Even though Sri Lanka is an island, it’s not all to do with sails, sand and the sea. Experience Sri Lanka’s centuries old proud history with a hint of its traditions and culture which is no doubt exclusive only to this magical island. Formally known as “Ceylon”, Sri Lanka is also called the pearl of the Indian Ocean. Start off the round tour by exploring one of the most famous fishing destinations, “Negombo”. With quite a pleasant beach and lagoon, watch how Negombo dishes out some of the best lobsters, prawns and crabs found in the country, right on to your table or simply grab your kiteboards for an enthralling fly over crashing waves. Proceed your way towards the upper central part of Lanka to get a glimpse of the ruins of ancient kingdoms and massive Buddha Stupas. Don’t forget to take a visit to what people call the World’s 8th wonder “Sigiriya Rock Fortress”.
Beach
Tour Type
Group Tour
Accommodation
Hotel, Resort
Age Range
6-99 yrs
Operated in
english
Destinations
Colombo, Negombo, Anuradhapura
Colombo, Negombo, Anuradhapura, Dambulla, Kandy
15% OFF TODAY
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Join this eleven-day exciting adventure in an earthy paradise. Discover a wild world hidden in the Sri Lanka National Parks, witness lush landscapes, and marvel at rich biodiversity through safari, walking and cycling tours.
AdventureActive and outdoor
Tour Type
Private Tour
Accommodation
Camping, Hotel, Resort, Lodge
Age Range
6-99 yrs
Operated in
spanish, dutch, french, italian, german, english
Destinations
Colombo, Negombo, Wilpattu Natio
Colombo, Negombo, Wilpattu National Park, Anuradhapura, Habarana, Gal Oya National Park, Yala National Park
15% OFF TODAY
This deal is valid for limited time. Book now to reserve your seats.
We booked the Classic Ceylon Sri Lanka Tour for our honeymoon. The tour agent was Aitken Spence Travels. Day 1: Arriving at Colombo airport, we were greeted by our guide/driver named Rane (guide and driver are the same person throughout the tour). Our first stop was the Ramada Hotel in Columbo, where we checked in. You can take advantage of the afternoon to explore the city or relax at the hotel. We have reviewed each hotel separately in this thread if you want to learn more about each hotel review in detail. Our guide agrees on a time for you to be picked up the next morni g, which was ours at 8am. to start on time. Colombo is a busy city so traffic can be very busy. Day 2: Drive from Colombo to Dambulla, which is approximately a 4-hour drive away. Your guide will make a rest stop for a drink if you wish. Once we reach Dambulla we visit the Temple of the Rock. This fascinating temple is built on the side of a rock with some historical monuments of Buddhas and paintings. Once we had visited the temple, we stopped for lunch at one of the various Sri Lankan tourist restaurants. The food is in keeping with the country and there are usually rice, potatoes, various meats and salads on the menu. We were never disappointed. Lunch is not included in the tour price so it is extra, but at approx 600 rupees it is very reasonable in terms of cost. Some days we didn't fancy lunch and you can skip this if you want. Your driver will be very accommodating. We were then taken to our hotel which would be home for the next 3 nights: Amaara Forest Hotel (review available separately). The following days consisted of: Day 3 - Drive from Sigiriya to Polonnaruwa to visit the 2nd Heritage of the Capital City. This is an amazing experience that offers a fantastic insight into Sri Lankan history. After this we reached Minneriya to the national park. The opportunity to see elephants in the wild is something not to be missed. There are also wild buffaloes, monkeys, birds, and many more animals to witness. We also visited a silk shop where silk was made, and we were dressed in traditional Sri Lankan clothing, where you can take photos of each other. The ladies at this store were wonderful and we bought a few items. The woodcarving factory is also a good stop, where you can watch how they make traditional Raksha masks and other items. We really wanted to buy a pair of these and the factory store on site had plenty to choose from at reasonable prices. Day 4 - Sigiriya Rock Fortress (Lion Rock). This spectacular rock of approximately 200 m high has impressive views. The only way to achieve this is through lots of steep steps so you will need to wear some good trainers as flip flops will wreck your feet. It can get quite busy on the stairs for the first part as there are historical paintings to see a third of the way which causes the delay, but it picks up soon after. Don't let this delay put you off, I almost decided not to bother you, but the wife talked me into it and I'm glad I did. When you get to about 2/3 of this way, this is where the Lions entrance is. At