Sri Lanka Traveller Reviews - On The Go Tours

Tour felt rushed and we were in the car constantly, 2nd night at another stop is beneficial to break up the travel / driving, ending on day 10 breakfast is wasted time,spend another night mid week instead, giving feedback is essential but not the last thing on a 15hour travel day. Food disappointing”  

No email or info about the welcome gathering. We had a 2 hour late start last day due to weather so we didn't drive the scenic route and our city tour was cancelled. Guide said that we had already been to the city on our own so no need. Arrived at hotel at 2;30. Very short day ”  

The tour was good - covered a lot of places & attractions but had far too much time on the bus. Full days - early starts and late finishes, would have appreciated some half-days off to take advantage of the hotel facilities. 2 nights at Jetwing Lake would be great. Akthar was a good guide.”  

Great time. Aktar was amazing.Whole tour felt a little bit rushed lots of travelling.,but saw lots.Driver and bus boy were great. Well organized. ”  

What a fabulous experience! This tour suited me very well; we got to see some wonderful things in Sri Lanka which were very well detailed and explained by Manoj, our guide, and we had some beautiful experiences with local people and the incredible country along the way. The bus was very comfortable, and I particularly liked the way Manoj would ease us into each journey with 15-20 minutes of summation of where we'd been and description of what we were doing next, then pick up again 15 minutes before our arrival to tell of what we were going to do. He is very knowledgeable about each of the locations, has a relaxed and welcoming approach, and it was a pleasure to got to know him and our driver Opul over the duration of the tour. I felt the pacing of the tour was good; we had a good amount of time in each location to absorb its significance and beauty, and enough time to rest and exchange perspectives with one another along the way.

My only criticism would be that I felt too sheltered by the lavish hotels. After the tour, I spent a week in a guesthouse in Galle and I got to know more about what it's like to actually live in Sri Lanka there than I did on the tour. While each hotel was magnificent, there were moments I really felt I was a colonial presence, wealthy and powerful beyond comparison with the local people, and, while that was a worthwhile experience to have had, it ultimately made me feel quite uncomfortable. Although that's undoubtedly an important point to help people grasp, I personally would've preferred if our stays had been a well considered combination of opulence and simplicity.”  

Jeeva was an excellent guide and varied the tour to suit our physical abilities and looked after us all the time. We loved the country and the friendly people. A couple of things we would suggest to do differently on the itinerary now we know what is to see :

Less antiquities, particularly those with difficult steps for old people. the tuktuk ride we took around Sigridia was excellent and far more appropriate for us. Loved the first hotel but could have left out one of the sites on the first day out of Colombo

More tropical gardens - we rode around the tropical garden in Kandi too which was great

No Colombo zoo but the elephant orphanage sounds good

Liked the Blue Water hotel for the last days but would have preferred to stay where we could have used the beach. May just have been the time of year. More time at the Yala resort would have allowed us to see the beach. We presume there were turtles there.

Great holiday and we really appreciated Jeeva”  

Very poor communication

Paid for things we did not do

Many different versions of itinerary

Huge difference between accommodations

Got DUMPED at final hotel

On the go tours VERY DISAPPOINTING”  

Impressive tour ... covered the heart of Sri Lanka

Guide was excellent at start of tour but started slacking and changing itinerary fof the last 2 days .... also left abruptly and did not answer his phone on last day of tour ... ”  

Overall this was a good tour that delivered what it promised.

The guide was good & adapted the planned program to take account of unscheduled national holiday caused by the general election.

We went to Galle - this should really be on the standard tour as it's such a lovely place to go by the sea, especially if they are playing cricket!

You should consider using the train more for transport as it's cheap, comfy with spectacular views.”  

Exceptional. Loved the entire experience and Manoj the guide”  

We thoroughly enjoyed Sri Lanka. The following feedback is given with the intent of improving the customer experience and improved service quality.

Mandalay Resort terrible

-disgusting beach and I fed that back directly

-old and shabby

Early departures

- breakfast boxes are the same everywhere- disgusting. To be charged a breakfast buffet price but the boxes are not comparable in value and quality

Bundala NP Tour not comparable to the other two safaris- repetitive, nothing new

- not worth the very early start ( and a disappointing breakfast box

The baby elephant and the turtle sanctuary should be a must see and included in price

We paid extra for both but didn’t get the elephant bathing

Colombo City Tour should be day 1

Lunches more clearly stated so client can decide to partake

The ‘show and sell’ / tourist traps. ( carpets, gems, wood, silk, jewelry) are extremely disappointing as part of the itinerary. We don’t appreciate the guides literally dumping us into these VERY UNCOMFORTABLE situations and under pressure to purchase unwanted items after they have ‘ demonstrated’ something ”  

The first couple of days were very full. It might be worth doing two nights in Dambulla and taking in the national park close by, and reducing the time in Kandy to one night rather than two.

