Sri Lanka Explorer Trips

This was my first trip to Asia and I wanted to get an overview, so the highlights of Sri Lanka really achieved that. The trip was well planned with varied activities, to appeal to most travellers. We did have to put up with Cyclone Ditwah, which made some activities more like an endurance, but nobody could plan for that or do anything to change it. Our Sri Lanka tour guide and his team went way beyond my expectations in order to keep up safe and as comfortable as possible, under difficult circumstances. They deserve their Christmas Bonus! Personally, I would have enjoyed more time at the spice garden and I wonder what the value was of the canoe trip to the curry cooking demonstration. Perhaps it would have been fun in sunshine? The Temple of the Tooth would have been interesting when there was no ceremony going on, to better appreciate the details of the buildings etc. I felt we were intruding on a religious occasion that was of huge importance to local people. Would it be better to spend longer at sites in a smaller geographical area and reduce the travelling between sites. Moving on to the Maldives, this week was great and really hit the spot. We needed sunshine and relaxation and the pace of the week was perfect. Again, the tour guide did an excellent job and supplied us with lovely videos and photos from snorkelling trips. The food on the Dhoni Cruise was excellent, considering the kitchen space and although a bit repetitive, there was a good range to suit all palates. The crew did a great job.

Good combination of two very different weeks. Good food and interesting and varied sights in Sri Lanka. Well organised and led, in very difficult circumstances during severe flooding and landslides! The boat tour of the Maldives was excellent, by far the best way of seeing this country. The boat was comfortable with great food and attentive crew. The main activity is snorkelling so if this is your thing you will love it!

Wonderful short trip to the highlights of Sri Lanka! Explore didn’t disappoint once more — everything was well-organized and perfectly planned. Our leader, Ash, truly made the trip special. He was professional, knowledgeable, and shared amazing stories from his own life that brought the country’s culture to life. I’ll definitely be back — thank you for an unforgettable experience!

In a short period the trip packed in so much visiting several UNESCO sites , a traditional village, the former Capital Kandy . We went to a stunning beach and went on safari . We crossed the island seeing the countryside and the mountains and an interesting stop to see toddy tapping . I felt I saw the diversity of this beautiful island and what it offers . I would highly recommend this trip . It’s full on but worth every minute .

Fantastic trip to Sri Lanka, we saw and learnt so much from our wonderful tour leader Mimi. A full on tour with so much packed in, plus extras suggested by our guide. Hotels all very good, clean with excellent food choices. We visited so many Buddhist and Hindu temples, for our daily blessings, each one, quite different from the other in size and material used to form them. We saw beautiful caves filled with statues and wall paintings. We climbed Sigiriya or Lion rock before breakfast, and were so pleased that the whole group made it to the top. We went on three safaris seeing elephants, deer, buffalo, many species of birds and even saw the elusive leopard. We visited many different workshops displaying local crafts, and the production of them, and even had a blissful Ayurvedic massage one afternoon. All in all a great tour, with like minded people, and we would thoroughly recommend it The cruise around the beautiful islands and the turquoise atolls of the Maldives was much needed to unwind from the fast pace of Sri Lanka. No Wi-Fi meant time to fully relax, read and rewind. The cabins were small but had sufficient places to unpack and put things away, and the en-suite compact but adequate. Visited different reefs twice a day to snorkel around and the crew and tour leader Suja were always there to point out the different flora and fauna. They even dived down with our cameras to make sure we got some amazing photos, and also not being a strong swimmer myself, they made sure I was always safe and supported. The food was excellent with the chef producing three delicious meals a day plus snacks and drinks. We moored up at night near sandbars and deserted islands where we watched the sunset with a nice gin and tonic. We visited a couple of inhabited islands, and were invited to a drumming performance and ended up dancing quite enthusiastically. We snorkelled with sharks before breakfast and with turtles before lunch, not many people can say that. We booked this holiday to celebrate our Golden Wedding, and both tours surprised us with very special celebrations, which we shall hold in our memories forever and to share it with the lovely people we met, now friends, made it even more special.

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.