Negombo Tours in March 2026

We saw and did so much in Sri Lanka in our two weeks. Our Guide Sujth was amazing. He looked after us, got us into ancient sites before the crowds kept us safe and enabled us to experience the fabulous wildlife everywhere. The group of 16 got on well and we even celebrated a birthday dancing in an amazing hotel on a tea plantation .

Really enjoyed the trip, in two parts Firstly Sri Lanka highlights Itinery was very good, fitted a lot in to 7 days. Good transfers, reasonable hotels - but wish that more of them were closer to the centre of towns. Kandy one was especially good in that respect. Mixed feelings about "Sam" the Sri Lanka guide. He was a bit grumpy. But mostly he "promised" things eg currency exchange, Sri Lanka to Maldives transfer details but consistently failed to deliver. We had to chase ourselves with local agents to get flight details, which they provided in 5 minutes. Too many "buffet in hotel" meals. Nothing "local" arranged outside. He did "add" Tooth Temple to tour, and arranged for bus to take us all from Kaggola to Galle. Maldives Mahoni trip was wonderful!! Moosa the guide one of the best we have had. A shame he's moving to a rival company. Excellent on board the ship and in the water. Boat facilities excellent, especially the food. But top bunks no safety rail and difficult to get into and out. Provided equipment - seemed fine for people without their own. We only needed flippers and the largest, size 11/12, we're too small for my feet, got blisters on my toes. Really need to reign in your meet/greet bloke at airport ref currency exchange. He was recommending $100 to $150 per person, done via a "bloke with a wallet". Rate was OK BUT... we only changed $100 yet, despite being in Maldives for 3 weeks in total we spent NONE, ZERO, NADDA. And to add insult when we left Maldives the in airport bank couldn't provide £s nor $s nor €s!!! So we are stuck with unusable Maldives currency.

My daughter and I had an excellent trip to Sri Lanka with Explore. Our guide, Sujth Rathmayaka, was outstanding, as was his knowledge of his country. Also his team, who drove the two vehicles used, Hektor and Harsha, could not have been more helpful. The hotels we stayed in were of a good quality, as were the restaurants used for lunches. All in all, we couldn't fault our trip. We saw plenty of elephants, monkeys, birds etc. as well as visits to temples, buddhas and climbs up Lion Rock & Adam's Peak. It would have been good to see a leopard and a whale on our travels, but that did mar a memorable holiday. Thank you, Explore.

This tour packed in the main Sri Lanka highlights and a lot more too. The food and hotels were variable in quality, but generally much better than I had expected. Our tour leader Ish and drivers did a fantastic job. The itinerary includes a range of experiences - temples, shrines, ancient cities, modern cities, safaris, waterfalls, serious walking, craft/shopping visits, a tea plantation, a beach, a train journey, authentic local food - something for everyone. I would certainly recommend this trip.

Explore leader: for Sri Lanka only satisfactory. Not easy to understand, didn't seem to feel part of the group, didn't join us for meals, a poor communicator (relative to past explore trips) For the dhoni Maldives cruise: Moosa was excellent in every way.

A great trip on board the well equipped dhoni, Kheti visiting different locations guided expertly by Moussah to see so much marine wildlife. Swimming with sharks and rays!! We were really well looked after by the crew and the food was excellent. Luckily the snorkelling helped keep the weight in check.