Colombo Tours in October 2025

This was a great trip. The bikes were good and well-maintained. Accommodation was a nice mix of hotels. We had good food and good company. The wildlife and culture of Sri Lanka is wonderful. The guide, Ash was knowledgeable and clearly cared that we were all happy and enjoying his beautiful country. His team were smiley and helpful. Ash had to exercise diplomacy unfortunately as there was one bad apple client, (people!!) but he did this quietly and confidently.

This is a very good trip but fell down on two points: 1) Just half a day in Colombo is woefully inadequate. 2) The current Explore practice on many recent trips of large lunches (In the case of Sri Lanka buffet group lunches in tourist restaurants) followed by large evening meals, also invariably as a group, is crazy. Most group members complained about this. A light lunch sampling local "street type" food, soup or light sandwiches followed by a decent evening meal would be infinitely more sensible. We all agreed that given we were not walking very far on most days no one needs two huge meals a day!

This action-packed cultural trip ticked every box imaginable for me. We saw incredible wildlife including leopards, water buffaloes and caimans on game drives in Yala National Park. We got the chance to taste the famous tea in lush tea plantations in Nuwara Eliya and find out more about the process from leaf to cup. The group also got to see fire-dancing performances in Kandy one evening, which gave us a real insight into the country's fascinating customs and traditions. The hotels on this trip are also incredible - we were lucky enough to have unobstructed views of Sigiriya Rock from Hotel Sigiriya and breathtaking sunset views overlooking the lush islands in Giritale. The last hotel, Hotel Cinnamon Red, also had a brilliant affinity pool - taking in the skyscrappers of Colombo! For the adventurous, this itinerary doesn't disappoint either as you can go on whitewater rafting excursions, rural cycling trips and whale watching (in season). Visits to colourful temples, fresh fruit markets and the Udawalawe Elephant Transit Home were other cultural pitstops that gave you a real flavour of what the country was like. Once I arrived home, I wanted to do it all over again. It was an incredible trip with a great group of people that I'll treasure forever.

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.

What an incredible adventure from start to finish. Our driver and guide Abey Waradhana went above and beyond making our trip both interesting (with his excellent knowledge) and enjoyable. He looked after us, never hurried us and escorted us everywhere, he even checked up on us after his part of the tour was over. We feel like we were there for months we packed so much in. The itinerary was intense but so worth it from the walks, the temples and the additional trips to Sigriya, the Temple of the tooth (highly recommend a night visit) and the safari. We have seen so many elephants, beautiful birds and other wildlife we couldnt have asked for more. The hotels have been of top quality and the food and staff incredible. We cannot recommend this trip more highly, great value for money and an experience to remember forever. Make sure you bring comfortable footwear and a brolley. Thanks once again Abey, youre a star.

A really enjoyable trip with a charismatic tour leader, and superb scenery, wildlife and food. The support team were great, always trying their best to look after you, and the driver had nerves of steel negotiating the chaotic traffic. Sri Lanka has emerged from some dark times, and is once again a terrific place to visit, with great variety and vibrancy and a lovely, friendly vibe. Plenty of smiles and high-fives as you ride through the landscape, shouts of “Bye!” Following you down the road.