FAQs
FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
Trip Details
Full details & information about what you can expect in the lead up & during the challenge.
Costs & Fundraising
The balance for your trip cost, will be due to us 10 weeks before your departure. You will be sent a reminder & an invoice 12 weeks before, giving you 2 weeks to make the payment.
80% of your fundraising target is due to be with your charity 12 weeks before the challenge, meaning that it either needs to be banked with them, or sat against a Just Giving page. We will then invoice your charity for the remaining cost of your place on the challenge, it is important you make that 80% target otherwise your charity will not pay for your place, and your trip could be cancelled.
The remaining 20% of your balance will be due to be with your charity 4 weeks after your trip ends.
Our base cost is on a twin share room basis, if you are signing up as a couple of two friends – you can tell us when you register onto the challenge, so we ensure that you will be sharing a room.
If you are signing up to the challenge as an individual, we will match you with someone of the same gender and roughly the same age.
You can choose to pay an additional supplement to have your own room (and/or tent) on the challenge.
All of our groups are an average size of approximately 20 participants. We welcome individuals, couples and groups of friends on to our challenges, and many who join us literally have a mountain to climb in terms of the scale of the challenge they are taking on. We advocate camaraderie and team bonding, and really believe that this enhances your experience.
Yes as long as we know in advance of the trip, we can cater for all dietary requirements & requests.
Signing Up to the Challenge
Once you pay your deposit & have signed up to the challenge, you will receive a confirmation email welcoming you into the challenge.
You will also receive instructions on how to download our challenge app which has in it all the information you need to start preparing for your challenge – from kit lists to training guides.
We will keep you updated with regular emails & newsletters in the lead-up to the challenge, as well as information on training days & weekends.
If you need to cancel your challenge, your deposit is non-refundable – therefore we recommend you speak to our team to see what alternative options you may have.
Yes, if for whatever reason you need to push your departure back to a later one or change your trip altogether you can do so for a date change fee of £175, subject to availability.
Country entry requirements can change because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it’s something our team constantly keep their eyes on. If we must cancel the trip – you will be offered a transfer to a future date/ departure or a full refund. However, if you need to cancel your trip – e.g. you test positive, then you will need to seek reimbursement from your travel insurance.
Currently, we do not have the accounting facility to take instalments, we can only take your payment in full at least 12 weeks before your departure.
Preparation
Yes – in our challenge app, which you can download once you are fully registered onto the challenge we’ve a host of training materials, guides & advice for you to use. We also have training weekends, and days which you can sign up to meet others & test out not just your fitness, but your mental readiness for the challenge and your all important kit!
Closer to the challenge we will set up a Facebook group, so that you can meet online others whom are going to be on your trip. We also have a lively & dynamic Facebook group you can join at any time to meet other fellow challengers – past & present to share and swap training tips, advice & stories.
You will need a specific travel insurance, which covers the duration of your trip, along with full cover for any activities you will be doing (i.e. trekking, cycling) and also to cover you up to any altitude you may be trekking to. Once you are signed up to the challenge, we will send you full details of our recommended providers of appropriate cover.
Life on the Challenge
- International flights
- Bike hire (e-bikes available for additional supplement)
- Action Challenge cycle guide
- Full support team
- UK medic
- High-quality bike hire
- All accommodation
- All meals, except in free time
- All transfers in local vehicles
- Celebration dinner
- Fitness and training guide
- Action Challenge App with all documentation
- Action Challenge UK leader
- Pre-trip briefing by Action Challenge staff
- Insurance
- Vaccinations – up to date on boosters
- Tips for local staff
- Airline fuel surcharge
- Alcoholic drinks
- Personal kit/equipment
On cycling days, we will wake up between 06:30-07:00, starting with breakfast before preparing for the day ahead. There will be regular short breaks to rest and refuel on snacks and water, with a longer stop for lunch. In the evening, we enjoy a meal at the hotel or campsite, before retiring to bed to prepare for the next day of cycling. Every evening, the Action Challenge Leader will give a briefing about the following day, with information such as appropriate clothing, the topography and any ‘hot spots’ to look out for.
You will be covering approx. 460 km of mainly tarred roads from the West to the East coast of Sri Lanka. There are some sections of mixed terrain tracks in Tea Estates and some steep inclines.
We will have an unlimited supply of fully purified and treated water and three varied and nutritious meals a day. Breakfast will be at the accommodation and will typically consist of bread, eggs and some local dishes. Lunch will be en-route and dinner will be at a prearranged restaurant and will be a variety of rice, noodles, vegetables and a selection of meat and fish. We recommend that you bring some of your favourite snacks with you for that extra energy boost! Please ensure all products are dry and packaged. For example: cereal bars, sweets, nuts or biscuits. Special dietary requirements will be catered for, provided sufficient advance notice is given.
Your main luggage is transported via a support vehicle, leaving you with only the absolute essentials during your days cycling.
Temperatures are fairly constant year round, with coastal regions enjoying average temperatures of 25-30°C and the highlands 15-18°C on average. We tend to set off early to avoid intensely hot temperatures during the cycle. Sri Lanka is a tropical country and as such there is a higher likelihood of heat, humidity and rain, so cyclists should come prepared.
Our Brochure
The Challenge brochure details the full itinerary, inclusions, and more – download for a full run down of the challenge details.