Family Sri Lanka and Maldives Adventure

There was great variety on this tour. The Sri Lanka days were packed and were a little tiring but we saw so many places and such diversity of wildlife and culture, it was definitely worth it. The pace in the Maldives was more leisurely, though, so this created a great balance.

There was far too much crammed in so that days were 10-12 hours long which is not a holiday, more of an endurance test. One chap had heat stroke on day 2 after a walk/rock climb in heat. The good stuff was excellent i.e. tree-house, elephant safari & orphanage, train ride through plantations, Temple of Tooth, Sigiriya but we didn't need 2 elephant safaris, several tuk-tuk and tractor rides, 3 cookery lessons, multiple nature walks and extensive history lessons delivered for hours in mid-day sun and stops at a gem shop and an elephant wood carving stop when we were all absolutely exhausted...There was one free morning in 10 days. It would have been wonderful to have some time to explore some of the towns like Ella on our own and have a chance to peruse shops but we were not allowed. And why book hotels with pools if the kids won't get chance to use them because we will arrive too late? The guide has to deliver the program so this need to be addressed at Itinerary level. This was our first tour and we wouldn't do it again based on the lack of flexibility which is a real shame as we absolutely loved many aspects to it.

Travelling as a family with two teenagers (16 and 14), we all had the most fantastic time in both Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Highlights for the adults included the variety of activities included in the itinerary, the elephant transition home and learning about the culture, history and geography of both Sri Lanka and the Maldives. The highlights for the teenagers were the train ride, the snorkelling and the elephant safari. We all loved the food and our guide, Ashan, in Sri Lanka was truly outstanding.

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!

The itinerary needs a review , either in reverse (the SL part) or changes to where multiple days were spent. The first few days were relaxing, the tree house accommodation at Back of Beyond was novel, however it was far from anywhere and there was a fair bit of down time without a lot to venture out to see. It would have been good to have been given the opportunity to go to the nearest town for a look. We went later to a body of water which was great for the ornithologists in the group. The hike up Pidurangala Rock may be challenging for some with the last rock scramble, however the views are wonderful. Lion Rock is also a great climb, however not enough time to enjoy the entire area for a wander around to take it in. It felt very rushed. Going in search of the Grey Slender Loris was a bit of a let down. Three nights in Giritale is a night too many, again, too much down time with not a lot of options to explore the area. The eating options, although supposedly “free choice” are only at the hotel, which is a buffett. The National Park experience was good. Although the vehicles get far too close to the elephants (and their babies) for my liking and it’s quite overcrowded. Temple of the Tooth was interesting , but very crowded to queue to see it. The tour of the university was a tuk tuk ride for 5 mins and a complete waste of time. Unfortunately our Tour Leader did not secure tickets (despite them being available from the Hotel) and we did not get the opportunity to take the train to Ella. We were promised high tea instead, but that did not eventuate. My family were disappointed as this was touted as a highlight and little effort was made to get tickets , which meant a 2.5 hour bus ride into Ella to arrive at 7.30pm, and then have to leave early in the morning to drive out the same way. From here the trip became rushed and the time management, or lack thereof, of the TL lead to us feeling very disappointed in the remainder of the SL trip. We often arrived late at hotels, which left little down time and opportunity for the kids to enjoy a swim after a long day in the bus. I felt very disappointed in the visit to the elephant sanctuary and was left concerned about the treatment of the baby elephants around their feeding. Fort Galle was as lovely spot, and again not enough time to explore the area at our own pace. The TL’s poor time management and the itinerary left us feeling rather short changed in the SL part of our tour. On the days that it was a free meal choice, he still chose where we were to dine and offered no other options. In contrast, the Maldives was a lovely change. The Dhonis were a lovely way to cruise around, the snorkeling was great, lots of fish and turtles to see, sadly the coral was a little bleached/dead. The food on the dhonis was wonderful. The walk around Male was interesting, the only let down here was on the final night the marina where we were docked was rather crowded and the shorelines were covered and rubbish and some of it being burnt, so an unpleasant smell. Our Maldivian TL was very good value. Sorry Explore, not again for us.