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Reviews

Your Words – We tell it like it is! Holiday Reviews by previous Exodus travellers  

Here at Exodus we thrive on feedback from our customers. It’s the only way we can ensure our trips continue to be the best they can be. So, for the real tales, twists and turns of the trip you’re interested in, look no further than the reviews from our previous travellers.

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211 Reviews

4.8 out of 5

Reviews

Fab tour

Highly recommend this tour, so many different highlights to mention them all but cycling the backroads through the rice fields, seeing the wonderful wildlife, felt like i was on the set of Madagascar on several occasions, even saw wild elephants. The tour guide, Suresh, and his team are great. Making sure everyone is well looked after, with regular breaks with great snacks, sampling some of the local dishes..the pancake with dessicated coconut being one highlight. 😋 The food was great, suresh organising some great lunch stops and also an evening meal demonstration from one of the local chefs was great, so good to get some curry tips and it tasted delicious.. This cycling tour is a great way to see the country, especially with suresh providing great commentary, good insights and passing on his knowledge and passion for his country.

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing the wild elephants. Cycling along the backroads and seeing all the wildlife. The descent down from ella was grt fun.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Suresh was great. Can see why he has been tour guide of the year twice. Very attentive, made sure everyone was happy. Gave some great insight into his country which he talked about with great passion and humour.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Do it. You won't regret it. Fab country. Maybe take a few days after to enjoy the beaches on the south coast near galle. They were fab.

Do this trip if you want a sense of adventure and don’t mind testing yourself on the hills

Our group had a fantastic 2 weeks cycling through the back roads (and a couple of busy roads) of Sri Lanka. There scenic views of course come with some hills and harder days but the bus was always available for those in need of a rest. Food was varied and safe (no real GI issues despite consuming salads and ice) and excellent especially if you love curry and usually consisted of a varied buffet at each meal which often included western options as well. I can’t eat gluten and there was no problem with options on this trip. Vegetarians also seemed to be well catered for. We saw endless monkeys, lizards, birds, fruit bats and much more and explored temples, coastlines, went in safari in search of leopards and elephants and stopped frequently for tea and local snacks. You’ll never go hungry on an exodus trip and this was no exception! While Sri Lanka has had some tough times in recent years, don’t let that out you off. The locals are friendly, the areas visited felt safe and Ruwan our guide was exceptional in his knowledge and leadership

Thoughts on Group Leader

Ruwan was excellent all round

Advice for Potential Travellers

Just do it!

Wonderful holiday - stunning scenery, delicious food

I highly recommend this trip. The cycling routes were superb, only a couple of days on main routes. Stunning vistas and a wonderful experience in a very unspoilt country of rural beauty. Standard of hotels was very high. The food was delicious. Buffets in all hotels for breakfast but one and likewise for dinner so a very wide range available. People very friendly. Our guide Ruwan was delightful and very knowledgeable. The other activities besides the cycling were also great. Really enjoyed the safari and whale watching. There can be heavy rain in the afternoons so waterproofs essential….

Most Inspirational Moment

From a cycling perspective, making it to the end of the really hard hill climb was very inspirational from a personal perspective! I loved the view from the hotel in Lake Girithale, breathtaking view. The final beach hotel was wonderful. Standing on the sand looking out at the ocean at the surfers was wonderful and the final poolside BBQ was very special. The pools at that hotel were fab as well as the one at Chaarya hotel Seeing elephant and leopard on safari and a fin whale while whalewatching also very special.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Ruwan was a wonderful group leader. He was incredibly patient, knowledgeable, flexible, attentive, great wildlife knowledge too.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Bring your own loo roll and hand sanitiser. Bring cycling shoes and trainers because one will get wet. Bring high quality camera. Bring a sarong for easily going into temples to tie round your waist

Wonderful Sri Lanka

Absolutely wonderful trip. The country offers so much in the way of beautiful scenery and wildlife and so much better to be able to see it at your own pace on a bicycle. The standard of our accommodation was well above what we were expecting and the choice of food was exceptional – there was a great mix of both Sri Lankan and western food available most days, often via an an all-you-can-eat buffet. The entire trip was made so enjoyable because of the exceptional organisation and knowledge of our group leader Suresh helped by a great local support team.

