We recently concluded a two-week trip travelling throughout Sri Lanka using World Expeditions. With our input on sites to see, hikes to take, places of interest to visit, accommodations etc., the World Expeditions team provided an excellent and customized itinerary for our comprehensive private journey to Sri Lanka. The entire team was highly responsible and provided professional input up to the moment we departed for the trip. Upon arrival we were greeted by our guide and driver who provided dedication, attention to detail, and unwavering commitment to excellence all throughout the trip, consistently going above and beyond his responsibilities as a travel guide ensuring we would experience the "real” Sri Lanka. He consistently anticipated our needs to ensure that our questions or concerns were addressed and resolved. Being very intuitive, in addition to the hikes, temples and ancient cities visited in our itinerary, he also further customized our trip to include additional activities he knew we would both enjoy as wildlife and photo enthusiasts. Overall, this was an incredible experience and very satisfied that we used World Expeditions to organize this trip.
The trip to Sri Lanka followed by the dhoni cruise in the Maldives was absolutely amazing. So many different experiences and so much variety. I absolutely loved all of it, from temples and elephants to swimming with sharks. The 2 different tour leaders on the 2 parts of the tour were both excellent as were their support staff. They went out of their way to give us a fantastic experience.
Looking back at our photos now we've returned to the UK we can't believe the amount we saw and the amazing experiences we had on this tour. Sri Lanka is an amazing beautiful country with some much going on - we only scratched the surface. Our tour leader Cham worked so hard to make sure that we had everything we needed, resolving our problems and sorting out food for our fussy son! His knowledge about Sri Lankan history and wildlife was immense. He even found the best place to buy genuine Sri Lanka cricket shirts for the sporty members of our group. The only thing we'd change was the pace of the second half of the Sri Lanka leg of the trip. The first half gave us time to chill and bond as a group, as well as hang out in the pool at Giritale and play cricket. The second half we moved every night and covered a massive distance, though interesting, this was quite tiring (especially for the kids), so we'd suggest that a two night stop in the middle of this element would resolve this issue easily. This was clear in the notes, however, as was the high chance of not getting the train. The pace did slow considerably for the Maldives element, with a lot of time on our boats travelling between reefs. The snorkelling was quite frankly mind-blowing, and even the more nervous swimmers loved it. The crew were fantastic, and the food was delicious. The guide knew his stuff, and made sure we had great snorkelling experiences. Our only criticism of this part of the trip was that splitting the group when we'd got to know each other and were getting on really well was disappointing. There were larger boats, and we'd have preferred to be on a single boat given how long we spent travelling separately. The crew did what they could to mitigate this by tying the boats together when we moored for snorkels, meals and overnight and that was great. All in all a thoroughly enjoyable trip, and with a few very small tweaks it'd be perfect!
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.
Combine the incredible sites of India's Golden Triangle with Sri Lanka's ancient ruins, verdant jungles, cool mountains and amazing wildlife. Explore the legendary Taj Mahal and pink city of Jaipur, Dambulla's rock temple, sip pure Ceylon tea and discover the bustling city of Colombo.
One of the best things Ive done as a solo traveller. Our tour guide Caro was the best and we had an unforgettable time! Cant wait to book another one soon!
Sri Lanka and India are calling! Want to visit the Taj Mahal at sunrise? Try your hand at authentic Sri Lankan cooking? See some of the world’s most incredible animals up close? Well, this is the tour to do all of that and SO. MUCH. MORE! Over the next 23 life-changing days, we’ll discover the best of the best of India’s golden triangle, experience the world-famous safari in Ranthambore and watch the sun go down on Lake Pichola with a sunset sail. And that's all before we head to the jaw-dropping country of Sri Lanka. There we will take you to the hidden gems and hotspots of this idyllic country. Picture this, you're visiting the iconic Sigiriya Rock, immersing yourself in local life with an authentic homestay and marvelling at stunning scenic landscapes on the world famous Kandy to Ella train. India and Sri Lanka are two countries full of bucket-list ticking moments and Tru-ly incredible memories. So, what's stopping you? We'll see you at the airport!