Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

Inspirational moments included climbing Sigiriya Rock and the wonderful views from the top; watching the monkeys in our hotel grounds; the cycle ride at Giritale along the lake and waterways, being able to soak up the tranquillity and beauty of the area and glimpse Sri Lankan life; the walk on Horton Plains; the incredible train ride to Bandarawela, another wonderful glimpse of Sri Lankan life and a sense of freedom and excitement that has now gone from train rides in the UK; the game drive at Yala National Park, seeing elephants in the wild and being surrounded by such beautiful scenery; the palm fringed golden beaches at Ahangama and having time to sit in wonder at the beauty of the Indian Ocean; the lovely city of Galle with its coastal feel, lovely architecture and characterful shops and cafes.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Dilipe, our leader, was wonderful. He had such passion for his country and was full of knowledge on all aspects of life in Sri Lanka which he imparted with enthusiasm and humour. He went the extra mile to keep his clients happy...especially arranging for the bus to stop so that we could take the photographs we wanted to take! He was flexible when we wanted him to be, notably in Galle when he allowed us to wander and have lunch wherever we pleased rather than sticking to the chosen hotel restaurant. He managed the kitty perfectly  and made life so easy for us by organising all the tips and making sure we were never short of water. I couldn't fault him as a group leader and wish him well for February when his wife is due to give birth to their first child!

Advice for Potential Travellers

I won't repeat the useful advice given in other reviews. It is worth saying that the best shopping for gifts is in Kandy and in Galle. In Kandy there is a fantastic shop close to the Queens Hotel, called Odel  Luv SL. Quite expensive by Sri Lankan standards by not by UK standards. A wonderful selection of colourful and good quality gifts. It is also worth visiting the Kandy Market in the city centre, close to the bus station, where I found some beautiful shawls and spices. In Galle just explore the small streets near the sea and you will find plenty of great shops for presents! Antibacterial handwash always useful to reduce risk of stomach bugs. The bus journeys on some days are along winding roads. If you are prone to travel sickness it's probably a good idea to bring pills/wrist bands with you and ask if you can sit near the front of the bus. Make sure you bring a Sri Lanka adaptor so you can charge your camera! You are likely to take a LOT of photos! Bincoculars are useful if you love birds as there are lots in the Giritale area and in Yala NP. I had been under the impression we would pretty much be in a different hotel every night. In fact, we spent 2 nights in Sigiriya, 3 nights in Kandy and 2 nights in the hotel on the coast. This gave the opportunity to do some washing and for it to dry. A travelling clothes line would probably be useful!

Most Inspirational Moment

Tsunami monument on beach at Yala.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Excellent

Advice for Potential Travellers

Enjoy! Take lots of Deet.

Most Inspirational Moment

Too many exciting events to limit, two or three, at least, each day. Seeing so many wild animals and beautiful birds up close. We saw wild leopards three times and so close up that I am surprised we didn't become their next meal. Also saw wild elephants, wild boars, flying squirrels, a variety of comical monkeys and crocodiles several times, though a giant fresh water otter stole the show as he seemed to be giving us a personal performance, a bit like a seal!!Also loved the cycling and what we saw on the way to a 'jungle' village by bike where we  joined a family in their garden for a superb meal.White water rafting was extra special on this holiday because the group got on so well and had a great laugh adding extra challenges to the experience!! 

Thoughts on Group Leader

Have met many fantastic Exodus leaders but Sujan is second to none. Kind, knowlegable in cultural, wildlife, birds, plants(and everything!!) and great fun. So hard working.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Don't miss this trip! The age group of the group ranged from about 35 years to 64 years and everyone had a fantastic time.

Most Inspirational Moment

Cycling through the villages, meeting the people.Listening to children chanting their morning assembly in Pali, the language of the Buddha.An open-air disco by the beach, with lightning flashes over the sea and a stray dog asleep by the dance floor. Acting like school-kids on the white-water rafting trip.

Thoughts on Group Leader

A top guy. Meticulous planning and a warm, friendly approach. He was keen for us to learn about his country.

