Unique Experience - He is very professional and knowledgable in the industry. Very patient and sincere with sharing all the information about gems from geology to market. Very calming and slow tour to let us explore and really learn something out of it. Unique experience to learn about srilanka gems

Ahmed is a knowledgable... - Ahmed is a knowledgable and kind host who personalised this tour to my liking. It was great to see the gem cutting and heating process in real life and also visit the mines. Highly recommended.

Incredible experience! - Great Shipping I highly recommend. The price may seem a little expensive but we discover a side of Sri Lanka that few tourists have the opportunity to see. Amhed is a very good guide. His expertise in the field is very valuable. I told him I wanted to buy a sapphire. He guided me and organized stone presentations for me with serious suppliers in the region. He gave me confidence in my purchase and prevented me from being scammed. He was very adaptable to my requests. It was a wonderful experience, which I highly recommend. The price might seem a bit dear but you get to experience a side of Sri Lanka that few tourists have the chance to visit. Amhed was a very good guide. His experience is a real asset. I told him I wanted to buy a saphire. He helped me in my choice and organized a meeting with serious local suppliers. With him I was confident I was not being scammed buying a stone.

Must do gem tour from cruise ship port - After going on 30+ cruises to 4 different continents I will happily say this was the best adventure from a cruise ship I have ever been on. Ahmed picked us up and dropped us off right at the port. The price included breakfast and lunch at delicious, clean, local restaurants selected by Ahmed. Our private tour felt like a backstage pass into the Sri Lanka gem industry. We were able to see every phase of the gem process, from the mine to the finished product, and Ahmed shared his expertise with us every step of the way. He showed us the Sri Lankan gem markets up close and explained the techniques the traders used and guided us on what to do and not to do. This is hands down the best way to get a glimpse into the gem industry. He patiently answered hundreds of questions from us throughout the day. Ahmed personalized everything for us. He learned what types of stones we were shopping for and used his expertise to help us secure them. I only bought the stones I wanted and did not feel pressured to spend more than I budgeted. He guarantees the stones are authentic and which eased my anxiety about making such a big purchase abroad. In addition to teaching us about gems we learned so much about Sri Lanka from Ahmed generally. He explained the local foods we were eating together at breakfast and lunch. He also added optional extra stops along the tour for king coconut, durian, and mangosteens. By the end of the tour, Ahmed was no longer just our tour guide, he became our friend. We are already looking at our calendars to see when we can come back to Sri Lanka and when we return we will hopefully be spending more time with our new friend Ahmed.

Great Day. - Had an excellent day with Ahmed. He went out of his way to make sure our experience was more than we expected and he succeeded. Highlights included local breakfast and lunch, mine tour, heat treating tour, and gem shopping. Ahmed not only fully explained the various stages of the process from ground to finished product in English but answered our never ending questions. My favorite part perhaps was our gem purchasing because Ahmed freely shared his extensive knowledge and experience relating to Sri Lankan gems.

What a wonderful experience!!! - If you can only book one tour about gem stone, Shreek is the best choice for sure, we are so happy with the whole experience, not only learned lots of the knowledge about the gem stone but also had the chance to see the mining and polishing process and so on. I really hope I can go back again!!!

Educational and enjoyable! - This was a fascinating tour. We saw how gemstones are heat treated and how they are cut and polished. We visited gem mines. The real value of the tour, however, were the explanations and insights Ahmed provided. He is very knowledgeable about the gem world and explains things with clarity and humor. He is fluent in English. We highly recommend this tour for anyone interested in gems or interested in purchasing gems.

Must do gem experience! - If your an expert or an absolute novice when it comes to gems (like myself) Amhed's experience he's created is incredible. He can fully tailor an experience to anyone's needs; for me and my partner, we wanted fairly chill- see the gem industry workings and buy a few small gems. Ahmed controlled the situation at all times and helped us make good informed decisions. It was an absolute pleasure and a highlight of the trip. Highly recommend.

Worth. Every. Penny. - You can stay in Colombo and buy gemstones there, but if you really want to understand the trade you need to visit Ratnapura, and this tour will get you there. We had an incredible time on this day-long tour. Our guide (Ahmed Shareek) was highly experienced in the gem trade and was able to get us into several behind-the-scenes locations to help us understand and learn all about gemstones, from the geology to the gemology. We could tell he loved his work and loved sharing it with others. He enjoyed answering all of our questions about gems and Sri Lanka in general - he made us want to return to see everything in the country we missed! He easily accommodated our specific requests (we were there to learn, not to buy expensive stones). When we saw another couple get overwhelmed by sellers at the Ratnapura open-air gem market we knew we had made a wise choice in hiring Shareek. We will look him up again to guide us when we return to Sri Lanka. I cannot recommend this tour highly enough.

Authentic and very worthwhile - We joined Ahmed for a 2 day gem safari and it was really great. Ahmed met us at the airport and took us for a wiz tour of Colombo as it was quite late. The next morning, we headed out bright and early towards Ratnapura, our ‘big’ destination point. As we drove, Ahmed assessed our interests and adapted the tour to meet our specific requirements. We stopped at a market selling rough gemstones but quickly moved on as the prices were very high. Getting to Ratnapura, we headed to the gem market. We were shown a very old faceting machine which was if interest to us, and a quick divert to the bridge to see the river and an amazing huge volume of fruit bats hanging from the trees. Then, with the skillful guidance of Ahmed, we were able to meet some of the traders and see their gemstones. Having Ahmed at our side, absolutely made all the difference to ensure we selected authentic gems. He was the conduit for both seller and buyer. It was an exciting day. The next day we visited another market selling rough gemstones. It was an absolute experience and exactly why we made this trip, although we didn’t buy anything, so it was just Look, See and Absorb. Whilst our trip was not for sight seeing and our needs very specific, I can also see how a 1 or 2 day trip with Ahmed would be really interesting for anyone interested in learning about the historical and current gem trade in SriLanka which is part of their heritage. For us and anyone in the gem industry, a trip with Ahmed as guide and facilitator is invaluable and his passion for gemstones and showing Sri Lanka is authentic.