Kimkim Trip Reviews for Sri Lanka

We had an amazing trip and were able to see so much in five days with a full itinerary. Our driver guide Kapila was an amazing driver and we always felt very safe. He also went out of his way to give us all the great and special experiences we wanted to make this a most memorable trip. Our tour operator Dhanushka was very professional and accommodating and helpful in order to make sure we received the best trip possible with the most positive and enjoyable experiences. Very well planned five... read more

We had an amazing trip and were able to see so much in five days with a full itinerary. Our driver guide Kapila was an amazing driver and we always felt very safe. He also went out of his way to give us all the great and special experiences we wanted to make this a most memorable trip. Our tour operator Dhanushka was very professional and accommodating and helpful in order to make sure we received the best trip possible with the most positive and enjoyable experiences. Very well planned five full days of sightseeing. The people we interacted with were all extremely friendly and the staff at the hotels were very kind and helpful and provided excellent service. Our boat trip on Athena lake was peaceful and gorgeous. Our rafting trip on Kelani River was loads of fun with gorgeous views, We purchased an optional additional lunch which was a traditional wood fire cooked meal in a mud/coconut leaf constructed bungalow and was a very unique experience. To walk among the ancient historical sites that we visited was just awesome. Our elephant safari was magical. We saw so many elephant families with babies up close to our jeep and even saw elephants along the highway! Loved the beautiful scenery while driving through the forests, country side and mountains and the bustling towns as well. We also saw lots of monkeys during our trip which we enjoyed watching up close. The cultural show with traditional Kandyan dance was fabulous! So many highlights from our trip that we couldn’t have asked for a better itinerary and are so happy we booked with KimKim and the local tour company who gave us this amazing trip that we will never forget! We only wish we had more time to see more of this beautiful country. Been wanting to visit Sri Lanka for so many years and am happy to finally have experienced this wonderful destination. Was a long flight to get here (20 hours) but was more than worth it! Thank you for the memories!

Activity Reviews

Explore Lively Colombo

Sri Lanka

Transport

Picked us up in early morning from airport so we could check in and rest before our tour later in the afternoon

Colombo Lotus tower visit

Colombo

Quality of Experience

Transport

Enjoy a Refreshing Snack at a Roadside Food Stall

Sri Lanka

Quality of Experience

King coconut water stop and watching the monkeys

Transport

Explore the Dambulla Cave Temple Complex

Sri Lanka

Very impressive!

Quality of Experience

Transport

Evening boat ride in a catamaran & BBQ dinner

Sri Lanka

Very beautiful and peaceful boat ride along the calm waters of the lake followed by a lovely outdoor dinner poolside

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Vehicle & Driver

Sri Lanka

Kapila is an excellent driver! Very safe and showed us everything we wanted to see and take pictures of

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Discover Ancient Polonnaruwa

Sri Lanka

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Elephant Safari in Minneriya National Park

Sri Lanka

Magical!!! So many wild elephants up close and lots of babies. Other animals like deer and monkeys and lots of birds and eagles too!

Quality of Experience

Lo

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit Sigiriya Rock Fortress

Sri Lanka

Unbelievable! It’s a climb to the top but they help and it’s worth the climb!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Discover Kandy: Temple of the Sacred Tooth visit

Kandy

Quality of Experience

Transport

Rain forest trail in Kitulgala

Sri Lanka

We did not do this activity due to the rain and did the river rafting instead which was beautiful and so much fun

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was the absolute best. We were so lucky to have him and all arrangements were as promised Everything went very smoothly and could not have asked for more. The people at all the hotels were so kind and couldn’t do enough for us. The whole experience was amazing. read more

Our guide was the absolute best. We were so lucky to have him and all arrangements were as promised Everything went very smoothly and could not have asked for more. The people at all the hotels were so kind and couldn’t do enough for us. The whole experience was amazing.

We did a 2 weeks round trip of Sri Lanka with KimKim. Everything was perfectly organized by our agent Yasantha. Our driver Denver was the best. Very good and safe driver. He showed us all the special places and hidden waterfalls, knows the good local restaurants and the best Nature Guides. There was daily follow up between Yasantha and Denver to make sure everything went ok. Even when we wanted to make changes to the trip, Yasantha arranged it immediately. When another lockdown was announced... read more

We did a 2 weeks round trip of Sri Lanka with KimKim. Everything was perfectly organized by our agent Yasantha. Our driver Denver was the best. Very good and safe driver. He showed us all the special places and hidden waterfalls, knows the good local restaurants and the best Nature Guides. There was daily follow up between Yasantha and Denver to make sure everything went ok. Even when we wanted to make changes to the trip, Yasantha arranged it immediately. When another lockdown was announced there were some places that we couldn’t visit. Even the same day they made other arrangement to replace these activities.
The nature guides of EcoTeam are excellent. They can spot you any animal or bird.
We had an exceptional trip : all the main tourist areas and parks we visited as the only foreign tourist. It is safe to travel during corona.
I can fully recommend KimKim as an agent. We actually are arranging our next trip with them.

We had an amazing trip to Sri Lanka. Mohit, our agent, was very attentive to our requests and planned a great schedule for us. All arrangements including hotels, transportation and sightseeing trips were wonderful. Our guide and driver, Mr Assange, was really good, a careful driver but engaging and reliable. We will definitely be using KimKim again.

We were delighted with our Sri Lanka trip. The organization was great and when we were dissatisfied with one of our hotels, Yasantha quickly made alternate arrangements that were perfect. Our guide/driver, Kumar added to the overall enjoyment of our visit to Sri Lanka. He is an excellent reflection on the Kim Kim operation, along with Yasantha.

There are too many highlights to cover. We REALLY enjoyed the Horton Plains hike; and, of course, Sigiriya, and the cave temples of Dambulla.

Our guide/driver LaLa was very professional, always on time and drove with great care. The hotels recommended were excellent throughout. We restricted ourselves to the southern part of Sri Lanka which worked well for us as distances between our stops were short but take a long time. We spent a long time sitting in the car where every town looked the same. Sri Lanka is very green and surprisingly to us very clean unlike other similar countries. The people throughout were fabulous, happy... read more

Our guide/driver LaLa was very professional, always on time and drove with great care. The hotels recommended were excellent throughout. We restricted ourselves to the southern part of Sri Lanka which worked well for us as distances between our stops were short but take a long time. We spent a long time sitting in the car where every town looked the same. Sri Lanka is very green and surprisingly to us very clean unlike other similar countries. The people throughout were fabulous, happy smiling faces greeted us everywhere. We enjoyed a lovely holiday, well and efficiently organised and executed.
Would happily recommend Shalindra in Kim Kim who was patient and very efficient in helping us plan this memorable trip.
Best wishes to all.

Great trip and guide and local people who provided services as per the plan

Hotels all good with one exception on the last night when a local disco partied all night preventing sleep. This should have been known easily by Kim Kim with a little bit of research into reviews of the hotel by other people. This hotel should NOT be used again. Very disappointed that our trip conclude on this sour note

Trip was great, the country is beautiful. we saw many beautiful spots. we had a very good time based on the itinerary that we had customized. Sigiriya rock, Dambulla cave, Cutlural dance show. Yala National Park was amazing. The tracker and naturist were very good and made us see mostly all animals. We saw Leopards, Sloth bear, Tusk Elephant, Crocodile, lots of Birds, Peacock, Land monitor, Deer, Eagle, etc. Then we went to Mirissa and saw the Blue Whale, it was so beautiful. We took a ride... read more

Trip was great, the country is beautiful. we saw many beautiful spots. we had a very good time based on the itinerary that we had customized. Sigiriya rock, Dambulla cave, Cutlural dance show. Yala National Park was amazing. The tracker and naturist were very good and made us see mostly all animals. We saw Leopards, Sloth bear, Tusk Elephant, Crocodile, lots of Birds, Peacock, Land monitor, Deer, Eagle, etc. Then we went to Mirissa and saw the Blue Whale, it was so beautiful. We took a ride on Madu Ganga river seeing the mangroves and we watched the best sunset when the birds were flying over water. Gangarama temple was very beautiful. On the way to these places we stopped at couple of hindu temples that we customized in the trip. Sri Baktha Hanuman Temple, Ashoka Vatika, Sita Amman Temple, etc. The Peradeniya botanical garden is not worth the visit.
our Driver/ Guide Pradeep was great, very honest, tried everything to keep us happy. The hospitality at all hotels were great. Food was good everywhere. the only thing we didn't like is that every hotel, the dinner is open buffet but not so great menu. and the hotels are not interested to take a la carte orders. however on our last day we ordered a la carte, it was more expensive than buffet but it was very nice food and we were happy with that. The car also was too low and not fit for countryside driving, too many slopes, each time the bottom would hit the road when driving. next time, they should provide an saloon car or an SUV.
All the hotels, the guide, the driver, the national park people helped us to have a wonderful trip. Every single place we went to was worth the drive, we wouldn't remove any place we went to based on our customized trip.

This was my first experience with KimKim and it resulted in one of the best trips I have ever taken. Our guide on the ground Nathantha was fantastic. He was very responsive and made sure that we were comfortable and safe at all times. All of the places he took us to were great. He understood what we wanted and did his best to make sure we got it. For example, we told him we were really interested in elephants and he hired an extraordinary man with a jeep that took us into the jungle and made... read more

This was my first experience with KimKim and it resulted in one of the best trips I have ever taken. Our guide on the ground Nathantha was fantastic. He was very responsive and made sure that we were comfortable and safe at all times. All of the places he took us to were great. He understood what we wanted and did his best to make sure we got it. For example, we told him we were really interested in elephants and he hired an extraordinary man with a jeep that took us into the jungle and made sure we saw lots of elephants up close in their natural habitats. He took us to wonderful temples that weren't even on the program and explained the history and local custom. I would rate him 10 out of 10.

The planning and booking process was good, but could have been better. Natasha provided a good basic itinerary and always responded to my questions. I would have liked more details and perhaps better information. For example, when we said we wanted to go snorkeling we were told we had to go to Hikkadua, but what we had read about Hikkadua indicated that it was not our kind of place, Natasha told us that snorkeling was not possible any place else. In fact, we booked our own snorkeling trip in Mirissa that was wonderful. It seemed that changes to the itinerary were not welcomed by the local specialist and it was only grudgingly that the price reduced when we took items out. I am sure that Natasha knows a lot about travel in Sri Lanka, but too many of our interactions were canned responses rather than detailed knowledge.

I arranged my trip with Bilal not Yasantha. Arrangements for my trip was good. Not perfect only because initially Yasantha never returned my calls. Bilal was good but also not great at returning calls. Bilal did a good job planning my trip. Once I got to Srilanka my driver was excellent. Excursions and hotels were great also.

