Review Author: DebbieHD, United Kingdom

Review Date: 25 Jul 2017

Review Body: Well we wanted a trip of a lifetime and we were not disappointed. This was everything we hoped for and more. Praveen tailored the trip, so we could pick and choose the experience we wanted. We read up about the island before hand and spoke to friends that had also used Praveen so we had a bit of an idea about what we wanted to include. We also told Praveen a bit about ourselves, our interests and hobbies which helped him make suggestions about we might like. In the end we decided on the "pack as much as you can" in approach and were mighty glad we did as we have so many memories it's difficult to cover them all. We chose flights that got in at 9am and left at 9pm so we got a couple of extra days for not a lot more. The charming and always smiling Praveen was there and waiting when we arrived and the adventure began. In our 12 days we fit in: 1. An Elephant sanctuary real close and great watching them play in the river whilst we sipped drinks on the balcony above 2. Full body herbal massage was great way to unwind after a day traveling 3.Driving around taking in the busy city streets, the windy back roads, the villages and the Tuk Tuks 4. Sigiriya rock was well worth the climb 5. Elephant back riding with a bit of off roading 6. Polonawarra gave a real feeling of history 7. Temple monkeys 8. Buddha rock temples 9. Fancy ornate Hindu temples 10. Arrack 11. Kandy Lake 12. Fancy hotels 13. Nice local friendly guest houses 14. Really tranquil temples in stunning off the beaten track hidden places 15. Herbal spice garden 16. Kandyan dancers 17. Lion beer 18. Relaxing by the pool 19. Walking in the rain forests 20. Trekking on the plains 21. Jeep safari with most excellent Leopard spotted 22. Walking through tea plantations and local villages 23. waterfalls 24. wonderful roadside exotic fruit stalls 25. City tours 26. Most scenic Ella train 27. Stunning walk up little Adams peak 28.Balcony breakfasts with views to die for 29. Bars shops and restaurants in backpackers Ella 30 Hairy Tuk Tuk rides 31. Bridges 32. Whale watching 33. Baby turtles 34. Mask workshop 35. Kottu Rotti 36. Romantic beach walk 5m from room at sunset 37. Maze of back streets in Galle Fort with great shops and bars 38. To top it all a most delicious home cooked meal on our last night and much more..... and there were a few things we decided not to do once we got there, to give us a bit more "down time" but Praveen is great and goes to great lengths to explain this is your holiday and will change and fit as you go along We really cant recommend highly enough, if you've not travelled this way before - have no worries, or doubts - the best way to go. Local knowledge, wonderful air conditioned top notch people carrier just for you (soon to have Wi-Fi) and tailored to your individual preferences. Praveen was there for us throughout, enough to guide you but also left us to experience most things for ourselves, good balance. I recommend you drop them and e-mail and see where it takes you - have fun!

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Mark C, New Zealand

Review Date: 13 Sep 2019

Review Body: Praveen is the best. We have traveled countries with guides and drivers and Praveen is up there with the very best. Driving on Sri Lankan roads would be challenging for overseas drivers but you feel very safe with Praveen. He is very considerate and careful and we felt safe at all times. Praveen helped with the planning of the trip and was very responsive to our e-mails and endless questions. I will start with the only negative as it turned out as a positive. My wife and I were very worried about security in Sri Lanka after what happened at Easter and nearly cancelled our trip in June. We are so glad we didn't. We had a wonderful time and felt safe. There is security in a number of places but that is what made us feel safe. If you are having second thoughts don't it is a great time to go. Now on to all the other positives. It was hard to decide on an itinerary and I can say that the two weeks we planned was ideal. Our itinerary and hotels are as follows. We would not change the itinerary but would change the hotel we stayed at in Anuradhapura (Rajarata Hotel) as the bathroom had a bad odour, and air conditioner did not function properly, we are probably being picky. Also you could stay in accommodation that is a lot cheaper but we went for accommodation that had pools and in most places air conditioning and did not regret our choices. In fact they enhanced the experience. For the trip it generally takes between 3 to 4 hours to drive between the following towns. Day 1 and 2 Negombo - Negombo Heritance (Deluxe King Room with sea view) Day 3 Anuradhapura - Rajarata Hotel (Standard Room) Day 4 and 5 Sigiriya - Aliya Resort and Spa (Deluxe Family Room) Day 5 Kandy - Elegant Hotel (Presidential Suite) top room and hotel and only NZD 130 per night with breakfast amazing. Day 6 and 7 Nuwara Eliya - Heritance Tea Factory (Superior King Room) Day 8 and 9 Ella - 98 Acres Spa and Resort (Standard Room) you have to stay here. Days 10 to 13 Marissa - Sri Sharavi Beach Villas and Spa (Palm Room) Tip in Sigiriya most people climb to the top of the Sigiriya Rock Fortress but also do the climb to the top of the hill opposite Sigiriya Rock Fortress called Piduraangala. Praveen will probably shudder that I'm recommending this as it is a harder climb than the rock fortress but Praveen and i did this for sunset and it was amazing. I'm not fit and if you can take it slowly you will be able to do it. A torch is necessary as its dark when you come down. This review would be three times longer than any review i Have done but I think it shows how happy and appreciative we were of Praveen and the wonderful tour he took us on. Definitely try the Sri Lankan curries. I would be more than happy to answer any questions the Tripadvisor community has in relation to this review. Praveen from Karen and myself thank you very much for a fantastic experience and your company which we will never forget.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Craig H, Kuwait

