Sri Lankan Highlights

Most Inspirational Moment

Witnessing so many elephants gather around a watering hole with their babies whilst in Kaudulla National Park - just magical!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Mahen was charming, hilarious, and absolutely in love with his home. His knowledge of Sri Lanka was incredible, and there wasn’t a quiet moment on the trip when he wasn’t sharing a fascinating fact, piece of history, or story. Mahen adjusted the itinerary to suit our group’s needs and made sure we visited busier spots, such as Lion’s Rock and Kaudulla National Park, during quieter hours - we often felt like we had the attractions all to ourselves. Mahen’s co-pilot was equally wonderful and kind. He always greeted us with flowers when we boarded the coach, handed us umbrellas when it rained, and treated our luggage with such care. Thank you, Mahen and your co-pilot, for taking our trip above and beyond!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take clothing for all types of weather. I visited in September, and Nuwara Eliya was very chilly, Kandy was very wet, and Colombo and Wattala were super hot! Be sure to bring plenty of suncream, cover-ups for temples, and a rain jacket.

Most Inspirational Moment

Arriving in Dumballa cave temples

Thoughts on Group Leader

Dulip - He was endearing but there were many instances of troubling, unprofessional behavior. He gossiped about us to other guests, took guests to massage at a notoriously bad spa that was reputed to pay kickbacks to guides, made up stories about his family to boost sympathy at tip time, and had generally poor delivery of information about Sri Lanka and the sights we were seeing. I do not recommend him.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Travel with a private guide or a smaller group that is truly dedicated to local travel.

Reply from Exodus

We would like to thank Hannah for her review, although we are regretful to learn that her tour in Sri Lanka missed the mark for her in several areas. We always endeavour to deliver authentic experiences in all the countries we visit and we were saddened to hear that Sri Lankan Highlights felt overly structured and not particularly “Exodus”. We were most concerned to read Hannah’s comments about her tour leader’s behaviour and are in direct contact with her to discuss this.

Most Inspirational Moment

I feel that I should say the elephant safari or the white-water rafting (which were both thrilling), or the iconic train ride through the tea plantations, but my favourite experiences were when we seemed to be in the middle of nowhere, with hardly any other tourists around, enjoying the birdsong and the beauty of the landscape.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Mahen was great - he was always smiling and doing his best to make the tour as enjoyable as possible (even if that meant moving the schedule around in view of weather conditions and people's personal preferences). He clearly loves his country and wanted us to love it too - his enthusiasm was infectious.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Pack a decent breathable waterproof and sliders/crocs, whatever the season! We went in what should have been dry season but got thoroughly soaked on more than one occasion. Most people on our tour wore trainers, which were fine but sometimes took over a day to dry out and weren't easy to take on and off when entering temples (especially when wet). Although it is not a physically demanding tour, it is busy and we were glad to have extended our trip by three days on the coast (near Galle). With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had tacked on an extra day before the tour to rest (having not got much sleep on our overnight flight from London) and acclimatise to the heat.

Most Inspirational Moment

The visit to the Dambulla Cave Temples and close the encounters with wild elephants.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our guide was incredibly knowledgeable and in his words, he loved 'adding colour' with little stops and extras along the way

Most Inspirational Moment

Lion Rock Fortress

Thoughts on Group Leader

He was very knowledgeable, however I found that he tended to poke "fun" at certain people a little more than was necessary. I felt a bit more history and explanations of sites could have been provided "on-site". Most tours were a bit rushed, fine for those in excellent physical condition, difficult for those who were not. I would have rather it was a bit more leisurely when out on site.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take a battery pack/charger -- you will want to take alot of pictures and sometimes your camera/phone will not make it through the day. Tip well to all those that help with your journey.