We had a 23 day stay in Sri Lanka including 17 day tour with Experiential Travel under Kim Kim as a group of 4 with my son and partner.
This was an expensive comprehensive tour including 3 national parks, Sigiriya, Kandy Ella with a train trip between the last 2 destinations booked as a highlight.
We were all very much looking forward to seeing Sri Lanka and it is a wonderful country.
Unfortunately I really cannot recommend the travel company. Organisation and communication was very poor. ... read more

We had a 23 day stay in Sri Lanka including 17 day tour with Experiential Travel under Kim Kim as a group of 4 with my son and partner.
This was an expensive comprehensive tour including 3 national parks, Sigiriya, Kandy Ella with a train trip between the last 2 destinations booked as a highlight.
We were all very much looking forward to seeing Sri Lanka and it is a wonderful country.
Unfortunately I really cannot recommend the travel company. Organisation and communication was very poor. Right from the beginning the usual guide called off sick and another chauffeur/guide was appointed. Several days later we found out that he had never worked for the company and really took the view that he was only doing a favour for his friend. He spoke very halting English and gave very little commentary for the whole trip. He did not know the itinerary and really did seem to want to provide the bare minimum that the program allowed for. His van was rather old and unreliable and at one stage we wasted time in Kandy waiting for it to be fixed.
Worst of all the travel company had not bothered to buy tickets for the Kandy to Ella train which is a major highlight of any trip to Sri Lanka. This was known by the travel company and the driver and they tried to gloss over the problem and just take is in the van. Only after a lot of stressful negotiation, the driver managed to get 3rd class tickets for a portion of the journey only. The wrong hotel was listed in the itinerary for Kandy and we wasted hours trying to sort this out.
Accommodation and food in the jungle camp In Willpatu was poor, and out of step with the rest of the tour. Better accommodation and food is available but we were never given any options.
We did get a small compensation in the form of a free lunch and accommodation was improved in subsequent camps but only after a lot of pleading and negotiation and very reluctantly.
Right throughout there was a lack of honesty and transparency.
Sri Lanka is a wonderful country and we really enjoyed 6 days on our own at the end in Colombo I would highly recommend visiting but not with Experiential Travel, and I will not be using Kim Kim again.

The whole trip was very well organised.
The initial specialist Yasantha put together a very comprehensive itinerary that covered all the places I wanted to see and more. In fact it was so busy that I had to ask my driver/guide for some time off from all the sight seeing!
Boni the driver was very courteous and helpful and struck the right balance between being informative and not engaging in conversation.
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed the holiday.
Thank you
Jason

Overall a very enjoyable and enlightening trip. A real mix of nature, beautiful scenery, fascinating people, remarkable history, delicious food - and scary driving (not by our driver).
The diversity of the country was surprising - beautiful and relatively clean sandy beaches - better than most you will find in Asia.
The accommodation in general was very good - topped by the historic and immaculately presented Grand Hotel at Nuwara Eliya, although the Deer Park Hotel out close to the ancient... read more

Overall a very enjoyable and enlightening trip. A real mix of nature, beautiful scenery, fascinating people, remarkable history, delicious food - and scary driving (not by our driver).
The diversity of the country was surprising - beautiful and relatively clean sandy beaches - better than most you will find in Asia.
The accommodation in general was very good - topped by the historic and immaculately presented Grand Hotel at Nuwara Eliya, although the Deer Park Hotel out close to the ancient remains at Polonnaruwa had a beautiful setting overlooking a broad lake and with interesting features. The only disappointment was the Yala Adventure experience where the glamping tents could have done with some maintenance and the mosquitoes were too friendly.
The history at Polonnaruwa and Lions Rock was amazing - equal to any we have seen elsewhere in the world..
We did enjoy our brief stay in Kandy but found the hotel selected - although providing a beautiful outlook across the broader Kandy area, was just too far out and on a steep incline to allow an easy exploration of this ancient capital. Our program had us somewhat stranded for the afternoon in the hotel when we would rather have been exploring.
The traditional meal preparation provided by some local families was surprisingly good.
Our driver and guide, Shan, we always very well presented, spoke excellent English and thankfully a safe driver - we always felt safe in his clean and modern Prius car. We would have appreciated it more if he had joined us climbing Lion Rock and when we were walking around Kandy and the botanical gardens so we could have learnt more of the history and culture of this intriguing island and its varied people.

We had a great experience with kimkim.

Shalindra was very helpful during the organising phase. He was quick to respond, adapt and had our best intentions at heart.

Our guide, Ossie was just as good. Not only did we get a personal chauffeur but a local who cared greatly about his country. He wanted us to experience Sri Lanka fully (which we did!). The experience wouldn't have been half as good without him!

The hotels selected by the local specialist Shalindra were all good quality and value options. The driver organised through the local specialist was a very experienced driver and a great tour guide with good local knowledge of the history and customs of the area. The trek to the Knuckles Mountain Range was a highlight, we had the expertise of a local guide, tracker and medic all accompany us on the tour. The visit to the local village was a little unorganised, the bike tour was short and not... read more

The hotels selected by the local specialist Shalindra were all good quality and value options. The driver organised through the local specialist was a very experienced driver and a great tour guide with good local knowledge of the history and customs of the area. The trek to the Knuckles Mountain Range was a highlight, we had the expertise of a local guide, tracker and medic all accompany us on the tour. The visit to the local village was a little unorganised, the bike tour was short and not very well explained by our guide, but we had a great lunch in the village and the food was exceptional. We were a little disappointed by the tour of Kandy, which took in a gemstone factory and wood making workshop, which were not part of our original itinerary and were not of interest to us, so felt like a bit of a waste of our time, as we had not requested these stops and would have liked more time in the city. We also were unsure around tipping throughout the trip, as we had spent a significant amount of money already on hotels and food, to then be told by the driver that tipping at least $1000 RP per tour guide was expected this was annoying as we had assumed all tours and guides had already been pre-paid. I would suggest that the tour company should be more upfront about these additional costs, other it seems like there are many hidden costs, that although the tipping is voluntary, we were not made to feel like this was the case. Overall we were happy with the itinerary and tour organizer, but more detail from them around what was covered in the costs and the tours would have been invaluable before we arrived.

As someone who usually plans all my own travel.........I am happy we went with KimKim!
As someone who usually plans all our own (extensive) travels and doesn’t particularly like traditional tours, KimKim’s model intrigued me. I liked that they surveyed the type of trip I was looking for. I loved the fact that they use destination contacts local to the region. I loved the fact that they did all the vetting of guides and accommodations for me. Then, with so many options in my chosen destination... read more

As someone who usually plans all my own travel.........I am happy we went with KimKim!
As someone who usually plans all our own (extensive) travels and doesn’t particularly like traditional tours, KimKim’s model intrigued me. I liked that they surveyed the type of trip I was looking for. I loved the fact that they use destination contacts local to the region. I loved the fact that they did all the vetting of guides and accommodations for me. Then, with so many options in my chosen destination and unfortunately a tight time schedule, I appreciated the customization based on all of the above.
We had a wonderful (albeit too short) tour of Sri Lanka. Shalindra listened to us well and put together the exact itinerary we were looking for. He was knowledgeable, communicative and responded quickly to any questions or concerns. He was available for support before and during the trip. Kapila, our guide, was friendly and knowledgeable. He was good company and a very safe driver at what appeared to us to be very challenging road conditions???
We loved the chosen boutique hotels and found the country fascinating. We will return to Sri Lanka to cover more ground when we can allot the amount of time that It deserves. Thanks to all involved.

We had plan to visit Sri Lanka this year, however after the events at Easter time we almost gave up this trip. We are glad we have done it. Just spend 2 weeks in Sri Lanka with Kimkim and I totally recommend it.
We had a great time here and we have visited amazing places. Sri Lanka is an amazing destination that combines awesome nature, landscapes, history, beach and food.
Anoj was great, always helpfull during the trip, making this a wonderful experience.

I didn't have any expectations about it, and the whole trip surprised me, specially my driver: what a good mood, i have to say. Since we had to drive for several hours almost every day he truly made the difference. Hotel and food were good as well, so the tours, the places; its entire history. I believe this opened my mind about Sri Lanka, and that's one of my favorite feelings about a trip.

Dear KimKim
Our driver Nishantha was very helpful, polite, punctual and always provided a clean car each morning. He opened the door for me and was forthcoming with helpful information during our trip.
Our favourite part of our time in Sri Lanka were the safari camps. Mahoora safari camps were excellent. Our first camp in Wilpattu was exceptional. Our naturalist/guide was so interesting and informative. Everything about the camp was exceptional. The food, service, facilities, vehicles... read more

Dear KimKim
Our driver Nishantha was very helpful, polite, punctual and always provided a clean car each morning. He opened the door for me and was forthcoming with helpful information during our trip.
Our favourite part of our time in Sri Lanka were the safari camps. Mahoora safari camps were excellent. Our first camp in Wilpattu was exceptional. Our naturalist/guide was so interesting and informative. Everything about the camp was exceptional. The food, service, facilities, vehicles and safari's were wonderful. Our second safari camp in Udawalawe was wonderful also. We didn't particularly like the dogs in the park but apart from that the experience was fabulous. We didn't have a naturalist there like in Wilpattu but the guide/operational manager was most helpful. The food was beautiful and the staff were just wonderful. We just loved our experience in both safari camps. I will certainly recommend them to our friends. Our accommodation during our stay was good. Unfortunately my husband got Salmonella while staying in Cassandra Cultural resort which was most unfortunate. He ate some meat at dinner which he feels resulted in his illness. He was unwell for at least four days which made his holiday less enjoyable. Unfortunately he was not well enough to go to the Tooth Temple and cultural show or travel on the train as per our itinerary. He was too weak and when not travelling spent the rest of his time in our hotel bedroom. Our last hotel in Colombo was a bit disappointing as they did not serve alcohol in either the hotel or restaurant. I wish we had know this prior to booking this accommodation. We like to spend our evenings over dinner with a nice bottle of wine. Therefore we had to find a restaurant in Colombo in the pouring rain where we could relax over dinner. I should have checked the miles/kilometres we would be travelling before finalising our itinerary as I felt we did too many miles. We probably should have gone to Yala safari camp and Udawalawe which were closer together rather than all the way up to Wilpattu. We loved our hotel in Kandy, I could have stayed there longer. I should have stayed at a nicer place in Nuwara Eilya. We went to dinner at The Grand Hotel which was a beautiful establishment. The villa we stayed in was nice but small and I much preferred The Grand Hotel. Anyway, these are things I have learned during our visit to Sri Lanka that will assist me when booking future holidays. Regards Julie Stretton

We had an absolutely amazing Time. Mr. K was a gracious host, extremely knowledgeable, personable and a great conversationalist. I would recommend this trip to anyone.

