Colombo Beach Trips

This was my first Explore trip, and it turned out to be the best group tour I’ve done so far. I really enjoyed the itinerary, the group, and above all, our tour leader Sujith. He was outstanding – attentive to everyone, full of knowledge about Sri Lanka’s history, culture, people, and economy, and always finding ways to make the journey special with spontaneous stops and unique local interactions. I would highly recommend both this trip and Explore to anyone considering a visit to Sri Lanka.

The leader was exceptional and made efforts to introduce us to local experiences. He provided information on a number of interesting topics and was open to questions of all kinds. He was friendly, kind and made everyone in the group feel included and important!

Would thoroughly recommend this tour as a way of getting a comprehensive introduction to Sri Lanka, its geography, culture, religions, food and people. You do visit a lot of temples as they are an important part of Sri Lankan life. The tour is busy and can be physical with a couple of challenging climbs which are optional. The accomodation is varied so don't always expect the standards that you may get in more developed countries but the hotels are always clean and some are really top notch. Our tour leader (mimi) and driver (hector) were amazing. Mimi was so knowledgible and passionate about his country, and willing to accomodate all our many requests

This was a really comprehensive tour of Sri Lanka covering many of the must-see sights. Our guide, George was knowledgeable, organised and helpful, with a good sense of humour and our driver (Hector) was always welcoming and patient with the photographers among us. The programme is very full and involves a lot of time in the coach and on some occasions not enough time to just experience the place. However, unlike recent reviews, our accommodation was great and the locations well chosen. Although there were sometimes western alternatives, be prepared for a lot of Sri Lankan curries at lunch and dinner. While the trip requires only moderate stamina overall, the optional Adam’s Peak ascent is definitely not for the faint-hearted or those with weak knees!

The tour was fantastic. The itinerary fast paced and varied and Ish, our guide was a source of much information and insight. Sri Lanka is a beautiful country, the people warm and friendly and food divine. I would recommend it to anyone.

Some of the accommodation was poor, with hygiene issues and broken furniture and equipment. Sadly this fell below the usual standard I have previously had with Explore. The itinerary was good but had a few days of nothing but temples which we felt could have been spread out. The guide was less helpful than other guides I have had. She didn't communicate with the group very well, often leaving information until the night before when it was late to prepare. She could be a bit snappy if you asked her to repeat information. We also had two people in the group who had informed Explore that they had dietary requirements. ( Gluten free and dairy free) None of the hotels were prepared for this which I felt should have been the job of the guide to prepare in advance . She was , at times dismissive of their dietary needs.