“Trötta efter lång resa med barn blev vi hämtade vid flygplatsen av en glad Samantha! ??
Vi tog oss ner till Mirissa, där han fixade biljetter till Valsafari + tuk-tuk dagen därpå. Vi såg valar ? men tyvärr inte delfiner eller sköldpaddor. Rekommenderar inte att åka båt med endast kineser (de mår inte bra på båtar!?)
Mycket bad och relax i Mirissa. ?☀
Sedan vidare till Yala där Rana/Samantha anordnat safari i Nationalparken. Vi fick se leopard och elefanter m fl andra djur! ???? Jättekul och spännande tyckte vi alla! Var beredda på bumpy roads!
Vidare till Ella som var fantastiskt vackert med underbart magisk utsikt! Samantha ledde oss till Nine Arch Bridge i hällregn, vandring på tågbanan tillbaka till Ella. Tyvärr förstörde det ihållande regnet lite vår upplevelse, men mycket mysigt ställe.
Nästa stopp Nuwara Eilya med teaplantage besök och shopping. Planen var att vandra till Hortons Plains men det blev inställt delvis pga regnväder och en förkyld liten kille! Samantha och jag shoppade istället vilket var riktigt trevligt!
Rafting ? i Kitulgala blir ett oförglömligt minne för hela familjen! ?✌
Kandy visade sig från sin bästa sida! Royal Botanical Garden var fantastisk med gigantiska träd och vackra blommor. Samantha tyckte vi skulle besöka Tooth temple tidigt på morgonen vilket visade sig vara klokt! Fantastisk och intressant upplevelse tillsammans med min äldsta pojke och Samantha. Vackert, stilla och rofyllt! ?❤
Sedan julfirande på hotellet! Tack för det Samantha! ?????
Kort men lagom vandring i vacker, häpnadsväckande djungel strax utanför Kandy!
Nästa stopp: Sigiriya. Mysigt hotell. Samantha rekommenderade oss att starta vandringen uppför Elefantklippans trappor så tidigt vi kunde, vilket vi gjorde och är återigen tacksamma för goda råd från Samantha! Vilket ställe! Ett måste anser jag på resa i Sri Lanka! Samantha följde mig till museumet på eftermiddagen medans grabbarna badade i pool och slappade ”Inte för många besök överallt mamma!” Balans är viktigt vid resa med barn! ??
Vi har varit på kryddträdgård, träsniderifabrik. Stannat vid vägen för att köpa cashewnötter!
Lång väg tillbaka ner till Bentota området i sydvästra SL, men Samantha körde så lugnt och kontrollerat så vi alla i familjen sov gärna i bilen! Oskar, 10 år, sov nästa varje bilresa (eller hur Samantha!??) Vi vill tacka Dig Samantha för att du alltid var på gott humör och så service-minded på resan men ffa att vi nu kan kalla dig vår vän! Tack! ??
Nu ska vi klara oss själva på resan! ?
Vi rekommenderar verkligen Travel with Rana (som varit mycket professionell och inte jobbigt påstridig som många andra driver-företag var) och vår chaufför Samantha!

Tack Sri Lanka! Keep on smiling please! ????❤”

Sri Lanka was on my wish list for many years so I was expecting a lot from this trip and I wanted to enjoy a mix of everything (nature, culture, traditions, Ayurveda, Buddhism, etc.) that Sri Lanka could offer. It was not an easy task for Rana at all ;-) (I am so sorry Rana for that :-) but Rana as my trip designer did an amazing job of organizing my memorable holiday. I had a few chats with Rana via facebook and told him what I would like to visit and do and he customized my itinerary according to my desired preference.
I felt very safe with him from the first moment at the airport. Each hotel/apartment was very clean and the staff were warm and friendly. Every restaurant where I ate at had incredible food but my favourite was the pancakes with coconut and organic palm honey and Srilankan ginger beer.
The most memorable highlights of my trip were quite a few things, such as the village visit combines with their traditional transport and demonstration of the preparation food on banana leaves, Polonnaruwa, mangrove and rain forest adventures, Hindu temple in Matale, Ayurveda spice garden, Ayurveda massages, Tea plantages, rice fields, etc. In Yala national park the Safari was impressive. The rock "climb" on Pidurangala was adventurous and challenging (the view is fantastic there especially Sigiriya Rock which is listed in UNESCO).