What an amazing tour. From the moment we considered this trip Shalindra offered assistance. We catered everything to our wants and our dreams were fulfilled. Kapudeh (forgive the spelling) was informative and helpful but also intuitive, giving us time to breath, time to enjoy and time to sit back and watch the amazing scenery of Sri Lanka pass by. Our guide went above and beyond. We stopped where we wanted, ate what we wanted and shopped where and when we wanted. We loved the Leopard... read more

What an amazing tour. From the moment we considered this trip Shalindra offered assistance. We catered everything to our wants and our dreams were fulfilled. Kapudeh (forgive the spelling) was informative and helpful but also intuitive, giving us time to breath, time to enjoy and time to sit back and watch the amazing scenery of Sri Lanka pass by. Our guide went above and beyond. We stopped where we wanted, ate what we wanted and shopped where and when we wanted. We loved the Leopard Safari, the Elephant Safari and the home cooked meals in a working farm. The tea plantations were amazing. The hotels were all great but our favourites were Deer Park and Fern Gully. Deer because it was first class with first class food (dodgy internet but worth it for the breathtaking location. Fern because it offered an oasis of quiet. The grounds were spectacular and the peace was blissful. With only a couple of rooms, this hotel offered privacy in an old, authentic, colonial building. We met the happiest man on earth who worked there. Shalindra, you offered us a great trip and we received a spectacular one. Thank you

We are a couple in our 60’s so this trip was going to be quite adventurous for us.
We made a late decision to visit Sri Lanka so to be fair to our specialist Natasha there wasn’t a lot of time for communication.
After the Easter bombing we decided to ignore advice not to go. Security was tight & we could not have felt safer. The people were so welcoming & grateful that we had come!
Our personal driver Loxely had good knowledge, was very calm /reliable & a cautious driver.

Most memorable -... read more

We are a couple in our 60’s so this trip was going to be quite adventurous for us.
We made a late decision to visit Sri Lanka so to be fair to our specialist Natasha there wasn’t a lot of time for communication.
After the Easter bombing we decided to ignore advice not to go. Security was tight & we could not have felt safer. The people were so welcoming & grateful that we had come!
Our personal driver Loxely had good knowledge, was very calm /reliable & a cautious driver.

Most memorable - Sigiriya Lion Rock, Dambulla Cave Temple, Ella nine arch bridge, Galle Fort, Arugam Bay, Kandy Esala Pera Hera

Least memorable - Travelling far North, Delft Island, 3 safaris (1 is enough)- we saw more wild animals roadside,
Travelled the full length of the country (mostly 70km limit) & return in 22 days.
We probably tried to fit a little too much in so would have liked less temples & more down time esp at the beach.

Best coffee experience - not cheap but worth it!
Hideaway Cafe, Arugam Bay
Espresso Italiano, Sigiriya

We were do happy we did not cancel out trip to Sri Lanka. The country felt very safe and we loved every minute of it. The Easter Sunday bombings were a terrible blow to this country but we hope in no time tourism will be thriving again.
Our specialist Shalindra was excellent at working with us in developing an itinerary that fit our desired and also our driver Mr Anoj, was great and we felt well looked after.
Thank you very much KimKim team for providing us with a memorable trip.

Our 15 day tour with our guide and driver Sanjaya was most enjoyable. We visited most of the main tourist sites. Sanjaya was both knowledgeable and informative about the history and culture of this beautiful country and was a confident and competent driver. We really enjoyed his company and attention to detail. He took a little extra care to show us some of the foods and fruits of the island and always knew a good place to eat.

The various types of accommodation were just as we had... read more

Our 15 day tour with our guide and driver Sanjaya was most enjoyable. We visited most of the main tourist sites. Sanjaya was both knowledgeable and informative about the history and culture of this beautiful country and was a confident and competent driver. We really enjoyed his company and attention to detail. He took a little extra care to show us some of the foods and fruits of the island and always knew a good place to eat.

The various types of accommodation were just as we had requested them. All of them were reasonable in price, clean and with the basic amenities that we needed. We didn't want anything flash and yet we wanted an opportunity to meet people. The accommodation arranged met those requirements. We stayed in hotels, homestay, a safari camp and self contained BnB types of accommodation. Of particular note were our homestay at Alex's Homestay in Kandy where we enjoyed home cooking and great conversations with our hosts. They were lovely people. In Jaffna, we stayed at D'Villa with Raj and his team and once again enjoyed his company and his home cooked Sri Lankan breakfasts. He loved a chat and was always on hand to provide information or assistance.

The Lion Rock at Sigiriya was most impressive though we needed some help from the guides to climb the 1 200 steps. We could only marvel at the ingenuity of the third century artisans and craftsmen who built the water gardens and sculpted the rock formations. Similarly, the rock temple at Anuradhapura , with its beautifully sculpted Buddha and ancient roof paintings, captivated us. indeed, all the temples in the various cities were of great interest to us, particularly with Sanjaya's guidance and information on their part in the culture of the country. We were disappointed not to be able to explore the highland tea country a little more because of the weather - foggy and rainy.

In summary, we believe we got great value for money and, despite arriving at a difficult time after the Easter bombings, we felt safe and comfortable wherever we went. We can certainly attest that the situation is well in hand and encourage people to come and experience this magnificent country and meet its friendly people.

Thanks to the folk at Kimkim for putting together a fantastic trip.

We had a amazing experience in Sri Lanka, our tour guide Rukan was so helpful and supportive to us on our trip. He was a very safe driver and organised our days very well.
Sigiriya rock’Lion rock’, was wonderful to see and to climb to top for breath taking view.
Kandy, we enjoyed, visiting the Temple of Tooth and our Cooking class at Thotupala Residence.
Train ride to Nuwara Eliya; was a experience, lots of scenery and lots of singing by the locals.
Udawalawe- Leopard trails, was a great... read more

We had a amazing experience in Sri Lanka, our tour guide Rukan was so helpful and supportive to us on our trip. He was a very safe driver and organised our days very well.
Sigiriya rock’Lion rock’, was wonderful to see and to climb to top for breath taking view.
Kandy, we enjoyed, visiting the Temple of Tooth and our Cooking class at Thotupala Residence.
Train ride to Nuwara Eliya; was a experience, lots of scenery and lots of singing by the locals.
Udawalawe- Leopard trails, was a great highlight on our trip, accommodation could not fault, safari tours were amazing.
Accommodation at CEU Ceylon was great, looked after us very welcoming, enjoyed our stay.
Thambapanni Retreat our least favourite accommodation, transferred to Thambapanni waves pavilion, it was exceptional..... wish we stayed there the 1st night.
Overall we had a great time and hope to come back one day!

Shalindra was great from the first contact. He listened to what I suggested and offered a good selection of hotels and itinerary and was happy to change when I made suggestions. Anoj was our driver/ guide and was excellent. Initially confusing due to airport changes that were last minute due to the increased security but we caught up finally. Hopefully the next client will be met and escorted to the car park. Anoj was quite flexible and made changes for us to visit the elephant safari instead... read more

Shalindra was great from the first contact. He listened to what I suggested and offered a good selection of hotels and itinerary and was happy to change when I made suggestions. Anoj was our driver/ guide and was excellent. Initially confusing due to airport changes that were last minute due to the increased security but we caught up finally. Hopefully the next client will be met and escorted to the car park. Anoj was quite flexible and made changes for us to visit the elephant safari instead of orphanage when I commented that I would prefer to see them in the wild. The safari was a highlight of the trip. Only one disappointment when the Pigeon Island day trip was not delivered as expected. This was an expensive day that was changed to another area without consultation which pailed in comparison to the expected. There was no refund or apology. Luckily the additional pricey seafood lunch redeemed the morning. Anoj was very knowledgeable and was a talented guide. He was a safe driver and handled all the armed roadside checks in his stride.
I would not recommend the Spice / Herb garden. It was interesting but was an opportunity for a high pressure commission sale that did not deliver the price discount as promised and left us feeling very uncomfortable.
The recent bombings caused massive cancellations of foreign tourists which left many of the hotels we visited almost empty which did influence the service and meals offered to us but this was out of everyone’s control.
My husband and I had a great time. Colombo Court Hotel and Maalu Maalu Resort in Pasikudah were the highlight for accommodation and the crystal blue water and beach in Pasikudah was breathtaking.
I would recommend both Shalindra and Anoj for anyone travelling in Sri Lanka.
Regards,
Wendy & Ross
Sydney Australia.

Sri Lanka lived up to our expectations and then some. The people, the places, the food. Incredible! The vast majority of accomodation selected by Shalindra was fantastic, whilst our guide Indika was knowledgable, friendly and kind. In spite of the horrible attrocities that occurred during our time in Sri Lanka our memories are treasured. Sure to be back one day!

My wife Anthea and I had never been to Sri Lanka previously so we had no real understanding of the country or people and really no expectations for the trip other than what we had heard from others.

However we have come away from our trip absolutely stunned, amazed and thoroughly satisfied, it is the most beautiful country and warm and friendly people and we have bought away memories that will stay with us for our life time.

We can not fault the engagement and support we have had from our... read more

My wife Anthea and I had never been to Sri Lanka previously so we had no real understanding of the country or people and really no expectations for the trip other than what we had heard from others.

However we have come away from our trip absolutely stunned, amazed and thoroughly satisfied, it is the most beautiful country and warm and friendly people and we have bought away memories that will stay with us for our life time.

We can not fault the engagement and support we have had from our liaison Sandun, he was prompt, listened carefully to what we were after, was always helpful with the questions we had and overall built for us a truly amazing itinerary!

Arriving in a new country for the first time is always daunting and full of concern however we were incredibly lucky to be met by Mr Dammika Bandara who we learnt was to be our guide for the trip. He quickly became a long life friend (!!!!!).....and look after us through the chaos of the Easter Sunday bombings, through driving us always safely across many miles or country side and busy roads, through always taking time to point out things of interest and having us visit places we didnt know existed, through sharing meals of friendship and finally a warm goodbye and promise we would be back and the opportunity to meet his lovely son!

