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Ikshula Weerasinghe

Ayubowan! My name is Ikshula, fondly known as Ikshu in the team. I am an avid nature lover and a travel enthusiast. I was born and raised in Sri Lanka, a country known for its natural beauty, cultural heritage, and stunning landscapes. From a young age, I developed a deep appreciation for the great outdoors and spent much of my childhood exploring the lush jungles and soaring mountains that surrounded me. My love for nature and adventure has only grown stronger over the years, and today, I am a passionate trekker, hiker, and birding enthusiast. Whether I am exploring a forest or scaling a mountain peak, I am in my element when surrounded by the natural world. I also love camping, and there's nothing quite like sleeping under the stars and waking up to the sound of birdsong and rustling leaves. Aside from my love for nature, I love reading and do bit of photography as well.
For the past eight years, I have been working in the travel industry, and it has been a dream come true. As a travel specialist, I take great pride in crafting tailor-made itineraries that perfectly match my clients' needs and desires. I have a keen eye for detail and a passion for creating unique travel experiences that leave a lasting impression. Whether you're looking for an action-packed adventure, a peaceful escape into nature, or cultural immersion, I am here to help you plan the perfect trip. With my knowledge, expertise, and passion for travel, I am confident that I can create a truly unforgettable experience for you.

What places and activities do you specialize in?

"I am a luxury travel specialist with a passion for creating tailor-made holidays that exceed expectations. With extensive experience in crafting bespoke itineraries for VIPs and celebrities. I have become renowned for my exceptional service and attention to detail. My expertise extends to Sri Lanka, where I offer exclusive experiences that showcase the country's stunning scenery, fascinating culture, and abundant wildlife. I am particularly adept at designing family-friendly holidays and committed to delivering a one-of-a-kind travel experience that will stay with you forever."

How did you get involved in travel?

"From a young age, I had the opportunity to explore various places with my family. My parents always had a deep appreciation for nature, and they made sure to take us on trips that allowed us to experience the beauty of the country. These experiences left a lasting impression on me and instilled a love for nature within me. During my school years, I became actively involved in conservation projects, where I worked towards protecting and preserving wildlife. My passion for the environment grew stronger as I spent more time in nature, and it made me realize that I wanted to pursue a career in this field."

Please share a unique travel experience you will never forget.

"I recently embarked on a 3-day trekking adventure through Sri Lanka's breathtaking hill country, accompanied by a group of fellow enthusiasts. Over the course of the trail, we traversed through cloud forests and tea plantations, taking in the stunning scenery and immersing ourselves in the natural splendor of the region. It was a truly magical experience, with each night spent camping under the stars and discovering hidden gems such as secluded waterfalls and untouched landscapes. Along the way, we also had the pleasure of meeting some of the friendly locals, who shared their stories and culture with us. Overall, it was an unforgettable journey that left me with a renewed appreciation for the beauty of nature and the joys of adventure."

Ikshula is part of the following groups: Sri Lanka Travel Agents
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Recent trip reviews for Ikshula

Very enjoyable, well planned and executed trip.
Sri Lanka | Feb 3 - Feb 12, 2020

Neville
Neville K.
Spain | Reviewed on Feb 14, 2020
Our guide/driver LaLa was very professional, always on time and drove with great care. The hotels recommended were excellent throughout. We restricted ourselves to the southern part of Sri Lanka which worked well for us as distances between our stops were short but take a long time. We spent a long time sitting in the car where every town looked the same. Sri Lanka is very green and surprisingly to us very clean unlike other similar countries. The people throughout were fabulous, happy... Read more

Our guide/driver LaLa was very professional, always on time and drove with great care. The hotels recommended were excellent throughout. We restricted ourselves to the southern part of Sri Lanka which worked well for us as distances between our stops were short but take a long time. We spent a long time sitting in the car where every town looked the same. Sri Lanka is very green and surprisingly to us very clean unlike other similar countries. The people throughout were fabulous, happy smiling faces greeted us everywhere. We enjoyed a lovely holiday, well and efficiently organised and executed.
Would happily recommend Shalindra in Kim Kim who was patient and very efficient in helping us plan this memorable trip.
Best wishes to all.

Local specialist: Ikshula Weerasinghe
Ikshula
Ikshula Weerasinghe
Local specialist in Sri Lanka | Replied on Feb 17, 2020

Hi Neville,

Thank you for very much for your lovely feedback and I'm happy to hear that you enjoyed the tour in Sri Lanka.

Please do spread your words to family and friends to visit our beautiful country.

