Thanks to DEs and a quick trip report

scotland
Level Contributor
190 posts
55 reviews
42 helpful votes
Thanks to DEs and a quick trip report
Save

Hi guys just back from our Wildlife Safari with Kuoni and wanted to let you all know how we got on.

First of all thanks for all your help in answering my questions before we went and I spent hours reading everything I could on this form before we set off - but we still managed to get caught out but more of that later.

Day 1 - overnight in Mount Lavinia Hotel. Enjoyed our stay here, great location, good room which felt as if we were nearly in the sea! The train running behind the hotel didn't bother us as the noise of the waves drowned it out! Our driver arrived mid afternoon to introduce himself and he made a very good first impression. We ate in the dining room and the food was lovely even though they had lost our reservation and couldn't give us an outside table it was no big deal.

Day 2 - drive to Nuwara Eliya and overnight at the The Grand. What a drive! Sri Lankan drivers are crazy ....Our driver informed us that he had only been given the job the day before as no other drivers wanted to do the Safari Tour and it was clear that he didn't know where he was going. He kept stopping passers by and asking for directions. He managed to miss out the tour of a Tea Plantation and factory as per our itinerary, which he kept asking to look at. However we arrived safely and had a great New Year at the Grand. Loved the quirkiness of the hotel - the buffet was great, the entertainment good fun and the fireworks were lovely.

Day 3-6 Drive down to Yala - even crazier drivers and a road in the process of being built! Fabulous scenery with a stop at a lovely place in Ella sorry can't remember the name but the pineapple juice was great and the view outstanding. We spent 3 nights at the Chaaya Wild and it was amazing. We loved the whole set up here, the beautiful jungle chalet, the meals, the staff and, of course, the wildlife. We did 2 safaris which were fun but I can't say I enjoyed trying to spot 2 leopards through 20 or so jeeps which all raced to the same place and then tried to get as close as they could even hitting each other in the process. The leopards just ignored the whole thing and slept through!

Day 6- 8 Drove onto Kalus Hideaway for elephant spotting and bird watching. Enjoyed our stay here, another quirly place which had good and bad points but overall was lovely. HAving gone from trying to find elephants along with 20 other vans we fell over them iin Uda Walawe. That was what I went for - to see wild elephants in their natural habitat, wonderful.

Day 9 - overnight in Bentota Beach Hotel. Did not realise the drive time involved in the whole tour but it was worth it.

We had a great holiday but there was a real problem for us with this trip - with the exceptions of Chaaya and Kalus we founf everyone was looking for tips. It started when we arrived at the airport when we were waiting for ur bus to go to the hotel. We had walked out to the pick up point with the driver and, as he pulled up a man appeared and lifted the cases from the pavement into the van, he then demanded money from each of the group. This attitide was everywhere - at Bentota Beach the security guard asked us for money.

Our driver kept telling us how poor the country was and how happy he was to see us tipping staff. He tried to sell us an optional safari at Yala for 8000 rps but when I refused the price dropped by 3000. We accepted that price and were happy with it but he decided we needed atracker as well as a the driver. The tracker never spoke, didn't seem to contribute anything to the trip but stood with his hand out at the end. I understand the poverty in the country - I saw it all around us - and I realise that what we were tipping in terms of sterling was not a lot money but I found the whole thing very annoying.

On the last day our driver asked if we wanted to go to the Turtle Hatchery. He told us about what they did and how they had applied for a government grant to fund the important work. He asked 3000rps for the trip and we agreed - I should have researched this but didn't have time. Of course you will know that this is a very small concern which we could have visited ourselves for about 100 rps plus a donation. I told him how unhappy I was but he seemed unconcerned and totally unashamed - I didn't see him pay any fee to the centre or to the staff there.

We have visited Kenya and Borneo before so we have experienced similar cultures. It is such a shame as the staff in both Chaaya and Kalus were friendly, warm and couldn't do enough for us. I know not everyone will be happy with my observations but I wanted to let you know our experiences.

