Adventure & Adrenaline Tours & Trips in Sri Lanka

Happy travellers with Mango Vacations and Vishwa!! We are 2 Australian friends who went on a 14 day tour in February 2025, meeting 3 other ladies (from USA/Austria) and our amazing driver/guide/now friend Vishwa Lakshan. Vish clearly communicated at the start of the tour the need for everyone to be respectful and flexible, given it is a group tour and it’s possible not everyone wants to do or see the same things. Fortunately our group were very much on the same page in this regard, and everything ran smoothly. An example, I wanted to go white water rafting, most of the others hadn’t really considered it prior, yet all jumped at the suggestion and it was another fun experience we shared together. The group gelled together really quickly and within just the first couple of hours we were chatting and laughing our heads off, and this continued for the whole time. Vish quickly picked up the vibe and joined in the banter which made this even more fun! In a lovely touch, we have all continued to stay in touch since we went our separate ways and headed home. Vish is an excellent driver and we were very surprised how comfortable we were with him behind the wheel, despite the apparent craziness on the roads compared to what we are used to in Australia. Seems very odd to say, given driving conditions in Sri Lanka, but speaking for myself, it’s the safest I’ve ever felt on the roads. He never exhibited any road rage, always cool, calm and collected, and the only way we could tell he had any frustration from traffic was a cute little humming noise. Lol It’s also wonderful being able to combine a driver with a tour guide. Vish speaks excellent English and explained so much about what we were seeing, the history behind things, and was able to answer our many, many questions (some crazier than others)! He was also our “Mr-Fix-It.” Any problems we encountered, he took control and got things sorted with calmness and patience. He was able to adapt our itinerary on the run dependant on weather conditions and how we were travelling timewise. He recognised when the group was tired and needed a bit of a sleep in, or when we were energised and could take on anything. He allowed sufficient downtime by being attentive to our needs. We didn’t miss out on anything we wanted to see or do in our jam packed adventures! Vish wasn’t demanding that we fit in with his schedule, he fitted into ours. If we wanted to stop for something to eat, no problem, money changers or ATMs, no problem, take a longer time wandering around somewhere, no problem. Vish was our liaison with the locals, with any extra tours we chose to do, he connected us up and made sure we were taken good care of (on the odd occasion he wasn’t joining us). It appears everyone in the country knows Vish! He has friends everywhere. Just when you think the bloke can’t be any better, he’s also a brilliant photographer/videographer, and the most patient IT wizard. At different times we all had the odd tech issue, but Vish would take it and work his way through the issues calmly and methodically. Vish also went totally above and beyond. We were hoping to meet up with my English cousins who were also travelling through Sri Lanka at the same time. On a couple of occasions we were staying in the same towns. The first catchup, Vish kindly offered to drive us there and back, even though it had been a very long day and we were willing to take a tuk tuk (we were able to convince him to stay and have a drink with us rather than drive back and forth). For the second occasion he arranged a restaurant he knew would be just the type we like (he was right), for our whole tour group to also come along and meet my cousins for dinner and a catchup. Nobody would have blamed him if he said “not my problem” and just wanting to get to his accommodation and relax after a long day behind the wheel, but he always put us first and we are so appreciative of that fact. He also arranged a bit of a night out/party for our tour group which was a lot of fun and just added to the camaraderie amongst us all. Cannot believe how much we fitted into our trip! History, Temples, Ancient Ruins and Relics, plus Sri Lankan Culture (including dance and cuisine). So many Animals (elephant orphanage/safaris/whale watching/plus all the animals you just see on the roads and out and about.). We may not have seen a sloth bear, but we saw leopards, heaps of elephants, water buffalo, birdlife, crocs, monkeys and so much more. The scenery was beautiful, in particular the mountains, forests and tea plantations. The train from Ambewela to Demodara (just past Ella where the Nine Arch Bridge is) was an absolute highlight! We wish we had been able to spend more time in these gorgeous mountains. The other mention we would like to make was how Vish arranged other drivers for us on the couple of occasions that our plans were slightly different from the rest of the tour group, be it when we went glamping at Yala and on one separate safari to the group (he also arranged that safari for us), or staying in a different town at the end of the trip. He always advised the night before the name of our driver, photo of him and his vehicle with number plate, and had them well aware of where we needed to go and what we wanted to do on the way, so we still enjoyed other sights and activities, and we always got collected and where we needed to be at the correct time. Mango were able to adjust our itinerary to meet our needs and it was wonderful to be able to deal with a local Sri Lankan business, and keep our tourist dollars in Sri Lankan pockets. They were significantly cheaper than several “foreign” agencies who likely would have booked the locals for our tour, but pocketed a big “commission” on top of it. Why spend more money on something we easily arranged directly ourselves? We admit to being a tad nervous leading into our first ever group tour, but after having the most amazing experience we would not only recommend it, we’d also do it again! We hope to head back to Sri Lanka on another trip in coming years to visit the other parts of the country that we didn’t have time for and will be definitely looking to use Mango Vacations and book Vish again. Hopefully with our Austrian and American friends too and get the machans back together. Thankyou again Vish and Mango Vacations. You made our trip to Sri Lanka so memorable!! Cheers, Amanda and Deb from Perth, Western Australia

If you’re sitting on the fence about doing a group tour or going to Sri Lanka, kick that fence to the ground. Indy Escapes does an AMAZING job of blending the perfect itinerary of activity, adventure, leisure and most importantly, community. Lucas runs his groups so smoothly, prioritizing the safety and care of all his travelers. Sri Lanka’s beauty is showcased over several different towns with a nice pace of organized events and free time. An excellent addition to the Indy team, James, also joined our tour and helped with coordinating and bringing the vibes. I’d highly recommend Indy Escapes to anyone seeking adventure and community throughout cultures!

What an amazing tour. From the schedule, to the quality of the driver guide,transportation, to the wonderful hospitality, Delicious food. it was an amazing tour. I can't thank Lahiru Randika enough, Lahiru did an amazing job of putting a great trip together for us!