Aug 21, 2024
Really great desintion - It was such a great desition to travel Sri Lanka with Gihan. I went with two friends and I must say it would have been inpossible to have such a nice trip without him. Gihan is such a nice guy who was helping us with everything we wanted to. We really hat a lot of fun big recomendation.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Aug 21, 2024
Gihan is truly the best driver in Sir Lanka! - Best Driver in Sri Lanka!
Gihan is not only a driver, he is a tour guide, support network (something goes wrong), translator and now also a good friend!
We are incredibly happy that we decided to hire a driver, not only because of the traffic in Sri Lanka, but also because you get a complete package with Gihan.
Gihan is committed and helps you with everything that happens. Whether planning the tour, organizing a new hotel or negotiating prices in the market.
It couldn't have been better for us! You notice that Gihan also has the experience to choose the right activities + (very important) to find the right time for it. (e.g. when to go to Lions Rock to avoid the crowds of tourists)
We mostly planned our trip ourselves, but then made a few changes with Gihan on site (on his Recommendation) that were really an asset.
We once had problems with a hotel and then did not feel comfortable there and when we called Gihan he was 15min later at the door with several recommendations for other hotels nearby.
All in all, we are very happy that we took a driver and that it was Gihan!
Is really recommended to everyone!
Thank you for everything!
Max, Zeno and Flo from Austria
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Aug 19, 2024
5 days with Ashen/GTSL - My son and I booked a 5-day tour. I planned the tour from home in advance with Gihan by email. He responded to all our wishes with great ideas and was very quick and uncomplicated in replying and very patient with me :)
Ashen was our driver and companion during the excursions. He is a great and fine person, was very empathetic with my son and very flexible with last minute changes of plans.
The wonderfully selected accommodation, the safari and the cooking class were a highlight for us!
We went backpacker style and treated ourselves to this 5-day tour in the middle of the trip and we didn't regret anything!
If you are looking for a great, dedicated team with a lot of local history and warmth, then book with GTSL!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jul 19, 2024
12 out of 10 points for Gihan Tours! - We made an 8-day Sri Lankan round trip with Gihan Tours (Yala - Ella - Kandy - Sigiriya - Passikuda - and can recommend a round trip with him 150%.
Gihan was not only always super friendly, punctual and extremely safe to travel, but also learned us a lot about country and people.
He was there for us 24/7 and supported us always and everywhere (change money, get tickets, book tours etc. etc.).
Even our 10-year-old son was absolutely enthusiastic about Gihan and had a lot of fun with him. Whether nausea in the car, or assistance with rock climbing - Gihan was always and everywhere a huge Help center for us.
We had planned the itinerary together with Gihan in advance and agreed a total price that was adhered to exactly to the euro. No hidden costs. Also the answers of my felt 17 question emails in advance (: were included in it. Even short-term adjustments of the tour (e.g. change of the daily schedule) were no problem. Especially with children in our view an important point.
During our round trip we saw many other travelers with other providers. Partly broken cars (with which we would not have dared to ride), partly extra costs or unreliability.
We can heartily recommend anyone - especially families with children - to discover Sri Lanka with Gihan Tours and thus play it safe.
"There are providers" - especially on Facebook & Co, who charge prices around USD 50.00 for a day's round trip - but accordingly is the service, comfort and especially the safety!!!! We were able to convince ourselves of this on site. 😱
Long story - in short - we give it 12 out of 10 points for Gihan Tours. 🤗
Thank you for the unforgettable Sri Lankan experience that will accompany us for a long time to come. For the many magical places and the many information about the country and people.
But above all for the fun, safe and unforgettable tour!