I think that it took more than a bit of patience from Rana to accomplish my goals but he was patient with all my wishes (nothing was impossible for him). There is only one "negative thing" during travelling with Rana that for sure you WILL MISS HIM immediately when you will say "goodbye" at the airport because he is a very kind person. I can honestly highly recommended the travel with Rana in Sri Lanka!!! It will be your BEST choice ;-).

If I could take the trip again I would spend more days in Sri Lanka with Rana.

A VERY BIG THANK Rana for EVERYTHING!

Somos un grupo de 5 amigos españoles que viajó a sri landa con rana este verano. Contacté con el por las opiniones que encontré en internet. Y creo que no nos equivocamos. Hicimos una ruta por la isla de 15 días y nos acompañó Anu, un conductor que trabaja con rana. Resulto ser muy discreto, prudente, puntual y limpio. Y lo más importante, totalmente de fiar. Desde el primer momento nos dio mucha tranquilidad y confianza estar acompañados por el. Al mismo tiempo respetaba nuestros espacios y tiempos, dejándonos hacer las cosas a nuestro aire. Durante todos esos días rana también estuvo pendiente de nosotros (via tfno) y de que todo fuese bien. El país nos ha encantado y disfrutamos un montón de su increíble naturaleza, los paisajes, la gastronomia, su cultura y su gente!!! Gracias!

We (a family with three kids – 5, 8 & 10 years old) wanted to visit Sri Lanka for three weeks and were looking for a local guide who could help us with organising the journey (incl. Hotels / guesthouses, site visits, safaris…).
Our friends recommended Rana – they travelled with him a couple of years ago as a family (2 adults & 3 kids) – so we reached out to him to check his availability and ideas.
We approached Rana via mail and agreed on key aspects of the journey. He responded very swiftly via Email and Whatsapp and was asking for our ideas and preferences to come up with a travel itinerary that fitted our needs / wishes. The whole preparation efforts were very easy and trustworthy. Rana was always asking what we would like to see but also gave clear recommendations what to do or not to do (e.g. bearing in mind the rain season).
We wanted to see a lot of nature, landscapes and animals. Travelling with kids can be a challenge but Rana was always helpful and caring to also cater for the needs of the kids (e.g. considering sufficient breaks, good family restaurants). Rana always engaged with us to plan the activities for the day so that we could also adapt our plans on short notice.
We and our kids had great trust in Rana and we felt being in very good hands (e.g. jointly climbing up some peaks in Ella or Sigiriya to enjoy the great views).
The selection of guesthouses / hotels and restaurants were great. Yet, for Rana it was very important to ensure that we were happy with the rooms and the food – he was always asking if there is anything that needs to be adapted or changed and asked for our feedback. We did not have any reason to complain on any of the visited spots but it was great to see that customer satisfaction was very important for him.
Who is Rana? Rana is a calm, positive, friendly and very kind „guide“ with a huge knowledge about his country, the nature and culture of Sri Lanka that he is very willing to share with his guests.
We travelled together with Rana for 2.5 weeks and there was not a single moment where we felt not being take care of. Rana is a wonderful person who is always there for you if you need him but who gives you also sufficient individual space for you and your family.
If you are considering to visit Sri Lanka – be it individually or as a family – then chose Rana! The country is marvellous and very diverse – without Rana we would not even have seen half of it!

THANK YOU!