Most Inspirational Moment

Many highlights: seeing TWO leopards at Yala National Park, visiting Buddhist temples, white water rafting, the beach, climbing Lions Rock, rice and curry...the list goes on!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader, Roshan, was great. A good laugh (and totally understood the British sense of humour), extensive knowledge of the country, fabulous organisational skills. He looked after the group wonderfully.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Note that the brochure rates the trip 'leisurely'. However, we did have one fairly lengthy walk at Horton Plains which involved many steep steps at altitude. Combined with the heat, it was pretty tiring. Make sure you take decent walking footwear. There were also over 1000 steps to reach the top of Lions Rock, but it was well worth the effort for the amazing views.

Most Inspirational Moment

I really enjoyed the Horton Plains walk - we didn't get to see off World's End due to the fog, unfortunately, but the entire walk was lovely. Climbing Lions Rock was also brilliant - I'm glad I made it to the top, despite finding the walk up a little tiring!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Roshan is a great leader - always ready with a joke (which may or may not be a 'good' joke), and clearly passionate about his job and the country. He was able to answer pretty much all of the questions we threw at him.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Other reviews have said this already, but there are an awful lot of buffet restaurants during this trip, as most of the hotels are located away from cities/towns and there aren't any other options. This was totally fine for me, and the buffet food is great, but be aware that most of the time the only option is to eat with the group. Remember to change money early on during the free day in Kandy - we left it too late and the banks/money exchanges had shut for the day. ATMS are plentiful, but banks don't seem to be at the half way point of the holiday (e.g. when I was running out of currency).

Most Inspirational Moment

The walk on Horton Plains, and the view from Worlds End. Simply sensational views and a lovely walk.  The walk up Lions Rock and the Elephant orphange was always great  

Thoughts on Group Leader

Roshan was fantastic, passionate about his country but always balanced with his views. He blended well with the group and was very open about answering questions

Advice for Potential Travellers

Decent insect repellant, sunblock, patience, and if you are taking the optional whale watching trip make sure you get information about the sea conditions !! Qulaity of hotel and food can vary but if you bear this in mind you will have a wonderful holiday

Most Inspirational Moment

The time, effort and kind-heartedness that Roshan has invested in trying to help some of the people effected by the tsunami and the poverty (caused by years of war) is truly inspirational stuff and a lesson to us all. His informative morning talks really gave us a different perspective on the struggles of his people and being able to meet many locals on the trip felt very special.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Roshan is a truly exceptional group leader and deservedly won the Exodus leader of the year in 2010. The fact that he has done this trip 195 times now and still has the boundless enthusiasm, passion and humour of a newby is quite incredible. He also plays a mean game of cricket which (as a cricketer myself) I really appreciated.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Don't have any pre-conceived ideas on what you do or don't want to do before you leave, or how much money you are willing to spend. The options are all worth doing for different reasons - but worth deciding how you feel on the day and after they are explained fully. Don't necessarily expect to see leopards or whales and you won't get too disappointed if you don't end up seeing any (as happeend for our group). And regarding the money - it's very easy to be persuaded into buying gifts and souvenirs - most of us came back with gems of some description. But that ensures that money does end up trickling down to the people who need it. Sri Lanka is still suffering from the years of war and political mismangement and the people need all the help they can get from tourism.

Most Inspirational Moment

Cycling through the countryside, seeing how people really live and sharing a home-cooked meal in banana plantation.  Kandy August festival was a unique experience, extremely colourful and skilful.  Huge number of elephants dressed in their regalia being paraded accompanied by the beat of drums,  dancers dressed in wonderful costumes all lit up by flares (no health and safety measures!) must not be missed.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Very knowledgeable, good sense of humour, always helpful and professional.

Advice for Potential Travellers

I was told that meals were not included because there was a huge choice of restaurants to chose from and that people liked that freedom.  This information was incorrect.  All the hotels were set in magic settings but there were on a limb and the only place to eat was in the hotels which provided good food, buffet or a la carte at reasonable prices by our standard.  I think that in all fairness this needs to be pointed out.  A shame that we could not go out and experiment a bit with authentic non hotel food.

Most Inspirational Moment

There are so many inspirational moments of the trip; climbing Lion Rock, the bike ride through villages (having not been on a bike since I was a child, this was a personal achievement), the walk through a forest and eating fruit that seconds earlier we had seen being picked from a tree are just a few that come to mind.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader Sujan, was exceptional. His knowledge, passion and fun shone through and I have him to thank for making the trip so enjoyable.