Thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Sri Lanka, the hotels are all unique, really enjoyed the container... Kim Lester, 2018 See more reviews
This was a fantastic trip which gave great opportunities to see the diverse wildlife and... Emma Dart, 2018 See more reviews
This was a wonderful trip that certainly lived up to its promise of plenty of wildlife encounters... Jo Carr, 2017 See more reviews
A wonderful holiday. Well paced with the right mixtures of activities. All the accommodation was... Rebecca Perman, 2017 See more reviews
I travel somewhere new every year, but this trip is one I'd love to repeat. I'd like to... Julia Humpherys, 2017 See more reviews
Itinerary Expand all Day 1 Start Colombo; transfer to Ahangama beach hotel. The group flight arrives into Colombo Airport today where our local guide will be waiting to meet us. Land Only clients should be at the airport ready to join the group transfer to Ahangama on the south coast of the island - please refer to the joining instructions for further information. Sri Lanka's road network has improved greatly over the last few years, and the 'deep south' (as it is often known) is now accessible within around 3 hours from Colombo. The coastline's coconut groves and tall palms give way to magnificent views of the sea as we approach Ahangama. Accommodation: Insight Resort (or similar)Comfortable Hotel Meals included: Dinner Day 2 Morning private whale watching excursion; afternoon visit Galle Fort. Shortly after sunrise we depart for the harbour, where we board a small, privately chartered boat for today's whale watching excursion. Accompanied by excellent crew and a naturalist guide, we spend the morning searching the Indian Ocean for whales and other cetaceans. The vessel is fitted with radar and GPS which helps to increase our chance of success. Blue whales, the largest animals that have ever lived, typically frequent these waters between November and April. They are huge, reaching up to 30 metres in length and weighing as much as 160 tonnes. We may also be lucky enough to encounter Sperm whales, Brydes whales and large pods of Spinner or Bottlenose dolphins in the surrounding waters. After spending the morning at sea, we return to the harbour and our hotel in Ahangama. Later this afternoon we have a guided visit to Galle to discover the historical fort, a fabulous UNESCO World Heritage Site. Built by the Dutch in 1663, the fort is a maze of cobbled streets crammed with cafes, boutique shops and beautifully restored colonial houses. Accommodation: Insight Resort (or similar)Comfortable Hotel Meals included: Breakfast Dinner Day 3 Transfer to Sinharaja Rainforest; afternoon walk. This morning we transfer to Sinharaja Rainforest, the last undisturbed area of rainforest in Sri Lanka. This biodiversity hotspot harbours a number of endemic species. Canopy trees reach heights of up to 45 metres and bird species number 160 and counting. Amongst the insects, amphibians and reptiles are mammals such as Sambar, Barking deer and Wild boar. Purple-faced langurs usually congregate in groups of 10 or more and are fairly common to see amongst the trees. Around 15 leopards are known in this area but sightings are very difficult to come by due to the dense vegetation. This afternoon we take a walk to discover Sinharaja and its many inhabitants, accompanied by our naturalist guide. Accommodation: Rainforest Eco Lodge or Sinharaja Forest Edge (or similar)Comfortable Hotel Meals included: Breakfast Dinner Day 4 Full day to discover Sinharaja Rainforest. Wake up to birdsong and get ready for another day in the forest. Sinharaja covers a narrow sliver of land 21km long and 3.7km wide, covering an area of roughly 11,187 hectares. Within this area 43% of all the species recorded in Sri Lanka can be found. Our naturalist guide will take us on a wildlife walk to discover the many trails and abundant diversity here. Accommodation: Rainforest Eco Lodge or Sinharaja Forest Edge (or similar)Comfortable Hotel Meals included: Breakfast Dinner Day 5 To Udawalawe; afternoon game drive in Udawalawe N.P. This morning we leave the rainforest and travel further inland to Udawalawe National Park, which lies on the boundary between Sri Lanka's wet and dry zones. Udawalawe is one of the best parks in Sri Lanka to see elephants with around 600 animals in the park who can be seen roaming in herds of up to 50 - the highest concentration of wild elephants anywhere in Sri Lanka. The Udawalawe Reservoir is at the centre of the park and makes a stunning backdrop amongst the otherwise lightly vegetated area. For this reason wildlife watching in the national park is relatively easy. Aside from elephant families feeding in the grasslands, we may encounter Sambar deer, Spotted deer, Water buffalo, Wild boar, jackal and mongoose on this afternoon's game drive. Accommodation: Nil Diya Mankada (or similar)Comfortable