The hotel quality was generally excellent. The Mirissa hotel looked a bit worn but the location was perfect. ”  

We found Hema’s communication skills very poor, Often he was unable to answer our questions or we got no answer.

He was inconsistent from bright and smiley to dour and uncommunicative.

His knowledge of Sri Lanka was ok but he couldn’t convey it succinctly, the exception being the day he took us to the world’s oldest tree in Anuradhapura.

In the north he seemed unsure of the routes and doubled back several times.

As a final point and indicative of his interaction with us , after 10 days he had made no effort to know our names. ”  

The tour was wonderful. The sights were great.

The tour guide was good but could have been better. He could have used the traveling time to explain the areas we were passing. He should also have explained each day the itinerary. He should have allocated time for each activity so that people did not have to wait around for fellow travelers to get done. Money was given for tips but as far as I know only 2 people were given tips from yhe kitty ”  

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? ”  

The first tour guide and transport were excellent. After we met up with the group in Dambula the transport was less comfortable but the guide was also very good. Regarding accommodation we particularly enjoyed Jetwing Lake hotel and Grand Udawalawe Safari Resort. The most memorable visits were the food offering ritual at the Hindu temple in Trincomalee, The Sacred City in Anaradhapura, snorkelling on Pigeon Island arranged by the guide, the train ride, and the safari. The worst visit was probably the spice garden in Matale where we felt obliged to pay for a massage and buy their medicinal remedies. Overall though, we really enjoyed the tour, and felt it was good value for money, and met our expectations.”  

The tour was well organised and the accommodation was of a high standard. The guide and driver did a good job. ”  

The tour was well organised and the accommodation was of a high standard. The guide and driver did a good job. ”  

I had a great time on this trip. The accommodation was excellent, with the itinerary varied and interesting. The bus was excellent, as was the driving. The drive to the national park was very windy though so pack travel sickness tablets if you suffer!”  

A fantastic tour of the island. Our guide for the north (Ashoke) was wonderful giving us a real insight into the Tamil culture. ”  

A very good tour with a great group of people from UK, Aus, NZ and S Africa. A few long journeys but these were broken up by our guide’s explanations of the culture, heritage, wild life and the geography of Sri Lanka. Our guide looked after us all well and had excellent communication. We knew what the timings were and what sights we would be seeing. He ensured an ill guest got medical treatment. He was discrete, professional and kind. Our guide also had a great sense of humour too and understood his country well. Manoj was a great ambassador for On The Go Tours. We loved Sri Lanka especially the food and visiting a village to share lunch. Seeing elephants in the wild and climbing Sigiriya Rock were also highlights.”  

My tour was split effectively into the basic tour at the beginning and the "wild" more safari type at the end.

I had 2 Guides, the first was quite dour, not unfriendly but not friendly. He was brusque and seemingly did not have time for social niceties. He had a lot of information but was not clear in terms of instructions for scheduling etc. He did provide water bottles and re-filling of these and also wi-fi, I am not sure if these are standard within the On the go tours package, but he emphasised that he had organised them.

Our second guide was great, very informative, patient, friendly and spoke about the culture of the country and etc which made the toud feel much more personal. Obviously this was a group of only 5 people, so it was easier for him to be this connected through the size of the group and the time to dedicate to organising us.

Sadly the main drawback to the tour was created by other members of the group! A very disagreable woman who liked to talk constantly over the guide, telling us all kinds of useless information about her home country and also being rude to other members of the group. I realise there is little to nothing which can be done about other members, the guide in the second group was very patient with her. The first guide lost his temper and brought the group together to tell us all off on our last night - not the best note to leave on!”  

Thoroughly enjoyed the tour. Our guide, Thalal, made it a great experience. His knowledge, humour and flexiibility made us feel special and more like friends than just clients.”  

I found that the tour had a good variation of sites and experiences. I was happy that the group was not too large and had people from different countries.

Akthar was a fantastic tour guide with a huge amount of knowledge and has a talent of knowing what people need.

On the Go Tours also organised some private tours for us which was very helpful and Clem was also very good tour guide and knowledgeable. ”  

Akthar was very good. He was very helpful and had a nice manner about him. He was very knowledgeable and shared his knowledge in an appropriate manner. He was also fair, if we chose not to participate in an activity, he refunded us the entry fee.

