All-Inclusive 9-Day Journey: Nature's Wonders of Sri Lanka

All-Inclusive 9-Day Journey: Nature's Wonders of Sri Lanka 1053244244 We had a fantastic trip - three of us and our driver! Which was an unexpected bonus, as we thought there would be at least 8 on the bus! So ... we were in charge ... and we spent ten days exploring all the wonders that Sri Lanka has to offer - it is a fantastic and varied country. The hotels were very comfortable; the food was excellent; the days weren't too arduous, although there were some long drives - 3/4 hours. However, I would say Exoticca was a bit disingenuous when describing some of the sites we visited. For example the climb of the Sigiriya Rock was described as walking “for a few hours on comfortable terrain”. In actual fact this was an almost vertical climb of 1,200 steps and not for the faint hearted. The Polonnaruwa tour stated “Even though you will be seated most of the time, you may be required to walk short distances or climb some steps”. I am not sure where we were supposed to sit and the distances, if we wanted to see most things, were considerable - and the steps were many … To get up to The Dambulla Caves was a 120 steps climb - again no mention in the activity level guide - “walk some distances and climb some steps” is not an accurate description of what was required. BUT ... I cannot review this trip without mentioning our fantastic drive/guide Thiranga who really made the difference. He took excellent care of us. He was kind, thoughtful, considerate and helpful. Nothing was too much trouble - he even organised a birthday cake for one of our party! He was informative and we learnt a lot from him about Sri Lankan history, customs and life in general. He was good company and never got flustered - even when we left two items behind us - in two separate hotels. Long story short, we were reunited with our items! If he is proposed as your guide - say "yes please" - you won't regret it! On another tack - The crisis in the Middle East started on the penultimate day of our trip and our Qatar flights home were cancelled indefinitely. We are now home safely in Ireland after ten days at our own expense - and still waiting for Exoticca to ask how we are? So ... a great trip; fantastic guide; amazing memories; but nul points for Exoticca and their lack of support in a crisis.