We thank Dammika's family for sharing him with us for our two week journey and we hope one day we will get to meet them in person :)

There were many highlight places for us but none more so than Wild Grass Resort, Sigriya Rock, Yala National Park and Galle and Thropoban Pavilion Resort. Dammika and I conquered the Little Adams Peak trek!!! and Anthea and I adored our special dinner night at Mahoora Luxury Safari Park. We were incredibly lucky to view both elephants and leopards in the park and we loved our afternoon at the Galle Fort a Sugar Bar and Bistro.

We are absolutely going back again and exploring the north of the island!

Yasantha did a great job and managed to tailor an amazing trip based on "Trails of an Ancient Kingdom" that perfectly fitted our desires. We decided to extend the 10-day programme, and modifying the itinerary, adding extra days of hiking, planning accommodation and connecting us with local trekkers and guides was always done instantly. Communication before our trip was excellent and ran very smoothly, all the questions that we had were answered which gave us the impression to be taken care of... read more

Yasantha did a great job and managed to tailor an amazing trip based on "Trails of an Ancient Kingdom" that perfectly fitted our desires. We decided to extend the 10-day programme, and modifying the itinerary, adding extra days of hiking, planning accommodation and connecting us with local trekkers and guides was always done instantly. Communication before our trip was excellent and ran very smoothly, all the questions that we had were answered which gave us the impression to be taken care of in a very personal way that you usually can't expect while using a booking platform. In the country itself we got in contact with awesome local guides, all the staff of Eco Team Sri Lanka works in an outstanding way, well trained, so kind and helpful and with a stunning experience and awareness of the nature (Knuckles Manigala trekking, Eshan and his team for the Belihuloya trek through the jungle, Adam's Peak and Russell and all the people at the Udawalawe Big Game Camp). Thanks to our driver Sanjaya who took us safely to all the exceptional places that this country has to offer.

A wonderful holiday, made better by our local guide and driver, Dammika.
Very saddened to hear about the bombings.

Had an amazing trip to Sri Lanka with a group of friends in March/April 2019. The Blue Whale watching in Marrissa was a highlight (for me) as was the safari tour where we came very close to elephants and all sorts of wildlife. Travelling on the roads in Sri Lanka is not for the faint hearted - our driver Anoj was excellent and we felt safe and comfortable at all times. Distances can be deceiving - one day travelling a few hundred kilometres took us over 6 hours - which was exhausting - some... read more

Had an amazing trip to Sri Lanka with a group of friends in March/April 2019. The Blue Whale watching in Marrissa was a highlight (for me) as was the safari tour where we came very close to elephants and all sorts of wildlife. Travelling on the roads in Sri Lanka is not for the faint hearted - our driver Anoj was excellent and we felt safe and comfortable at all times. Distances can be deceiving - one day travelling a few hundred kilometres took us over 6 hours - which was exhausting - some roads are narrow and congested with traffic of all sorts (including domestic cows wandering about). Our accommodations (suggested by Kimkim) were all excellent choices - we especially loved the riverside tent camp. A useful tip for people using this service is to check beforehand or specify if you wish your accommodations to be near multiple options for your evening meal, quite often we found ourselves with only the option of eating at the hotel where we were staying - which were all excellent, we had amazing food and was all very reasonably priced. Also due to the time travelling to each destination meant that we often went without lunch, which wasn't really an issue as the breakfasts included in each hotel were plentiful and always included a hot meal option. Meeting local villagers and experiencing a traditional meal cooked over an open fire and eating it with our hand was another highlight - we drank bottled water the whole time but had no problem with bad tummies - the high quality of the hygiene practices of all the food places was a relief. The booking experience with Shalindra for me was excellent - he was quick to respond to all of my changes and requests for information - he called during the trip to ensure all was going well - which was appreciated. I requested an early change to add the whale watching to the itinerary, which I expected the accommodation would also change to suit, however it did not, we ended up travelling 2 hours one way to our hotel to only then have to get up really early the following morning to backtrack 1 1/2 hours to get back to where we had travelled from he night before. I guess I should have checked this at the time I made the change (however I expected this sort of detail to be considered and sorted before the final bookings were locked in). Overall it was still an exceptional service and company to have done this trip with. A really special shout out to Anoj our driver who was amazing throughout the whole trip, from the very start when my luggage did not appear at the airport (stressful) he spoke to the locals and sorted everything out, to the very flexible and friendly manner with which he conducted our tour and supported us through everything right down to accompanying us into small local shops to ensure we had no trouble communicating what we needed. Thank you team! I would highly recommend KimKim, Shalindra and Anoj to everyone and anyone!

We've just returned from a 9 day trip of Sri Lanka.

We had an amazing time. It was very straightforward to organise our trip online. We were connected with Sadun from Experiential Journeys and he provided great service. Updating and amending our itinerary so we could fine tune it was also easy.

When we arrived we were met by Dammika at the airport. He handled our trip seamlessly. He was a great driver, in the crazy Sri Lankan traffic. He was also very knowledgeable about all things Sri... read more

We've just returned from a 9 day trip of Sri Lanka.

We had an amazing time. It was very straightforward to organise our trip online. We were connected with Sadun from Experiential Journeys and he provided great service. Updating and amending our itinerary so we could fine tune it was also easy.

When we arrived we were met by Dammika at the airport. He handled our trip seamlessly. He was a great driver, in the crazy Sri Lankan traffic. He was also very knowledgeable about all things Sri Lankan. He also arranged a surprise birthday cake and present!

Our highlights would be the train trip from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya, the amazing scenery and a visit to a tea plantation. Udawalawe would have to be a standout. We saw so much wildlife - peacocks, water buffalo, crocodiles, lizardss, birds and 6 elephants! The coast was stunning and relaxing. Then there was the people, day to day wildlife spotting and a turtle sanctuary too.

The hotels were all great, only one was a little out of the way. As it was towards the end of the tourist season we often had the run of hotels. Our favourites were Seasons Villa, glamping in Udawalawe, Joes Resort and the Galle Face Hotel.

Although I made it clear when booking the trip that we had 5 people we had to explain and wait extra because they needed to arrange an extra bed. The extra cost wasn't the issue it was that we had to explain and go through the same process at each hotel. Our driver Dhanuka was amazing,safe and adjusted our trip to our needs and requests. The van was new, very comfortable. I feel I could of planned a trip myself for a lower cost but it was nice to have everything taken care of. Overall it was a great trip. We love sri lanka and will definitely be back.

Damayantha was a fantastic guide. After he picked us up from the airport and on our way to our first lodging he stopped and had us experience king coconut juice from the coconut. He also pointed out things of interest along the way. He is a superb driver and we were extremely comfortable with his driving during our long transitions between places we were staying. When he was called away with a death in his family and we had a new guide/driver, we appreciated his driving even more. Dama made... read more

Damayantha was a fantastic guide. After he picked us up from the airport and on our way to our first lodging he stopped and had us experience king coconut juice from the coconut. He also pointed out things of interest along the way. He is a superb driver and we were extremely comfortable with his driving during our long transitions between places we were staying. When he was called away with a death in his family and we had a new guide/driver, we appreciated his driving even more. Dama made our trip most enjoyable by his interaction with us, showing us points of interest, accommodating our minor schedule changes and making sure everything we needed was taken care of. All of the hotels were fine and a few were really fine like Cinnamon Kandy, JetWing and Centauriawild. The Thaproban Waves Hotel was gorgeous but my wife scheduled a massage through the hotel and was inappropriately touched by the masseuse and it was absolutely intentional. The hotel management seemed to believe the masseuse's story rather than what my wife had to say. Of particular interest was the glamping (glamorous camping) at Mahoora Premium. They are very ecologically conscious and make every effort to leave a small or no carbon footprint. On our jeep safari at Mahoora were were fortunate to see two leopards and two sloth bears. We were very lucky indeed to see both of these animals. Sigiriya was most memorable as was Udawalawe National Park. All in all a great trip.

Our experience was great. Osi was very organized and friendly, conversed well. Itinerary was good, glad we went to Nuwara Eliya and not Hepatale. Would have been a very long drive to there from Kandy. Not sure if the drive up to Liptons Seat was worth the very long drive.

Except for the painfully long wagon ride Hiriwadunna was surprisingly good for such a touristed place.
We loved all the safaris. They all had their own charm. Watching the over 70 elephants come in for a drink at... read more

Our experience was great. Osi was very organized and friendly, conversed well. Itinerary was good, glad we went to Nuwara Eliya and not Hepatale. Would have been a very long drive to there from Kandy. Not sure if the drive up to Liptons Seat was worth the very long drive.

Except for the painfully long wagon ride Hiriwadunna was surprisingly good for such a touristed place.
We loved all the safaris. They all had their own charm. Watching the over 70 elephants come in for a drink at Minneriya National Park was special. Whenever we mentioned that we watched birds the safari drivers seemed enthused to do more, taking us to quiet spots. We saw over 120 species overall.
Our accommodation in Kandy and Newara Eliya was well out of town. They were excellent but made us completely dependent on our driver, not being able to go for a stroll when we wished.
Lovely country, lovely people, thanks so much, will probably return one day

The trip was fantastic!

My only suggestion is that there is more communication between the tour organizer and the driver before the trip takes place. Sanjaya made a few amendments along the way, one being changing our train journey which meant we did not have pre-booked seats and had to stand the entire way! It was quite uncomfortable and not as enjoyable as it could have been. The drivers are the ones on the ground and know how things work so their knowledge needs to be taken into account.

My boyfriend and I had a fantastic trip in Sri Lanka. We did a nine-day tour, and Shalindra patiently worked with us to create the itinerary and answered all of our questions. Our driver/guide, Kapila, was very knowledgeable and accommodating whenever we wanted to change up the itinerary a bit. He also gave us suggestions and brought us to some local roadside stands for snacks like coconut roti and hoppers. Our hotels were fantastic and the breakfasts were really great, especially the Colombo... read more

My boyfriend and I had a fantastic trip in Sri Lanka. We did a nine-day tour, and Shalindra patiently worked with us to create the itinerary and answered all of our questions. Our driver/guide, Kapila, was very knowledgeable and accommodating whenever we wanted to change up the itinerary a bit. He also gave us suggestions and brought us to some local roadside stands for snacks like coconut roti and hoppers. Our hotels were fantastic and the breakfasts were really great, especially the Colombo Court Hotel & Spa in Colombo. My favorite spots/excursions were Ravana Falls in Ella, the elephant safari near Dambulla, and the whitewater rafting in Kitulgala.

My two small "negatives" are 1) I wish we'd gotten to spend more time in a few places, like Kandy and Nuwara Eliya, but now I know for any possible future trips to SL and 2) the spice garden is a bit more of a touristy shopping trap, so I'd probably skip that in the future, but we did also get nice mini-massages there.

All in all, I'd highly recommend Shalindra/Kapila/Exemplary Voyages!