Best Regards,
Shalindra

Great trip and guide and local people who pro...
Sri Lanka | Jan 29 - Feb 6, 2020

R
Robert A.
Canada | Reviewed on Feb 08, 2020

Great trip and guide and local people who provided services as per the plan

Hotels all good with one exception on the last night when a local disco partied all night preventing sleep. This should have been known easily by Kim Kim with a little bit of research into reviews of the hotel by other people. This hotel should NOT be used again. Very disappointed that our trip conclude on this sour note

Local specialist: Ikshula Weerasinghe
Ikshula
Ikshula Weerasinghe
Local specialist in Sri Lanka | Replied on Feb 11, 2020

Hi Robert,

Thank you for your feedback about the guide and local people with the services. I'm sorry about the situation you had to face during your last night where a party was happening outside the hotel. We will make sure not to promote this hotel for our future clients due to this experience we had to face.

Please do spread your good memories with your friends and family .

Thanks,
Shalindra

Sri Lanka - a wonderful place to experience
Sri Lanka | Dec 7 - Dec 13, 2019

G
Glenda B.
Australia | Reviewed on Jan 01, 2020
Overall a very enjoyable and enlightening trip. A real mix of nature, beautiful scenery, fascinating people, remarkable history, delicious food - and scary driving (not by our driver).
The diversity of the country was surprising - beautiful and relatively clean sandy beaches - better than most you will find in Asia.
The accommodation in general was very good - topped by the historic and immaculately presented Grand Hotel at Nuwara Eliya, although the Deer Park Hotel out close to the ancient...
Read more

Overall a very enjoyable and enlightening trip. A real mix of nature, beautiful scenery, fascinating people, remarkable history, delicious food - and scary driving (not by our driver).
The diversity of the country was surprising - beautiful and relatively clean sandy beaches - better than most you will find in Asia.
The accommodation in general was very good - topped by the historic and immaculately presented Grand Hotel at Nuwara Eliya, although the Deer Park Hotel out close to the ancient remains at Polonnaruwa had a beautiful setting overlooking a broad lake and with interesting features. The only disappointment was the Yala Adventure experience where the glamping tents could have done with some maintenance and the mosquitoes were too friendly.
The history at Polonnaruwa and Lions Rock was amazing - equal to any we have seen elsewhere in the world..
We did enjoy our brief stay in Kandy but found the hotel selected - although providing a beautiful outlook across the broader Kandy area, was just too far out and on a steep incline to allow an easy exploration of this ancient capital. Our program had us somewhat stranded for the afternoon in the hotel when we would rather have been exploring.
The traditional meal preparation provided by some local families was surprisingly good.
Our driver and guide, Shan, we always very well presented, spoke excellent English and thankfully a safe driver - we always felt safe in his clean and modern Prius car. We would have appreciated it more if he had joined us climbing Lion Rock and when we were walking around Kandy and the botanical gardens so we could have learnt more of the history and culture of this intriguing island and its varied people.

Local specialist: Ikshula Weerasinghe
Ikshula
Ikshula Weerasinghe
Local specialist in Sri Lanka | Replied on Jan 15, 2020

Hi Glenda,

Thank you very much for the feedback given about your trip in Sri Lanka. All points are taken well noted and specially the Yala Adventure glamping tents with mosquitoes. We have informed the hotel about this and they will make sure not repeat for our future travellers.

Please do spread your lovely experience about Sri Lanka to your family and friends to visit our beautiful country.

Kind Regards,
Shalindra

Sri Lanka Stay
Sri Lanka | Dec 15 - Dec 24, 2019

A
Andrew C.
Australia | Reviewed on Dec 28, 2019

We had a great experience with kimkim.

Shalindra was very helpful during the organising phase. He was quick to respond, adapt and had our best intentions at heart.

Our guide, Ossie was just as good. Not only did we get a personal chauffeur but a local who cared greatly about his country. He wanted us to experience Sri Lanka fully (which we did!). The experience wouldn't have been half as good without him!

Local specialist: Ikshula Weerasinghe
Ikshula
Ikshula Weerasinghe
Local specialist in Sri Lanka | Replied on Dec 30, 2019

Hi Andrew,

Thank you so much for your lovely review about your tour in our beautiful Island 'Sri Lanka'. I'm happy to hear that you enjoyed and experienced the best in Sri Lanka. It was a pleasure in organizing your tour and hope you will visit again.

Please do pass your lovely comments to family and friends so they will also visit Sri Lanka in the future.

