Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

Fear going to sigyris rock

Thoughts on Group Leader

He coped reasonably with a large and varied group. Birthdays for part members were well felt with. He did not manage to engage the whole group at all times.

Advice for Potential Travellers

I'd advise going on a smaller group. Ours was too large

Suggestions

As above. Time on buses wasted time. It took away from opportunity to see more of the country. In towns when alone we safely wandered and saw the towns as they are. More of this and less of the tourist trail would be appreciated. We were warned by another tour operator about the safari. Never believed we would witness the 50 jeeps to a herd of elephants that we saw. It all felt manufactured and there for the paying customers. All very safe and sanitised

Most Inspirational Moment

Kandy festival Elephant safari Bike ride

Thoughts on Group Leader

Sujeewa was friendly, organised and knowledgeable - all you want in a leader, but so much more. He went out of his way to ensure every single member of the group had a fantastic holiday. He was particularly attentive to the needs of a family tour. Like he said 'if the children are happy, he parents are happy'. We couldn't have asked for a better leader.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Don't miss the optional elephant safari - it was the highlight of our trip in August. All rooms are air conditioned (can be noisy) with only sheets on the bed (can get cool). No need to pack an adaptor (hotels will have UK sockets or an adaptor), but a 4-way plug would be useful for charging all the gadgets. Teenagers - yes, there is wifi!

Suggestions

This is a fantastic trip offering the best of Sri Lanka for families - temples, festivals, historical sites, friendly people and great food - and of course elephants!

Most Inspirational Moment

Climbing the Rock fortress at Sigriya before breakfast and so in the cool of early morning with very few other tourists around. This excursion offered everything: an exhilarating climb, stunning views, enticing ruins and exquisite paintings.

Most Inspirational Moment

The temple visits and learning about buddhism from our excellent tour guide.

Thoughts on Group Leader

He was excellent, well organized, calm, very well informed, thoughtful and a very nice person. (Sujan)

Advice for Potential Travellers

The hot and very humid weather is tiring and there are several long drives on winding roads. Remember to pack mosquito repellent and use it liberally.

Suggestions

We were all very impressed with the quality and variety of food available. The safari trips were great fun, binoculars are a must.

Most Inspirational Moment

Climbing the rock fortress at Sigiriya was a definite highlight, as was coming pretty much face to face with countless elephants on the game drive near Polonnaruwa. The kindness of the people we met was definitely inspirational.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Absolutely brilliant -hugely enthusiastic, friendly, cheerful and informative. Neelaka made everyone feel immediately at ease, and took care of all of the little details for us. We couldn't have asked for a better group leader.

Advice for Potential Travellers

If you can afford the trip, don't hesitate to go!! It is definitely worth taking up the guide's offer to set up a "kitty" to cover tips for all of the meals and hotel staff, and for buying bottles of water every day - this makes life a lot easier. Although it is tempting to just sit by the pool (or the beach towards the end of the trip) when there is any free time, we would recommend fitting in as many of the optional activities that you can. It is also easy to organise your own activities - at Ahangama, we organised a group trip by tuk tuk down the coast to Weligama, and had a superb afternoon of surfing (or trying to surf!).

Suggestions

Thank you to the other members of the group- we had a great time on holiday with you. Loved everything about the trip- if we were to add one thing, we would have enjoyed trekking.

Most Inspirational Moment

Without a doubt, it was the opportunity to bathe one of the elephants in the river. Such majestic creatures.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Wasanta was magnificent. A very knowledgeable and likeable man with a willing to please. He made things happen for the group and maintained a 'happy camp'!!

Advice for Potential Travellers

There is a lot of time spent on the coach as there is so much to see and this may be an issue for younger travellers especially. Also a few roads are very 'winding' and if you do not travel well it would be most advisable to obtain a travel sickness solution that works for you. Also invest in decent mosquito repellent - we did and did not receive 1 bite!! Be prepared for visiting the temples with appropriate clothing to cover shoulders and knees, this applies to everyone, even children, and remember not to pose in front of Buddha.

Suggestions

Would just like to thank everyone on our trip for making it a happy and memorable one.

Most Inspirational Moment

We thought that cycling around the locality of Sigiraya rock one day and then climbing up it the next was phenomenal. It built everything up and fired the imagination once we were on top of the rock, taking in the tremendous views. We were lucky enough to be in Kandy when the Esala Perahera was on and our wonderful guide, Sujee, arranged seats for us to watch. The significance of this ceremony to the Sri Lankan people and their mass involvement was inspiring. Visiting the spice garden and seeing all the things green and growing that are bottled and dried in the kitchen cupboard at home. The oils and remedies are wonderful too.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Sujee, our group leader, was brilliant. He was full of information, avidly promoted responsible tourism and was always available if we needed anything - or had more questions. He was wonderfully flexible too - helping our group to arrange alternative trips to the usual optional ones. We all loved how he bought us unusual fruits etc from the roadside for us all to try. He was greatly complemented by Nisha, who looked after us excellently too, and Gama, our very, very skilful and safe driver.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Water is provided on the bus so you don't need water bottles. Take lots and lots of high factor sun cream and insect repellent. Hotel standards way exceeded our expectations - so no 'roughing' it! The trip is quite exhausting with lots of travelling so the time on the beach at the end is much appreciated. Opportunities to obtain cash from ATMs are identified by the guide so you can plan withdrawals.

Suggestions

This was a wonderful trip and we were very lucky that our group got on together so well. It has made me want to visit Sri Lanka again as it was such a great experience.

Most Inspirational Moment

Elephant ride closely followed by whale watching.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Sujeewa was brilliant, kind-hearted, patient and adaptable to the different demands of our group. His passion for his country shone out brightly.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The pace I would say is medium, be prepared for a few long stretches of travel although I think that even then they were broken up with interesting, sometimes impromptu stops to pick up fruits to try, crafts to show and views to see. Also pack a small umbrella for those torrential albeit short rain storms. The age for the trip I think is more suitable for over 8s although we did have a 6 year old in the group who got on well.

Suggestions

This was a great trip for us, probably our best holiday to date.

Most Inspirational Moment

Watching the elephants from the orphanage in the river when having lunchClimbing Lion's RockTravelling through the mountains - amazing countrysideWent out running a lot - everyone so friendly and amazed to see me running - feels quite lonely going out now I am back in England! (watch out for the dogs though!!)

Thoughts on Group Leader

Suresh was a great tour leader, spent a lot of time and energy making sure all were happy all the time and keeping us all on track, even playing cricket with my son!

Advice for Potential Travellers

As other people have said there is a lot of time spent on the coach - although the roads are generally good and not too much traffic, the tuk-tuks and cyclists and the winding roads through the mountains mean that progress is generally slow (better down in the south of the island)

Suggestions

Go! Is a very relaxing holiday, not too many temples (this is feedback from my children!), elephants amazing, people friendly (and dont hassle you to buy things!) and food very good even for the fussiest of children

Most Inspirational Moment

Climbing Sigiriya rock Watching blue whales at Mirissa

Thoughts on Group Leader

She was really nice and considerate. Always smiling and helpful.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Lots of sun-screen

Suggestions

Great country and amazing trip.