Re the tour, thoroughly enjoyed it. The sightseeing activities had a nice mix about them. The standard of the hotels was good with the exception of one. Not a fault of OTG but alcohol, wine, is all imported and expensive and then has a 30% plus charge added on! Might be good to flag?

The hotel in Mirissa was poor. It was the Sri Lankan new year, but the room was dirty, blood on dressing table stool and curtains, water was not hot and WiFi was very weak.

Also fee and tipping money in the trip notes needs to be updated, as it appears everything has gone up. We had a mix of LKRs and US Dollars but totally amount was requested in LKRs.

Whale watching was poorly supported by the group but we had to wait while 2 of the party went out on the boats and saw only Dolphins, price has increased substantially. Galle Fort appears to be a better option.

But all in all a very enjoyable tour, looking forward to China, once the visas are sorted!!”  

The tour was excellent. Akhthar was exceptional & I would highly recommend him.”  

Absolutely stunning tour - highly recommended. The only negative was the bullock cart ride to the canoe ride to the cookery demo - a lot of us felt that it was a little harsh on the animals. The accommodation was way above our expectations and the entire tour was amazing - I would happily do this tour again. Our tour guide was knowledgeable and very pleasant, but we were very taken aback when he gave us a tongue lashing in front of guests at our evening meal at the game reserve, which was totally unprofessional and uncalled for.

Just the best time was had by all! Thank you, On the Go!!! ”  

The Sri Lanka tour was amazing. My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it. We really enjoyed the train journey, including the beautiful views. Our tour guide Akhtar is a gem of a person. He took care of all our needs and ensured that everyone in our group was comfortable. His vast knowledge of the country made it absolutely interesting for the entire group. A real magical tour. Thank you.”  

Excellent tour

Itinerary was good

Transport good

Food good

Tour Guide was Excellent

Accommodation was good ”  

Excellent varied tour. Guide / driver very good and skilfully avoided other vehicles that came here, there and everywhere. All the hotels were as a minimum very good, some excellent.”  

The tour visited some first rate locations and was reasonably well organised, but the tour itself was overcrowded and the large number of people on the bus detracted significantly from the enjoyment. The guide was kind and personable, but rather ineffective. The bullock cart trip was unnecessary and I found it inhumane and abstained from it. The accommodation was largely of a good quality.”  

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 busy and we saw and experienced a lot of varied things during our 8 days on tour.”  

Great experience - Brilliant tour of Sri Lanka, taking in national parks, UNESCO treasures, tea plantation and packing/sorting factory, mountain climbing, ocean picnic, boat, superbly organised by guide Manoj - oh and wonderful hotels! ”  

Tour guide was fantastic. He went out of his way to make sure everyone was happy and had what they needed. He was very informative and interesting. He was accomdating and made sure everyone was informed and comfortable with the elephant orphanage decision.

Highlights of the tour were the safaris, sigiriya, and polonnaruwa. ”  

Has been absolutely an amazing trip. Everything has been superb from day one till last day ,selections of the hotel tour itinerary and comfortable AC bus was amazing ”  

A wonderful tour a wonderful country

We loved the tour. Manoj the guide was exceptional . He was very well organised and careful to manage them group dynamic sensitively . Our group was 16 people and was a good balance of ages from 20 to 60 . The tour we did was a great balance of history, visiting local people and seeing the country and wildlife. The hotels were all excellent . Security had been stepped up in Sri Lanka since the bombings and we felt very safe .”  

The tour guide was great and there was a good balance of sightseeing and downtime.”  

Thanks for a fantastic trip. We were very lucky to have meet a great group of people and all got along so well. Lots of laughs along the way. Our guide Manoj & bus drivers were excellent & always so happy, helpful and polite. I would recommend that a 2 night stay at Jetwing Lake would of been nice as such a beautiful place. All the hotels were great along the way. Our highlights were Caves Dambulla, climbing Sigiriya, train ride to Nuwara Eliya and safari through Udawalawe National Park. 2 nights per place would of been better so not as rushed & more time to relax. I would recommend On the Go Tours to my family and friends. ”  

We arrived in Sri Lanka on the 20th April this year and headed out on the tour on 21st April missing the Easter Sunday hotel bombings in Colombo. Despite our obvious shock at the attacks, our group decided to continue with the tour. Manoj was able to give us updates on everything happening regularly and answered our questions as honestly and clearly as he could. He made us feel that our safety was the first priority both of himself and On The Go tours.

We were always given options if there was any doubt about a destination and he was always willing to be guided by our thoughts. He was warm, caring and helpful.

I understand that additional On The Go staff were also visiting our accommodations prior to our arrival and making sure that all was OK- a great service appreciated by us all.