Kuchara is the name of our tour guide.
3/15/2019 is the date of our cruise. When Perez Group arrived at the cruise port Princess have a bus that took us outside the port to meet our guide. Kuchara was not there and we are so worried because there are so many guides who is asking if you needed a tour. I have to call Sandun to locate our guide. My goodness, he was sitting in the bus and we did not see our name because the sign is just lying on the dashboard not posted on dashboard window. And... read more

Kuchara is the name of our tour guide.
3/15/2019 is the date of our cruise. When Perez Group arrived at the cruise port Princess have a bus that took us outside the port to meet our guide. Kuchara was not there and we are so worried because there are so many guides who is asking if you needed a tour. I have to call Sandun to locate our guide. My goodness, he was sitting in the bus and we did not see our name because the sign is just lying on the dashboard not posted on dashboard window. And as a guide, Kuchara should be waiting & standing for us holding the sign like the Viator and ToursByLocals guides we saw at the port.

I would like to suggest, your guide should at least provide bottled water to the tourist. It was already hot and humid although its only 9:00 am. All our guides;: Singapore, India, Sri Lanka, and Dubai gave us bottled water and it makes a big difference. Our guides also have cameras and took us pictures and email them to us after our tours. We felt special and connected with our guides.

The most memorable part of our tour is the lunch. Kuchara took us to a Chinese Restaurant while we were in Sri Lanka because we don't eat spicy food. The food was great, location and service were excellent.

All the best!

We had a wonderful, nearly two week, experience traveling around Sri Lanka with the help of KimKim and Sandun. The star-ratings would have easily been fives except for the following:
1. While tour operators have to rely on the competency of the guides assigned to clients, the initial guide assigned to us was clearly unacceptable due to his lack of timeliness, his inadequate preparation and organization, and his lack of honesty. To the credit of Sandun, once we brought our concerns to his... read more

We had a wonderful, nearly two week, experience traveling around Sri Lanka with the help of KimKim and Sandun. The star-ratings would have easily been fives except for the following:
1. While tour operators have to rely on the competency of the guides assigned to clients, the initial guide assigned to us was clearly unacceptable due to his lack of timeliness, his inadequate preparation and organization, and his lack of honesty. To the credit of Sandun, once we brought our concerns to his attention, he immediately changed our guide. Our new guide, Denver, was one of the best guides we have ever had -- anywhere -- and we have traveled throughout the world. As a result of the inadequacy of the first guide we were, disappointingly, unable to enjoy all of the sights in Anuradhapura.
2. A suggestion for future, similar tours. We enjoyed the train ride from Kandy to Hatton, but suggest that the ride be from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya. From Hatton we were driven to our extraordinary accommodations at Tea Trails. But, in order to see the sights in Nuwara Eliya we would have been required to drive 2-3 hours (each way) the next day from Tea Trails (our only full day at Tea Trails) to Nuwara Eliya. Had we taken the train from Kandy, through Hatton, to Nuwara Eliya we might have been able to see the sights in Nuwara Eliya following the train ride, and on our way to Tea Trails, and then spend the full next day at Tea Trails without missing sights in Nuwara Eliya.

Overall, the itinerary was well planned and the lodgings were excellent. And our guide, Denver, as explained earlier, was the best ever. He has a patient temperament; is well-organized; has excellent driving skills; is friendly, humorous, and full of wonderful stories. And Denver is fully knowledgeable and an able teacher. We thank Denver, and Sandun, for making this trip such a worthwhile and, overall, enjoyable experience.

Tour guide Thasim is mostly a driver. He just did small part of a guide's job, such as set the morning meeting time.
I have to complaint that so many days we had late lunch,almost 80% of our lunch were between 1:30 pm to 2:30 pm. Then we were driven back to hotel after lunch & didn't hear anything from him after that. Kimkim booked many hotels out of convenient locations. Some were so far in & remote. There was no way for us to find a dinner place in walking distance. We didn't want to eat... read more

Tour guide Thasim is mostly a driver. He just did small part of a guide's job, such as set the morning meeting time.
I have to complaint that so many days we had late lunch,almost 80% of our lunch were between 1:30 pm to 2:30 pm. Then we were driven back to hotel after lunch & didn't hear anything from him after that. Kimkim booked many hotels out of convenient locations. Some were so far in & remote. There was no way for us to find a dinner place in walking distance. We didn't want to eat in hot & humid condition after a shower. We didn't want to take Tuk tuk all the time either. There are 4 nights I stay separately with Tams, so I don't even want to go out myself. We all skipped dinner at least for 5 nights. I feel Thasim could have offered some help to arrange our dinners, even dinners are not included in our cost. We all felt that Thasim tried to put all activities together by delaying our lunch, even when we told him we were hungry & the place we passed looked like a good lunch place. He would ignore our request, insisted a reason to do more activities all together. Then he would say Bye to us & won't see us again until next morning.
I'm very disappointed about Colombo's hotel location. We had plenty of time to do some shopping on our last day. But the location of our last night hotel was so far from the town center. Even it was close to the beach, but it's close to the railroad & not that pretty to see. There were no shops or even good restaurants for us to enjoy our last day. As usual, we got no help or recommendations from Thasim. Every time when I contacted you for detail information, such as about what were included in the city tour, he got offended & not happy. He felt that I reported him for not doing his job. But, I just tried to know because it was not listed in detail in your handout. He did miss to let us go inside the Temple of Tooth & just let us walk around it briefly.
With this kind of trip with many remote & jungle stay, I felt the dinner should be included for our convenience, even we have to pay for it. Also, please give us a good map for our itineraries.
Thanks. Chyong

We have good support from Colombo office.
Our driver/tour guide is good in handling the busy traffic during our trip.
We have encountered one problem with accommodation being not available when we arrived at site. We ended up staying in another facility quite far away.
Local guides are satisfactory.
Unfortunately our tour guide does not have license to show us around - especially in big cities. So we did not have a more complete travel experience in those cases.
Overall we are happy with our itinerary and we are safe on our whole trip.

overall a great experience, we chose the hotels.
It would have been good to know about "Tipping", as far as I know , we were not told that the tipping was expected each day and tipping the driver , who was excellent.
I did email during the trip asking about the tipping system which was explained
My only negative criticism would be the camping night, room was below average , shower did not work and dinner unfortunately was below average, but besides all that we had a great time and a great experience.

We thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Sri Lanka. We were very happy with our accommodation, with the exception of Athgira River Camp. Breakfast was included each day, and were all very good. The days we were leaving early to go on a safari, we were provided with a packed breakfast to take with us. The staff at all of these places were very helpful and friendly.
Our driver La La did a great job. His knowledge of the places we visited, as well as the politics and history of Sri Lanka made our... read more

We thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Sri Lanka. We were very happy with our accommodation, with the exception of Athgira River Camp. Breakfast was included each day, and were all very good. The days we were leaving early to go on a safari, we were provided with a packed breakfast to take with us. The staff at all of these places were very helpful and friendly.
Our driver La La did a great job. His knowledge of the places we visited, as well as the politics and history of Sri Lanka made our journey much more enjoyable than if we had not had this information available to us. He was a very good and safe driver.

The itinerary was well planned and managed to see a lot in a short space of time. Hotels were a bit hit and miss though. Some were excellent and others were below average. My guide Karpila was knowledgeable and a professional driver. The most memorable places were Anuradhapura, Polonaruwa, Sigiriya and Minneriya National Park.

My husband and I did the cultural tour with Grasshopper Advenures and it was absolutely spectacular!!! We did this as part of our honeymoon and we couldn’t have wanted anything better! Nishan our guide was fabulous, and our driver Sidit was always there if we needed him! The accomodation on the tour was out of this world - every night was different and showcased a different cultural side to Sri Lanka. This tour took us all over Sri Lanka from the beaches up into the moutains, riding on... read more

My husband and I did the cultural tour with Grasshopper Advenures and it was absolutely spectacular!!! We did this as part of our honeymoon and we couldn’t have wanted anything better! Nishan our guide was fabulous, and our driver Sidit was always there if we needed him! The accomodation on the tour was out of this world - every night was different and showcased a different cultural side to Sri Lanka. This tour took us all over Sri Lanka from the beaches up into the moutains, riding on backroads and through little villages meeting the locals. We would recommend this tour to anyone who loves advenure, culture, exercise and good food.

Ash, our guide, was amazing. He was a great driver on challenging Sri Lanka roads. Ash is also very knowledgeable and infinitely great company. We loved every minute with him.

Planning with Shalindra was very easy too. We had just one misunderstanding re our need for a guide and driver. We ended up paying for both but only getting (and needing) Ash who was well qualified to both drive and guide. We did get a $100 credit, but that type of confusion at the beginning of a vacation far from home is a bit concerning.

Overall a wonderful trip!!

Our experiences in Sri Lanka were amazing ! Prior to the trip Sandun helped us put together an itinerary that suited our interests and needs. He always replied promptly and courteously and even rang during the trip to check all was going well.
Our Guide , Sath Kumara was outstanding throughout our 20 day trip. He was professional, knowledgeable and had a great sense of humour. It was like travelling with a friend. Nothing was ever too much trouble and he presented the car each morning washed... read more

Our experiences in Sri Lanka were amazing ! Prior to the trip Sandun helped us put together an itinerary that suited our interests and needs. He always replied promptly and courteously and even rang during the trip to check all was going well.
Our Guide , Sath Kumara was outstanding throughout our 20 day trip. He was professional, knowledgeable and had a great sense of humour. It was like travelling with a friend. Nothing was ever too much trouble and he presented the car each morning washed and spotless.
Every day of our holiday brought new and awesome experiences but some of the highlights included climbing Sigiriya's Lion Rock to see the remains of an ancient palace and soak in unbelievable views; getting up close and personal with elephants and other wild life at Udawalawe and Yala National Parks; watching fishermen haul in their night's catch on the beach at Mirissa; walking through fish and vegetable markets with the locals; Jaffna, Delft Island and Point Pedro; visiting Danbulla's Cave Temple and witnessing history going back to 1st century BC; riding on the scenic train from Kandy to Ella through the tea plantations, vegetable gardens and high mountains. The list could go on. Sri Lanka is so diverse and to date unspoilt. Kumara and Sandun you made it the BEST holiday. Thank you.

The driver/guide Ruwan Hadinnapola was A++... He went out of his way to please us and help us in many ways. His conduct is truly exemplary. He and Shalindra made our trip to Sri Lanka very enjoyable and successful. Rowan had a nice comfortable air conditioned car that took us to different places.
The places we went to like the safari, Kandy and the shore were most memorable. In fact, the whole time we were in the six day tour were very comfortable and enjoyable. We wish all the best to the Kim Kim team.
Mohamed and Nuzhat Masood.

