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We went there in December, just after the country suffered severe cyclone and flooding. Very nice hotels, plenty of food (maybe too much), and well looked after by the team. Nice relaxing pace of cycling. Plenty of interesting places to see on the way.
We made a Youtube video to share our experience: https://youtu.be/N06BHdyCL00?si=VRTgl8lFxGbMP4uA
Excellent job done by Ruwan. Lots of last minutes rearranging due to the damage done by the flooding.
Use your insect repellent Bring covering for your legs when entering the temples Don't worry about the street dogs-they are not aggressive
Our guide Ruwan was excellent – his knowledge of the history of Sri Lanka and his ability to inform us of the culture and religion at appropriate moments was a highlight. Being able to cycle from place to place without long transfers also made the trip very enjoyable.
The range of scenery and the cycling challenges - a sense of achievement cycling up to Nuwara Eliya and the tea plantations
Ruwan is an exceptional leader - his imparting of knowledge of his country to the group at appropriate moments was very clear and helpful. His use of a map of Sri Lanka at the outset every day and then highlighting that day's route with a marker pen before we started cycling was great and his provision of profiles from Strava the night before with clear information about timings for drinks, dinner, and the wake up calls meant that we always had certainty about what we had to do.
This was a great opportunity to bike and see Sri Lanka (even impacted by a typhoon) but marred by a seriously inadequate ebike. It was underpowered at best, power on my bike and another one cut out on occasion and the governor at 25 kph makes an ebike worse than useless since one has to pedal a heavy bike hard to stay up with the group sometimes doing 27-28 kph on good roads. After my complaints, guide Surech stried to help and swapped out my bike for a slightly better powered but much heavier urban stile bike but it was not really an improvement.
And I had a very heavy urban ebike on an Exodus Japan tour last year that I complained about with little result.
Great
enquire carefully about ebike rental
They cycling was absolutely excellent – the days were really well planned, from distance to ‘free-cycling’ or tour-group leader-led cycling. They really nailed the parts where we should ride together and the parts where we could cycle at our own speed.
The cycling! The scenery was beautiful, the snacks en-route were excellent and the rides were a great mix of challenging and more relaxed
Nish was a great leader - it's hard to bring together 16 people with different cycling abilities and interests but he was very good at keeping us on time and organsiing everything for us. He was also excellent at spotting wildlife along the way, and clearly has a huge amount of knowledge about Sri Lankan history and nature.
We arrived in Columbo to rain to be met by our smiling guide for the trip who introduced himself as Suresh. From there on, everyday was different, due to the time of year the weather was a little chilly in the hills but improved greatly as we descended to the lower levels. Suresh was amazing and everyday, he showed us something different and made sure our holiday experience was amazing. Suresh’s ability to spot wildlife on our cycling trips was unbelievable, almost as if he had planted the wildlife!!. I have taken some amazing photographs from the holiday and Suresh has provided us with his amazing photographs also. Suresh always seemed to go out of his way to make our holiday experience better and better, he is a star. The whole team was incredible, nothing was too much trouble and they were always looking out for our best interests, including keeping us safe. Best Exodus cycling trip yet, amazing wildlife, amazing Sri Lankan experiences, amazing leader, amazing team.
Suresh was fantastic, he made sure our every needs were looked after and provide so many experiences we were not expecting. His ability to ensure everyone we interacted with, hotel managers, chefs, guides, café owners etc. all looked after us and made sure our wellbeing, tastes etc. were all catered for.
The bike ride on day 6 marked as challenging is VERY challenging, if you are determined to ride it, be sure you are very fit, it is unrelenting. If in doubt, take the train option...or an electric bike!
We had a great time and excellent experience on our trip to Sri Lanka. Having been on holiday with Exodus before we continue to be extremely pleased with the service offered and our guide Suresh was extremely helpful, knowledgeable, and went out of his way to ensure we experienced everything Sri Lanka had to offer. We continue to recommend Exodus to our friends and family, some of whom have booked to go on holiday via Exodus.
Visiting Lion Rock, visiting the Elephant Sanctuary, riding through the tea plantations, experiencing the sights and sounds of towns as well as countryside by bike.
Suresh went out of his way to ensure we had the best, most memorable time. Nothing was too much trouble. He was very knowledgeable, and so enthusiastic about his work and Sri Lanka. He has been one of the best tour guides we have experienced and made the whole trip thoroughly enjoyable.
Really well organised trip.
