Travelling in Sri Lanka with a travel agent

In December 2012 we booked a September trip to Sri Lanka. As the months went by we realized that our trip would be far easier if we relied on a travel agency. First step - we checked websites looking for local (Sri Lanka) agencies. Second step - we contacted Sri Lanka Vacation Tours to inquire if it would arrange a 2 person, 15 night tour staying at budget hotels. We didn't hesitate to book when we received a USD1742 proposal. It included: airport pick up and drop off; 15 nights at 2 & 3 star hotels, all breakfasts and dinners, and (most important) an English speaker driver. (Sri Lanka Vacation Tours can also arrange more upmarket accommodations.)

Damitha (driver), new car, and Mr. Mahesh (owner)

Mr. Mahesh, the agency owner, met us at the airport. We were surprised; he was quite young (23 years old). In hindsight his age was a definite advantage. He was accommodating and went out of his way to make sure that we had a good experience. He faithfully checked our itinerary to make sure that we saw everything listed. Some days we were more than willing to say "we can skip that." We didn't and we were the richer for it.

Where we stayed: The tour agency chose the 8 hotels we stayed at. Our favorites were Thilaka Lake Resort in Anuradhapura, Travel House in Sigriya, and Jagabay Resort in Weligama. What made these places stand out? Their food. At Thilaka Lake Resort and Travel House we had local breakfasts (a curry at the former and hoppers at the latter) and outstanding rice and curry. I would go out of my way to have their curries again. At Jagabay Bay we had a fresh fish one night and at one breakfast I had a grilled vegetable sandwich. It was good and I welcomed the change. When we arrived at travel we recalled the Adi Yasa in Denpasar in 1974. It was just as relaxed, but everyone seemed to have a place to go during the day. Also better housekeeping, hot water, a great cook, and in-room free wifi (at most of the other places we had to go into the lobby), At Jagabay we could take long walks on the beach, and there was a good fish restaurant a few kilometers down the road. All the hotels, including the ones not mentioned, had friendly staff who went out of their way to make us feel welcome and the meals were filling and well prepared.

Fishermen along the beach at Weligama

Sunset Weligama

Where we went: Our tour had three major components - the cultural triangle, wildlife parks, and the beach. We have covered the cultural triangle and wildlife parks in other posts. We did not note that each site and park have hefty admissions fees for foreigners (Sri Lanka Vacation provided us a list before we left Malaysia. We paid in local currency as we traveled). We aren't "beach people,' but we thought that we should experience the beaches. While staying on a island it seems insane not to see the surrounding seas. The beach was, as expected, totally relaxing - good for walking, reading, and eating.

Mahesh, an obvious scholar in tourist complaints, made every stop included in our  itinerary. One "oh we can skip this" stop was at the Kosgoda Sea Turtle Conservation Project. A staff member described the process from the time of obtaining the eggs ("rescued" from the beach or bought from locals) through to their release. The demise of sea turtles resonates with us. In 1974 on a single night we saw at least 40 Ridley turtles lay their eggs on a Malaysian beach, in 1984 we saw three. Now we hear that it has been years since any have shown up.

Looking for hatched turtles

Just hatched - scheduled to be released at night (to avoid predators) 

A few hatchlings get to develop their "sea legs" before release

Along the way we stopped to take pictures. On the way to Galle fisherman balance on stakes to fish. I am sure that they now earn far more from tourist tip than from fish.

Unscheduled stops: We made some unscheduled stops, including the previously discussed produce market at Drambulla produce market and the New Zealand Dairy Farm. In Columbo we stopped at the Gangramaya Buddhist Temple. The first statue I saw was of Ganesha. At times Hinduism and Buddhism seem blended. A pooja had performed for our car, because it was new and we were the first people using it for a tour.

Ganesha at Gangramaya Temple

A Buddha at the temple

Another Buddha

A lot of Buddhas!

As we went through the temple we skirted around a wedding party. As we walked past we heard the unmistakable ringing of a Nokia phone - I guess that the bride forgot to tell the wedding party to turn off their cell phones.

What would we change? Hardly anything. We can highly recommend Sri Lanka Vacation Tours and the driver, Dametha. We weren't used to having the tour agent on the trip, but it was okay. It gave them a chance to share information about what to see along the way and to answer our many questions about Sri Lanka and its people. (We have been concerned about the civil war and its repercussions people were not included to talk about it.) Mahesh booked guides at the cultural sites. I am convinced that tourist agencies scoop up the best guides. The ones we had were excellent and each brought a different perspective to what he was showing up.

Since many tourists are Westerns the food can lack spices. I learned that asking "can you make it spicy" worked well especially when we told them we were from Malaysia. We did buy tabasco sauce for those occasions where I could not get chili sauce to liven my eggs. We only had one dinner buffet - one buffet in 15 dinners is a definite positive. In India and Bhutan we had more buffets. If a restaurant serves serves tour groups our experience is that buffet food is bland and not hot enough. We prefer a la carte as much as possible.