Most Inspirational Moment

Too hard to pinpoint a single moment. Climbing Lion Rock at Sigiriya, the ascent to Nuwara Eliya, visiting Yala National Park, swimming in the warm Indian Ocean, having a cooking demonstration in a family home followed by delicious meal cooked in banana leaves...it was all good.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Could there ever be a better group leader then Suresh? He said at the beginning that we just needed to enjoy ourselves and to leave everything else up to him. True to his word, we barely had to think. He organised everything and any additional request or service, big or small, was no hardship at all. Always available, friendly and funny and always having everything under control to ensure we had a great time.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Just do it! The cycling was rated moderate and there were a couple of very hard uphill days, however, although I had done next to no training due to illness, I opted for an e-bike and everything was doable with the option of an air-conditioned mini-bus always available!

Another fantastic trip in an amazing country

We have done many Exodus cycling trips and this one was up there with the best, if not THE best. There are 4 different things we enjoy about these trips, and these vary depending on where we are – 1.The cycling 2.The country we are visiting 3.The food 4.The group of people you are with. Sri Lanka ticked all 4 boxes, The cycling was varied with easier days, and one extremely challenging day, but the scenery was spectacular with lush green vegetation, beautiful waterfalls and tea plantations up in the hills, temples and local villages. The food is to die for, simply delicious (as long as you like a bit of spice). Finally we were lucky enough to have a fantastic group of people, we had so much fun. The Sri Lankan people could not have been more welcoming, warm and friendly. I thought the accommodation was of a particularly high standard on this trip, lovely hotels, mostly with pools.

Most Inspirational Moment

Finally getting to the top of the big climb at Nuwara Eliya after nearly 3000 metres of climbing, group photo at the top with great sense of achievement! "Life saving cake" organised by Suresh half way up.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Suresh was the best - very experienced, has fine tuned the trip so things runs like clockwork. Nothing is too much trouble, he worked so hard to ensure all our needs were met and went the extra mile to make sure all our annoying requests were sorted for us! He is extremely organised and hard working and professional, very assertive without being rude (making sure we all were on time etc. and kept his team in order!). He was fun and enjoyed teasing us.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared for a couple of days of hard cycling, take wet weather gear (we were lucky, didn't get wet too often, just a couple of showers). There are quite a few days of heavy eating - easy to eat too much at lunchtime with big curry buffets - hard to get cycling sometimes after a big lunch, so pace yourself!!

Most amazing experience of Sri Lanka

Our cycling trip in Sri Lanka far exceeded our already high expectations. From the incredible cycling (mixture of tough and relaxing), to the delicious food (most amazing local curries), to the lovely fellow guests and staff, to excellent accommodation, to varied and enjoyable non-cycling activites…it had it all! One of the main factors for the success of the trip was Suresh, the trip leader, who managed the itinerary superbly and added so many enjoyable local-flavoured extras.

Most Inspirational Moment

Everyone completing the tough ascent up to Nuwara Eliya - it was long and challenging but everyone was so encouraging and motivated to get to the top!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Suresh was incredible and deserves major credit for the success of the trip. He mixed hard work and going beyond the call of duty, with being friendly and sociable. He was always there for us and gave us a local-perspective in so many ways e.g. taking us to family restaurants, introducing us to delicious food, arranging curry cooking lesson.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Sit back and enjoy the ride!

July 23rd 2023 Sri Lanka

Cycling Back Roads of Sri Lanka, outstanding experience. The scenery is stunning, as you move from the irrigated rice fields of the lower elevations to the tea plantations in higher elevations and pristine beaches at the coast. Plenty of wildlife, including many different bird species, water buffalo, crocodiles, wild elephants and a leopard. The cycling was a good pace, with some hills to keep us challenged, especially the 18km climb to Nuwara Eliya. Plenty of opportunities to experience Sri Lankan style cuisine and culture of the country. The Exodus Trip Notes describe the tour accurately.

Most Inspirational Moment

The scenic countryside, majestic wildlife and resilience of the Sri Lankan people really stood out.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our team leader, Suresh, did a phenomenal job with the help of his support team, all crew members went above and beyond to make our tour memorable. Suresh's attention detail is exceptional, he made sure the needs of all members were taken care at all times. The hotels were well organized, bikes were in good working order, meals were coordinated and none biking excursions were well thought out. Suresh is friendly with the customers, creating a good atmosphere between customers and support staff.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Cycling in late July / early August it is hot and very humid.