We spent 20 days in Sri Lanka with Samantha (the driver arranged through Rana). Samantha is an outstanding driver, always solicitous and ready for everything we wanted to do. We enjoyed very much talking to Samantha about the country, the people, budhism, traditions... Samantha was very kind and patient with our children andthat's not easy! Thank you!

Éramos tres amigas que queríamos aprovechar al máximo los 9 días completos que teníamos para visitar lo más importante de Sri Lanka. Desde el primer momento en que contactamos con Rana ya tuvimos claro que lo elegiríamos a él. Ya desde España hablábamos con él por whatsapp, y nos montó una ruta para hacer en esos 9 días. Él mismo nos buscó todos los hoteles, los cuáles entraba el desayuno.
Nuestros horarios de vuelos eran un poco raros, ya que llegábamos a Colombo a la 1:45 de la mañana. Nuestro vuelo finalmente se retrasó y llegamos 1h más tarde. Ahí estaba esperándonos uno de sus chófers que directamente nos llevo a nuestro primer destino, Anuradhapura, donde ahí ya pudimos conocer a Rana, que fue el que nos llevó de ruta por el país. Al sexto día tuvo un problema personal y tuvo que irse con su familia, pero al día siguiente teníamos a otro miembro de su equipo que terminó con nosotras la ruta planificada con Rana.
Comentar que todos los hoteles estuvieron genial, estaban un poquito apartados de las zonas más céntricas pero en todos la atención y el servicio fueron inmejorables. Los hoteles de Ramboda falls y Ella unas vistas impresionantes. Quizás, por poner alguna pega, el hotel de Mirissa estaba un poco en medio de la nada, pero la playa estaba genial, solo comentar que tenían un montón de perros por la terraza y la playa que en ocasiones molestaban un poco, de hecho creo que nos picaron algunas pulgas al final del viaje por estos perros...
En cuanto a la ruta, todo fenomenal, Rana está super pendiente de todo. El día que estuvimos en las Ramboda falls, a pesar de que ese día el tiempo no acompañaba mucho, cuando vió que mejoró nos propuso llevarnos a otras cascadas situadas al lado a unos 20 minutos, espectaculares.
Desde aquí agradecer a Rana y su equipo por hacernos pasar unas vacaciones inolvidables,a pesar de pillarnos el primer día de llegar a Mirissa los atentados; por lo que el último día no pudimos visitar Gale, ya que nos fuimos directamente al aeropuerto, ya que era el lugar más seguro.

We went to Sri Lanka for our honeymoon, Rana helped us since the first minute, but he got ill last minute and wasn´t able to drive us. He arranaged everything for us to find another driver, and he called us plenty of times during our trip to make sure everything was good.
The country is great but our driver (wicky) made the experience unforgettable, he picked us up from the airport and was our guide for almost all of our tour. He knows exactly where to take tourists to enjoy the best of every city. He was also happy to listen to our suggestions and willing to take us to the best places of local food. He was always on time with a clean air-conditioned car and he made us enjoy the trip so much. I would definitely call him again if we ever go to Sri Lanka again.

Dear Rana,
We had a wonderful holiday in Sri Lanka - what a beautiful country and lovely people!
We were so lucky to be driven by Samantha. He is an excellent and careful driver - whether negotiating heavy traffic or a rough dirt road. When we climbed the mountains in a storm, he got us through floods and landslides safely to our destination.
Samantha quickly became our friend and understood what we liked to do (and what we do not like!). He was able to make this happen, even when we took him to places new to him. We enjoyed sharing our holiday with him and had many laughs along the way.
The only thing we did not like was that minibus! It seemed to be a good idea to us also. Yes, there was space, but the seat was uncomfortable, especially for Roger as he is tall so could only see out by bending down or laying back, and there was not enough space for our feet. We both finished with sore backs.
However, the holiday was very good and we take home many happy memories. We will certainly recommend Rana to our friends. We will post on Trip Advisor With best wishes.
Claire and Roger Garnett