Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

The trip was very varied covering the main cultural, historical and landscape highlights of this beautiful country.  My particular favourtites were a cycle trip through local villages culminating in a fabulous lunch cooked by locals and served al fresco on large palm leaves, yummy!  Another highlight was a wonderful walk on Horton Plains followed by a great train ride down a 6000ft descent; fabulous scenery.  The trip to the elephant orphange was another highlight; around 50 elephants withing touching distance parading down to bathe in the river was a sight to behold.  Two days of relaxing on the beach at the end of the trip was perfectly placed and the perfect opportunity to get my longed for camera shots of the local fisherman suspended on poles in the sea collecting their catch of the day.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader was very knowledgable and experienced; this being his 171st exodus trip!  He had honed his skills at providing a good combination of knowledge/guidance with enough opportunities for personal day dreaming, contemplation and reflection as we rolled along on our journey.  Admiration for his ability to stay so fresh and enthusiastic after 171 trips :-)  

Advice for Potential Travellers

Best to change most of your money at the airport as they give the best rates.  Deet 50% keeps the mosies away - only got two bites the whole trip! 

Most Inspirational Moment

The view from World'sEnd.The excellent meal provided by the Tsunami victims.Being given shelter by a local villager during a downpour on our jungle walk.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Sujan is an excellent leader.His knowledge of the culture and wildlife of his country is encyclopaedic.A fantastic personality with a superb sense of humour.Any problem was efficiently resolved.Even providing ash for a Leech wound!!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Expect some rain.A waterproof jacket is essential although umbrellas were available on the bus.There are times when footwear with a good tread are essential.Be aware of tourist scams in Colombo.

Most Inspirational Moment

Most inspirational moments were cycling through local villages and getting a good feel for how the locals live from day to day. The white water rafting was great, went overboard but the water was warm and all the safety equipment was provided. Yala Safari was amazing.

Thoughts on Group Leader

The group leader could not have been better, made a difficult job look effortless.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Just enjoy!

Most Inspirational Moment

As I'd wanted to go to Sri Lanka for so long, the whole trip was inspirational for me. If I had to pick out the most exceptional moments though, I would have to pick highs and lows (in relation to sea level!!) The highs were climbing to the top of Sigirya, which tested my head for heights something rotten coming down a not terribly wide staircase literally nailed into the side of the rock!!) and climbing Adams Peak and seeing the sunrise (even though it wasn't a clear sky) from the summit. The low, which was probably my most favourite moment of the holiday, was taking an optional whale watching tour at the end of the holiday which was out of this world! However, it seems unfair to only pick a few moments of the holiday, as we did and saw so much. Everything was great - from the cave temples to Kandy, the cycle ride in Giritale and the visit to the Tsunami house (both of which involved a most stunning local curry lunch!), World's End to the Ella Gap to Yala National Park...

Thoughts on Group Leader

Roshan was fantastic! He was smiling from the day he met us to the day he left us! He was always happy, helpful and efficient and has clearly benefitted from his many years of experience to make the holiday into an absolute pleasure for everyone. It quickly feels like he is an old friend and just another part of the group. Roshan started every day with an informative talk about various aspects of Sri Lanka, whether it was politics, traditions, food or the numerous amount of holidays so we learnt an awful lot (before our mid-morning coach nap!!) Do watch out for his cheeky sense of humour though and his appalling number of English clichés!!

Advice for Potential Travellers

This is actually a pretty active holiday with lots of travelling, so can be tiring - our group frequently used the travel time to cat nap!! However you have your own bus and can often leave bags (or yourself!) on them whilst visting various sites. Be warned though - the bus may be inclined to break down every so often, but fortunate our drive and helper were technically minded and managed to patch it up well enough most times!Don't go too mad on the clothes front - shorts & t-shirts are the way forward - but ladies, make sure you have some below the knee trousers or skirts and tops that cover your shoulders to respect the rules in the temples. Do take some travel wash though as there are not that many opportunities to do laundry.If you're planning to climb Adams Peak, be prepared for 6km of steps up and 6km down! You don't need walking poles and a good pair of trainers is sufficient. If you're reasonably fit, you should be fine - I am but by God my calves hurt next day!! Also, wrap up warm for the summit - it's pretty chilly up top at 4.30 in the morning!!Take a good supply of wet wipes, hand detergent and tissues! And DEET is a must if you don't want to get bitten!For the Yala National Park safari drive, make sure you have spare batteries and memory cards as you'll doubtless be zooming for England! And be prepared for a very bumpy and dusty ride! My t-shirt was so filthy afterwards, I just threw it away!!If you are there in the right season, definitely go on the optional whale watching tour. It cost about £50 for pretty much a 5 hour trip, we were plied with tea, biscuits, water, fruit, omelettes & cake throughout and saw 3 different types of dolphin, two different types of whale and a couple of sea turtles - amazing!!