Greetings from Vienna.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jul 10, 2024
Save Tour drought Sri Lanka - Best choise ever! Our driver Ashen was perfect! He showed us a lot of things, which we would have never seen without him. He was very symphatic and always on time! 100% recommended!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jul 8, 2024
Relax and enjoy! - Best choice ever! So easy and carefree. Everything went as planned. We saw a lot in a week, and exactly the destinations we wanted. The hotels were chosen for us and all were good! The car was spacious and air-conditioned, our driver Shamath drove really safely.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jul 5, 2024
Unforgettable 9-day Tour with Gihan Tours through Sri Lanka - Our 9-day tour through Sri Lanka with Gihan Tours in May was an unforgettable experience that we will cherish for a long time. From the initial contact to the end of the trip, everything was perfectly organized and tailored to our wishes.
Booking and Communication:
The planning and booking of the trip went smoothly thanks to excellent communication with Gihan Tours. Whether via email or WhatsApp, our inquiries were always answered promptly and thoroughly. Gihan was very flexible and accommodated all our individual requests, which gave us a good feeling right from the start.
Itinerary:
Our journey took us from Negombo to Sigiriya, Kandy, Ella, and down to the southern part of Sri Lanka. Each stop on our route was well thought out and offered us a variety of cultural and scenic highlights. Particularly impressive were the ancient rock fortress of Sigiriya, the cultural capital of Kandy with the Temple of the Tooth, and the breathtaking tea plantations in Ella. A special highlight was the two safaris we took: one in Sigiriya and one in Udawalawe National Park. Both safaris were excellently organized and gave us unforgettable insights into Sri Lanka's rich wildlife.
Transportation:
We traveled in a comfortable mini-van, which was ideal for two people and had plenty of space for our luggage. The van was not only comfortable but also well air-conditioned, which was very pleasant given the warm temperatures. Our driver and guide Ashen was always punctual and drove very safely, so we felt well taken care of at all times. His driving was calm and secure, and he knew the best routes to get us to our destinations quickly and comfortably.
Accommodations:
The accommodations that Gihan selected for us were excellent. We stayed in charming, smaller guesthouses and B&Bs, all of which were very clean and had friendly hosts. Each accommodation had its own special charm and significantly contributed to our comfort.
Activities and Experiences:
Our guide Ashen made the trip extremely varied and exciting. He organized impressive safaris where we could experience Sri Lanka's diverse wildlife and took us to picturesque waterfalls that we hiked to. Additionally, we visited numerous temples and historical sites that provided us with deep insights into the country's rich culture and history. Ashen's extensive knowledge and enthusiasm made every activity a special experience. He was always attentive, responsive to our needs, and made the trip truly special with his friendly and professional manner.
Food and Drink:
The breakfast at the guesthouses and hotels was always plentiful and delicious. During the day, we tried local snacks at small cafes or roadside stands, which gave us an authentic taste of Sri Lankan cuisine. In the evenings, we enjoyed local specialties either at restaurants or at the hotels. The variety and quality of the food were impressive and a real highlight of the trip.
Value for Money:
The entire trip was worth every penny. The excellent organization, comfortable accommodations, exciting activities, and especially the individual care provided by our guide made this tour an outstanding experience.
Overall Rating:
Our tour through Sri Lanka with Gihan Tours was an unforgettable time full of beautiful experiences, impressive nature, and warm encounters. We can wholeheartedly recommend Gihan Tours and would plan a trip with them again at any time. A big thank you to Gihan and especially to our great guide Ashen for this wonderful trip!
Tips for Future Travelers:
We recommend future travelers to take their time exploring the local cuisine and enjoying Sri Lanka's breathtaking nature. It is worthwhile to remain flexible and allow for spontaneous discoveries, as often it is the unexpected experiences that leave the most beautiful memories.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jun 5, 2024
Perfect Sri Lanka experience and rainforest - Our driver Ashen was extremely accommodating to all of our wishes. He carried out the days of the tour optimally, professionally and yet in a very pleasant, calm manner. In addition, he always brought us to our next destination comfortably and safely. He is a wonderful driver. Overall, I really liked this way of traveling (with a driver and a self-assembled program). Thanks to the organization of Gihan Tours and Ashen's execution of the rather tightly planned itinerary, we were still able to enjoy the days to the fullest and I was able to concentrate on taking photos.
