Buddha and Beach - 12 days

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.

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.

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!

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.