one point this one had a huge rock lion face on it which is sadly gone. From this point you can reach the top and the view of Sri Lanka can be seen for miles. Word of advice to all of you, there are people who offer to "show" you the rock, they will expect payment for their services, so you politely say no or agree to a cost up front. Also when on the stairs there will be men offering to help him up (at one point taking my wife's hand and escorting her down the stairs which I soon said no to) in all fairness once I say no they will leave you alone, so don't do it. Don't let this discourage you, but be prepared. This day you also have a tour of a rural town in a carriage and a boat ride. You may be offered lunch here which is a great experience and at 600 rupees well worth it. A local lady prepares dinner in her cabin in the woods, and there is a good choice to have. You won't get a chance to experience this again so totally recommend it. Day 5 - Kandy. The journey from the hotel above to here is around 2.5 hours, but it breaks down to an intermediate stop at Spice Garden, where you can see how various spices grow and are shown how to make curry mixes from scratch. The day also included a visit to a gem museum. Generally these places have a room or two showing the history of the gems etc but then a shop at the end. We found the gem shop too expensive for what we wanted to get out of our souvenir shopping, so we didn't buy anything. Again, you don't have to buy anything if you just want to look around. After you transfer to another hotel, we stopped at Earls Regent in Kandy. Day 6 - We visit the Botanical Garden which is a lovely relaxing day where you can walk slowly and take in the surroundings. After this, you can have lunch or return to the hotel to relax. Day 7: We visit a tea plantation on this day where you can see the process from tea leaf picking to the final product. We were allowed to pick tea leaves in the hills as well as visit the shop on site to pick up some reasonably priced local tea/souvenirs. From this point, you can return to the final hotel of the tour to rest in Nuwara Eliya. You can, if you wish, take a walk in the area near the hotel. Day 8 _ This is the route back to the airport, which takes around 7 hours in total, but is broken down by the different sights offering opportunities for waterfalls and a few breaks at local cafes and restaurants. As a guide, we leave at 8:30 am and arrive at the airport at 3:30 pm. Overall the tour was amazing but very tiring. It's not a relaxing vacation, so if you can get a second week in a row somewhere, you can relax. We went to the Maldives which is a 1 hour flight to Male airport. Some final points:
We were advised to tip the driver between $5-10 per person per day as an example, but you can tip what you feel was worth. Your guide will offer to take you to other places that are not listed on the tour and will be charged. If you don't want to do this, just say no thanks and they won't accept you. We almost fell for this and arrived at a spa which we were told would cost 5,000 rupees each for an hour which works out to a total of �40 so not a huge cost but we really didn't want a spa visit So we politely said we weren't interested. On the last day you will also be asked if you want to go rafting, which we didn't do as the last thing we wanted was to get wet en route to the airport. Overall, a worthwhile trip to an amazing country.
We went to Gosaikunda in the monsoon but still got visibility of the lake. On the way up and down the view was obscured by clouds but I have uploaded some photos of the views we were able to see.
Trekking and Hiking
Tour Type
Private Tour
Accommodation
Guest House
Age Range
10-79 yrs
Operated in
english, nepali
Destinations
Langtang trek, Kathmandu, Dhunch
Langtang trek, Kathmandu, Dhunche, Sing Gompa, Gosainkunda, Ghopte, Kutumsang, Chisapani
Trip was amazing. We covered all the places as per the itinerary. Our guide is very humble and great person, explained about all the places in detail. Worth visiting the coutnry with Aitken & Spence.
This tremendous 14-day trip takes you through the immense area of Rajasthan to explore its great past. Discover the great times of the maharajas of the area and travel back in time, discovering its magnitude of strengths and impressive forts. You will visit important cities, the desert and the illustrious Taj Mahal. This trip combines contrasts and cultural riches with all the magic of Rajasthan.
Art and architecture
Tour Type
Group Tour
Accommodation
Hotel, Resort
Age Range
6-99 yrs
Operated in
english
Destinations
New Delhi, Jaipur, Agra, Mandawa
New Delhi, Jaipur, Agra, Mandawa, Rajasthan, Bikaner, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Udaipur
15% OFF TODAY
This deal is valid for limited time. Book now to reserve your seats.
