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