The driver Kapila is wonderful
I have been very impressed with his responsibility and care received from him.
I have enjoyed this trip so much.
Thank you

My guide, Solomon, was always on time and knowledgeable about a site. I was walking on a sore foot and he was sure to help me navigate all steps. However, I had some difficulty understanding his English but I have hearing aids and had trouble understanding many of the Sri Lankans, so I don't know if it was his English or my lack of hearing well. My major complaint was that we had arranged for me to meet a friend of mine in Colombo on the last day of the private tour and we never made it to... read more

My guide, Solomon, was always on time and knowledgeable about a site. I was walking on a sore foot and he was sure to help me navigate all steps. However, I had some difficulty understanding his English but I have hearing aids and had trouble understanding many of the Sri Lankans, so I don't know if it was his English or my lack of hearing well. My major complaint was that we had arranged for me to meet a friend of mine in Colombo on the last day of the private tour and we never made it to Colombo on time to meet him. I really felt that Solomon did this on purpose as I got the impression that he thought my friend was my Gate 1 guide before my private tour and that my friend was encroaching on his territory. Actually, it was someone I had met on a tour in Europe and who had convinced me to visit Sri Lanka. To meet him again was to be a highlight of my time in Sri Lanka and I was very disappointed. Solomon did not know that a boat from Delft Island was canceled, so we had to wait two hours for another boat to leave. He said that there was no place to eat lunch on the island so I was starving but he did find a place that I could buy some cookies. The Big Game Camp was recommended as a place to stay. It was the worse overnight accommodations that I have had anywhere--a tent that was too dark even during the day and the worse place to rearrange items for my flights home the next day. I was not told in advance that the scheduled trip to see the dolphins would require leaving the camp at 5 a.m. in the dark from the dark tent and the trip would have been on a fishing boat, which my friend had warned me was unsafe. I decided to not go on it, which resulted in having my last day on the tour just driving around. The boats going to and from Delft Island was enough of an experience already as they were far from being tourist boats. All in all, my private tour of Northern Sri Lanka was quite an experience, an adventure, though I wish that it had worked out a bit better.

Highlights
• The archaeological sites. The English-speaking guides were excellent.
• Cycling off the beaten track (except for the Horton Plains descent)
• The Temple of the Tooth Relic
• Kandy
• Sri Lankan food- especially at local restaurants
• Mountain scenery
• Horton Plains walk
• Udawalawe Big Game Camp and Safari
• Cycle through Sinharaja forest
• Meeting local people and school kids.

Cycling Guide
Our cycling guide, Manjual, was very hard working, easy going, and a joy to travel... read more

Highlights
• The archaeological sites. The English-speaking guides were excellent.
• Cycling off the beaten track (except for the Horton Plains descent)
• The Temple of the Tooth Relic
• Kandy
• Sri Lankan food- especially at local restaurants
• Mountain scenery
• Horton Plains walk
• Udawalawe Big Game Camp and Safari
• Cycle through Sinharaja forest
• Meeting local people and school kids.

Cycling Guide
Our cycling guide, Manjual, was very hard working, easy going, and a joy to travel with. His organizational skills were excellent, and he responded to unforeseen incidents very well. He was a strong cyclist with good cycle maintenance skills. He was honest and trustworthy, and very resourceful and always concerned about safety. His positive personality is his key strength and he worked hard to make sure we were happy and had a good time.

Driver
Our driver Santha was easy going and a very careful and safe driver. He also helped out on other tasks and fit in with the group very well. A good person to have on a tour and we were happy with him.

Sandun, the trip planner, could not have been more helpful. He answered questions promptly and always courteously and professionally. He helped me through the someone arduous process of securing permits to fly a drone, and made sure that my itinerary included a variety of sites, including temple visits, World Heritage Sites, mountains, valleys, hikes through rice paddies, a safari to see wildlife, and a day at the beach. Many thanks to him and appreciation for all of his hard work. My driver throughout my two-week stay made sure I got to each destination safely without incident.

Having decided to visit Sri Lanka on the way back to Australia after spending Christmas and New Year's Eve in the UK, we investigated options and decided on a slightly modified version of the 12 day Highlights of Sri Lanka tour featured on kimkim's website. Kimkim put me in touch with Sandun from Experiential Journeys, who modified the itinerary to include the Millennium Elephant Foundation and the Hundunugoda Tea Estate, both of which had been featured on an Australian television show we'd... read more

Having decided to visit Sri Lanka on the way back to Australia after spending Christmas and New Year's Eve in the UK, we investigated options and decided on a slightly modified version of the 12 day Highlights of Sri Lanka tour featured on kimkim's website. Kimkim put me in touch with Sandun from Experiential Journeys, who modified the itinerary to include the Millennium Elephant Foundation and the Hundunugoda Tea Estate, both of which had been featured on an Australian television show we'd seen. Having had a great experience a year ago with a holiday in Iceland organised through kimkim , we had high expectations of our Sri Lanka trip, and were not disappointed. On arrival in Sri Lanka, we were met at the airport by our driver and guide, Lakitha, who looked after us very well for the next 12 days.

The itinerary we had chosen included both cultural sites and wildlife experiences, but the highlights were undoubtedly our elephant experiences, firstly at the Millennium Elephant Foundation, which is basically a rescue and retirement home for working elephants who would not survive if released into the wild. We walked around the grounds with Rani, who had a snack and a drink along the way, then some of us chose to help bath her in a stream using coconut husks. This was a much better experience than an old-fashioned elephant ride; better for us, and better for Rani. Almost as good was our early morning wildlife safari in Udawalawe National Park, where we lost count of the wild elephants we saw in their natural environment and an abundance of other beasts and birds.

All of the hotels we stayed at were good to excellent, but the Thambapanni Retreat at Unawatuna deserves special mention. We had mentioned in passing to our guide Lakitha and to the hotel manager that we would be dining at the hotel to celebrate our wedding anniversary. When we came back from a day exploring Galle with Lakitha, our bed had been decorated with flowers and leaves, spelling our a happy anniversary message, which we thought was a nice touch, and when we headed to the restaurant for dinner we discovered that we had a special , beautifully decorated, table setting in the garden adjacent to the restaurant, and we were looked after very well, enjoying a great meal of fresh jumbo prawns, cooked to order, followed by a surprise anniversary cake. We discovered later that Lakitha had mentioned our anniversary to Sandun, who has conspired with the Thambapanni Retreat hotel manager to make our anniversary a special and memorable event.

We usually self-drive when travelling to places like the USA, Europe, UK and Iceland, but we accepted the consensus advice that we'd be better off travelling with a driver/guide, and that turned out to be an excellent decision. Lakitha not only kept us safe on the roads in the face of interesting overtaking manoeuvres by oncoming traffic, but he looked after the details of our site visits, including local guides, and ensured we got the most out of our time in Sri Lanka. He turned a good itinerary into an excellent experience.

Thanks kimkim, and thanks very much Lakitha and Sandun.

Ajith was our guide and he was very good. Loved the walks

Enjoyed Sri Lanka immensely. Beautiful country with charming, friendly, courteous people. Very scenic country with diverse landscapes, interesting cultural experiences. Sandun was very responsive to our requests, very informative about trip planning and willing to adjust the itinerary numerous times as we decided on a final agenda.

We had a great trip that was really well planned by Shalindra. Our itinerary was a mix of active days and optional rest days where an activity was suggested or you could relax and chill out (we generally opted for the latter on those days). Ossie was a first-time driver and he did a great job. He knew the roads (and shortcuts) around the place and he had a great sense of humour – we had some good, funny chats between the three of us. We travelled from Colombo to Tangalle to Yala National Park... read more

We had a great trip that was really well planned by Shalindra. Our itinerary was a mix of active days and optional rest days where an activity was suggested or you could relax and chill out (we generally opted for the latter on those days). Ossie was a first-time driver and he did a great job. He knew the roads (and shortcuts) around the place and he had a great sense of humour – we had some good, funny chats between the three of us. We travelled from Colombo to Tangalle to Yala National Park to Ella, then Kandy, then Sigiriya then to Colombo and out.

The highlights were the wildlife at Yala National Park and visiting a 2000 year old monastery there. Driving back from the park we were confronted by a 'tusker' – a somewhat angry bull elephant with tusks (wow). Our 'glamping' accommodation nearby was also fun – they also had great lunches. The wildlife around our Yala accommodation was simply extraordinary – so many birds and flowers. We enjoyed walking around Ella and seeing the amazing views there, and Sigiriya did not disappoint – a great climb up the rock and an amazing glimpse of some of Sri Lanka's ancient history at a very memorable location. I really enjoyed the gardens and grounds at the base of the rock. An old monastery at Dambulla (en-route to Sigiriya) was a memorable visit too, with five rooms of ancient Buddha statues and paintings. Cruising around a large lagoon the day before climbing Sigiriya was a also a wonderful experience, finished off with a fantastic traditional Sri Lankan meal where all the various ingredients for the curry were explained to you –then eaten (!)

We had a mix-up at one hotel, but Shalindra was able to step in and quickly resolve the matter –this was most appreciated. All up: a very memorable trip that will stay with us a long time.

Both Shalindra and our driver / guide Ash performed with professionalism, flexibility, and precision to provide an exceptionally satisfying experience in Sri Lanka. I would not hesitate to use their services again.

The itinerary was excellent as it was varied - however I had mentioned to Sandun that due to relatively recent spinal surgery I did not want to do major hill/rock climbing - this was overlooked. We were instructed by our guide Thilak to climb Lion Rock and trek the Horton's Plains trail. I did manage both excursions however was really worried (freaking out) when climbing to Lion Rock - I was terrified that I would fall. Luckily I had a very helpful guide on the Horton's Plains Trek who helped... read more

The itinerary was excellent as it was varied - however I had mentioned to Sandun that due to relatively recent spinal surgery I did not want to do major hill/rock climbing - this was overlooked. We were instructed by our guide Thilak to climb Lion Rock and trek the Horton's Plains trail. I did manage both excursions however was really worried (freaking out) when climbing to Lion Rock - I was terrified that I would fall. Luckily I had a very helpful guide on the Horton's Plains Trek who helped me negotiate the tricky bits. We did not do the last trek as I felt that I might not make it to the top.
Everything about the trip was memorable - so many wonderful sights were seen - though I guess we really enjoyed the Safaris.
Thilak also added in a few excursions which were good - in particular the Village Visit. Though with these excursions we felt pressure to buy products.
We found the Sri Lankan people to be friendly and welcoming.

