Colombo Wildlife Trips

Our leader George was wonderful! He was knowledgable, organised, funny and friendly. He helped to make the trip a memorable experience. Also Tony our driver was brilliant. Lots of animals to see in Sri Lanka and would recommend the optional elephant safari. A lot of travelling involved and I had to set my alarm every day except for 1, so definitely full on with early starts. The food was great, lots of coconut is involved in the Sri Lankan cuisine. Accommodation was all good, air conditioned rooms and comfy beds. On the final full day of the trip George took us to see how Sri Lankan crafts were made and the opportunity to buy things. This was great, we visited a tea factory, wood carving, silk factory, spice garden and gem factory.

We had an absolutely wonderful week with Explore in Sri Lanka. Our tour was packed with amazing locations and fascinating experiences, but our tour guide, Sudesh, still managed to fit in a few extras requested by the group. Our only regret at the end of the trip was that the wild elephants had evaded us, but that was just bad luck! For us, this trip was the perfect way to experience a very different country and culture with the insight and knowledge that comes from an excellent local guide.

This holiday really delivered beyond our expectations in every respect. The itinerary is packed and varied; culture, wildlife, scenery, exciting activities and enlightening experiences. We climbed Lions Rock; biked alongside rivers, lakes, fields and forest; walked to World End and Horton Plain; explored jungle villages, ancient temples and botanic gardens; rafted across rivers and over rapids; swam in the ocean and gorgeous hotel pools, rode the gloriously scenic train from Pattipola to Ella and even braved tuk tuk rides amidst the mad chaos of The Sri Lankan roads. We jiggled around in jeeps, seeking elephant and leopard and enjoying everything else our excellent guides spotted on two very special safaris. Sounds exhausting doesn’t it but with a very comfortable air conditioned bus to transport us between beautiful hotels in superb situations, and delicious multicultural buffets and wonderful Sri Lankan curries and Lion Beer to reenergise us at the end of each day we were always ready and eager for the next early start. Longer trips were broken up with lovely lunch stops and there were interesting visits to spice gardens, a gem museum, a folk museum and a tea factory. We went from busy towns and hot, humid forests to cooler high country and finished at refreshing beaches, journeying via temples, lakes, paddy fields and the gorgeous contours of tea plantations. We saw traditional dancing and fire eaters in Kandy and had time off to wander the markets and soak up the vibes. There were plenty of spontaneous surprises to add a little extra. We felt safe and welcome, the hospitality was genuine, everyone was so friendly, the children are delightful, and although there is some obvious poverty the people seem happy at heart and very keen to share their love of their country with us visitors. The wildlife in this fabulous country is all around you, flora and fauna in abundance and breathtakingly beautiful.

A relatively undemanding tour, mainly by bus, of most of Sri Lanka's highlights ranging from amazing Buddhist images and the fascinating remains of a former capital to tremendous short hikes, a bike ride, a beautiful seaside hotel, wildlife safaris and visits to rural homes. The hotels were good or excellent and the mainly local food was very good with good non-local alternatives.

This was an amazing trip with such a varied itinerary - trying to remember everything we did at the end of it was quite a challenge. At the same time we didn’t feel over rushed although we were on the go much of the time. The hotels were great with really lovely swimming pools which we made the most of. We were lucky enough to travel with a great group of people who quickly became friends and to have a fantastic team taking us around this beautiful country.

Excellent tour leader, helped me climb up Sigiriya. He was friendly and knowledgeable. We saw a lot during the week and stayed in lovely hotels. The only downside was the poor service of Srilankan Air, but there was efficient help when our flight was cancellec