This holiday really delivered beyond our expectations in every respect. The itinerary is packed and varied; culture, wildlife, scenery, exciting activities and enlightening experiences. We climbed Lions Rock; biked alongside rivers, lakes, fields and forest; walked to World End and Horton Plain; explored jungle villages, ancient temples and botanic gardens; rafted across rivers and over rapids; swam in the ocean and gorgeous hotel pools, rode the gloriously scenic train from Pattipola to Ella and even braved tuk tuk rides amidst the mad chaos of The Sri Lankan roads. We jiggled around in jeeps, seeking elephant and leopard and enjoying everything else our excellent guides spotted on two very special safaris. Sounds exhausting doesn’t it but with a very comfortable air conditioned bus to transport us between beautiful hotels in superb situations, and delicious multicultural buffets and wonderful Sri Lankan curries and Lion Beer to reenergise us at the end of each day we were always ready and eager for the next early start. Longer trips were broken up with lovely lunch stops and there were interesting visits to spice gardens, a gem museum, a folk museum and a tea factory. We went from busy towns and hot, humid forests to cooler high country and finished at refreshing beaches, journeying via temples, lakes, paddy fields and the gorgeous contours of tea plantations. We saw traditional dancing and fire eaters in Kandy and had time off to wander the markets and soak up the vibes. There were plenty of spontaneous surprises to add a little extra. We felt safe and welcome, the hospitality was genuine, everyone was so friendly, the children are delightful, and although there is some obvious poverty the people seem happy at heart and very keen to share their love of their country with us visitors. The wildlife in this fabulous country is all around you, flora and fauna in abundance and breathtakingly beautiful.
Kandy
Kandy Trips
Full of character, in Kandy memories of times gone by seem to hang in the air. Wander through the streets and you see fruit vendors with coconuts, jackfruit and pineapples piled high. Peeling paintwork clings to ramshackle buildings. Women in bright saris sell tasty treats from roadside stalls. Old boys chatter away on street corners as clapped-out cars honk their way round town.
Kandy is the laid-back centre of Sri Lanka‘s hill country and was once the capital of a powerful Buddhist kingdom. It’s home to the country’s most sacred Buddhist relic – a tooth of the Lord Buddha. Said to have been snatched from the flames of his funeral pyre, the tooth is housed in a golden casket inside the Temple of the Sacred Tooth. Every day there are ceremonies at the temple, where barefoot worshippers carrying lotus blossoms and frangipani file past the casket in reverence to this important religious relic.
Kandy Holidays
Ruth Clarke Discover Sri Lanka
Steven Elliot Cycle the Back Roads of Sri LankaI’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.
Sue Duncombe Cycle the Back Roads of Sri LankaI’ve been on many Exodus trips and this ranks as one of the very best!
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