Unfortunately it was quite difficult to get the full picture of the real daily life of Sri Lankans but we certainly got a taste of the beautiful country and many of the things it had to offer. My daughter and I would especially like to thank On the Go tours for changing our Colombo accommodation from the Ozo Hotel to the Cinnamon Bay for the final stay at the end of the tour.

My only suggestion- we continued with a small group to complete the Wild about Sri Lanka tour. Being a biologist and lover of nature I think it would have been great if our guide Deeptee had been able to provide a couple of pairs of binoculars for game and bird viewing, it would have made our experience richer.

We were also very appreciative of his willingness to add in a couple of small tours that was of interest to the group. We loved the turtle hatchery and boat tour. The whole experience was really well run and professional.

Thank you On The Go, and we send everyone in the Sri Lanka team our very best wishes.”  

We loved this tour. We felt like it gave a good mix of different things to see in Sri Lanka. Our tour guide Akhtar was amazing. He was incredibly knowledgeable and was constantly sharing his expertise and interesting facts with us. He was very helpful and nothing was too much trouble for him. The tour was very 'On the Go' (up early and lots to do) but this was what we wanted. It was a great week full of interesting activities and tourist sights. My personal highlights would be walking up Sigiriya, the train ride through the mountains and the safari to Udawalawe National Park.

I would recommend this tour to others who wanted to experience some highlights of Sri Lanka.”  

The tour through part of North India was definitely eye-opening, even for a long term traveler like myself. It inspired many emotions and our guide Yusuf really helped to put things into perspective. His personal and historical narratives were greatly appreciated as well as all the support he gave me resolving some issues around the purchases I made in India. Yusuf is an excellent tour leader, very good at "herding cats and people". I am definitely looking at South India tours based upon his recommendations and overall presence in our group.”  

The tour was great. It was a really varied itinerary which included all of the highlights I was hoping to see. Akhtar was a fantastic guide, great fun and organised everything superbly. It would not have been nearly as good without him ”  

The tour and tour guide were both very good, covering a good range of places, historical sites, wildlife etc.

On the tour, we specifically enjoyed Sigriya, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Train ride from Kandy to N.E, Yala and Uda Walawe National Parks, Village tour with home cooked food and Galle Fort.

The tour guide was knowledgeable, friendly, helpful and ran a good tour. He helped us to get the best from the experience and kept us on track. ”  

The whole 2 country trip was amazing. Yusuf’s passion for India rubbed off on us all. India has its issues, poverty and rubbish, but we were able to see beyond that. The trip was well planned with a good balance of historical places, culture and tradition. Diwali was memorable. Yusuf is a true gentleman, with a great sense of humour, is very engaging, very efficient, who genuinely wanted to get to know us

Manoj was our main Sri Lankan guide. Sri Lanka is a real contrast to India with its tropical climate and different landscape. Our schedule was changed from day to day due to the cricket Test Matches in Sri Lanka and the changes to our hotels (location, upgrade and some complimentary evening meals). Zudi, our one day guide for our trip back to Colombo (Manoj continued whale watching and National Park) was amazing, very informative, friendly and did a great job.”  

Aktar is a very good tour leader. He is very helpful and knowledgeable, as well as being a very nice person. If he does have a fault it is that sometimes he talks a bit too much. As a result, sometimes people 'turn off; and may miss a significant announcement. But overall he is one of the best tour leaders that I have encountered.”  

I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed the tour of Sri Lanka. Everything provided on the tour was excellent - the bus, the hotels, the driver and assistant, and especially the guide. Akthar was so friendly, knowledgable and helpful the whole tour and we really missed him the last few days when we went in a different direction.

I do have some comments which I didn't include on the feedback forms that I wanted to share with you, but overall I loved the trip - best holiday ever!

My thoughts were:

On arrival/start at the hotel it would be good to be advised of the arranged time to meet the guide for the introduction session. I was concerned that I wouldn’t get the message if I was out, and although it worked out fine, it would been reassuring.

Sigiriya - climbing in the morning was great. The main part of the climb was in the shade at that time.

Mirissa - the hotel was comfortable although there were some small issues with the room such as the kettle was broken. As we weren’t whale watching there was nothing to do in the town or hotel. I personally would have preferred to stay near Galle to explore more of the town and fort rather than stay in Mirissa. After sitting a lot with the train, driving and safaris for the few previous days i would have liked to be able to walk and explore somewhere rather than sitting around the hotel.”  

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.”  

Monroe was a fantastic guide, giving us plenty of options and information about the history of places. The hotels were all of a higher quality than I expected, which was superb.

I would definitely consider On The Go for future tours.”  