Review Date: 13 Apr 2019

Review Body: Firstly let me say if you read no more of this review rest assured Praveen has to be one of the best tour guides we have come across on our travels, he is a consummate professional who clearly puts customer satisfaction very high on his excellent work ethic, nothing was too much trouble, he was only to keen to Impart his extensive knowledge of his native country and the full tour he organised for us was exactly what we had requested. My wife and I booked Praveen purely on his TripAdvisor feedback which is nothing short of exemplary and I am pleased to say that it was an excellent choice. We had eight days in Sri Lanka, and we gave Praveen a list of things that were a must for us, these included Sigiriya Rock, a Safari, Whale watching, tea planation and some traditional Sri Lankan culture. Praveen organised and sent us a full itinerary of a trip that he had organised to cover out stay, this included hotels which through consultation he organised fully for us including the exact level of room that we had selected, for information we stayed in four hotels during our stay, these were: Sigiriya – Water Garde, Superior Deluxe room with plunge pool; Kithulgala – Palmstone Retreat Arliya Room with Pool; Yala – Cinnamon Wild, Beach Chalet and Ahungalla hotel Riu, Suite. In the Itenary there was a full breakdown of the activities that he recommended we do at each location and I have to say these were so good we did pretty much them all and some others that were not mentioned but Praveen recommended on route, I have to say we were not disappointed with a single thing that we did on our trip We were met at the airport by Praveen who had a clearly marked professional sign with our name, he took us and got us a local sim card which was valid for a month and provided plenty of roaming internet, this cost 1299 LKR, ($7.50, £5.70); with a mobile hotspot this was more than adequate for the two of us for our stay. With regards to the trips I won’t go into these here, but rest assured they were all first class and Praveen ensured that we saw everything we requested and more. Praveen ensures that at each of the trips you are fully briefed and will give you an idea of the prices you should be paying for souvenirs, tips, guides and in many cases he will accompany you on your trip, this is most welcome, I have mentioned it before but his knowledge really is superb and it is clear he has fully researched everything he does and everywhere he takes you. To sum up I have to say book Praveen and you will be delighted with his services, his professionalism, knowledge, bearing and easy nature are a true credit to him and his ratings on TripAdvisor do not lie. A first-class service provided by a first class professional tour guide, with a deep understanding and knowledge of his country and more importantly you needs as his customer.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: davis lee, Singapore