Most Inspirational Moment

Climbing to the top of Lion Rock (Sigiriya) to view the remnants of the ruined palace and the spectacular views of the surrounding countryside from 200 metres above. Magical!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader, Suresh was excellent. Very well organised, knowledgeable of his home country, it's history and different cultures which he imparted to us in an interesting and fun manner. I appreciated his somewhat sarcastic sense of humor as well. Schedules were well kept and adjusted as necessary based on the group consensus.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take part in all of the included sightseeing and activities, especially the bike tour through the villages where you will be warmly greeted by the local children as you cycle by.

Most Inspirational Moment

I enjoyed the day we spent cycling through local villages and meeting locals.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Suresh was great. He was diligent in assisting passengers whatever hour of the day/night and adjusted our itinerary to adapt to changing circumstances like weather and traffic. Taking hundreds of photos and sharing them with the group (even if some were shockingly unflattering) was a nice touch.

Most Inspirational Moment

VISITIG A BUDDHIST TEMPLE ON THE BUDDHIST NEW YEAR AND GETTING A SPECIAL BLESSING FROM A MONK WITH A THREAD TIED ONTO MY WRIST. AND ALSO STANDING ON TOP OF THE MIGHTY SIGURIYA ROCK AND FEELING PROUD THAT I WAS ABLE TO GET THERE, AS NOT EVERYONE WAS ABLE TO CLIMB IT.

Thoughts on Group Leader

SURESH WAS OUR AMAZING WISH MASTER! NOTHING WAS IMPOSSIBLE FOR HIM TO DO FOR US. I WISH EVERYONE TO ENCOUNTER SUCH A GREAT TOUR GUIDE. HE WAS VERY PASSIONATE AND PROUD OF HIS COUNTRY. HE MADE OUR JOURNEY A VERY PLEASANT ONE. HE ALSO SHOWED US HOW ONE SHOULD STAY IN SHAPE, AS HE WOULD TAKE US FOR MORNING WALKS AND WE COULD SEE HIM EXERCISING EVERY MORNING. HE ALSO HAS GIVEN US A HONEST ADVICE WHEN IT CAME TO SOME GREAT SHOPPING PLACES. I HOPE TO STAY FRIENDS WITH SURESH IN THE FUTURE AND ALSO HOPE THAT HE CAN VISIT US IN CANADA, NEXT YEAR, AS HE LOVES TO TRAVEL.

Advice for Potential Travellers

I WOULD SAY: LIVE YOU LIFE AND DO NOT GET SCARED OF SOME POTENTIAL TROUBLE IN ONE COUNTRY, OR THE OTHER. UNFORTUNATELY BAD PEOPLE ARE EVERYWHERE AND I REFUSE TO STOP TRAVELING, BECAUSE OF THEM. SRI LANK IS STILL A RELATIVELY SAFE DESTINATION AND IF YOU FEEL NERVOUS - JUST STICK TO THE SMALLER PLACES AND AWAY FROM THE BIG CITIES - AND YOU WILL BE OK. THERE ARE PLENTY OF THEM IN SRI LANKA.

Most Inspirational Moment

Visiting the Dambulla Cave Temples... Really any temple in general. But the Cave temples were so beautiful and the detail was amazing.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Suresh was great! He had the information everyone needed and he took care of us. he always made sure everyone was happy.

Most Inspirational Moment

I am not sure there was a moment. But the people of Sri Lanka are beautiful people. They are a kind and gentle people. It was lovely seeing the families including several babies at the temple. Families enjoying the beach together. The children running out to say hello to us when biking.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our leader Suresh was A-One! He was well organized but laid back. He imparted much information. A lovely man who is approachable, kind and funny. He truly made our trip wonderful.

Advice for Potential Travellers

This is a great stepping stone before visiting India. You will have some of the influences without the craziness. Some level of fitness is required if you would like to bike, hike etc.. January and February are peak seasons. The off season of April was a wonderful time to travel. Not as many people and weather still pleasant. Sri Lanka has it all: Beaches, Temples, Elephants, Monkeys, Lion Rock, beautiful Scenery.