Wonderful tour of Sri Lanka

Cycling is the perfect way to see this country – you get a much better sense of the physical beauty, the diversity of landscapes and culture of the country when cycling through the villages and meeting people, than with other forms of travel. There were loads of interesting visits and activities – there wasn’t much downtime but it was great to visit the temples, walk up hills, learn to cook Sri Lankan food, take a safari. The itinerary packs a lot into the fortnight – the rolling rural areas, the hill station/tea plantations, elephants, beach, and heritage sites like Galle. It might be a bit fast- paced for some people but personally I loved waking up each day knowing that there would be new and exciting experiences. I’m not a regular cyclist and as the trip rating says it was quite challenging at times with a lot of hills. If you haven’t done this sort of trip before you do need a good level of fitness and to be prepared to play catch-up with the more experienced cyclists in the group, but it was well worth the effort.

Most Inspirational Moment

A lot to mention - such a privilege to see elephants and a leopard in Yala; the beautiful train ride up to the hill station - a lot of fun in the chaos of 3rd class though everyone was very kind and made sure I got a good view; a hotel right on the Indian Ocean; all the children waving and shouting as we cycled through their villages; learning about the history - the ancient kingdoms/temples, and more recently the civil war and tsunami.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Suresh was fantastic. He is extremely organised, knowledgeable and caring. He went to endless efforts to make sure we had a great time, and any issue was dealt with promptly. He was good company over the fortnight and we had a lot of fun in the evenings. He and his team looked after us really well on the bike rides - with lots of water, food and any issues with the bicycles dealt with immediately.

Advice for Potential Travellers

This is an energetic and full-on trip, but if you are only going to visit Sri Lanka once it's the best way I can think of to experience it. But if you like to relax and take your time when making your way around a country it might not be the best itinerary for you. It's probably best to book some time in advance and train for the cycling, unlike me, but I still loved it. Make sure you have spare room in your suitcase for all the tea, spices and other things you will want to bring home.

UNEXPECTED ABSOLUTE BREATHTAKING....MAXIMUM DAMAGE!

Because some people worked very hard to make me feel like this! SURESH: our guide to heaven. Keep the fire in your eyes and in your heart Suresh! You inspired us all SURANGA: my guardian angel as I was riding up that mountain! I wouldn’t have made it without you ! SAMAN: the man who kept us all hydrated and risked his life standing in the middle of busy roads to show as the way GAYAN : my ‘light” in the dark! Driving with patience and a smile on your face behind my slow bike! DHARME: thank you for getting us there and back safe! Thank you for the hours of waiting for us . Thank for the smiles! GOD BLESS YOU ALL!

Most Inspirational Moment

The whole of the trip is an inspiration! Suresh's passion for his country, his enthusiasm for his job, his love for life is the absolute inspiration!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Best!.............so far! :)

Advice for Potential Travellers

GO for it, only if you can handle HEAVEN!

Maximum Damage

We had the most fantastic cycling trip around Sri Lanka recently. Everything went to plan from the meet at the airport to the departure 2 weeks later. Each days cycling offered new experiences & sights – the scenery & wildlife was as varied and stunning as you could wish for. The hotels were of a very good quality & the food throughout the trip was both plentiful and of a high quality. We ate at some fantastic local restaurants which offered a real insight into the fantastic Sri Lankan cuisine. Our group gelled from Day 1 and this really helped make the trip memorable. The cycling was incredibly enjoyable and whilst stretching on a couple of days most reasonably fit people would easily cope with each days cycling. Our group leader Suresh was the most inspirational guide a group could wish for – extremely organised, very funny and used his extensive local knowledge to make the trip highly enjoyable. His support team were excellent providing back up bikes, food/water, transport & guidance – real unsung heroes. This was our first cycling holiday – would we recommend this trip – undoubtedly & we are planning our next one for 2024. The phrase Maximum Damage was used extensively by our excellent guide Suresh when we sat down to a buffet !

Most Inspirational Moment

The cycle from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya was both physically testing but incredibly rewarding to see such stunning scenery en route. It was real group effort and some went on e bikes whilst others did the last leg in the support bus but we all made it - what a day. The other magical & unplanned sight was seeing elephants in the wild by the side of the road - amazing to see them in the natural habitat

Thoughts on Group Leader

Suresh was inspirational. Nothing was to much trouble & he used his years of local knowledge & contacts to take us to places that were not on the beaten track. His choice of restaurants was fantastic, his knowledge of the area was impeccable and he lead the support team incredibly well. Health & safety was a high priority (without being OTT boring). I would highly recommend him as a group leader