Something for everyone! This is a great holiday if you want to explore as much of the island as possible. I felt like I got a really good feel for Sri Lanka, as we travelled to so many parts, from the busy cities, to the cool highlands and the beautiful relaxing beaches. There is a really good balance of visits to historic sites and time to explore the local wildlife. The majority of the hotels were excellent with fantastic choice of food, although the buffets were always great. Personally I would have liked to have spent a little longer at each place, but the timing was spot on for children, long enough to enjoy, short enough to not get bored
What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
This bit took me ages to write as I kept remembering other highlights! so I'll just have to summarise!
Most of the best parts are the experiences with wildlife. the elephants, many many monkeys, turtle hatchery(my daughters favourite ) and the leopard at Yala. The beaches were great. all the staff at hotels and sites were super friendly and welcoming.The festival at Candy was great experience. Stopping along the way to sample the local fruits from the many stalls along the roadsides
What did you think of your group leader?
Our leader was very knowledgable and did his utmost to please everyone in our quite large group. His main focus was the childlren which meant they were happy, and he changed the itinery to mean our needs well.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
At hotels go for the buffet meals (around £10) for adults and hungry teenagers, if you have younger chidlren it is cheaper to go "a La Carte" which just means the normal menu. The cost will be halved, but the time taken to prepare will be double, so order these well before you start. I found there was just enough time to order the my daughters meals, for me to have a relaxing beer then go and eat my buffet, that way we all ate together.
Be prepared for some long drives, as you really see a lot of the island. You do get approached by locals trying to sell you things a lot, so you need to not let this bother you. be wary of people giving you "gifts" then asking for money
The only other advice is to book it now!
Is there anything else you would like to add?
It is a great holiday which I thoroughly recommend, I would definitely love to go back one day, and would even re book this trip, as there is so much to see and do, with plently opportunity to relax along the way.
Wonderful trip - an introduction to more exotic shores for our 14 year old daughter which was a great success and encouraged us to book another trip in 2012 with Exodus.
What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
Looking out from the top of Sigiraya Rock
Warm sea swimming!
curried green porridge for breakfast - it tastes very good
What did you think of your group leader?
Our group leader Sanpath combined a good mix of organisational skill with Sri Lankan hospitality and conviviality. A hit with adults and children alike.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
Go!!
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Sri Lanka is a wonderful island with a huge and varied amount to offer and I would recommend it to all travellers
Andrew Bernhardt
elephants, great sights and a sufficiency of cold beers
Written
What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
Being pushed to go that little bit further each day and every time it paid off
The best! He worked very hard, knowledgable and polite even when stressed. Grace under pressure - a rare thing!
A valuable asste to Exodus - he will be in demand from your rivals. You have been warned!
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
Yes -expect a lot of time in the minibus, be patient, don't do more than you can comfortably take on and try to talk to the locals.
Let the leader sort out the tips from the kitty.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Get rid of the local payment - it's so obvioulsy a scheme to lower the headline price and never goes down well on arrival.
Try not to fit too much into some of the days. At Polonuwarra we were a litttle overwhelmed with temples!
Keep Priya our tour leader in work - he's too good to lose.
Improve the rest day hotel at the end - we all checked out of ours, it was damp and without hot water, and booked into the Fortress at our own expense and had the best hotel of our lives.!
from 10 reviews.
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