Akthar was absolutely wonderful from start to finish. He considered each guests requests and preferences personally and catered to them with no fuss. We found Akthar extremely polite, knowledgeable, interesting and also had our best interests at heart. We felt that we travelled as first class guests from start to finish. Akhtar kept us all amused during the coach journeys with his humour, knowledge of local people and surroundings. When we were in Akhtar's company we knew we didn't have a worry in the world. He went the extra mile every day from dawn to dust and was always around late into the evening just in case we needed anything but was never intrusive. We believe Akhtar made our trip extra special. Thank you 'On The Go Tours' and the biggest and most sincere thank you to Akhtar. ”  

I cant say enough about this tour! travelled with a great bunch of travellers from Australia, South Africa and England.

Akhtar was an amazing guide he had a wealth of knowledge and a love for his country. Even though I was only in Sri Lanka for a week I feel like I have a wealth of knowledge now! I enjoyed the local stop at the mark on the first day. The hotels we stayed in were fantastic and having the varying styles from traditional to modern and the eco lodge. I cant wait to travel with On The Go Tours again! ”  

An absolute fantastic tour, amazing guide with tremendous knowledge. The tour was very well structured, really showing Sri Lanka as it is, with the home-stay meal a major highlight. The only slight concern was the quality in Nuwara Eliya, the hotel needs some TLC, the bedding is old and small minor touch ups are needed, rather a 3 star than a 4 star. But that is nitpicking, everything was amazing. Akthar is an amazing guide and person, really going out of his way to cater for everyone on tour and always available ”  

Our guide, Akhtar, was amazing, so knowledgeable and passionate about his country. Nothing was an issue for him and he found solutions to any problems. A true gentleman.

The tour was fantastic but felt a little too rushed at times - perhaps an extra day in length would benefit the guests. My only disappointment was too pass through all the tea plantations but not get to visit them.”  

Hi Mark

Just a note to say thank you for helping us organise an amazing trip to Sri Lanka, we have now been back a few weeks and have had time to reflect, and would just like to say a big thank you to our tour guide, who showed us everything that was on the itinerary, but interpreted in his own way. This made for a very interesting and fluid trip with our guide reacting from the group, rather than sticking to a rigid script, which I can speak for everyone in our group made for a great time.

Thanks again Mark and will definitely recommend yourself and your company in the future. ”  

Sri Lanka is so beautiful! Thanks to On the Go Tour, you have organised a route that is just perfect! I joined the ‘Wild about Sri Lanka 10 tours’ We had two tour guides our young Richard and the very wise and knowledgeable Akhtar, both have us a great experience about Sri Lanka! I like say thank you to Akhtar is so considering, we were so lucky for his advise we got up early to the earliest tour in Yala National Park and WE SAW THE LEOPARD!!!! Akhtar give us very accurate and helpful information. ”  

The tour briefing with Richard was excellent and set us up for what to expect in the coming week - he was approachable, professional, very knowledgeable, organised with a great sense of humour! He clearly loves what he does and is very good at it! The tour was first class - my only complaint was that on a couple of occasions (the Paradise Hotel and the lovely one when we visited UtlaWalwe) we arrived and left the following morning in darkness and so really did not have a chance to appreciate how great these places were! ”  

We had a fantastic time on the tour, there were lots of highlights for us including the visit to the village, the train ride and Sigiriya. Our guide Manoj became more personable as the tour progressed and dealt with some more difficult travellers in a very professional manner.

A suggestion we had was to make the tour a day longer and have a rest day part way through as without exception we were all exhausted with the pace of the tour.

Whilst we were disappointed that the date of the festival was changed, the replacement meal at the Shangri La hotel was fabulous, thank you! ”  

Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed the tour, and it was the perfect start to our honeymoon.

Pros:

In advance of leaving for the tour Libby was fantastic giving us all of the information we needed, and was very helpful.

Booking with OTG was easy, and the experience felt personal.

The hotels were all fantastic! I think we were lucky to get a few "honeymoon" upgrades which we appreciated massively. However, aside from these upgrades, I still think all of the hotels were excellent - clean, great service, and in general, very good food.

Transport - great bus, clean, aircon, wifi, comfortable, spacious, water etc - very good!

The guide - Manoj was great; informative, friendly, and able to help with any questions/problems that cropped up.

The tour was mostly well balanced between travel and experiences except for the below...

