Sri Lanka · TOUR REVIEWS
A fortnight, one island, and far more on it than a fortnight holds. The 15 below are the days that earn their slot, priced and timed, with the whole catalogue underneath when you want to go deeper.
See Colombo by private tuk-tuk in four hours, with temples, markets, colonial sights, tea tasting, hotel pickup, and local guide.
“Ahilan was an incredibly helpful tour guide who provided an excellent experience. 10/10 would recommend.”
Review of Udawalawe’s private 4-hour elephant safari, with guide tips, timing, wildlife, price details, transport, and honest drawbacks.
“Easy quick seamless booking and preparation process, fair price and exact delivery of promises. Our guide, unfortunately we forgot the name of the young man, was fantastic. He was very competent, patient and super friendly and open. He didn’t chase around the paths like a maniac, unlike others we have encountered at that day. The Reserve is exactly what you would expect, and we can wholeheartedly recommend “Udawalawe Wild Safari Tours” as service provider.”
Review of Kandy’s private tuk-tuk city tour, with temples, tea, viewpoints, gardens, local food tips, costs, and practical advice.
“Brilliant day with Sanjeewa as our driver. Took to us some great places, listened to what we wanted to do and as our plans and the weather changed he was totally adaptable. Would highly recommend this trip to everyone.”
Review of Mirissa’s $65 whale and dolphin cruise, with boat comfort, sightings, pickup details, breakfast, safety, and honest value advice.
“They were no whales to be seen at all, just a few dolphin. Ship has too many chairs. Pretty expensive for an ordinary ferry ride with breakfast.”
Swim with sea turtles in Mirissa for $16, with gear, instruction, hotel pickup, photos, freshwater shower, and a private guide.
“It was an amazing experience!! We were very lucky this morning and saw 5 turtles together. It was my first time snorkeling and I felt very comfortable. Our guide was very friendly and took good care of us. It was definitely a highlight of my trip.”
Review of the Colombo to Sigiriya and Dambulla day trip, with temple visits, Lion Rock, village options, safari, costs, and practical tips.
“Chattu was an excellent guide, we learnt a lot about Sri Lanka during the trip plus he was really funny. Throughly enjoyed all the activities and would recommend. Best regards Lucius”
Review of Yala safari tours from $25, with morning, evening, and full-day options, wildlife tips, meals, pickup details, and honest drawbacks.
“Our safari was amazing, we saw a leopard and lots of elephants!! Our guide was great with communicating and making our overall experience very enjoyable! Definitely recommend:)”
Learn Sri Lankan cooking in Ella with Ranjani, prepare traditional dishes, eat from a banana leaf, and take home digital recipes.
“This experience was cooking at one workstation with the host demonstrating some of the more complicated techniques whilst inviting attendees to take it in turn to help with other tasks. Throughout the experience she provided lots of interesting facts and advice and the food at the end was excellent. If that’s the kind of cooking experience you enjoy then this is highly recommended. If you’re looking for a cooking experience where everyone has an individual workstation and you eat the food you personally cooked, then this isn’t for you. The teacher was good at giving insight into traditional recipes and the health benefits of good home style cooking.”
Review of the $29 Kandy to Sigiriya day trip, with tuk-tuk travel, Lion Rock, Dambulla caves, temples, crafts, costs, and practical tips.
“Madusanka was a really great and attentive guid! He made our trip to Sigiriya more amazing and fun :)”
Review of Sri Lanka’s private tour driver service, with airport pickup, flexible routes, local insight, pricing, mileage limits, and booking advice.
“Very good service from start to finish. The private vehicle was comfortable and well maintained, and the experience felt smooth and well organized throughout the trip. Dilantha was a very professional driver and easy to communicate with. HRead more”
Review of Colombo’s private tuk-tuk tour, covering temples, markets, colonial sights, tea tasting, lunch, price, guides, and practical tips.
“I signed up for this tour by myself. It was terrific. He had loads of info and paced things to work for me”
Learn organic Sri Lankan cooking with Kumara and his family in Sigiriya, from garden spices to a shared curry feast for $28.
“The cooking class started with a walk through the organic garden with a lot of explanations about what we saw there. Then we started cooking, many different curries, spring hoppers and some desert. Really friendly family with a heart for cooking.”
Review of Udawalawe elephant safari with private 4x4, expert guides, wildlife sightings, practical costs, timing tips, and honest advice.
“Our guide was absolutely amazing! He knew exactly how to avoid the crowds but still get amazing close-up views of animals! We saw a total of 16 elephants, with 4 calves - so cute! I can highly recommend this tour!”
Review of a 24/7 private CMB airport taxi to Colombo, with air-conditioning, tolls, luggage help, and hotel drop-off.
“Best rates for taxi ..no one can beat Less taxi rates.”
Review of Janaka Safari’s 12-hour Yala safari, with leopard sightings, meals, guides, costs, timing, group size, and practical booking advice.
“A full day tour was great choice. We got to see a leapord in the morning, which our driver Ish spotted from at least a 100ms distance, and then a few elephants in the afternoon. In between we got to see lots of different animals, everything from waterbuffalos and warthogs down to critters such as kingfishers, mungos and different eagles. He did everything he could to make sure we were happy and satisfied.”
Pick a park, a coast or a kitchen.