Hotel Meals included: Breakfast Dinner Day 6 Morning game drive in Udawalawe N.P.; visit Elephant Transit Home at feeding time. This morning our 4WD safari vehicles are waiting to take us back into Udawalawe for a second game drive within the park. Game drives typically last for 3 hours, depending on sightings, and are always accompanied by a naturalist guide. In the afternoon we visit Udawalawe's famous Elephant Transit Home (ETH), situated just 5km from the park entrance. The transit home is run by the department of Wildlife Conservation and supported by the Born Free Foundation. It provides a safe environment for orphaned elephants, who are typically looked after at the home until they reach the age of 4, at which point they are old enough to be released back into the wild. Our visit will co-incide with feeding time at ETH, where the juveniles are given bottled milk by a team of park rangers and the noisy specatacle can be witnessed from the viewing platform. Accommodation: Nil Diya Mankada (or similar)Comfortable Hotel Meals included: Breakfast Dinner Day 7 Transfer to Tissamaharama; afternoon game drive in Yala N.P. After breakfast we depart for Tissamaharama and Yala National Park, a drive of around 3 hours. On arrival in Yala we check into our hotel and then around 3pm head out in 4WD jeeps for our afternoon game drive. Yala is Sri Lanka's most well known national park, famous for having a higher concentration of leopard per square kilometre than anywhere else in the world. Located in Sri Lanka's lowland dry zone in the south eastern corner of the country, Yala National Park is extensive, covering some 97,881 hectares across five 'blocks'. Yala's vegetation primarily consists of dense secondary forest, semi-arid thorny scrub, brackish lagoons and mangroves since the park borders the coastline. With this diverse habitat comes a huge array of wildlife, including elephant, Sloth bear, Spotted deer, Water buffalo, Sambar deer, Wild boar, langur and macaque. Bird counts are also high, with over 215 species recorded, including thousands of migrating waterfowl. Our game drive this afternoon will last around 3 - 4 hours, before we return to the hotel to freshen up and have dinner. Accommodation: Kithala Resort (or similar)Comfortable Hotel Meals included: Breakfast Dinner Day 8 Morning game drive in Yala N.P.; to Talalla. Wildlife tends to be at its most active during the early morning and to take advantage of this we have a morning game drive in Yala, returning to our hotel for a rest and lunch afterwards. Our naturalist guides will focus on Yala's diverse wildlife and birds, with our game drive lasting around 3 hours. After lunch we transfer around 3.5 hours to Talalla, a quiet and remarkably undeveloped beach. Traditional fishing boats rest on the sand in front of a backdrop of palm trees - this is postcard worthy, and in our opinion, one of the most picturesque beaches in Sri Lanka. Accommodation for our two night's here is in a lovely resort with direct access to the beach. Set in tropical grounds with hammocks and a freshwater swimming pool, our open-sided cabanas let you drift off to sleep listening to the waves and wake up to birdsong! We have marked this property as a 'comfortable hotel' but please note the rooms are not air conditioned. Instead our quirky cabanas - with alfresco showers - have sides that are open to the elements, so as well as the overhead fan there is plenty of breeze from the ocean. There is still privacy in the form of retractable blinds and all rooms have a safe to store belongings. This property will no doubt be a highlight of the holiday due to its lovely setting! Accommodation: Talalla Retreat (or similar)Comfortable Hotel Meals included: Breakfast Dinner Day 9 Relax by the beach in Talalla; optional whale watching excursion. Today is free to enjoy all of the facilities at Talalla Retreat - swim in the sea, walk on the beach, take a dip in the pool, drink a fresh coconut juice, swing in a hammock or join one of the daily yoga lessons (at extra cost). Alternatively if there are enough people interested we can organise a second whale watching excursion to take place this morning. By having the opportunity to go whale watching again we maximise our chances of having the most favourable weather and sea conditions. Please note that this optional excursion will involve transfers to/from Mirissa where all of the whale watching boats depart. Accommodation: Talalla Retreat (or similar)Comfortable Hotel Meals included: Breakfast Dinner Day 10 To Colombo; end Colombo. This morning we check out and make our way to Colombo airport where our holiday comes to an end. Flight inclusive clients travelling with Sri Lankan airlines will usually leave Sri Lanka in the early afternoon, arriving into London this evening. Flights with Etihad Airlines tend to depart much later in the evening and won't arrive back into London until Day 12 of this itinerary. Land Only clients should check with our customer operations team before booking their own flights to ensure they can be dropped at the airport in time. Alternatively, an additional nights accommodation can be organised near to Colombo Airport if you would like to fly home on Day 12 of the itinerary. Meals included: Breakfast
