Top Sri Lanka 3 - Excursion d'une journée : Sigiriya, Kandy & Nuwara Eliya

I made a fantastic day trip to Sigiriya and Dambulla from Kandy. My driver Mohamed Irfan took always a lot of care of me, drove well and safely and even explained many things about Sri Lanka and the people. Car was good and the tour was flexible to enjoy the cultural sites in Sigiriya and Dambulla with plenty time. The places are amazing! I highly recommend Aaliya Tours and my thanks go to my driver Mohamed!

We want to extend our sincerest thanks to Aaliya Tours for an absolutely fantastic program. Their commitment and kindness were truly remarkable, and their professional team consistently kept us updated with valuable information. Our tour was made even more wonderful by our incredible guide, Mr. Mohammed Ilham, and our fantastic driver. Both were incredibly cool, knowledgeable, helpful, and committed to making our trip enjoyable. We also greatly appreciate Mr. Raaid in the back office, who went above and beyond to ensure we arrived home safely. We wholeheartedly recommend Aaliya Tours for anyone planning future travel.

Feedback on the 3-day round trip with Aaliya Tours We booked a three-day round trip through the agency Aaliya Tours, which included our own vehicle with driver and tickets to various attractions. First day: Our driver Shamin picked us up from our hotel in Kandy on time. On the way to Nuwara Eliya, we made several exciting stops – including a tea factory ("Ceylon Tea Factory"), the impressive Ramboda Waterfall, the charming town of Nuwara Eliya and Gregory Lake. In the evening Shamin brought us safely and relaxed back to Kandy. Second day: The next morning we continued to Dambulla, where we visited the fascinating cave temples. Afterwards we drove to Sigiriya and climbed Pidurangala Rock from which we could enjoy a breathtaking view of the countryside. In the afternoon, a jeep safari at Hurulu Eco Park was on the agenda. We were lucky enough to see many elephants and numerous bird species and witnessed a beautiful sunset in the middle of the jungle. In the evening Shamin took us to our hotel in Sigiriya. Third day: Early in the morning we started with a traditional village tour in a village near Sigiriya. After crossing a lake with a typical wooden boat we were warmly welcomed by the villagers. They showed us their daily lives, prepared a traditional meal for us, and we were allowed to lend a hand ourselves – for example, rubbing a coconut. Afterwards we continued to Polonnaruwa, where we explored the impressive, over a thousand year old temple complexes. At the end of our tour Shamin took us to Passikudah where we said goodbye to him and spent a few more relaxing days on the beach. Review of the agency Aaliya Tours: The organization was excellent from start to finish. Communication was fast, friendly and reliable – both before our trip and during our stay. Our wishes were always taken into account, for which we would like to thank you very much. Rating of our driver Shamin: Shamin was a fantastic companion: friendly, helpful, humorous and always looking after our well-being. He explained a lot about the country and people, drove very safely and made us feel in good hands at all times. We especially appreciated that he never drove easily, but always made sure we were safely checked into the hotel and everything was right. Thank you for this great care! Experience with local people: The people we met during our trip were all warm, respectful and authentic. Their kindness and openness have made our trip truly special. A small criticism: In some places, we felt that there was some pressure to expect in terms of tips. Sometimes it seemed that some service providers were not satisfied with the tip they received. Our impression was that many of them rely heavily on tips. We found that a bit of a shame, as we had paid a flat rate that we thought should have ensured fair remuneration for all involved. Tipping should remain a voluntary appreciation and not be the main source of income. In future, our proposal would be to ensure that the people involved are paid fairly, so that guests do not feel obliged to give additional large amounts.

We booked a personalized 3-day trip with Aaliya Tours, covering Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Sigiriya, Dambulla, Minneriya, and Polonnaruwa, with our driver and guide, Shamin. In short: it was a wonderful experience! The tour was tailored to our wishes and planned effortlessly in advance together with Aaliya Tours. It was important to me to have a clear itinerary and all costs agreed upon beforehand — and the agency delivered exactly that. Communication was smooth and professional from the beginning. Our driver Shamin picked us up directly from our hotel and was extremely friendly and welcoming. He drove very safely — something I appreciated even more given the differences in traffic between Sri Lanka and Germany! Throughout the journey, Shamin was attentive and flexible, stopping whenever there were beautiful viewpoints, local highlights, or unique experiences like a visit to a herbal garden or a fresh coconut stand. I particularly want to highlight how smoothly the agency handled spontaneous changes: for example, due to weather conditions, we decided at short notice to switch our safari from Minneriya to Hurulu Eco Park, where the elephants had migrated. This change was arranged quickly and without any hassle. Overall, we had a fantastic time and I would highly recommend booking your trip with Aaliya Tours. Our personal highlights were: -The drive to Nuwara Eliya, visiting a tea plantation, waterfalls, and Lake Gregory -Dambulla Cave Temple -Climbing Pidurangala Rock (an absolute must!) -Exploring the ancient city of Polonnaruwa One important note: If there’s one thing I would change for future trips, it would be to skip the village tour. Unfortunately, despite being quite expensive, the experience was disappointing. At every stop, the locals expected high tips and made it clear they were dissatisfied with the amounts we gave. This left us feeling uncomfortable and gave the impression that the focus was more on earning quick money than sharing their culture. I would strongly advise against booking this particular tour.

It was great experience and convenient way of traveling in Sri Lanka. Irfan was a great driver and tour guide I highly recommend booking trip with him. Zameek the owner is very responsive and helpful. It is super safe to book a trip in here! Sri Lanka is beautiful country but it is better to know what to see and how to see it! Do not hesitate just book your trip! :)

We had a comfortable ride from the airport to Kandy after an exhausting midnight flight. Zameek welcome us warmly! and he is very professional in driving and well-spoken English too! it makes communication very easy! The other day our driver Irfan picked us up at the hotel, he tries to explain everything about Sri Lanka culture and food culture to us, we did not want a jam-packed tour, we decided to go for certain spots to enjoy instead! always feel free to tell him what you think, what you want or what you don't like, they will give you suggestions but never forced anything! We are satisfied with everything they provided! also impressed by Irfans professional driving skills! those roads are no joke in Sri Lanka. They always make sure everything is alright when we get back to our hotel/ next destination. Unlike other tours, I feel like I have learnt a lot of knowledge other than just hop-on and off for sightseeing which makes the best part of our trip.