What a great day with Shaminda! - Shaminder our guide and driver picked us up at the port. He greeted us with a big smile. His car was nicely air conditioned and very comfortable. We had a instant connection with him. He drove us to all the places listed plus accommodated our request to pick up a quick lunch and washroom break. He knew we had to be back at the ship at a certain time and assured us that it would not be a problem. Shaminda shared his wealth of knowledge with us and we learned a lot during this tour. We also had a lot of laughs along the way. It was like touring with a friend. The cruise was breathtaking and we loved the turtle sanctuary. We ended the day with trying stilt fishing which was fun. All in all we had a great day filled with wonderful memories. Thank you Shaminda!

A LOVELY DAY OUT WITH A GREAT GUIDE - Our trip to Galle was fun and informative. Vidu greeted us with a huge smile and spoke great English. He was very knowledgeable about the places we visited and landmarks on the way. The riverboat safari was a highlight. Do make sure you have enough cash to pay and extra for tips. A lot of places do not take cards. The turtle sanctuary does take cards and the guide was able to explain how and why the turtles often ended up there (nets, pollution, sharks). Most are released but some will not be as they would not survive. Driving through the Tsunami village was emotional, seeing the places still standing but showing the effects of that terrible time. The contrast in seeing the beach so beautiful and the sea so blue made it hard to believe what actually happened there! Galle was very interesting and Vidu had a lot of knowledge about the fort and lighthouse. We asked to skip the Mask factory as we preferred to spend our time outside sightseeing. We were taken to Jungle beach, a beautiful secluded place with lots of wildlife around it. I wish we had bought our swimming gear as it would have been lovely to spend more time there. The last visit was to see the stilt fisherman which we believe is more for the tourists now but nevertheless interesting to see. Vidu really made this trip. He was friendly, chatty and really made the day. We would totally recommend.

Excellent tour for South Sri Lanka - I just had the best day! Vidu is very knowledgeable and seems to know people everywhere. I loved that he also knows the local spots and does not just take you to the obvious tourist places. Same with the food, I was able to try the real stuff instead of the „not-so-spicy“ tourist version. Loved it! I am left wanting to see more of Sri Lanka. As a solo traveler I can whole-heartedly recommend Vidu and this tour.

Good guide with good tour - Vidu is a professional guided and we do everything on this tour ,maaduriver boat ride and turtle is amazing,also we go to the jungle beach it's really nice. excellent service and good company I highly recommend.

Full Itinerary - Caution about the length of time for the tour. Because of the distance needed to cover, our guide (Sean) rushed to show us most of the places but we still did not have time for the river tour, pagoda and lunch within the 8-10 hrs advertised and be back to our ship on time. There are a lot of places to cover. He was however excellent, accommodating, and knowledgeable. We had a couple of other time challenges (late start) but most importantly is that the supplier was empathetic and understanding. Not all tours go smoothly for whatever reason, but my wife and I rate this company and guide full marks because of their customer service.

Door-to-door Galle Fort with Guide - Day trip to Galle Fort and surrounding area.... Our Guide & driver was Vidu Wanshaja... an ever smiling, every ready & ever helpful person...! Picked us up from our Hotel at 9:30 am and off we drove to Galle Fort in the South.... Talkative and good descriptions of the places along the route... stopped to treat us to the local special coconut water from the roadside vendor at a picturesque location at a beach .... also special Sri Lanka Bananas at another location.... Afternoon, took us to a famous place which is reputed to be where Lord Hanuman is reputed to have brought the special sanjeevani herb to cure Lord Lakshman, since he couldnt recognise, he brought and placed a part of the hill at this location! Wonderful... then took us to an isolated unknown beach downhill (its quite a downhill walk, but worth it) for a late lunch.... a wonderful tiny beach with a shack called Sansthara Fishing Line rustic but with toilet facility... Galle Fort was a must visit for its serene location, nice Cafes and the fort walk..... watch out, everything starts shutting down by 8:30 to 9 pm.... Evening set out on the drive back... Vidu could easily participate in an F1 race and win it if it took place during peak traffic in Colombo city! breakneck would be an understatement! All in all, a pleasant trip (except for the evening driving skill display) and certainly recommended...!