A very special thank you for that.
Ashen played a major role in the success of this wonderful trip.
Best wishes from Germany, Barbara
Review provided by Tripadvisor
May 13, 2024
The 10 days with Gihan-Tours were the highlight of our 20-day Sri Lanka vacation. 100% recommendation! Thank you! 🙏☺️ - First, let's talk about contacting the provider: Gihan is an incredibly friendly and competent contact person with whom we planned the tour quickly and easily. He always responded to our requirements and gave us valuable tips. Even changes to hotels or during the trip, for example, were no problem. The price was not cheap, but realistic. Sri Lanka has suffered extremely from the Corona crisis and prices have developed accordingly, especially those for petrol. We met other people on the way who had rented a car themselves... these stories were frightening. The rental companies sometimes rented out defective vehicles and then you have to drive them yourself in a foreign country with left-hand traffic 🫣 The van from Gihan Tours, on the other hand, is high class in Sri Lanka. Spacious, modern, air-conditioned, comfortable and very clean. 👍
Our plan: After spending a week with my wife's family in the north of Sri Lanka, we really wanted to see some of the beautiful rest of Sri Lanka. So our 10-day tour began when Ashen picked us up in Jaffna and drove us to the first place, Sigiriya.
A quick word about Ashen, our tour guide and driver. Ashen is an incredibly great person, a young, polite man who became a friend over the course of the trip. We had great conversations and he was always responsive to our requests. He was also very competent and was able to answer many of our questions about the country, culture and sights. He was a safe driver and, above all, our two children Laila (6) and Ben (5) felt extremely comfortable with him. He even helped us on strenuous excursions and took the children by the hand. Ashen has a great sense and often left us alone as a family for moments and sometimes turned down invitations to eat together. At first I thought that was a shame, but then we realized that it was very professional because he wanted to give us time as a family. And at other times he was very "close". ☺️
We had chosen the following destinations beforehand and are so happy to have had such great experiences:
SIGIRIYA: Pidurangala Rock, Lion Rock, Safari
KANDY: City tour, Temple of the Tooth, Culture Dance and Royal Botanical Garden. On the way to Kandy we visited the Golden Temple of Dambulla and the Mathale Hindu Temple.
NUWARA ELIYA: Primarily as a stopover for the legendary train ride from Nanu Oya to Ella. We saw a beautiful waterfall here and visited a tea factory.
ELLA: The entire trip was an absolute highlight. But if there was a top highlight, it was Ella. Little Adam's Peak, the 9-Arch Bridge, our dream hotel (Chille-Ville), the Diyaluma Falls and so on.
UDAWALAWE: Another great elephant safari. Before that we visited the elephant orphanage. Since we were really lucky in Sigiriya and saw elephants, we would have preferred to skip this stop in retrospect. But not because it wasn't beautiful, but because we missed about 1-2 days by the sea afterwards, which we would have liked to have spent there.
After Udawalawe, Ashen took us to Tangalle, where our tour together ended. Without Ashen, we then spent another two days in Tangalle and two more days in Mirissa before heading back to Germany. By chance, Ashen was also able to arrange our transfer from Mirissa to Colombo airport.
We can fully recommend Gihan Tours and are absolutely delighted with their professionalism, friendliness, flexibility and speed (we always received quick feedback from Gihan when planning). You are not just a "driver", but a real travel companion.
Therefore: 100% recommendation! 👍
Thank you Gihan & Ashen! 🙏
Review provided by Tripadvisor
May 7, 2024
Great 2-week trip with our family! - We contacted Gihan a year before our trip and planned the trip together via email. Communication was very reliable and Gihan was responsive to our requests.
We really enjoyed our 14-day tour. Everything was carried out as discussed and our guide Kumara was very reliable, friendly and made the trip a success!
The prices were clearly communicated from the start and we had no hidden costs.
The vehicle (large van) was in top condition and Kumara drove very safely.
We can highly recommend Gihan Tours! We experienced a lot and really enjoyed the trip!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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