Circle Sri Lanka

38 Reviews

Excellent

54%

Good

23%

Average

23%

Rather Poor

0%

Bad

0%

• RG

  Renee
  Written on March 7, 2017

  4.5 - Excellent

  The trip was excellent. A great introduction to Sri Lanka - the country, the food, the people.

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• GF

  George
  Written on March 5, 2017

  4.0 - Good

  Our Circle Sri Lanka trip with intrepid was fantastic. Sri Lanka is a beautiful country mostly unspoilt by mass tourism but the history, wonder and magic of this wonderful island is phenomenal. What made this trip particularly special was Kasun Maduwage (our brilliant guide who lead us through the adventure). His knowledge and guidance throughout the tour was astounding. From the history he imparted on us, his commentary on religion and culture as well as the best eating spots, flora and fauna and ability to organise a large group of very different travellers Kasun was amazing. I feel honoured to have met such an amazing man and to have been guided around Sri Lanka by a true professional. Our tour departed on 19 February and Natalie and I met Kasun in Negombo. We were introduced to the rest of our tour and had our introductory meeting where we were briefed extensively about the tour and what to expect from the next two weeks. It was fantastic to meet everyone and even though there was a mistake at head office with the room allocations, Kasun swiftly resolved this and we went out for a group dinner where we really got to know each other. This was followed by two weeks of amazing experiences from exploring the ancient cities of Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa, to the majestic Siguria and Dambulla Caves, trekking through the tea fields, visiting a tea plantation, going on an Elephant safari and relaxing on the beautiful beaches of Mirissa amongst many other unforgettable experiences Throughout the tour Kasun was patient in addressing extensive questions, resolving issues quickly and efficiently and maintained a fun and inclusive group environment. He gave us a guide through Sri Lankan Cuisine, the infamous Kothu (chop chop), hoppers, egg hoppers, string hoppers and rice and curry and we feel we have come away not only with a fantastic experience but a true friend. Just a few comments for head office for the next tour (not comments against Kasun) - can you introduce a section on the booking form where you tick private room or sharing (we booked together and were initially allocated rooms with different people so this would eliminate that issue), I would have preferred to stay in Ella rather than Barandawele since the hotel was not very pleasant and was a tourist trap, also I felt that the spice garden can potentially be skipped - the food was nice but it felt that it was a sales pitch rather than an enjoyable experience. Also the elephant safari was amazing and we would recommend making this part of the programme. Hopefully these suggestions help for the next tour. Sri Lanka has been a pleasure and thanks to Kasun for showcasing your country. George (London, UK)

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• BS

  Barbara
  Written on January 8, 2017

  4.0 - Good

  The guide, Asanga, was wonderful. He made the trip fun and exciting. Some of the hotels were not that nice, but adequate.

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• J

  Jhone
  Written on November 3, 2016

  5.0 - Excellent

  Highly recommend this tour because I have been in Sri Lanka for 10 days in the month of Oct with my Family, the truth is a country that I recommend to visit, food, culture, and most importantly for the people, few people have found in my travels as that I found there. I hope to return some day, a significant part of the trip but are adventurous it is a good guide-driver, hire the services of Daniel and I recommend it 100% made me a great price, He will worry us at all times during the trip take us to the best places to eat quality / price ratio and is a great person. Drives very well and look good economic hotels 3 and 4 stars. He speaks English perfectly.. So I highly recommend Daniel. You can contact him by mail; srilankadaniel@gmail.com Mob: +94 777173862 He will give you quick answer with clear bass with included & excluded, We paid for Transport by minivan 50$ for my family include driver/guide + fuel All The Best for your trip!!

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• J

  Jake
  Written on October 5, 2016

  5.0 - Excellent

  Such an amazing experience!! This tour had a really good mix of food, culture, scenery and the balance of physical activities was perfect. I was nervous about the train rides but I'm so glad I did them now as the scenery is stunning, likewise the walk through the tea plantations was beautiful and not as physically demanding as I thought it would be. The accommodation was a nice mix of local properties and I was very happy that most of them had a swimming pool.

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• E

  Eichkorn
  Written on May 3, 2016

  5.0 - Excellent

  I loved this trip. It had a bit of everything. Food, culture, sights , ocal and authentic experiences. we ha d a very knowledgeable and personable local guides.

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• GL

  GILLIAN
  Written on April 18, 2016

  3.5 - Good

  A very well executed tour of a very beautiful country of lovely people and exceptional sights. My preference, however, would be for way fewer beds in way fewer destinations, cut back ancient sights to the two best, a quieter beach location and a whole lot more chilled/down time.

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• 

  Cindy
  Written on January 14, 2015

  2.5 - Average

  While I enjoyed this tour for the most part I would have to say this is the first Intrepid tour I have done where I regretted what I paid to experience this trip. There we're certainly at least two or three highlights in the trip but overall I would have to say this tour is way overpriced. Intrepid have dropped the ball on this one. This trip should be at least $500 less than the asking price. I found Sri Lanka expensive when you consider the average Sri Lankan wage, the exchange rate for the rupiah and the cost of living. I know only to well there is a local price and a tourist price and sure, why not. But unfortunately the Sri Lankans have taken this to a whole new level. So it is what it is a rather ordinary experience for allot of money. In my opinion give Sri Lanka a wide birth and head to India (with Intrepid) they have some great tours and good prices. India is awash with fantastic sights, full of colour rich in culture and markets coming out of your ears, everything Sri Lanka wasn't!

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• 

  Tamara
  Written on June 26, 2014

  5.0 - Excellent

  This was a utterly amazing tour. Everything about it was perfect. It was a good combination of cultural, and active. There was walking, cycling, TukTuk, train, public bus and private transport. Dace show, cooking, coconut plantation visit. Indika, our guide was wonderful and looked after us from beginning to end. The tour had a really good itinerary and the places we visited were stunning. We felt that we really got to see the real Sri Lanka as well as the highlights. We also had expert guides to guide us around some of the visits. It was a pleasure travelling around, with everything so well organised, but also the freedom to decide what we wanted to join in on at certain points. Included meals were exactly the right balance. The days that the breakfast wasn't included were ones that we had to get up very early and therefore it was better so. Trip of a lifetime, great location, stunning views, fun activities, some active walking, and a wonderful guide who looked after us, as a tour guide, but also as a friend. Would recommend to anyone.

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• DS

  Dalia
  Written on May 31, 2014

  2.5 - Average

  Overall enjoyable tour. To start with the positives- Sri Lanka is a beautiful, varied country with an interesting history and culture. It was amazing to see all of that and this tour really did encompass these things- from vibrant cities, picturesque Hill country and Indian Ocean Beaches. The thing that let it down was the guide- he was not knowledgeable and I felt at times he was not honest with the group. It was very obvious he was taking commission from the restaurants he was taking us to and would tell is that we HAD to go to certain restaurants, as it was the only restaurant in town, when that was not the case. He was very pushy and often insisted on doing things in what should have been our leisure time/optional activities, his way. I really felt that he was trying to squeeze as much money out of us as he could! The accommodation was very basic at times, despite this being advertised as an intrepid original tour. Every member of the tour decided to upgrade to a hotel room rather that beach hut during the beach stay- the huts were hot, with no windows and very dirty! Overall great tour, unfortunately hindered by a tour guide who was not in touch with the needs of the group and did not provide the "bridge" between myself and the country, as tour guides usually do. Only would recommend this tour to others if another tour guide was guaranteed.

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