Review Date: 16 Aug 2019

Review Body: this was our first family trip to Sri Lanka and we enjoyed it thoroughly! I am glad we didn't cancel the booking after the terrorist attacks happened, otherwise we will have missed out greatly on this fantastic experience. It is safe to travel - people there are warm and friendly and there are security checks at strategic roads, airport, and major hotels. Liaising with Praveen prior to arrival was a breeze, he was responsive and flexible in changes and answered my questions patiently. During the actual trip, Binal was our assigned guide and we have nothing but high praises for him. He was always on time from our very first meeting at the airport to early morning trips, to a point where we felt bad for making him wait when a member of our group was late. He is very friendly, knowledgeable, and goes the extra mile to make sure we are comfortable and happy. He also has amazing navigation skills through winding roads - a very important skill to have for a guide in Sri Lanka as the roads can be bendy and narrow. We had to skip a couple of places due to bad weather - since it's the monsoon season - but Binal made up for it by bringing us to other places. He also pointed out interesting sights along the way and brought us to great food places for local food! We loved getting up close with the wildlife during our sightseeing trip to the national park, enjoying the cool weather in Nuwara-Eliya, climbing up the Sigiriya rock etc. During the roadtrip, we had a lot of fun sharing jokes together and exchanging stories about our lives. In the end, Binal felt more like a friend travelling with us than just our guide :) My only regret was that our itinerary was rather tight as we only had time to stay in each town for 1 night. The next time we will be back again with more days to spare!

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Mohammed Saeed, Kuwait

Review Date: 05 Jan 2017

Review Body: This is my first time to Sri Lanka, and its the first time i ever travel to a place without detailed research. But this company did it all for me. I would have never enjoyed it the way we did if it wasn't for Thilini and Praveen. Thilini was always on whatsapp ready for all my inquiries and always there. She searched me for the best hotels and she always knew someone at most hotels, she even made the hotel throw a New year's party specially for US. The Hotel picks was absolutely fabulous. We stayed at a 4star and the other was a 5star, with a very good price. I mean i am sure she had a deducted price compared to the internet prices Thilini's response time was a huge decisive factor for me plus her beautiful picks and trip plan. Now when we arrived, there was Praveen, our tour guide + company's partner. This Guy was the Cherry on our every day. He perfected our every trip, with rich info and guided us on tips to be given, food to eat, timmings, best places for anything. He made us save alot of Money. He went out of his way to make us happy and satisfied. He made sure to fit all our activities, made it possible to reach our destinations on time. Took us to the best places. We did, temples, hiking, wrafting, messaging, watersports, elephants, safari, sigiriya, museums, and even Party and relax at our hotel. This Guy was the BEST gift in Sri Lanka. Seriously this trip was ONLY perfect because of you Praveen and Thilini. You made our trip Rock !!! Thanks Alot

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Clive L, United Kingdom

Review Date: 20 Feb 2019

Review Body: Ranjan was our driver/guide for our two week trip around Sri Lanka. He picked us up from our hotel in Negombo at the start of our tour - Negombo/Sigiriya/Kandy - train to Haputale - Yala/Galle/Negombo. A great driver amidst the manic driving around the country roads, we always felt safe with him. Very attentive and always ready to go out of his way to make our trip so memorable. He arranged some very special events including lunch and dinner with local Sri Lankan families that offered a real insight into 'normal' Sri Lankan life. When my wife was unwell he could not have been more considerate in helping us through the hospital procedures and ensuring she was looked after. We cannot praise him too highly for his friendly and helpful service throughout the two weeks. and would absolutely recommend him as your travel and tour guide. He will arrange all bookings at hotels and organise your full itinerary so you can relax and enjoy the wonders of Sri Lanka E Mail him on: ranjanwij48@gmail.com

Review rating: 5

Review Author: dissolutewanderer, United Kingdom

Review Date: 09 Dec 2018

Review Body: We spent an amazing week touring around with Binal - he's the best! Highlights of the trip included: a visit to ancient temples at Anuhadhapura, visiting Lion Rock at Sigiriya (amazing views), the Sacred Tooth Relic at Kandy, and the beautiful train journey through the tea plantations to Ella. Binal is a genuine, friendly, guy who did everything he could to make our tour as enjoyable as possible. We were travelling with our 8-month old son and Binal showed such warmth towards him and even helped us out on an occasion by entertaining him so we could eat dinner (!) He was always on time and nothing was too much trouble. He is a great communicator and very knowledgeable about his home country. His driving was excellent and his air-conditioned van was very comfortable. We would absolutely recommend Binal as a driver and guide for a trip to Sri Lanka.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: IanW625, United Kingdom