Maldives If you are keen to end your holiday on a very relaxed note we can arrange a visit to the Maldives for you. The flight from Colombo is around 1 hour and upon arrival you will be transferred by speedboat (approximately 20mins) to the Paradise Island 4* resort. Paradise Island is a beautiful coral island with a total land area of 178,900 square metres, covered with lush tropical vegetation, numerous palm trees, surrounded by a wide sandy beach and the crystal clear waters of an azure lagoon. You can choose to add on as many extra nights to your trip as you wish; your time on the island will be at leisure for you to do as you wish. The accommodation used has a swimming pool, restaurant, bar, room service and all rooms are air‐conditioned and have en suite facilities. As well as the modern amenities of the resort there is also access to scuba diving and snorkelling or for the less active the chance to swim in these wonderful, calm waters. Either way it is a veritable paradise and a memorable end to the trip. If you choose to take advantage of this opportunity then we can arrange flights for you to Malé as well as booking the hotel and speedboat transfer to the island.
Sri Lanka A visa (Electronic Travel Authorisation) is required if you are British and for most other nationalities. If you do not hold a British passport, please check the visa requirements with your local Sri Lankan Embassy or the ETA website www.eta.gov.lk. Passengers should also be aware of local laws and customs in Sri Lanka (https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/sri-lanka/local-laws-and-customs). The mistreatment of Buddhist images and artefacts is an offence; please note that people have been refused entry to Sri Lanka because of visible tattoos of Buddha.
Sri Lanka There are no mandatory vaccination requirements. Recommended vaccinations are: Polio, Tetanus, Typhoid, Hepatitis A. The risk of malaria is slight but you may wish to consult your GP or travel health clinic for further advice. Dengue fever is a known risk in places visited. It is a tropical viral disease spread by daytime biting mosquitoes. There is currently no vaccine or prophylaxis available for Dengue, and therefore the best form of prevention is to avoid being bitten. We recommend you take the usual precautions to avoid mosquito bites.
Hotels and eco lodges On this holiday we have 9 nights in comfortable hotels and eco lodges, all rooms with en suite facilities. Several hotels have swimming pools. We have a total of four nights at the coast, two at the Insight Resort in Ahangama and two at Talalla Retreat on the south coast. Talalla Retreat will no doubt be a highlight of this holiday - set in tropical grounds with hammocks and a freshwater swimming pool, our open-sided cabanas let you drift off to sleep listening to the waves and wake up to birdsong! Single accommodation (available on request). Please note paying the single supplement may not mean that you receive a double or twin room for sole use. The room you are allocated may differ from hotel to hotel , and on some nights a smaller room for ‘one person’ may well be allocated.
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Reviewed April 2018 Kim Lester Trip: Wild Sri Lanka Wildlife Sri Lanka Thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Sri Lanka, the hotels are all unique, really enjoyed the container accommodation in the rainforest. The people all seemed very friendly. The Whale watching was a little disappointing as we only saw the one Blue Whale and it felt a little as if we were chasing after it when it breached, on the plus side we had the boat to ourselves. The driving is pretty interesting but we had total confidence in our coach driver. The food was very good, but you probably need to like curries! The game parks are good, initially i thought they were going to be really busy with all the jeeps queuing to get their permits, but it was surprising where they all disappeared to within the parks. Downside was when we found a leopard all the drivers communicate this to each other and everybody descends on the spot. What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? hard to say which was most inspirational, all very good. What did you think of your group leader? Nakala was lovely, very passionate about sharing his country and culture with us. Do you have any advice for potential travellers? A fantastic trip, although leisurely, 2 days at each hotel, there was enough to keep you entertained from morning til evening.