Leave the world behind and connect with the enchanting sounds of nature in Kerala. Savour its lingering aroma of spices, the gentle lapping of its backwaters and its vivid colours at every turn.
Embark on a seven-day journey through Sri Lanka, an island nation offering a myriad of experiences from ancient UNESCO heritage sites to sun-kissed beaches. Traverse historical cities, explore lush landscapes, and soak up the vibrant cultural scenes, all wrapped in the welcoming warmth of this tropical paradise.
AdventureExplorer
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
My trip to Nepal was absolutely incredible! In the limited time frame, the tour managed to cover all of the country's major highlights. The tour guide was highly knowledgeable and kept us informed with up-to-date information about the sites we visited. Needless to say, it was a truly fantastic experience.
Wildlife safaris and game drives
Tour Type
Private Tour
Accommodation
Hotel
Age Range
4-90 yrs
Operated in
english
Destinations
Pokhara, Kathmandu, Chitwan Nati
Pokhara, Kathmandu, Chitwan National Park, Lumbini, Tansen, Bandipur
Blissful Sri Lanka with Exceptional service. Sri Lanka with its endless beaches, oodles of elephants and flavourful food makes this beautiful country irresistible. My husband and I were extremely fortunate to spend 7 days in Sri Lanka, made fabulous with all the tour guides and arrangements made by Aitkin Spence. The itinerary, service, and attention to detail was nothing but exceptional! All tour guides were extremely knowledgeable always willing to answer any questions we had on all sorts of topics and also pointing out interesting things to see and sharing their wealth of knowledge on Sri Lanka. Both my husband and I had a few last minute changes to the itinerary and Aitken Spence staff were always happy to ensure our trip was memorable, always going above and beyond. Hotel stays and choices of restaurants for food were breathtakingly beautiful and we could no way have found them ourselves. We were accommodated for as a couple and our tour ended with a private elephant ride in the sunset and a romantic private dinner at a beautiful hotel amongst the tropical beauty of Sri Lanka. A special commendation to Nihaal for greeting us at the airport and showing us the hustle and bustle of Colombo, Malikante for warmly meeting us at our hotel to run through the itinerary and making us feel very welcome to Sri Lanka, and Deepthi for giving us memorable experiences with elephants (our favourites), this really made the trip . A heartfelt thank you to Anil Sir for making this dream a reality for my Husband and I. We look forward to booking with you again very soon.
Art and architecture
Tour Type
Group Tour
Accommodation
Hotel, Bungalow, Resort
Age Range
6-99 yrs
Operated in
english
Destinations
Colombo, Dambulla, Kandy, Nuwara
Colombo, Dambulla, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Unawatuna
15% OFF TODAY
This deal is valid for limited time. Book now to reserve your seats.
We have just spent a week in Sri Lanka for our honeymoon and use Aitken Spence as our chauffeur guide for our trips. We had Rodney as our chauffeur guide and I have never met someone so lovely, calm, patient, helpful and passionate. He is a credit to the company and made our visit to Sri Lanka very relaxing and took care of our every need. He was punctual every day for our meeting times, enlightened us with all sorts of information about Sri Lanka during our trip which was very interesting and made sure we were comfortable all the time. The car was comfortable and very clean every day and had enough leg room and space for all our luggage. We fit a lot into our 1 week stay in Sri Lanka and it would not have been the same without using Aitken Spence. I would 100% recommend this company, all you need to do is sit back and relax while everything is taken care of for you!
If you’re looking for an authentic slice of the real Rajasthan, this epic 16-day adventure through India is all you could ask for. Camp under the starry night sky in between desert sand dunes, explore Jodhpur’s markets, learn how to cook your new favourite dishes with a cooking class in Bikaner, traverse Jaipur’s temples and witness the Taj Mahal in the morning light – you can tick this Wonder of the World off the bucket list! With all of this and more, India will definitely exceed all expectations. Get ready for tasty feeds, chaotic streets and enough sensory stimulation to last a lifetime.
Adventure
Tour Type
Small Group TourSmall group tours usually have 8-12 participants and maximum up to 18 travelers