Thanks again for all your help

Newcastle upon...
Level Contributor
17,206 posts
196 reviews
137 helpful votes
1. Re: Thanks to DEs and a quick trip report
Save

Hope you enjoyed your holiday in Sri Lanka & you want to return for a less hectic holiday in future. I do think a lot of people spend a lot/too much of their holiday actually travelling about, which isn't so relaxing, once you know what travelling in Sri Lanka is like.

I think with the getting hassled for money all the time, you just have to harden yourself to it & say no all the time. There are a lot of poor people in the country & it can't be easy/nice for them to see all the "rich" foreigners enjoying themselves on holiday. At least some of your holiday spend will be going to the local people, so you're helping in some way

.

California
Level Contributor
574 posts
36 reviews
21 helpful votes
2. Re: Thanks to DEs and a quick trip report
Save

"The tracker never spoke, didn't seem to contribute anything to the trip but stood with his hand out at the end"......

JMC27 - Thanks very much for the trip report. The problem with the trackers has been one of the biggest problems in Yala, next to the overcrowding and excessive speeding of vehicles. The complaints with the trackers are that they sit silent in the vehicle, do nothing, and expect a tip at the end. The customary tip (confirmed by tour operators) for a tracker is Rs.200-300, and that is only if he gives you good service. I, personally do not tip for bad service.

Being a frequent visitor for more than 3 decades to Yala, I also find that most trackers do not want to go with me, which I believe is that word has got around. In fact, I have even told my driver to tell the tracker that I did not give him money beacuse he did not talk one word or assist in any way. I also find my driver as one of the best wild life spotters, who has never failed me. On the other hand, I have found good trackers, but unfortunately, they are very scarce. The best I found was at Bundala last month, who knew the scientific name and nickname of every single species we saw - which were dozens!

I think the problem is with the visitors who tip the trackers Rs. 1000 - 1500, which I have seen happening several times. When this happens, they expect the same from everyone, and think that every tourist is a loaded bank.

As for the jeeps, the present rate is Rs. 3500 per safari, no lower. The rate is the same for locals and foreigners. This was confirmed last month when I spoke with several safari operators. You will of course, have to pay for the entrance tickets. See my report on Yala on TA dated Dec 8.

Cheers.

Robbie

scotland
Level Contributor
190 posts
55 reviews
42 helpful votes
3. Re: Thanks to DEs and a quick trip report
Save

Hi Jay

Yes we did enjoy the tour - maybe I didn't make that clear enough. I would not have missed it and as I said we have visited similar areas before so we were aware of the conflict between "rich" tourists and the locals. I wasn't aware though of the amount of travelling involved but then again we aren't sitting around tourists and the beach/pool only holds my attention for a very short time so the itinerary suited us.

Robbie I had read your previous posts which was why I knew that the 8000 quoted was too much. Our driver was excellent - he appeared to know more than the tracker and was really friendly and helpful, and an excellent driver given the state of the roads. Half the fun was negotiating the track!

Thanks again

Antarctica
Level Contributor
784 posts
1 review
4. Re: Thanks to DEs and a quick trip report
Save

I agree with the porters at the airport. they basically grab the bags and demand money. Tourists locals alike. I would rather get into an argument regarding taking personal belongings without approval, rather than giving any tip.

5. Re: Thanks to DEs and a quick trip report

-:- Message from Tripadvisor staff -:-

This topic has been closed to new posts due to inactivity. We hope you'll join the conversation by posting to an open topic or starting a new one.

To review the Tripadvisor Forums Posting Guidelines, please follow this link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/pages/forums_posting_guidelines.html

We remove posts that do not follow our posting guidelines, and we reserve the right to remove any post for any reason.

Removed on: 03 March 2013, 10:30
Get answers to your questions about Sri Lanka
CA$CAD
United Kingdom
© 2021 TripAdvisor LLC All rights reserved.

This is the version of our website addressed to speakers of English in United Kingdom. If you are a resident of another country or region, please select the appropriate version of Tripadvisor for your country or region in the drop-down menu.