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

I should have written this review a LONG time ago - but you know how things can be. I was finally prompted to do so as I was talking with friends about Sri Lanka last night and many great memories came flooding back.
My Singaporean wife and I (UK) went on holiday to Sri Lanka in 2001 and had not really planned anything in advance so really came across Rana by chance on the ground in Colombo as we had decided to book a tour - and we are so glad that we did. We only took a relatively short tour on that visit (Kandy, Sigiriya etc) but Sri Lanka and Rana made a huge impression on us. Rana was kind, thoughtful and knowledgeable and we knew that when we came back we would try to use him again.

We did not expect it to take as long as 14 years but when we decided to go back with our kids - by then 11 and 8 - Rana was just as we had remembered him. This time we went on a much longer tour, up to Sigiriya and the cultural triangle and then all the way down through tea-growing areas, visited a nature reserve (yes we saw a leopard!) and then stayed at a beach resort on the south coast before heading up to Galle and back to Colombo. About 2 weeks in total - and one of the best family holidays that we have ever had.

Rana was the perfect driver and host. He somehow managed the perfect balance of guiding, educating and taking care of us, whilst also knowing when to give us space as a family. The places where we stayed were truly amazing - simple and great value but with some extraordinary views and experiences. In fact the only accommodation that we did not enjoy was when we ignored Rana’s advice and booked a hotel at one stop! Lesson learned - trust Rana’s recommendation!

Most of the planning was done in advance, with Rana happy to give us options based around his standard tour and modifying further to suit our specific needs.

Obviously Rana cannot be everywhere all the time and once we were settled at the beach resort for a few days he left us to start a tour with another group - but having made perfect arrangements so that we were picked up by one of his colleagues for the journey north.
We have absolutely no hesitation in recommending Rana to anybody thinking of visiting Sri Lanka.

Uno de los mejores viajes de mi vida y desde luego una de las mejores opciones para visitar el pais. En mi caso nuestro conductor fue Upul, solo tengo palabras de agradecimiento para el. Alegre, atento, adelantandose a los problemas que pudieramos tener , aconsejandonos sitios de interes, restaurantes, excursiones... increible.
Gracias gracias gracias.


Desde españa . Un abrazo

We travel with Upul for 10 days, he was the best driver-tour guide we could ask for. He show us the best places in Sri Lanka and took care of us during all of our stay in the country. Rana organices all the trip and he was making sure eveything was great all the time. I will recomend this trip with Upul and Rana to all of my Friends.

Para los españoles que lean esto: es la mejor opción para visitar srilanka. Gente muy muy amable, de total confianza y a muy buen precio.

Abrazo a todos!!! Thanks!!!

During our stay, Martis accompanied us to the most beautiful places in Sri Lanka. He was available and helpful. Very accommodating and good advice for places to visit, hotels and also change currency. Our stay would not have been exceptional without his help, he was our guardian angel. I celebrate my birthday in Sri Lanka, he offered me several gifts, he is great and has the sense of trade. Thank you very much Martis, we will advise you to our friends who will come to Sri Lanka.