Sri Lanka Tours for Experienced Travelers

We had two leaders - one in Sri Lanka and one on the boat. The Sri Lanka trip was fabulous - the tour leader was passionate thoughtful incredibly knowledgeable about his country and culture. The tour leader on the boat was also incredible. We love snorkelling so this part of the trip was awesome - we snorkelled for about 3 hrs every day. It is called a cruise - we went to two islands/atolls briefly but in reality it is an incredible opportunity to snorkel with expert guides. The food on the boat was incredible and the company - guests and staff was fabulous. It was the trip of a lifetime. please contact me if you want any more photos

The Pekoe Trail offers wonderful walking through these historic tea plantations and because it is relatively newly opened up we often had the whole trail to ourselves. As a solo traveller, I was so lucky to be part of a large, energetic and hugely fun group of people. We enjoyed a mix of authentic rural life and a taste of some of the old colonial buildings from the past. Accommodation ranged from simple homestays to historic hotels.

Anjana was an excellent Tour Leader and made our experience of Sri Lanka a very memorable and enjoyable one. I only have two items of feedback. Be prepared to walk in bare feet/socks once you enter the grounds of a temple; not at the actual door, as you'd expect. This means you could be walking on hot stones, pathways, gravel, sand, dirt and for some time. Take socks that you are prepared to sacrifice at the end of the holiday! If you have problems with your feet, then this holiday may not be for you. In Dalhousie, Adam's Peak location, the hotel is on 4 x floors and the rooms with the view are located away from the main building and up 262 steps - and that is not just 'a series of steps' (per the Trip Notes) - that's a lot! The porters will take your luggage, but you have to walk up/down yourself. If you have bad knees or hips, you may want to consider a room in the main building. (But you still have to get up at least 2 x floors.) Thoroughly recommend this holiday. It was my favourite EXPLORE tour so far!

Had a great time touring Sri Lanka. Our driver/guide Nalaka was excellent and the trip was very well organised. Beautiful country, very friendly people and plenty of variety in the itinerary.

Positives: Sri Lanka and its people are beautiful and I felt very welcome here. Our guide (Ash) shared his expert knowledge with us in a very considerate way, always providing a well timed and appropriate level of detail but without information overload. I found him to be very calm, caring and mindful of individual interests across the group. I felt that he gave us an immersive experience of his county and culture as well as a guided tour. Our driver and helper were also great. My most memorable highlight was climbing Lion Rock to see the sunrise. I also enjoyed the food and authentic cooking demonstrations. Most accommodations were very good and overall I was very glad to have taken this tour. Room for improvement: Transport - our minibus was very uncomfortable for long journeys. Adam’s Peak - only 4 of our group of 12 did the climb and the accommodation was awful with over 300 external stone steps to climb to our room. Quite treacherous after heavy rain and fallen leaves. No soap provided in the ladies’ loo by the dining area. For me, this is a red flag on hygiene standards. I suggest offering Adam’s peak as an optional tour rather than part of the core itinerary. Offer other options - e.g. we were 5 mins drive from our next hotel before heading past to a mediocre food court and the tea factory. I felt that a hotel drop could have been offered for anyone wanting to spend the afternoon there to enjoy the spa, pool etc. instead. Safari - I didn’t enjoy the first one. We spent 3 hours bumping around on a dusty track in the afternoon heat and saw one elephant and a few water buffalo in the far distance. The other two safaris were also scheduled in the afternoon heat so I chose not to join them although fellow travellers said that both were better than the first. Consider whether safaris could be scheduled for early morning.

Our Sri Lanka tour was really wonderful - wide-ranging but well-enough paced to avoid overload. The Adam’s Peak climb was more challenging than expected but worth doing. It’s just a shame that we had a 300 step climb to get to our rooms afterwards. Sigiriya, Kandy, Ella, Galle and the ancient Buddhist sites were really memorable, although Wilpattu game reserve was disappointing as we drove for a long time on forest tracks with little to see. Udawalawe and the elephant transit camp the following week were much better. Our guide was exceptional and went above and beyond on a couple of notable occasions. Details such as snack and toilet breaks had been well-planned and almost all of the meals were excellent. There were just a few too many visits to craft workshops (woodcarving, batik, jewellery) as, although they were interesting, we felt like there was an expectation to make a purchase. The dhoni cruise in The Maldives was fascinating with some excellent snorkelling. The first two days were a little slow, however with little to see or do apart from the daily snorkel trips twice a day. For anyone not wanting to snorkel, it could have been a little disappointing. The sea life was stunning and our well-informed guide provided some expert knowledge about the wildlife and about the country and culture as a whole. Overall, the trip was an exceptional experience and I would highly recommend.