Walking & cultural tour in Sri Lanka

Reviewed 09 Nov 2006 by Julia Saurazas

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?

The most memorable part of the holiday was the day I spent with an NGO that was looking at improving the very poor villagers’ lives. It was a very humbling experience to see how they lived, had some food prepared using rocks as grinding tools, but also listening to how far they have progressed from where they used to be.

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?

I would tell other travelers that the internal strife in Sri Lanka should not affect you in any way. The guides are extremely knowledgeable about the areas that they take you. I would also say that if you go for a short period, of less than a week, do plan the main things that you would want to see as I was amazed by all that the country has to offer and would definitely return. However, some of the distances were quite far between the things that I had wanted to see. I went at the start of the monsoon season and, believe it or not, this was a good time to go. The rain was primarily at night – making the days very comfortable for traveling.

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?

I do feel that this company took care to use hotels that were eco-friendly and even used the petrol with the least emissions, although this was hard to find. I also made a point of asking for local guides at some of the historical sites so that I could help the local people.

4. Any other comments?

This was definitely a 4.5 star trip!