Cons

The difficult balance between time at location vs travel time... Particularly at Sigiriya - I think we could have spent longer there, and had a better chance to look around. As well as at Polonnaruwa. ”  

The tour had a higher degree of comfort to our normal trips and we found we enjoyed the quality of the hotels and the comfort of the travel. We certainly were 'on the go' and found that the time given to each activity was just about right. The visit to the tea factory was mediocre but the canoe trip and lunch cooked by the Sri Lankan ladies was amazing. Manoj did an excellent job of organising everything to run smoothly and was a mine of information about his country. We certainly enjoyed the company of the group, we were quite varied but got on really well. For us, the group travel made the tour much more fun than a private driver. The beach aspect gave us a good opportunity to relax at the end of the busy tour.”  

Very enjoyable tour - there is a lot packed in to each day with early starts and typically not getting to the next hotel until around 6pm. The traffic in Sri Lanka meant we missed lunch on a few days. the our guide was great - he had a demanding group with some of the individuals however he always tried to over deliver and was highly knowledgeable. Yala Jetwing was excellent!! ”  

As a first time traveller overseas without family, I was a bit apprehensive for going on a tour, but really did not need to be- the guide, group and itinerary were great. We had such an excellent time in Sri Lanka thanks to On The Go tours. We were very busy, with long days (lots of time on the bus too) but at night there was always a nice hotel to go to where we could relax. Manoj was a great guide who cared a lot about our tour experience. Unfortunately, due to unforseen personal circumstances he was unable to complete the tour with us, however his organisation for the rest of the tour with another guide was faultless. We ate mainly at buffets due to time constraints and the range available, however I would have personally preferred more local/authentic Sri Lankan options. We saw so much during our tour and it has made me have a great appreciation for the country. I wouldn't hesitate to book again with On The Go. ”  

Lovely guide, very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about his country. There were a few issues on the trip which he sorted out in the back ground while we focused on enjoying ourselves. Tour was good mix of hiking and culture. Got a real feel for the country. ”  

Jehan was a fabulous guide - he could explain cultural sites, showed us some local markets, was excellent at spotting wildlife and was a very safe driver as well. We were very spoiled, being the only guests on the trip. It was a good experience to visit some smaller places and get off the beaten track. The itinerary worked very well with less visited parks visited early in the trip. Yala NP was lovely, but gee, there were a lot of jeeps! Accommodation was very good: Wilpattu Eco Lodge was a great introduction to a tented camp. They served wonderful food. Farcry Wasugama was a bit strange as we were the only guests, but staff were very hospitable and welcoming. Gal Oya Lodge was a very special place. It is one of the best places we have ever stayed, and for us, Gal Oya NP was our favourite NP. We were upgraded to a suite at Uduwalawe. It was a lovely room. Jetwing Yala was also a very special place. When we return, we will definitely wish to spend some more time there. The Fairway Colombo was in a perfect city location. I fell in love with Sri Lanka - the country, the animals, the welcoming smiling people, the food. I can't wait to return. ”  

Fantastic saw all the places that where listed , very lucky with the weather the group on the bus where fabulous the guide he was great and it was my daughters birthday they decorated the bus with balloons and streamers and plus a birthday cake. Would definitely book On The Go Tour again. Sandra. ”  

Manoj was an excellent guide. He was informative and fun. He also went above and beyond when some of the group were sick and similarly when it was someone's birthday. The tour was well organised and well run in general. The hotels were all fantastic. The visit to the local village was lovely. The food in particular was excellent. ”  

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.”  

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.”  

Caroline Shaw was fantastic at all times

Akhtar was a fantastic tour guide

Brilliant tour, loved it all, will definitely be booking with OTG again!”  

Akhtar is an outstanding tour guide, on arrival my luggage had been delayed in Doha by Qatar Airways he supported me, giving me details of where to get clothes, gave me a lift to the shop, and then acted as my link with the airline. Outstanding service. During the trip he shared his knowledge and passion about Sri Lanka but also got to know each of us and we had a brilliant laugh as a group. We really felt like Akhtar became a part of the group. The trip allowed us to see so many wonderful sights, I highly recommended the trip and On the Go to my friends. ”  

Amazing tour. Some great treasures that we got to see. Most of the hotels included were great (Hotel in Marissa could be missed if not doing the whale watching, which we didn't, as the hotel wasn't good). I can not stress that this tour was made by the guide Akthar. An amazing guide, had a considerable amount of knowledge and knew how to interact with us all. He really did make the trip and kept us all together. Respectful to us and the locals. Just a great guide.”  

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

We are just wild about Wild in Sri Lanka.

We truly had the best guide, Akthar Mohamed. He was knowledgeable, funny, accommodating, interesting and easy to like. The hotels were great and the food was unreal. We felt that there were few changes that should be done....honestly the only thing that we were NOT happy with were the mini bars in the room. None of them were big enough to store a bottle of wine and none of them kept cold. We would go on another On the Go Tour in a minute. PS Our guide was the best and we wish to nominate him as Guide of the Year. Highly recommended company.”  

