Kandy Cultural, religious and historic sites Trips

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.

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.

Just back from this trip, it was our first trip to Sri Lanka and our second trip with Exodus. It was a really great trip, really varied, we saw so much and yet the pace was just perfect. A beautiful country and very friendly and safe.

We enjoyed a wide range of experiences - very much as described in the trip description. Many years ago a friend who cycled through many many countries came back and declared Sri Lanka to be the most beautiful place he had visited. Indeed he was right - the parts of Sri Lanka we visited were really lovely and also very friendly. We would have like more extended opportunities for walking and cycling but there's no doubt we packed in a lot (sometimes I felt we were a little rushed on eg at Lion's Rock). Hotels were of a good standard and generally very friendly. Highly recommend a visit to Sri Lanka whether on this trip or independently.

My first Exodus trip and what a wonderful trip it was. Such a great insight into this wonderful country which has stunning scenery, amazing historical sites, wildlife, interesting fauna and flora, beautiful beaches and above all very friendly people who are desperate for tourists to return. As a single female traveller I always felt safe, and never felt hassled or threatened when having free time on my own. The tour gives you a real mixture of scenery, temples, wildlife, activities, interaction with some local families, free time, beach days - although we covered about 1500 km in 2 weeks it never felt like we were in the bus too much - and there was so much to view outside. A couple of long days were nicely broken up with different activities. Several of the hotels had stunning views and nice swimming pools - perfect for an early morning or late afternoon swim. All in all a fabulous trip!