Negombo Tours and Trips

Thoroughly enjoyed the trip - such a variety of experiences and a wonderful tour guide ‘Mimi’ - he has a huge passion and wealth of knowledge about Sri Lanka (and a wicked sense of humour!) The accommodation was on the whole of a better standard than previous Explore trips I’ve been on. But this may have been down to the fantastic Sri Lankan people who were employed at the hotels. Highlight for me would have to be the Elephant Transit Home - it was slightly bittersweet in as much as you knew those young elephants had been orphaned but they were being given the opportunity to be rehabilitated. Some really interesting temples - although the trip maybe a little temple heavy in the fees few days.

Sri Lanka is a beautiful and vibrant island, with stunning landscapes and a rich cultural heritage. The tour was incredible and so were the experiences. George the tour guide was absolutely amazing. Nothing was ever too much trouble for him. He is outstanding at his job. He is a warm person who put everyone at ease and he had a wonderful way of making each person feel genuinely special. The heart felt poem he shared was the perfect finishing touch, leaving us all with memories we will treasure.

This trip is a great introduction to Sri Lanka, covering wildlife, culture, food, heritage, walking and beach locations. Our local guide was excellent at enhancing our experiences and took time to support local small businesses recovering from the effects of Cyclone Ditwah on the country. Everyone we met on our travels was friendly and pleased to see us, tourists are very welcome and immigration was very quick and smooth with no questions about why we wanted to visit. Overall, an excellent trip with lots of experiences packed in. Highly recommended!

The Explore trip to Sri Lanka was a fantastic experience, with a great balance of culture, nature, and relaxation. Highlights included ancient temples, beautiful tea plantations, incredible wildlife, and stunning beaches. The tour leader and local guides were friendly and knowledgeable, adding real insight into the country and its traditions. Sri Lanka is a beautiful country, and the warmth of the people made the trip truly memorable. I would highly recommend this experience.

We had two leaders - one in Sri Lanka and another in the Maldives. Both were excellent, but particularly Su in Sri Lanka because we encountered very difficult circumstances due to exceptionally heavy rainfall during our trip.

This was my first trip to Asia and I wanted to get an overview, so the highlights of Sri Lanka really achieved that. The trip was well planned with varied activities, to appeal to most travellers. We did have to put up with Cyclone Ditwah, which made some activities more like an endurance, but nobody could plan for that or do anything to change it. Our Sri Lanka tour guide and his team went way beyond my expectations in order to keep up safe and as comfortable as possible, under difficult circumstances. They deserve their Christmas Bonus! Personally, I would have enjoyed more time at the spice garden and I wonder what the value was of the canoe trip to the curry cooking demonstration. Perhaps it would have been fun in sunshine? The Temple of the Tooth would have been interesting when there was no ceremony going on, to better appreciate the details of the buildings etc. I felt we were intruding on a religious occasion that was of huge importance to local people. Would it be better to spend longer at sites in a smaller geographical area and reduce the travelling between sites. Moving on to the Maldives, this week was great and really hit the spot. We needed sunshine and relaxation and the pace of the week was perfect. Again, the tour guide did an excellent job and supplied us with lovely videos and photos from snorkelling trips. The food on the Dhoni Cruise was excellent, considering the kitchen space and although a bit repetitive, there was a good range to suit all palates. The crew did a great job.