Reviewed March 2018 Vicky Campbell Trip: Wild Sri Lanka Well organised trip We booked this trip to make viewing wildlife easy for ourselves. We joined after 16 days of doing our own thing and looked forward to the group tour. The arrangements went according to plan except for the starting hotel which had been changed without our knowledge. On arrival at the correct place, we found it to be a pseudo-Egyptian monstrosity. The rest of the accommodation was much more as expected. The whale watching was tedious and involved 7 hours on a boat with a distant view of the tail of a whale. The boat race which ensued when it appeared that there was a chance to get closer to a whale was not productive and did not feel very considerate. There was a distinct lack of birds in Sinharaja and the attempt to see leopards in Yala was beyond belief with tens of trucks vying for position to see the tail of a leopard which was hidden in a tree. Not all of the hotels had much Sri Lankan food and there was limited vegetarian food at times. The packed lunches were poor. What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? Making friends with two other couples Udawalawe Park was the most interesting, various birds, elephants and a few other mammals including a jackal. In both Udawalawe and Yala, we had good safari drivers. What did you think of your group leader? He was a very considerate person who took time to get to know each of us and to establish what our interests were. His explanations about various aspects of life and history in Sri Lanka were most welcome. Do you have any advice for potential travellers? Don't go with any hopes or expectations as to what wildlife you might see. Do take leech socks for Sinharaja, although these were made available. Is there anything else you would like to add? We booked this trip as "Wild Sri Lanka" with no particular expectations but even with this outlook, we were disappointed. Sinharaja was, to us, a waste of time in terms of wildlife and one of the guides who is based there admitted it was not a good time for birds. Staying in containers was the saving grace here, a real novelty. Now that the trip seems to be called "Whales and Leopards" ( as in our final joining instructions) this would suggest that these creatures are more likely to be seen. This seems grossly misleading.
Reviewed February 2018 Emma Dart Trip: Wild Sri Lanka Great way to see the nature of south Sri Lanka This was a fantastic trip which gave great opportunities to see the diverse wildlife and landscapes of Sri Lanka. It was hot / humid when we went so the air con on the bus and the majority of the hotels was welcome. It was nice to have a couple of nights in most hotels. The stay in the rainforest lodge was incredible, and the rooms in the Talalla hotel were unusual and enjoyable. The bus journeys between accommodations were not too long, and the scenery was very enjoyable. There is so much birdlife and wildlife to see here. What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? Seeing a blue whale. We also loved seeing the fireflies in the rainforest and at Tallala. There is not much light pollution there so the stars were incredible. What did you think of your group leader? Dilshan was fantastic. He was so engaging, knowledgeable and well organised. The naturalist on the trip, Devaka, was enthusiastic and highly skilled. Do you have any advice for potential travellers? Many of the plug sockets accommodate do UK plugs. Where they did not, we were glad to have purchased an adaptor as our multi adaptor did not cater for Sri Lanka plug sockets. We did not see many mosquitoes, but were careful with using deet and covering up. The sun is very strong as well. The rainforest lodge provided leech socks, which seemed to work very well. There were only a couple of times where we encountered small leeches and the guide removed them easily. Is there anything else you would like to add? The food is fantastic, a lot of choice in the buffets.