Review Date: 05 Nov 2018

Review Body: Amazing 5 nights/6 days with Binal. Starting with a pick up from Columbo Airport and ending in Galle. Stayed in Sigiriya, Kandy, Nuwaraeliya and Udawalawa. Praveen sorted all the hotels and planned the whole tour at ease and everything was excellent. Lion Rock and the two Safaris being the highlight. The train journey from Nuwaraeliya to Ella is a must as well. I cannot speak highly enough of Binal. He’s one of the nicest people I’ve ever met and I was lucky to have him. His driving and local knowledge is first class and I would recommend to anyone visiting Sri Lanka, for however long of a stay. Thanks very much Binal, friends for life. And to Praveen for organising. Legends x

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Sakenus

Review Date: 20 Jul 2019

Review Body: I highly recommend Praveen as a professional, experienced and knowledgeable guide in Sri Lanka. This was the our trip to Sri Lanka, I have contacted Praveen and he helped me a lot with organizing the whole trip, including itinerary, transportation, hotel booking etc. Unfortunately, Praveen was busy during our trip so he arranged another good chaffeur Dinesh. We had only 4 days and it was a tough but very interesting trip: in such a short time we have visited plenty beautiful places like Negombo, Nuwaraeliya, Kandy, Dambulla and Sigiriya. Overall we enjoyed a lot visiting Sri Lanka. Praveen, thank you for your help and see you next time.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Ross W

Review Date: 28 Apr 2018

Review Body: Praveen was an absolutely awesome guide and driver for our group. He took us all around Sri Lanka, to Negombo, Kalpitiya, Sigiriya, Kandy, Ella, and Weligama. He took care of booking any hotel we wanted and carefully curated our experience, with fun stops along the way, and dank food. He really made the full experience seamless, and was even flexible when we wanted to change our plans. Above all he is a super nice guy with a great laugh and really made us want to come back to Sri Lanka soon.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: JehanzaibM2, Saudi Arabia

Review Date: 03 Jun 2019

Review Body: I visited Srilanka with my wife. Firstly, I must say I was amazed to see the natural beauty in Srilanka. Special thanks to Mr. Praveen for the service he provided to me. Chaffeur Mr. Gamini was highly professional, we accolade the affable nature. Though we feel that our stay was quite brief but still we managed to visit the main locations within 5 days I.e. Dambulla, Sigiriya, Kandy, Nuwareliya and Negomba. I highly recommend his services.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Paradise33884770874

Review Date: 09 Dec 2018

Review Body: Driver Hemantha was a great guide, pleasant to ve around and a very safe driver. Managed to see quite a few attractions.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Michael Williams, Thailand

Review Date: 14 Dec 2017

Review Body: I'm an old traveler who never ceases to moan about the horror of contemporary mass tourism.. I live partly in Asia in the winter..in Bangkok ..one of those old idiots who boringly but TRULY go on about being three people on Machu Pichu or alone on the beach at Kuta Bali..30 or 40years ago..haven't I think taken a "tour" with a single assigned driver (as opposed to one I've hired myself) in decades....but was advised to do so for Sri Lanka..was very pleasantly surprised...the driver Dinesh was pleasantly informative..not pushy..efficient..flexible and the hotels..now that my 5 star days are over..were perfectly comfortable and pleasant ..all in all,again, rather an agreeable surprise...

Review rating: 4

Review Author: L S, Switzerland

Review Date: 13 Jan 2019

Review Body: We went on a 5 days trip with our driver Isuru. He was always very nice an caring. Tried to make all our requests possible. He cared a lot about our safety is a great driver and totally involved in making his guests feel happy all the time. He takes his job very personal and was open for all change requests we had. We went from Colombo to Sigiriya, Kandy, Ella and Tangalle as a last stop. The car war very comfortable, always clean and staffed with perfect wifi. When comparing to other driver we paid more money for our package but it was worth it. Thank you so much, Isuru, for amazing 5 days!!!

Review rating: 4

Itinerary Day 1

Itinerary Summary: Visit Dambulla Rock cave temple famous for its ancient Buddhist paintings and images depicting important events in the life of the Buddha, the five main caves contain almost 150 images of the Buddha. Climb up the "fortress in the sky" in Sigiriya.

Itinerary Description: Visit the Dambulla Rock cave temple. The history of this temple dates back to 1st century BC Later head to Sigiriya Rock Fortress and climb up 220 mts by stairs Take the Ayurvedic body massage for relaxation if time allows. 08.00 pm: Head back to Colombo