventure and discovery cannot be stifled for long. By joining the unbeatable crew at Next Step Journey, Kalhara looks forward to immersing himself in his passion for travel, helping forge reality from dreams and giving every traveller an experience to treasure for life.