Buddha and Beach - 12 days

He was fantastic. Very informative and kept us going all the time

Overall it was an amazing experience, Aktar was an incredible and reliable guide and was very knowledgeable. A little more free time to walk and look around would have been good but overall we had a trip of a lifetime and have many lifelong memories.

Fantastic tour , saw so much in a short space of time. Can I suggest the Brochure/tour details emphasised how physical getting to some of the sites were and that appropriate attire is required for the temples. I am not complaining! It gave us a good workout but we would like to have been more prepared. Our your guide Aktar was excellent. Very friendly with in depth knowledge of the sites and the country.

Very well informed guide, Aktar made sure everything went according to plan and the trip progressed seamlessly. Also he got us front seats to the traditional dance display which was colourful and exciting. We saw so much in a short time, exhausting but worthwhile! All the hotels were very comfortable and varied in style. Sri Lanka is a beautiful tropical paradise, we certainly got a feel for the country and its people, history and culture but there is still much to explore and certainly enough for a second visit. The highlights were Dambulla Buddhas, Sigirya rock, Kandy, the train journey, and of course the elephants. We appreciated the chance to unwind in Bentota and it was a good counterpoint to the tour.

We had an absolutely fantastic holiday; a real trip of a lifetime (until the next one, of course). We packed so much into the 12 days, seeing all the many sights and sides of Sri Lanka - we felt as though we really got under the skin of the nation. Whilst there were one or two activities that weren't really for us (the elephant orphanage and the gem shop visit was a bit weird), overall we did just about everything we wanted to see and do. We're a bit depressed to be home, to be honest! Akhtar was a very affable and knowledgeable guide - nothing was too much trouble for him and we enjoyed spending time with him socially beyond just the daily itinerary. It really struck us how knowledgeable he was to the wider world beyond Sri Lanka, despite not being fortunately enough to be able to travel frequently himself. It'd be cool to see On The Go Tours send him off to explore another part of the world - we're sure he'd come back with a few good stories! Loved the country, loved the tour and loved the people (natives, guide and fellow tour group members). Tom & Sarah NOTE FROM ON THE GO: As part of our Responsible Travel and Animal Welfare Policy as of 01 October 2016 we will no longer be including the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage or any other elephant related activity, (aside from viewing in their natural habitat) within our tours.

Manoj was an excellent guide. He mingled well with all members of the group and put us all at ease. This was our first organised tour and first trip to Asia, so we were a bit nervous about it. Manoj gave us confidence in a strange country. He was knowledgeable about his country and provided us with plenty information on it. He was also adaptable to meet our unplanned and unscheduled needs - be it finding a toilet when we needed one ; finding a shop to buy beer; organising afternoon tea for us in the Jetwing St Andrews Hotel. He also organised cakes for those of us who were celebrating wedding anniversaries - which was such a lovely touch and made us feel special. I believe he also managed to get us upgraded hotel rooms in the Jetwing Lakeside hotel - which was absolutely fabulous and again made us all feel very special. Nothing was too much trouble for him. Manoj seemed a very organised tour guide. Paying for unlimited water was such a good idea as we went through about 4 bottles of water each a day. The tour itself was not as tiring as I thought it was going to be, despite us having a full itinerary every day. There was quite a bit of travelling in the minibus, but that was to be expected given the size of the area we had to cover. Sri Lanka is a very interesting country. The people are friendly and welcoming. The scenery was lovely. I would definitely recommend this tour.

We had a fabulous holiday. The tour was amazing & a good balance of relaxation & excursions. Tour guide was OK but seemed quite distracted at times. Always on the phone.

The tour was wonderful, if a little pressed for time. It certainly gave a fabulous insight into Sri Lanka and an intimate glimpse of the culture and people. Akthar was a wonderful guide. He was knowledgeable, clear and explained things as they really are (i.e. not always the glossy view, but a true account of situation). He had indepth knowledge of all aspects of the tour. I felt very comfortable with his approach.

This is my 6th On the Go tour and i was not dissapointed with the itinerary or the guide (including support staff - especially our driver). As stated we were continually on the go and the guide very informative throughout. Traffic was a nightmare - but that was part of the culture / country we were in and part of the experience - it did detract though from having some valuable downtime which was a shame. The historical sites and knowlege of our guide made this tour and my walk up lion rock - whilst nearlly killing me was worth every effort. Feedback on the tour itinerary for me would be to drop the visits to the tea plantation, gem shop and spice garden. All these places were commercial in nature and I felt thise interested in such could obtain the same items whilst having free time in some of the beautiful towns we visited - particularly Kandy. I also think if Galle could be included on this itinerary it would round off a great cultural tour (we did a day trip to Galle during our stay in Bentota). Once again a credit to On the Go and I look forward to planning my 7th trip. - thanks Danny

The tour was great. Guide excellent and very knowledgeable and accommodating. The highlights of the tour were the train ride, and the village visit. The worst bit was the very hard sell at the spice farm. The most disappointing part was the last 4 days at the resort. Tour title was beach, but the beach at the resort was extremely dangerous and only for walking on. The resort was not in any proximity of anything else such as shopping or other services. Lazing by the pool is okay for one day but definitely not 4. I would have preferred the last 4 days to be on a beach that we could utilise such as the east coast or even Negombo would have been better option than Blue Water. All the hotels on tour were excellent and the food really great. I also thought it interesting that the other 2 groups on the tour, both had different itineraries than us?