Sri Lanka Wildlife Tour Traveller Reviews

Just returned from the most amazing 2 weeks in Sri Lanka. We have travelled around using a driver/guide and stayed in 6 different hotels. We saw leopards and sloth bears in Wilpattu; walked through villages learning about food and agriculture in rural areas; climbed Sigiriya; explored Dambulla caves; walked through the unique Ironwood forest; climbed a rose quartz mountain; saw wild elephants causing a traffic jam; ate rambutan from a roadside stall; travelled by train into the tea country; plucked tea; swam in a waterfall; took a boat ride in Negombo lagoon and saw a swimming monkey. Such precious memories that we have and shared with our 10 year old son. All the hotels were of very good quality, each offering a different experience. We thoroughly enjoyed them all and wouldn't hesitate to go back.

We couldn't have asked for more from Dorothy at Eastravel. We started this process in 2019 and Dorothy has guided us along the way. She encouraged us to take our time considering all our options. Unfortunately with the Easter bombings and Covid we didn't make it to Sri Lanka until 2023. It was worth the wait! As a couple we had been in 2005 so we had ideas about what we did or didn't want to do. Dorothy was great at accommodating our wishes but also made suggestions that she felt would enhance our holiday, all whilst working within our budget. I wouldn't hesitate to book again with Eastravel and Dorothy.

Great flight with Emirates from Stansted, and brilliant start to our Sri Lankan trip for the first few days but as the holiday developed the Covid pandemic began to affect sightseeing, culminating in our chosen hotels and sightseeing closing ahead of us. The final straw was when our return flights with Emirates were cancelled! Hardly an “excellent” holiday but Dot at Eastravel kept in touch, arranged early alternative flights, and refunds from the hotels we never got to. Excellent service in what must have been a very difficult time at Eastravel and for many of their customers. What we did see, and the hotels we stayed in, were fantastic, as would, no doubt, the rest of the trip have been if only it could have been completed.

See comments above. This was the 8th time we have used Eastravel, and will continue to use them as we have never been disappointed.

Dorothy and her team provided a thorough knowledge of Sri Lanka and gave us a good overview of the island. Only two small alterations I would make: spend only two nights in Kandy and an extra night at the tea plantation 98acres; secondly I would chose a better hotel on was to Yala as the hotel used was a bit run down

he tour operator on ground was knowledgeable and attentive to detail. The tour operator in UK gave us what we asked for - pretty faultless.

Just what we hoped for

Very helpful and knowledgeable

Our holiday was excellent. Sri Lanka Airline looked after us very well and we were met on arrival by a Red Dot Tours rep who showed us to our vehicle and introduced us to our chauffeur/guide Wipul. He turned out to be very knowledgeable on all aspects of Sri Lanka and a good driver. The vehicle was spotless every morning. All of the hotels were very good indeed with a good choice of food. Lots of curry but we did decline it for breakfast! The temples were fascinating and the national parks very interesting although the density of the vegetation does mean that sightings of both birds and mammals are quite difficult. Over 100 species of birds were seen, however, as well as leopards and crocodiles. Millions of white butterflies wafted around us in the parks. Galle was very colonial inside the fort but rather more touristy than I think we had expected. A great holiday with lovely memories.

Our tour was booked through East Travel in Ipswich but operated by Red Dot Tours. We could not fault either company. Any queries before we left were promptly and accurately dealt with and we were well looked after as soon as we arrived. The vehicle was an almost new 9 seater mini bus which was just for us. The driver was very punctual, helpful and considerate and told us as much as he could about the country he is clearly very proud of. We had no problems at any of the hotels or venues which we visited.

Travelling across Sri Lanka with a private guide, experiencing archaelogy, wildlife, walking, history, culture and even time for the beach

From the moment we first met the team at East travel they have been fantastic. Their knowledge, organisation and communication has been first class. They took the time to build a holiday to meet our needs and helped us plan a very special trip. I simply cannot fault them at all and would happily recommend them to anyone to use