Our driver Vidu tried... - Our driver Vidu tried hard during the day, drove us safe, and was very enthusiastic. However, I felt that the latter part of the tour (in Galle and the stilts fishing, the beach) was a bit rushed. So I suggest spending lesser time in the earlier stops (I would say the Turtle Sanctuary - maybe even skip it) so you can spend more time in Galle Fort, one of the beaches (where you can feed Turtles in the ocean) or even two, and also maybe wait for the sun set if the stils fishermen if time permits.

Excellent driver but beware of what's not included - We enjoyed our day. It was a long day almost 11 hours and we moved pretty quickly. Our driver was excellent - he gets 5/5. He was friendly, and consistently tried hard through the day. Be aware that there are a number of day tours from Colombo down to the south coast with similar destinations. The description of this tour is clear that it does not include the cost of the entry into the Sea Turtle Conservation Project or the cost of the River Safari. What it does not say is the cost of those attractions. We were charged US$20 each for entry into the Sea Turtle Conservation visit. There was no published price list when we go there we were just told how much we had to pay. The visit lasted about 30 minutes. On top of that we were expected to make additional (small) donation and pay a tip to the person showing us around. For the river safari, we were told we were going to a 'local operator' favoured by domestic tourists. We were driven to a jetty at the back of someone's house and told that it was US$60 for two people for the one hour boat ride. We were the only people there and there was no published prices. The local guide who took us around the river on the boat tried hard, but spoke very limited English. So in summary it was a good day but it would be better if the tour operator was clearer about the additional costs.

Very disappointing day trip from Colombo - This was a very disappointing experience leaving us grateful to have made it back to the ship before it sailed. The day started well. Our guide met us at the port as arranged. It was a private air conditioned car so we were pleased and we set off. He told us first stop was Galle fort. Excellent we thought. It was a long drive but he was chatty and all was going well. We arrived at Galle and he told us to have a look around and meet him back at the car in 40 mins. That started alarm bells as we expected him to be a guide not just a taxi, however we did as told and walked around the fort. 40 mins is not long to be there. It’s well worth a visit but go for the day or at least a few hours. Back in the car he then started checking the itinerary to see where next and to consult google maps. He admitted he hadn’t worked that area before so how he was supposed to be a guide was unclear. We went to jungle beach, having taken wrong turnings and finally asking for directions. Lovely but not worth the trek if you are only going to take a photo. Next lunch. It took 1 hour 15 mins and further wrong turnings before he found the restaurant, during which time he told us we wouldn’t see the stilt fishermen as they were all off as it was a holy day (later saw other peoples photos of the stilt fishermen so this was clearly a lie). The lunch was good. Next river safari. Finally found it and as we were about to board the boat we were asked for 100 dollars for a 40 min boat ride. We refused and at this point lost our temper about how bad the day had been. We finally agreed to pay 60 dollars so that the day wasn’t a complete failure. It was an interesting boat ride but sort the price when you book. Finally turtle hatchery. Driver announced we didn’t have time for this but there was something similar just round the bend. It was a sea life centre! At this point we insisted that he checked Maps to see how long it would take to get back to the ship. We were 2 hours away, it was 4:30pm and the ship sailed at 7. Having to convince him we needed to go straight away he drove erratically to the point where he got pulled over by the police and we had to convince the police to let him keep going. I’ve never been so relieved to get back on board ship. This was a taxi not a tour and the driver failed us by not pre checking routes, understanding the area and generally giving a damn. I have given it two stars rather than one as the destinations were good. The bit that needs to change is a tour guide not a driver and a boat trip inclusive price or at least an indication of expected cost. It could probably be improved by focusing on 3 things rather than trying to do everything.

Extremely overpriced, arrogant driver & overhyped - Fleecing Money from tourists seems to be the only objective of this trip vendor. Extremely overpriced & arrogant driver.