Very responsive service and flexible in helping to make arrangements. Would have preferred a number of alternative suggestions along the way, however. We had a very effective driver for the holiday, though a good tip to note is that a driver does not equal a guide. Be careful of your expectations. Our trip involved lots of driving around and several hours each day (almost) in the car. It might be worth considering asking for "upgrade" options for a more comfortable vehicle, when considering such an itinerary (would also have been nice if the specialist had made such options available).

The suggested itinerary was good. The quality of the accommodation was exactly what I was looking for. I couldn't have picked it better myself.

The motorcycle hire company "Club Sha Lanka" provided a clean bike that never let me down. There was a US$300 deposit that was required, which I was wary about paying, but glad to say I got it back with no issues.

Communication with kimkim was good, and readily available through my holiday should I needed clarification on anything.

Only gripe -... read more

The suggested itinerary was good. The quality of the accommodation was exactly what I was looking for. I couldn't have picked it better myself.

The motorcycle hire company "Club Sha Lanka" provided a clean bike that never let me down. There was a US$300 deposit that was required, which I was wary about paying, but glad to say I got it back with no issues.

Communication with kimkim was good, and readily available through my holiday should I needed clarification on anything.

Only gripe - better directions were / are needed to find the Big Game Safari camp (Uda Walawe). This would have been impossible to find if I didn't have a phone. The manager at the camp very kindly sent a vehicle to come and find me so I could follow him back. There really needs to be GPS coordinates or detail instructions / map provided.

Our guide, Chaminda, was wonderful. He really went out of his way to make sure we had a great trip, taking us birding in the morning and stopping at shops when we asked. We really liked Sigiriya which was the highlight of our trip!

Shalindra planned an awesome two week experience for us in Sri Lanka, adapting the itinerary to suit our needs and communicating very efficiently with us. He touched base with us throughout our trip to ensure we were having a good time and to see if there was anything else he could do to accommodate us.

Dhilshan was our guide and he ensured that we had an amazing trip. Nothing was too much trouble for him and he was knowledgeable and had a fantastic sense of humour.

Our accommodation was... read more

Shalindra planned an awesome two week experience for us in Sri Lanka, adapting the itinerary to suit our needs and communicating very efficiently with us. He touched base with us throughout our trip to ensure we were having a good time and to see if there was anything else he could do to accommodate us.

Dhilshan was our guide and he ensured that we had an amazing trip. Nothing was too much trouble for him and he was knowledgeable and had a fantastic sense of humour.

Our accommodation was simply stunning. Each place was more and more picturesque than the last and it was such a joy to stay in such luxury. The sites, sounds and tastes of Sri Lanka were stunning and we had a really special experience.

A large part of our trip was really great. We very much enjoyed the ancient sites and safaris. The Ecolodge and hiking in the rainforest were both incredible experiences. We did have a couple things we were quite frustrated with:

Our driver for the most part was good- he got us to where we needed to go safely. I left my wallet at a hotel in a previous city and he arranged to get it back for me which was incredibly helpful. However, he kept bringing us to these terrible tourist traps where he... read more

A large part of our trip was really great. We very much enjoyed the ancient sites and safaris. The Ecolodge and hiking in the rainforest were both incredible experiences. We did have a couple things we were quite frustrated with:

Our driver for the most part was good- he got us to where we needed to go safely. I left my wallet at a hotel in a previous city and he arranged to get it back for me which was incredibly helpful. However, he kept bringing us to these terrible tourist traps where he would get a commission if we bought something. Everything at these places was very overpriced. We wanted to get a carved elephant to bring home with us and he kept refusing to bring us to other places telling us he knew of a better place in Kandy. When we got to the shop we realized it was a scam (with terrible reviews online) and that everything was outrageously priced. He also brought us to places for lunch that would feed him for free for bringing us in. It would have be okay except a few of the places were dirty with bad food and 2-3 times more expensive than normal local places.

We also had an absolutely terrible night at one of the hotels. The hotel was outdated and very dirty. There were stains on our pillows and curtains, hairs in the bed that weren't ours and a dead lizard. We asked hotel to fix this and when we returned to our hotel room the same stained pillows were put back on our bed and the lizard was placed on our table. We have never been treated this way and thought our requests were not at all unreasonable but the staff seemed to be offended at our request? So they left a dead animal on our table. I have been in contact with Sandun about this for the last month and he kept saying he would follow up with the hotel (I was under the impression that we might get a refund or something) but I haven't heard anything which is further frustrating.

Our driver Thasim was exceptional - made an effort to accommodate our requests and suggested other activities we may have been interested in. Went over and above any expectations we could have possibly wished for.
So many great experiences during our trip!

We were particularly happy with our driver, Sandalal. Our 23-day tour from north to south covered a range of cultural, religious, archeological and natural sites and with Sandalal’s knowledge of his country we were able to visit even more than was outlined in the itinerary. Sri Lanka is a truly wonderful experience. Its people and their delicious food enhanced our three weeks even further.

Chaminda was our excellent Tour Guide with Atullah the Coach Driver & Sushi the Luggage/spare driver assistant. They were a top team that just got better & better every day of our intensive tour. Chaminda in particular led the way with a passion for everything about Sri Lanka. His knowledge was v wide & informative & could answer any query !! He couldn't do enough for us often going to a lot of trouble to make sure stays at hotels etc were the best they could be. All of us will recommend him... read more

Chaminda was our excellent Tour Guide with Atullah the Coach Driver & Sushi the Luggage/spare driver assistant. They were a top team that just got better & better every day of our intensive tour. Chaminda in particular led the way with a passion for everything about Sri Lanka. His knowledge was v wide & informative & could answer any query !! He couldn't do enough for us often going to a lot of trouble to make sure stays at hotels etc were the best they could be. All of us will recommend him to anyone we know who'll visit Sri Lanka in the future as we'll be confident they'll be so well looked after by Chaminda.
Brief precis of highlights; Galle Fort & history that set the scene for understanding recent Sri Lankan settlement history. Then because a couple of us had heard about Horseshoe Bay on the way to Yalla Nat Park, the Coach stopped there for a couple of hours. Stunning surf/beach setting.........just idyllic & one of us surfed & another swam out to enjoy a beaut swim. We all liked Ella v much + trek up Little Adams Peak. After that, a short walk to nine arches railway bridge was stunning where we watched train go over. V nice stay at Mountain Heaven too. Sigiriya Rock an outstanding visit. Spent a while there & at the summit. Afterwards a lunch put on by Villagers near a lake in their humble place was a real highlight. At least 8 ethnic dishes cooked over open fire & mostly prepared in front of us, that were delicious.........all of us declared best Sri Lankan meal by far !! Dambulla was good with the Cave Temples. While in Kandy went to an excellent Cultural show in a local hall prior to the Perahara Festival that night. Visit to the Tooth Relic Temple as well as watching all the elephants in the surrounds was great. Visit to Polonnaruwa was good even though v v hot !! Chaminda knew the history so well. We wanted to go to the Pilliwarra Elephant orphanage as a side trip & what a terrific occasion that was !! 3 of us drew tickets to bottle feed elephants, watched up to 40 elephants in river, then they all walked freely right past us in the access lane back to enclosures. Breathtaking !! Finally a drive around Colombo at finish excellent with a stay at Mandarina just beaut.....................best pool ever too on rooftop !!

Thanks to our guide Kappille (not sure about the spelling), we had a wonderful vacation in Sri Lanka. The drive was very relaxing and he showed us all the interesting places on the way. We enjoyed the hospitality at the various places and the food was very tasty. Enjoyed the tea estate, the climb to Sigiriya, the rock temple at Dambulla, the temple in Kandy and the interesting points along the way. Reminded us a lot about Kerala. Thank you for your help in putting the itinerary together.

My trip to Sri Lanka was a true pleasure. I wish to thank my guide, Mark, for his expert care. I felt at ease and well cared for throughout my 10 day stay.

I can't say which region was my favorite to be honest. I traveled in the North and through the cultural triangle. I loved all of it but ,Jaffna, perhaps, stole my heart. I think, because of how much the people have had to endure and have come so far in rebuilding life there.

The beauty of the island is truly amazing. I was greeted so warmly by the people there and I met some forever true friends. Lovely. Thank you.

Sajith was great with organising our Sri Lanka trip, his attention to detail was very high. Although we didn't end up going on our trip we would highly recommend using Sajith for organising a trip.

La was a very attentive guide and good driver. He ensured that we understood the schedule on a day to day basis to enable a smooth routine.
Our schedule was interesting with a good variety of sightseeing and physical activity.

We had a fantastic time during our time in Sri Lanka. Nuwan was an excellent tour guide. We did a five day tour and enjoyed the sights of Sigirya and Kandy and surrounding areas. The Dambulla Caves, Lion Rock, Minneriya National Park Safari and Temple of the Tooth were highlights. We also enjoyed the trek over the Hanthana range above Kandy, Kandyan dancers, visits to a Herb Farm and Tea Factory. Nuwan was very obliging and added other places of interest that weren't in our itinerary. Would definitely recommend kimkim.

Our guide, Denver, was absolutely wonderful. Not only was he incredibly knowledgable, and always willing to answer our million and one questions about Sri Lanka, but also one of the kindest warmest hearted people I've ever had the privilege to meet. I can't recommend him highly enough. Sajith was brilliant in helping me to plan the trip, too - he was so fast in sorting things out and in communicating his suggestions, and kimkim in general took a huge amount of stress out of the process for... read more

Our guide, Denver, was absolutely wonderful. Not only was he incredibly knowledgable, and always willing to answer our million and one questions about Sri Lanka, but also one of the kindest warmest hearted people I've ever had the privilege to meet. I can't recommend him highly enough. Sajith was brilliant in helping me to plan the trip, too - he was so fast in sorting things out and in communicating his suggestions, and kimkim in general took a huge amount of stress out of the process for us. We loved that kimkim works with ethical companies and makes suggestions on those grounds, particularly in regards to the best place we could go to see elephants.

The highlight was definitely the elephant safari at Udawalawe; other favourite things were the views of the mountains in Kandy, climbing Sigiriya and the views over the the lake at Giritale, from Deer Park Hotel. We found the people everywhere we stayed so kind, courteous and helpful, and the countryside astonishingly beautiful!

We do have a couple of pieces of feedback - I hope this helps!

1. The Kandalama Heritance was extraordinary! We only regretted that we didn't get to spend more time there as we arrived after a long day of sightseeing and then had to leave very early the next morning. I felt that if someone expresses a wish to stay at Kandalama, you could maybe build in either two nights there or at least plan the schedule so that guests can arrive in time to enjoy the hotel a little more.