I was surprised with Sri Lanka and had a WOW experience. The free cold water on the bus was a daily lifeline! Akthar is an excellent guide. The bus driver did almost the impossible and the assistant was ever present, friendly and helpful. The itinerary was packed and therefore very good value for money. Thanks to On the Go.”  

We were very impressed with the faultless logistics of the tour. Everything ran so smooth that it made the lengthy travel and changing hotels hassle and stress free. We'd definitely use On the go tours again! ”  

We had Great time on this tour and well organised with excellent tour guides. On this tour we achieved more than our expectations. ”  

Excellent tour, excellent guide, nothing to think about except getting up early, everything was organised even carrying luggage to hotel room. Aktar had a great sense of humour too.transfer pickups prompt and efficient. Nothing was a bother to rearrange as and when needed. Thoroughly enjoyed the trip and would highly recommend it ”  

This was my first on the go tour and I was impressed with the good organisation and standards of accommodation throughout. Our tour guide Akthar could not be faulted. His knowledge was impeccable and he was able to tweak the tour to make sure we had the best experience. He was always able give practical advice about where to eat, how to get there etc and on one evening gave up his free time to accompany some of the group to a restaurant frequented by locals. He was very particular about ensuring that all food stops and comfort breaks were "clean" and no-one suffered from any gastric problems at all. He was excellent in reading the group to maximise our enjoyment”  

Akthar was an incredible guide! Very knowledgeable, highly professional and accommodating. I feel like Akthar made the whole trip for me.”  

This was a good introduction to the country and we certainly fit a lot in. Our tour guide, Akthar, was exceptional. He was very knowledgeable about his country and gave lots of information about the real Sri Lanka. He managed to keep the group organised and was on hand if any issues arose. I would certainly travel with on the go tours again in the future.”  

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. ”  

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.”  

Our tour was full on. Our guide was honest and warned us at the beginning that we would be "on the Go" for the most of the tour. It was amazing. He was amazing. We covered an incredible amount of wonderful, historic, cultural sites. Aktar was informative as well as interesting and amusing in all aspects of our trip. We knew it was a tour of Buddas but we did end up with one too many! Our choice of trip though. It was a good mixture, having the historic input then the beach to unwind. Everyone we came in contact with was friendly and helpful.”  

I would like to express my gratitude and thanks to Akthar in making our tour very enjoyable. Akthar is a very special person. He went above and beyond his duties to make out tour extremely enjoyable and run smoothly. Nothing was too much trouble. A genuine guy whom we all got on extremely well with. I am very grateful to him for not only organising the safe return of my passports which I left in a hotel but his invaluable help in sorting out photos required for my daughters visa, which was done in his own time.

As a group, we can't rate him highly enough.”  

The tour was absolutely fantastic, accommodation exceeded expectations and despite the early morning starts everything was brilliant. A special thank you to our guide Akthar who was friendly, knowledgeable and genuinely cared about our wellness and comfort throughout the entire tour.

Regarding the second part of our tour (the "Go Wild" part) our second guide Farzan was friendly and knowledgable about the animal species in the second park but did not seem as 'on the ball' as Akthar did. We were left mainly to our own devices in Galle and not accompanied in the final Flamingo National Park which was fine but having had such a great guide at the beginning of the week it was a slight come down, however this did not spoil the enjoyment of the holiday and I would most definitely recommend this tour to my friends.

Stay awesome Akthar! ”  

Sri Lanka was a beautiful country. This tour provided a very good variety of activities and scenery so we had a great holiday seeing many different sights. The highlight was definitely the Jeep Safari through the national park and the elephant orphanage. We had a great guide who was very knowledgeable and made the experience very easy.”  

Awesome tour with a superb guide and group of people. Accomodation and sights were fantastic, culminating with the safari in the Udawalawe National Park. The Kandy Festival, Sigiriya, train ride to Nuwara Eliya and home cooking in a local village were all great too.

The tea factory visit was a little disappointing; would have been good to see the whole process. Also the visit to the Spice Garden and Gem Museum seemed like they were just selling to tourists.

Overall a great trip and would recommend it to others!”  

The guide was great, the tour was very fast paced (Lots of early starts) but great fun and a really variety of different experiences and contrasts. The Safari, train ride and village lunch were the highlights for me!”  