Reviewed February 2018 Claire Howard Trip: Wild Sri Lanka Lovely country, lovely group but disappointing wildlife experience Sri Lanka as a country is gorgeous and the people are delightful. My disappointment with the trip relates to how the tour was delivered by the local company and the fact that this should be advertised as a bird watching trip with the odd mammal sighting possible. We did see elephants and the blue whale but 90% of wildlife sightings are birds. What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? Seeing an adult male elephant with a prostetic limb play in the watering hole at the Udawalawe Transit Home followed closely by spending a couple of hours watching a blue whale. What did you think of your group leader? He was a delightful young man who was extremely enthusiastic and good fun to be around but he failed to adequately deal with concerns/ complaints raised by the group. The game drives were poorly organised. There was 16 in our group. We were put in 3 trucks which they named AB &C and we were we told we had to stay in the same groups so that we all had access to the nature guide. This didnt happen. As a member of jeep C, for all 4 game drives were we the third jeep in the line with limited sightings and always late to the wildlife party. Concerns were raised but not acted upon by the tour guide even when these become complaints. My wildlife game drive experience was eating my fellow travellers dust, hearing out what they were looking at and often seeing things behind shrubs or flying away when disturbed. I’ve never beed on a trip where the game drives were organised this way. If you were in jeeps A or B which alternated being at the front you had a much better experience than the 6 of us in jeep C Do you have any advice for potential travellers? This is a bird watching trip. That was the emphasis of our naturalist guide and birds were in ambundance. Mammal sightings were limited. I didnt appreciate this and so was disappointed by the safari experience for this reason as well as how the jeeps were managed. I enjoyed staying in the rain forest and the ecolodge. The converted shipping containers were really cute and one of my hilights. They were hot during the day and cold at night but blankets are provided. We didnt walk along trails but walked up and down the tarmac road to the ecolodge. This limited the opportunity for wildlife sightings or should i more accurately say bird sightings as we were passed quite frequently by motorbikes. You need leech socks. These are provided so no need to bring your own. You need long trousers for this part of the trip. Is there anything else you would like to add? This is my eighth trip and i have to say my worst so far by a long way. The group as always were lovely. Some of the accommodation wasnt great. An hour from the reserve on occassion which means if the drivers have set hours you use up precise game drive time getting to and from the national park. If there are 16 in your group make sure you have a spare seat in yhe jeep for a guide otherwise you are at the back of the line. This is a bird watching trip with a whale watching tour thrown in and visit to elephant sanctury.
Reviewed May 2017 Jo Carr Trip: Wild Sri Lanka Wild Sri Lanka This was a wonderful trip that certainly lived up to its promise of plenty of wildlife encounters. Sri Lanka is stunningly beautiful and has a lovely relaxed vibe. What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? There were many - a blue whale popping up in front of our boat, the stunning scenery, the friendly people, the narrow streets of Galle and the pristine beaches What did you think of your group leader? We had a leader, Kingsley and a naturalist, Sunil. Both made sure we were well informed without being intrusive and were great company throughout the trip. Do you have any advice for potential travellers? If you are British take Stirling to change at the airport (loads of change bureaus as you leave). Don't change heaps because it's really easy to use atms as you go along and every hotel took credit cards for settling bills. Don't bother packing beach towels - every hotel had pool /beach towels for you to use. Pack light - you will be living in shorts and t-shirts as it is so hot and humid. An umbrella is useful for a sudden downpour or as a parasol. In Talalla have lunch on the beach at the seafood hut - it looks basic but the food was fabulous. Is there anything else you would like to add? Go for it - especially if you love wildlife and particularly monkeys, birds and elephants!
Reviewed April 2017 Rebecca Perman Trip: Wild Sri Lanka Wonderful A wonderful holiday. Well paced with the right mixtures of activities. All the accommodation was well chosen. The two guides, one especially for the wildlife were exceptional. Very informative, funny and welcoming. What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? The Sinharaja rainforest is breathtaking. The eco lodge was perfect. Sleeping in converted shipping containers in the middle of a rainforest was truly magical. What did you think of your group leader? Exceptional. He was organised, caring and highly professional. He was very informative and entertaining. Our second guide, for the wildlife was incredibly knowledgeable. Do you have any advice for potential travellers? Take binoculars, they say it's optional, but it should be a MUST. Is there anything else you would like to add? A wonderful experience in a magical country all made even more fun by the leaders.
Reviewed March 2017 Julia Humpherys Trip: Wild Sri Lanka Back to the wild side I travel somewhere new every year, but this trip is one I'd love to repeat. I'd like to get back to the wild side of Sri Lanka! What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? Seeing the majesty of the incredible animals in Sri Lanka was definitely inspiring. What did you think of your group leader? Our guide and our naturalist were very knowledgeable, helpful and just plain fun to be with. Do you have any advice for potential travellers? Take good walking shoes with tread, a sturdy trekking stick for the short, steep walk, and don't forget your leech socks! Is there anything else you would like to add? I've gone somewhere new and exciting every year for 10 years and this was by far the best experience I've had! I can't wait to book my next adventure with Exodus!
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