Cycling enabled me to see the true essence of Sri Lanka. There was an amazing mixture of experiences
Amazing leader. Amazing attention to detail, meticulous planning and an incredible desire for all to understand the culture and history of the country. Sehrish worked incredibly hard to ensure everyone saw what they wanted to see and had the best possible time away. Great cycling leader, keeping the group together whilst giving everyone the freedom to cycle at their own pace.
I’ll try not to be too gushing about my praise of this but it was a truly excellent trip; at the end we felt like starting again. Exodus at its best, it’s all about the bits in-between not the usual tourist sights, though you do see those. Most of the time you are staying in hotels used by other tour groups and you do feel sorry for them being shunted from temple to city to viewpoint in a coach, all looking bored. They do not pass through villages where locals wash themselves and their clothing in rivers or see the smiles which greeted us, gaudily clad aliens in Lyra.
Thought the accommodation was the best I’ve ever had on one of these expeditions.
Difficult to say but guess has to be the climb up to Newara Eliya - nearly 7000 feet of ascent not the 4921 listed in the trip notes. Close second was the descent from Ella; we were awestruck by the scenery.
Wajee is a great guy with a passion for his country and a strong sense of social justice. He was very informative, particularly about the socio-economic situation in the country.
The name of the trip is misleading - we certainly cycled some lovely, quiet backwaters of roads but a lot of time is spent on fairly main ones and, at times, there is a considerable traffic. Beware the Tuctucs, whose movement is akin to random thermal motion but less predictable. It was very hot when we travelled which sapped energy a bit - think that was unusual for time of year. Take factor 50 sunscreen- for me, at least, avoiding skin cancer preferable to a nice tan. We loved the food but it was quite spicy - don't come if you are curry averse. The free lunches are usually buffets - very nice but a good way to pile on weight unless you are careful. Sri Lanka is a beautiful country and one we hope to return to.
I’ve been on many Exodus trips and this ranks as one of the very best!
Cycling through rural communities in beautiful landscapes with the locals waving, smiling and shouting “hi”. I have never come across a more welcoming, friendly and smiling nation
Ruwan is a brilliant leader. His passion and knowledge about Sri Lankan history, culture, flora and fauna is extensive. He’s imparts this in an interesting and understandable way. His organisational skills are excellent and he communicates clearly the plans. On top of this he gave us so many extras - visits to local businesses eg coconut coir producer, curd factory and we had a cookery lesson one evening from a local family. He really is the guide who keeps giving! On top of this he’s a really lovely person.
If you’re not a strong cyclist and not on an e-bike, think carefully about what you do on the challenging day to Nuwara Eliya. I opted for the train ride but if I was doing it again I’d cycle and get on the bus when the going got too tough for me. Seats aren’t guaranteed on the train and it’s a long journey. We had an adventurous, interesting day on the train and the views are stunning but I wouldn’t repeat it.
Children (and many adults) universally waved and hollered hellos as we pedaled past–one man giving a few of us a Tour-de-France running push when he saw us struggling up a hill. We had a jam-packed schedule of riding, hiking, visiting temples, photographing elephants on a safari, getting a cooking demonstration (and recipes!), going on an epic train ride, swimming in the Indian Ocean, visiting a tea plantation and processing plant, seeing coconut husks turned into rope; taking tea, stopping for fresh pineapple, eating delicious Sri Lankan curries….it was an amazing adventure with really lovely, fun, game people.
Probably finishing the punishing climb (7,200 ft over 45 miles) and getting a teary, heartfelt congratulations from our teammates--atop the climb and at the hotel (for those who took the train). Also, reuniting with three fellow travelers from a December 2023 Exodus trip (Vietnam), where we all met for the first time.
Suresh is an uncannily perceptive, creative, indefatigable guide. He picked up on our preferences and adjusted options to really optimize our experience. Great sense of humor, too. We had lots of laughs.
If you're considering this trip but think it's too far to travel from the United States, just bite the bullet. It is far but doable. I arrived a day early, got a room close the airport to sleep, booked a taxi, and returned to the airport to the next day to meet with the group flight. The extra day added about $50 (room and transportation) to the trip for me and I was recovered from the voyage. Also, pack light! Only 1 suitcase. Bring some basics in a backpack you carry on so you can still bicycle and brush your teeth if your luggage gets lost or delayed (which has never happened to me, but just in case....). Consider a year-long membership for trip insurance instead of ad hoc coverage. That's what someone on our trip did--I'll check that option out for my next trip.