This tour was very good, the hotels were all good the bus was very good and our tour guide Aktar was 1st class, very knowledgeable and helpful. He was well organised nothing was a problem. The tour schedule was a little rushed with no free time but because it all went smooth the slight bad points were irrelevant as the whole group had a good time. we can recommend this tour in confidence.”  

Manoj is an experienced Tour Leader representing On The Go in Sri Lanka.

Manoj did a lot of little things that made the trip easier in particular bulk purchasing water bottles that were freely available to the entire trip, a couple of times organised coconut water, fruits and nice creams, this really helps in the heat and humidity of Sri Lanka.

Additionally Manoj organised replacement activities when the Sri Lankan v Australia Cricket Test Match ended early and created an additional activity after the tour had ended for Isabel, Sarah and myself (whale and turtle watching) which was surprising and very welcomed.

This was an amazing trip covering a range of activities from landscapes, wildlife, temples, and locals. The real highlight was observing elephants in particular at watching them enjoy themselves at Pinnawala in a river, the baby elephants being hand fed at Udawalawe and roaming in the National Park.

Being a Buddhist nation ancient Temples and Stupas are going to be highlights on any visit to Sri Lanka which I thoroughly enjoyed in particular the Anuradhapura temples. But you will also find that a lot of these temples and stupas are on mountains or hills which offer great views in particular Dambulla Rock Temple and the Sigiriya ‘Lion Rock’ Fortress.

I would strongly recommend this trip, Sri Lankans are a very friendly people and as a tourist you are treated well without too much harassment. The the hotels and resorts used by this company are first rate and the experiences will stay with you long after leaving. You might struggle with the heat and humidity, I did, you might also struggle walking bare footed at the various temples, but in the end a trip to Sri Lanka is a great experience and On The Go did an excellent job. ”  

The tour war arranged really good. Akthar is a perfect tour guide. The tour chauffeur guide from day 8-10 was not as helpfull as expected, but polite.”  

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.”  

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”  

Thanks for a great trip, we really enjoyed it and absolutely loved Sri Lanka! The tour content was fantastic, but pace was too fast for me. I did want to see a lot so this tour definitely ticked a lot of boxes but I'd also have appreciated some free time to break up the activity- perhaps one extra day would make a difference? A few other comments:

- Standard of hotels was excellent, but we had very little time to enjoy them - particularly the nice pools! As above, would be nice to have a few hours here and there to relax a little

- The elephant orphanage isn't for everyone, some in the group found this a bit uncomfortable

- Colombo tour wasn't great as felt like we were driving round in circles for no real reason! Perhaps a walking tour would be better?

- Aktar was a really informative guide, and shared loads of interesting cultural insights which definitely enhanced the tour. His welcome meeting was far too detailed for me though, and he spoke for long periods on the coach trips, sometime this was too much.

Overall a great tour, but hopefully a few helpful comments to inform future planning! ”  

Thank you on the go tours! We had a fantastic trip. It was certainly 'on the go' from start to finish but we saw a lot which was one of our objectives as we wanted to make the most of the time available. The guide Akthar deserves a special mention-he was superb. His commentary was informative and entertaining and he went above and beyond to expose us to authentic Sri Lankan experiences. The trip was very well organised and the driver did a great job getting us around safely (no mean feat when you see how they drive in Sri Lanka)! I would recommend on the go tours and would certainly book another trip with on the go tours. ”  

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.”  

The hotels exceeded our expectations as did the breakfasts at each hotel. We thoroughly enjoyed the canoe trip to the local village and helping to prepare lunch. Aktar was an exceptional guide, knowledgeable as well as good fun and his tip for sunset drinks at the Ozo on a Saturday night with Jazz playing was spot on.”  

This was a terrific tour! It was a very quick fly by adventure with every day packed with at least 3-4 different exciting and interesting aspects to explore. The best part was our tour guide, he was so knowledgeable about everything and so pleasant and accommodating.

I would really recommend Sri Lanka as a place to visit and tours was very organised with eventful things to do and wonderful accommodation!”  

Overall the trip was great and well rounded and I have thoroughly enjoyed and loved the country. Aktar is very diligent and a credit to On The Go.

Suggested improvements: The Nuwara Eliya day needs activities added. Perhaps we should squeeze in a trip to the National Railway Museum to learn more about the rail. Eating at more local restaurants would be good too.

Loved all the elephants and monkeys and I will be booking another On The Go tour ASAP so I hope you offer a discount for subsequent bookings.”  

Had an excellent time Akthar was very helpful and informative. This was a very fast paced tour and feel that it should be lengthened a day or two just to give some people breathing space”  

Aktar is a brilliant guide. We have experienced many over the years and this enhanced the experience for us. His organisational skills and sense of humour was invaluable. Thank you”