Most Inspirational Moment

There were loads of interesting things - the temples at Dambulla and Polonnaruwa, and the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy.  Enjoyed the elephant ride, and seeing elephants try to push each other into the water at the orphanage.  We were lucky enough to be there at the time of the festival in Kandy which was brilliant.  Also were lucky to see two leopards on the safari at Yala National Park.  Enjoyed the walk on Horton Plains, high up in the mountains, and the Hill Club which felt like being in an Agatha Christie novel.

Thoughts on Group Leader

We had Roshan Fernando who was brilliant.  He always gave us loads of info about what we'd be doing every day, how long it would take to get to places and what clothes would be suitable e.g. if we were going to temples or walking in the jungle.  He told us all about the history, culture and customs of the country, always making it sound fresh and interesting.  Loves dropping in jokes and sayings at every opportunity and had us all singing along with him and the mariachi band at a couple of hotels! 

Advice for Potential Travellers

Definitely give this trip a try.  I've never been anywhere like it before and really enjoyed it.  There are some early starts but it's worth it and you get to see a lot, it's a very varied country. 

Most Inspirational Moment

My favourite day was the one where we cycled through the local villages and countryside and stopped for lunch at a house. (fantastic curry). We had a coconut break at a local farm where we watched a man climb a tree to get our coconuts and were shown how to make the milk. It was these little things which made the trip a little different. The temples and heritage sites are great but experiencing real Sri Lanka was even better. I was amazed by the Sri Lankans attitude to visitors. Everywhere we went people would be smiling and waving (even as we drove past on the coach). They really like having tourists and we were asked many times what we thought of their country. Beautifull was always the answer.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Roshan was so well organised. He took all the stress out of the trip for us brits who have no idea how to tip, or when to tip (althought we did have a go at bartering  in the towns when we had the chance). Snacks appeared  on journeys and Roshan was always calm and informative (even when the bus broke down and a new one just magically apperared when we got off the train). The trip ran like clockwork and not only that, but he's a really friendly guy!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Just enjoy! Do all the extra activities that you can.

Most Inspirational Moment

Far too many! The Elephant orphanage, White water rafting, yala

Thoughts on Group Leader

Group leader was fab!

Most Inspirational Moment

The elephant orphanage and the old capital of Sri Lanka, Polunnaruwa.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Roshan was fantastic. There's really nothing to add.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Our game drive in the National Park got extremely dusty. A dust-prove cover for your camera and lenses is highly recommended. I wish I had brought mine.

Most Inspirational Moment

The old cave temple paintings and sculptures were stunning, the rafting was so peaceful, the lovely hotel at Sigiryi, the baby elephants crossing the river, the leopard crossing the road (!), shopping with the locals for sarongs and saris in Bandarawela, the food and the wonderful tea? No for me it was sitting in the doorway on that crazy train ride with our legs out watching the amazing countryside go by… worth the wait for sure!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Sujan was fantastic - he kept us all amused with his infectious giggle and little sayings, he looked after us well. He is very knowledgable and his passion for his country shines through, he obviously loves his job.He coped with a very mixed group so well and also commended us for looking after each other which was rather touching.  

Advice for Potential Travellers

Keep a stock of good mosquito repellent and some antihistamines for the last third of the trip.Mind the rocks in the sea at the beach hotel, I am still suffering from cuts on feet, sustained swimming in waist-deep water - ouch! Don’t let that put you off the sea is otherwise wonderful…Even if you don't usually keep a diary make a few notes each evening, it will help sort out the photos and some parts fly past so fast you'll need a personal reminder of what you did each day.Go with an open mind and be as lucky with the weather as we were!Do try the cocktails - you're on holiday after all!

Most Inspirational Moment

There were lots of wonderful moments.  Once I had managed to relax on the elephant ride it was a fantastic experience.  The elephant orphanage was worth visiting.  The safari was very exciting.  When there was a sighting by the tracker who was accompanying our group but in a different vehicle to us our driver received a phone call and off we went at speed in our truck to find it.  We were very lucky seeing a sloth bear and a leopard but seeing the wild elephants, buffalo, macat monkeys, crocodiles and loads more was wonderful.  On our cycle ride we saw loads of beautiful kingfishers and other birds.  The cold Lion beer and a home cooked meal in the middle of the ride was delicious.  Sri Lanka is beautiful country it was wonderful seeing so much and so many beautiful views.  Oh, I forgot to mention the temples.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader Sujan was great.  He was very knowledgeable about nearly everything and what he did not know he seemed to have a book about it.  He was good company.  We all felt very safe and cared for.  All little stresses were taken away from us.  There was a kitty for Sujan to do all tipping and other sundry expenditure.  The bottled water was sorted for us.  He told us when we could change more money and where. He also encouraged us to be mindful that were a group and to be considerate of the others.  He made sure that the group went at the speed of our slowest member. 

Advice for Potential Travellers

There was a lot of packing and unpacking because of the number of hotels we stayed in, so organise your luggage if possible.  It also meant that it was difficult to get clothes washed and dried.  The hotels did offer a laundrey service but we were not always there long enough to get it done.  It was hot and humid and I would take more underwear.