2. The cooking class in Kandy was wonderful! We'd highly recommend that location again for anyone thinking of doing a class like that.

3. The trek planned for us in Kandy was really enjoyable overall and the guide was great. However, this was not something we discussed in correspondence at all - our guides told us that this hike was the 'easy' option, and that it was one that lots of guests are very happy to do, but for us, it was simply not an appropriate skill level to book us in for without letting us know in advance. Neither of us had the correct footwear or clothing, with the result that I felt very unsafe walking on slippery surfaces in high winds and at those heights. Denver told us that he'd assumed we'd be fine with the trek as we are a young couple and appeared healthy - but I feel strongly that you cannot make assumptions about people's health on the grounds of appearance as injuries and/or fears are not visible; and that you should simply discuss the option of adding a trek to an itinerary and make sure people have the option to make an informed decision if they would like to do it.

4. This point is somewhat similar to the above - there were a few other stops which had been planned for us which we would rather not have done. The tea factory visit was genuinely interesting and a wonderful way to get to know this important element of the Sri Lankan economy - but the spice garden, wood factory and gem factory visits were frustrating. We felt no pressure from Denver to buy something, and he always made that very clear, but we did feel a lot of pressure in each of those locations from the staff to buy things we didn't want. We simply didn't appreciate the lack of choice in whether we went to these places or not. I understand that guides possibly receive commissions to take guests to these factories, but I just wanted to let you know that this element of the trip was not ideal for us.

I hope that this is all taken as suggestions to what is already an incredible company providing an amazing service! We adored our trip and have many wonderful memories of a beautiful culture to carry with us :)

We had a fabulous 5 days in Sri Lanka. The set up of our itinerary by Sandun was expertly done and contact with Sandun was extremely easy. The accommodation choices were super. Each of the hotels chosen were great places to stay and the people there were extremely friendly and accommodating. Our driver/guide, Tony did a fantastic job. We cannot recommend him highly enough. The various places we were taken to along the way were all great places to visit. We thoroughly recommend using Kimkim for any visit to Sri Lanka.

The trip was great, very enjoyable, relaxing and beautiful. I had a wonderful time, the suriya resort was very welcoming, comfortable, and just a nice place to be. The staff were fantastic as were the facilities. My kimkim facilitator Sandun was informative, helpful and patient with me, and made the entire process very easy.

I highly recommend Kim Kim, and in particular Sajith. He created an itinerary that was perfect for us. We loved every moment of our Sri Lankan experience! Thank you for an amazing time!

My wife and I had a quick 6 day trip in Sri Lanka, with Rukan, our guide. This was a great experience and we visited all the main tourist spots we wanted to, plus more, that Rukan fitted in along the way. Our accommodation along the way was superb and everything went as planned. We even got to watch 2 leopards during our safari at Yalla Park, which was a highlight.

We had a marvellous time. Our driver Kalika was exceptionally capable at managing everything, driving us safely even in busy and awkward traffic situations. The activities planned by Sandun were perfect giving us all the interests we requested. We saw amazing trees, rocks, fungi and wildlife and have some marvellous photos along with great memories.

For me the stand-out activity was Sinharaja National Park with the park guide being extremely knowledgeable on plant species and growth habits... read more

We had a marvellous time. Our driver Kalika was exceptionally capable at managing everything, driving us safely even in busy and awkward traffic situations. The activities planned by Sandun were perfect giving us all the interests we requested. We saw amazing trees, rocks, fungi and wildlife and have some marvellous photos along with great memories.

For me the stand-out activity was Sinharaja National Park with the park guide being extremely knowledgeable on plant species and growth habits of flora. A close second was the visit to Horton Plains, the Botanic Garden in Kandy and the tea plantations and factory visit.

We also enjoyed the sunrise at Galle with a lighthouse, crows and monks making it special.

We had a fantastic holiday in Sri Lanka. It is such a diverse country that it is hard to identify a single highlight, but the safari at Wilpattu, the luxury of Tea Trails at Hatton, and Galle were certainly memorable. Sigiriya, Kandy, and Trincomalee were also very enjoyable and interesting.

Our driver, Rukan, was very good. Nothing was too much trouble and he got us where we needed to be safely and in good order. He was knowledgeable about everywhere we went and if he ever didn’t know where... read more

We had a fantastic holiday in Sri Lanka. It is such a diverse country that it is hard to identify a single highlight, but the safari at Wilpattu, the luxury of Tea Trails at Hatton, and Galle were certainly memorable. Sigiriya, Kandy, and Trincomalee were also very enjoyable and interesting.

Our driver, Rukan, was very good. Nothing was too much trouble and he got us where we needed to be safely and in good order. He was knowledgeable about everywhere we went and if he ever didn’t know where he was going we didn’t notice.

The accommodation we booked was always close to what we expected and in some cases much better. Jungle Beach at Trincomalee was very comfortable and restful, Heritance Kandalama was fascinating architecturally, and Tea Trails at Hatton was wonderfully indulgent. We also enjoyed Fort Printers in Galle; it was centrally located and very comfortable.

The trip was well organised and according to our specific requests. Our guide was a good and careful driver and responded well however we experienced some communication problems due to his limited English. Sandun (who took over from Ida) was great - very responsive and also flexible when we asked for an addition to our itinerary to see Geoffrey Bawa's Heritage Kandala hotel near Sigirya.

Our driver Mahesh was great. The van was beeping the entire time, some programming problem. We were in the van a lot and this was very annoying. The hotels were just okay, not 4 or 5 star like we asked. Some of the bathrooms were sub-par. The Colombo hotel was way out for the main city, which was very disappointing! We asked to go to a spa for a massage and they place was not good.

Everything was very seamless and smooth sailing. Our driver,Denver was extremely helpful and couldn't do enough for us. Having a private driver allows so much more flexibility to tailor to our specific interests. It was great to learn about the history and visit this beautiful country. An incredibly well organized trip. Many thanks

I will start off by reviewing Ida. The entire experience of communicating our needs and having the trip set up was painless and very good. I would recommend Ida wholeheartedly to anyone wishing to go to Sri Lanka.

The trip itself though well planned had some hiccups in execution. The driver will take you to tourist traps for shopping. As long as one is aware, it is easy (though annoying) to avoid grossly overpaying for things. The driver will also take you to restaurants that cater to... read more

I will start off by reviewing Ida. The entire experience of communicating our needs and having the trip set up was painless and very good. I would recommend Ida wholeheartedly to anyone wishing to go to Sri Lanka.

The trip itself though well planned had some hiccups in execution. The driver will take you to tourist traps for shopping. As long as one is aware, it is easy (though annoying) to avoid grossly overpaying for things. The driver will also take you to restaurants that cater to tourists. These are impossible to avoid despite repeated requests to the driver to avoid them. The issue here is that we almost never got to experience Sri Lankan cuisine, only local parodies of "pasta", "pizza" etc. The hotels where we stayed were not much better with "American" or "Continental" being the option in most places. This is not a reflection on the Driver or on Ida but on a lack of understanding on the part of the hotels of a certain kind of traveller.

The pacing of activity was off as well on two days. The second day was crammed with activity. The entrance fee to the Temple of the tooth had to be paid up by us despite being included in the price of the tour. I was told that the driver did not have enough money and the tour agency would be refunding the money to me directly. The tea factory tour was on day two in Kandy as opposed to later at Nuwara Eliya. The explanation given was that the tea factory was shut on Sunday at Nuwara Eliya and hence the activity had to be shifted to Kandy. This could have been avoided as it was apparent that the day at Nuwara Eliya would fall on a Sunday.

Additionally, the morning of the day which we were supposed to visit Galle fort was rained out. The driver informed us that the entire day would be washed out and we could do Galle fort the next morning. We accepted this as something beyond our control. But later in the day when the weather cleared up, the driver was unavailable to take us to the fort. This meant we had to do this activity the next morning eating into the time we had to tour Colombo. We only got to see the fort at Galle for half an hour before the heavens opened up again leaving us to rue the half a day of sunshine we missed the previous day. Additionally,we only got to see Colombo from the car on our way to lunch and after that to the airport.

Overall, I would rate it as a good experience but would caution any would be traveler to be constantly wary of his own interests to avoid issues which is not a state of mind one wants to be in while on vacation.

As mentioned previously, the service received from Ida was exemplary.

I didn't receive a final confirmation of the itinerary which meant I didn't pick up on a misunderstanding on the last day of the trip. In re reading our emails I understood the last day was to be changed from Sigirya to Negombo. So I also take responsibility for not confirming this change. A bit more guidance on the timing of events would have been helpful - our driver left it to us to decide when to leave in the morning - I thought he would have had a better idea than us. We had lots of... read more

I didn't receive a final confirmation of the itinerary which meant I didn't pick up on a misunderstanding on the last day of the trip. In re reading our emails I understood the last day was to be changed from Sigirya to Negombo. So I also take responsibility for not confirming this change. A bit more guidance on the timing of events would have been helpful - our driver left it to us to decide when to leave in the morning - I thought he would have had a better idea than us. We had lots of questions but felt his English wasn't good enough, first of all to understand the question and then to give us an informed answer. He was very pleasant and easy going but also a little difficult for us to understand sometimes.

Thank you for a wonderful trip it was great to have all accommodation and attraction fees organized and the driver and vehicle were excellent. My daughter and I enjoyed everything and even had time to fit in a couple of extras with the help of Nishanthna using our free time. I have told everybody what a great time I had and have recommended KimKim as the people to see. I am now in the process of deciding where and when my next trip will be so will be in touch at a later date. Thank you, Gary & Julia.

Plane was late from India-however Roshen was waiting and proceeded to make the trip a pleasure. As you may know when traveling single and its just you and the driver for the next few days a bond has to be made and it was-from the start-perfect timing with a stop at a hotel for a cup of café and then forth every nook and corner I wanted to see he helped with. I am impressed with the overall service you granted me with the minimum fee for your services (however being in India I know the... read more

Plane was late from India-however Roshen was waiting and proceeded to make the trip a pleasure. As you may know when traveling single and its just you and the driver for the next few days a bond has to be made and it was-from the start-perfect timing with a stop at a hotel for a cup of café and then forth every nook and corner I wanted to see he helped with. I am impressed with the overall service you granted me with the minimum fee for your services (however being in India I know the business of the business-)-hats off-will need your services soon-wish to arrange Northern India/Nepal. Looking at February 2018 ,

Thanks for all

Please see that Roshen is told of his excellent services.

Stand out-she was a pleasure to work with