Thanks again,
Shalindra

10-day trip of Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka | Dec 13 - Dec 22, 2019

C
Clare L.
Australia | Reviewed on Dec 24, 2019
The hotels selected by the local specialist Shalindra were all good quality and value options. The driver organised through the local specialist was a very experienced driver and a great tour guide with good local knowledge of the history and customs of the area. The trek to the Knuckles Mountain Range was a highlight, we had the expertise of a local guide, tracker and medic all accompany us on the tour. The visit to the local village was a little unorganised, the bike tour was short and not... Read more

The hotels selected by the local specialist Shalindra were all good quality and value options. The driver organised through the local specialist was a very experienced driver and a great tour guide with good local knowledge of the history and customs of the area. The trek to the Knuckles Mountain Range was a highlight, we had the expertise of a local guide, tracker and medic all accompany us on the tour. The visit to the local village was a little unorganised, the bike tour was short and not very well explained by our guide, but we had a great lunch in the village and the food was exceptional. We were a little disappointed by the tour of Kandy, which took in a gemstone factory and wood making workshop, which were not part of our original itinerary and were not of interest to us, so felt like a bit of a waste of our time, as we had not requested these stops and would have liked more time in the city. We also were unsure around tipping throughout the trip, as we had spent a significant amount of money already on hotels and food, to then be told by the driver that tipping at least $1000 RP per tour guide was expected this was annoying as we had assumed all tours and guides had already been pre-paid. I would suggest that the tour company should be more upfront about these additional costs, other it seems like there are many hidden costs, that although the tipping is voluntary, we were not made to feel like this was the case. Overall we were happy with the itinerary and tour organizer, but more detail from them around what was covered in the costs and the tours would have been invaluable before we arrived.

Local specialist: Ikshula Weerasinghe
Ikshula
Ikshula Weerasinghe
Local specialist in Sri Lanka | Replied on Jan 15, 2020

Hi Clare,

Thank you very much for the feedback given about your trip in Sri Lanka. All points are taken well noted and I'm sorry for not informing about the tipping as it is more of a customary factory in Sri Lanka. But will keep this is in mind to inform our future travelers.

Please do spread your lovely experience about Sri Lanka to your family and friends to visit our beautiful country.

Kind Regards,
Shalindra

As someone who usually plans all my own travel.........I am happy we went with KimKim!
Sri Lanka | Nov 3 - Nov 9, 2019

M
Mindy K.
Napa, CA | Reviewed on Nov 30, 2019
As someone who usually plans all my own travel.........I am happy we went with KimKim!
As someone who usually plans all our own (extensive) travels and doesn’t particularly like traditional tours, KimKim’s model intrigued me. I liked that they surveyed the type of trip I was looking for. I loved the fact that they use destination contacts local to the region. I loved the fact that they did all the vetting of guides and accommodations for me. Then, with so many options in my chosen destination...
Read more

As someone who usually plans all my own travel.........I am happy we went with KimKim!
As someone who usually plans all our own (extensive) travels and doesn’t particularly like traditional tours, KimKim’s model intrigued me. I liked that they surveyed the type of trip I was looking for. I loved the fact that they use destination contacts local to the region. I loved the fact that they did all the vetting of guides and accommodations for me. Then, with so many options in my chosen destination and unfortunately a tight time schedule, I appreciated the customization based on all of the above.
We had a wonderful (albeit too short) tour of Sri Lanka. Shalindra listened to us well and put together the exact itinerary we were looking for. He was knowledgeable, communicative and responded quickly to any questions or concerns. He was available for support before and during the trip. Kapila, our guide, was friendly and knowledgeable. He was good company and a very safe driver at what appeared to us to be very challenging road conditions???
We loved the chosen boutique hotels and found the country fascinating. We will return to Sri Lanka to cover more ground when we can allot the amount of time that It deserves. Thanks to all involved.

Local specialist: Ikshula Weerasinghe
Ikshula
Ikshula Weerasinghe
Local specialist in Sri Lanka | Replied on Dec 02, 2019

Hi Mindy,

Thank you very much for your lovely review given to us about your experience had in Sri Lanka. It was a pleasure of mine to communicate with you and meet all the expectations at the trip planning stage.

Please do spread your word among your friends and family to visit our beautiful country Sri Lanka.

If you plan another trip please do contact me again!

