Colombo Bicycle Trips

The holiday was excellent. The organisation, accommodation and cycling were all very good. We packed in a lot of Sri Lanka's top sights and there was plenty of variety of old, new, nature and religion. Ending the holiday on the beautiful south coast was perfect.

Active Sri Lanka included a really interesting mix of activities. I particularly enjoyed being out in the beautiful countryside, meeting rural people and seeing lots of lovely birds. Overall the people and staff were very helpful, friendly and really proud of their country. Sujith and his team were a well oiled machine. Everything ran like clockwork, and I felt confident of all the arrangements. We were taken care of extremely well and I would really recommend this trip with Su.

I'll try not to be too gushing about my praise of this but it was a truly excellent trip; at the end we felt like starting again. Exodus at its best, it's all about the bits in-between not the usual tourist sights, though you do see those. Most of the time you are staying in hotels used by other tour groups and you do feel sorry for them being shunted from temple to city to viewpoint in a coach, all looking bored. They do not pass through villages where locals wash themselves and their clothing in rivers or see the smiles which greeted us, gaudily clad aliens in Lyra. Thought the accommodation was the best I've ever had on one of these expeditions.

We had an excellent leader in Sujth and a great group overall. The itinerary was full-on although we had enough time to relax and fully appreciate the very varied activities. This included a couple of opportunities to add some small additional inputs related to the specific interests of some of the group. For example, Sujth has an extensive knowledge of the Sri Lankan birds which was put to great use throughout the holiday.

Children (and many adults) universally waved and hollered hellos as we pedaled past--one man giving a few of us a Tour-de-France running push when he saw us struggling up a hill. We had a jam-packed schedule of riding, hiking, visiting temples, photographing elephants on a safari, getting a cooking demonstration (and recipes!), going on an epic train ride, swimming in the Indian Ocean, visiting a tea plantation and processing plant, seeing coconut husks turned into rope; taking tea, stopping for fresh pineapple, eating delicious Sri Lankan curries....it was an amazing adventure with really lovely, fun, game people.

I was part of the group of 16 (great bunch of people) completing this trip in January 2025. It was good that no electric bikes were available for the trip, so we all stuck together during the cycling times with regular stops to top up with water. The days were well balanced between cycling, times on the coach and stopping for attractions (like the tea plantation or safari tours). The hotels were good, and the varied food was excellent. Ashan our tour leader was excellent and worked tirelessly at all times and often behind the scenes to ensure everything went smoothly in terms of the bikes, transport, hotels etc and ensuring we were all fed, watered and safe during all times on the trip. We were also supported by 2 drivers and 2 cyclists. A definite must is having a waterproof top as despite the weather forecast there were some periods of heavy rain, and it got cold when cycling up high at over 7,000 feet (this all added to the fun). A thoroughly enjoyable trip and I am now looking forward to the next explore journey! (long live lion beer)