Circle Sri Lanka

41 Reviews

Excellent

50%

Good

25%

Average

19%

Rather Poor

0%

Bad

6%

• SM

  Shayne
  Written on August 31, 2018

  4.5 - Excellent

  The Circle tour included the gems of beautiful Sri Lanka, it was well paced and featured the highlights of the country whilst providing some fantastic local experiences. Our guide Indy made the tour with his interesting stories and perspectives on the country, he is professional, knowledgeable, patient, has a great sense of humour and always greeted us with a genuine smile. I loved the different modes of transport and felt quite safe in the hands of our very capable driver and his assistant. The accommodation was clean and comfortable and the food local and good.

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• W

  WendyFletcher
  Written on August 6, 2018

  1.0 - Bad

  I booked this tour with Intrepid Travel to travel with my friend to Sri Lanka in March 2018. Two days before we were to leave, Sri Lanka declared a State of Emergency. That same day my elderly mother was taken by ambulance to the hospital (where she remained for 3 weeks) so I cancelled my trip. The airline we were travelling on, China Eastern, fully refunded my flight due to the State of Emergency being instated without batting an eye. Intrepid Travel would not refund my tour nor would they give me a credit for a future trip for either my mother suddenly being admitted to hospital or the State of Emergency ostensibly because they had "already paid for accommodation for a double". However, my friend that still went on the trip was put in single accommodation , not as nice rooms as other people on the trip, and until she complained was "upgraded" to double rooms but she should have been in nicer double rooms the whole trip as they took my tour fee and didn't refund or credit me for a future tour. I would not travel with Intrepid Travel in the future as my mother suddenly going in hospital was out of my control and on top of that there was a State of Emergency on a small island. I am Canadian and Intrepid is a Canadian company so we wanted to deal with them as we thought they would be better to deal with. I was very disappointed in how they handled the situation and now that my mother is finally back on her feet I wanted to write this review so other travellers would be warned of their unethical practice. Not refunding or crediting my trip is one thing and yes, i should have bought cancellation insurance but putting my friend in single accommodation until she complained while keeping my whole tour fee is unacceptable. And, I felt it would have been compassionate to credit me for a future tour, and I would have written a much different review of this company.

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• BS

  Barbara
  Written on April 8, 2017

  4.0 - Good

  I went to Sri Lanka on December 23rd for a 15 day trip. It was wonderful. Asanga Bandara was a terrific guide and knew so much. It was a group of 14 and everyone got along great. A couple of the hotels were not the best, but we did not pay for first class hotels. We all loved the variety of activities.

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• 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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