Best Regards,
Shalindra

Amazing Trip
Sri Lanka | Oct 27 - Nov 9, 2019

Dineia
Dineia P.
United Kingdom | Reviewed on Nov 21, 2019

We had plan to visit Sri Lanka this year, however after the events at Easter time we almost gave up this trip. We are glad we have done it. Just spend 2 weeks in Sri Lanka with Kimkim and I totally recommend it.
We had a great time here and we have visited amazing places. Sri Lanka is an amazing destination that combines awesome nature, landscapes, history, beach and food.
Anoj was great, always helpfull during the trip, making this a wonderful experience.

Local specialist: Ikshula Weerasinghe
Ikshula
Ikshula Weerasinghe
Local specialist in Sri Lanka | Replied on Nov 22, 2019

Hi Dineia,

We are so glad that you enjoyed your stay in our beautiful island.

Thank you very much for your lovely comments and we are very grateful you visited Sri Lanka as planned.

Please spread your words and lovely experience among your friends and family too.

Thanks again,
Shalindra

Alden & Carly
Sri Lanka | Apr 21 - Apr 28, 2019

A
Alden J.
Somerville, MA | Reviewed on Oct 27, 2019

We had an absolutely amazing Time. Mr. K was a gracious host, extremely knowledgeable, personable and a great conversationalist. I would recommend this trip to anyone.

Local specialist: Ikshula Weerasinghe
Ikshula
Ikshula Weerasinghe
Local specialist in Sri Lanka | Replied on Oct 28, 2019

Hi Alden,

Many thanks for your lovely feedback given with regard to your trip to Sri Lanka earlier this year. And hope you would recommend it to your family & friends to visit our beautiful country.

Thanks again,
Shalindra

Addamo holiday
Sri Lanka | Oct 4 - Oct 12, 2019

M
Marie A.
Australia | Reviewed on Oct 16, 2019
What an amazing tour. From the moment we considered this trip Shalindra offered assistance. We catered everything to our wants and our dreams were fulfilled. Kapudeh (forgive the spelling) was informative and helpful but also intuitive, giving us time to breath, time to enjoy and time to sit back and watch the amazing scenery of Sri Lanka pass by. Our guide went above and beyond. We stopped where we wanted, ate what we wanted and shopped where and when we wanted. We loved the Leopard... Read more

What an amazing tour. From the moment we considered this trip Shalindra offered assistance. We catered everything to our wants and our dreams were fulfilled. Kapudeh (forgive the spelling) was informative and helpful but also intuitive, giving us time to breath, time to enjoy and time to sit back and watch the amazing scenery of Sri Lanka pass by. Our guide went above and beyond. We stopped where we wanted, ate what we wanted and shopped where and when we wanted. We loved the Leopard Safari, the Elephant Safari and the home cooked meals in a working farm. The tea plantations were amazing. The hotels were all great but our favourites were Deer Park and Fern Gully. Deer because it was first class with first class food (dodgy internet but worth it for the breathtaking location. Fern because it offered an oasis of quiet. The grounds were spectacular and the peace was blissful. With only a couple of rooms, this hotel offered privacy in an old, authentic, colonial building. We met the happiest man on earth who worked there. Shalindra, you offered us a great trip and we received a spectacular one. Thank you

Local specialist: Ikshula Weerasinghe
Ikshula
Ikshula Weerasinghe
Local specialist in Sri Lanka | Replied on Oct 20, 2019

Hi Marie,

Thank you so much for your lovely feedback given about your recent trip to Sri Lanka. I'm overwhelmed by your comments and it was a pleasure to arrange all the services for you and to select unique hotels for your stay to make it more memorable.

Please do visit us again and do forward your memorable experiences to your family and friends to visit our beautiful country.

Many Thanks again!
Shalindra

Sri Lanka Adventure
Sri Lanka | Jun 22 - Jul 6, 2019

S
Sari M.
New Zealand | Reviewed on Jul 08, 2019

We were do happy we did not cancel out trip to Sri Lanka. The country felt very safe and we loved every minute of it. The Easter Sunday bombings were a terrible blow to this country but we hope in no time tourism will be thriving again.
Our specialist Shalindra was excellent at working with us in developing an itinerary that fit our desired and also our driver Mr Anoj, was great and we felt well looked after.
Thank you very much KimKim team for providing us with a memorable trip.

Local specialist: Ikshula Weerasinghe
Ikshula
Ikshula Weerasinghe
Local specialist in Sri Lanka | Replied on Jul 09, 2019

Hi Sari,

Thank you very much for your lovely comments and we are very grateful you came to Sri Lanka as planned with your family.

Please spread your words and lovely experience to your friends and tell them its safe to visit Sri Lanka.

Thanks again,
Shalindra