Kimkim Trip Reviews for Sri Lanka

We had an absolutely incredible time in Sri Lanka! The hotels that Dhanushka suggested were really lovely, and we had some super memorable experiences including whale watching, staying in a tree house accomodation, staying in a beehive-like accomodation and picking our own tea! Dhanushka was always extremely quick to respond and answered all of our questions. Our guide and driver Mahendra was really helpful and accommodating—considering how much time you spend with the guide it’s really important to get someone great and we definitely did! Would definitely recommend booking this trip. There is so much incredible nature to see in Sri Lanka, with so much diversity! Coming from the United States, it was a bit of an adjustment that planning and time are viewed a bit differently (ie very common for trains to be late, certain smaller aspects of the trip are planned on the go rather than in advance) so for a western traveler it’s important to have a bit of a flexible mindset..but the experiences you will get in return are all very worth it!

I want to thank Dhanushka from KimKim for putting together a very memorable trip to Sri Lanka. My brother and I were looking for an opportunity to experience the culture, history, cuisine and people of Sri Lanka. The itinerary gave us the great opportunities to explore historical cultural sites, experience some exciting local activities and interact with local Sri Lankans. In addition, we explored the natural biotas of their mountains, National parks and ocean beaches. They gave us a very personalized itinerary and with our personal driver, Athula, extended that to accommodate my personal desires to bike Sri Lanka. He continuously gave us surprise interactions of little things that were truly Sri Lanka. I highly recommend their services. John (1/2024).

First and foremost, we are a returning kimkim customers, done about 3-5 trips with them. The local specialist delivered a terrible experience after paying a large amount of 1000's of dollars for this trip. This agency cant seem to retain employees as they seem to leave quick. The local specialist who built our tour itinerary left the company leaving it a rookie, who consistently kept on debating that it is all our fault (customer). We also felt, none of this local tour specialists themselves ever toured/traveled within Sri Lanka, thereby creating a paper itinerary with no actual experience of visiting the locations they are proposing nor seem to understand how long it takes to go from one location to another. This led us to change in itinerary in the last minute as the proposed paper itinerary led to situation where we would not have had the opportunity to see and experience the location they proposed we would spend 2 hours. Also they committed to delivering a 4 star hotels for the payment made, to a surprise we ended booking us at 3 star experience at a tented camp. This tented camp calls itself resort and spa, actually there is no spa. Kimkim operator suggested I schedule it with neighboring hotel for the spa experience. They absolutely have no clue what they are proposing, so beware what ever itinerary they propose to examine it multiple times, read the fine print. They also ended up booking a train journey on a 3rd class compartment after paying large sums of dollars. We strongly feel like bait and switch scheme here. All we received was a sympathy call from a kimkim customer service as our 2 voicemail left to our kimkim contact went not answered to return the call. We cannot believe kimkim has this kind of poor performing local tour operators. Another learning experience is just because we pay what they ask expecting them to deliver a stellar experience is not true. In summary both kimkim & the local operator delivered a 1 star experience. Only saving grace and shining star is the driver - Pathum, who went way beyond to make us happy. Rest of the staff, no care attitude and cannot be trusted.

Hotel Reviews

Flameback Eco Lodge

Weerawila

Authenticity & Character

Flexibility, accomodative

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Santani Wellness Resort & Spa

Kandy

Best place to stay, excellent experience, staff went beyond to make customer happy.

Authenticity & Character

experience,

Location

Serene, quiet, zen

Staff

Went beyond

Cleanliness & Comfort

98 Acres Resort & Spa

Ella

Very commercial and business attitude to customers.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Scenic train ride from Nanu-oya to Ella

Sri Lanka

Terrible experience, beware of the tour operator, they will book you into a 3rd class compartment after taking large sum of money.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Dhanushka has been a really great support and help to plan our perfect trip in Sri Lanka. He listened to our request and always made changes according to our new wishes. Communication with him was simple and he always replied really fast.
Our local guide in Sri Lanka, Mahee, was amazing! Always smiling, giving us good explanations and listening to our questions and queries. We loved our trip and we definelty recommend working with KimKim. We'll for sure use their services again in the future.

Amazed throughout the tour on how rich the country's history is. Tour was very lovely and worry free.

The trip was great and a wonderful way to see some of the country. Our driver, loxley, was great. Incredibly knowledgeable and nice!
The leopards nest was a great experience - we were the only ones in the resort so we had a private experience!
Next stop was Mahoora Tented Safari - for those needing AC, it was a little warm in the tents but the staff at the camp were absolutely wonderful! And the food was incredibly good.

Thank you again!

Our travel planner, Shehara, was amazing! We asked to do very "out-of-the-ordinary" requests for our trip, and he was so very helpful and flexible and accomodating. He also helped find a driver/guide, who was also amazing, Mr. Laki, also known as "Lucky". When Air India lost Craig's suitcase, Mr Laki made numerous calls to Air India, and helped coordinate the rendevous with the courier from Air India, to get Craig's suitcase, when it finally made it from India to Sri Lanka. Both Shehara and Mr Laki were extremely instrumental in making our trip to Sri Lanka truly a dream come true!! We are really indebted to both for our most wonderful time in Sri Lanka!!
Best regards to them both!!
Rani and Craig Milldrum

Hotel Reviews

Kumbukgaha Villa

Sigiriya

Authenticity & Character

Location

Little out of the way, but worth it!! Very nice!!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tembo Cottage Wilpattu

Wanamalgama

Authenticity & Character

Wonderful hosts and great food.

Location

Just outside of Wilpattu National Park

Staff

Always smiling and attentive.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very nice A/C room.

Activity Reviews

Visit the Sigiriya Rock Fortress

Sri Lanka

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore the Dambulla Cave Temples

Sri Lanka

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

An afternoon jungle safari ride at Wilpattu National Park

Sri Lanka

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I worked with three different trip specialists (Ramith was at the very beginning), but as always, it was a simple process with a rewarding trip at the end. Loved Sri Lanka and loved the experience there!

Hotel Review

Flameback Eco Lodge

Weerawila

This place is a gem. Such a neat "glamping" experience with beautiful surroundings in a natural Sri Lankan setting. Wildlife galore, and the service was 10/10. We loved it!

Authenticity & Character

Just stay here, and you'll understand!

Location

You feel like you're off the grid, but you have all the amenities needed to be comfortable.

Staff

They think of things you'll need or want before you even think of them or want them. Top notch.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very well kept, clean and comfortable.

Activity Reviews

Morning Safari in Yala National Park

Sri Lanka

Lots of great animal sitings! Got to see a rare siting of a sloth bear. :)

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit the Sigiriya Rock Fortress

Sri Lanka

Beautiful and a must see.

Quality of Experience

10/10 with sites, views and food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We had the best driver who had a lot of knowledge and lots of great suggestions. Truly made the trip special for us and went above and beyond.

Transport

No dogs were killed which was all I was worried about. If you've been to this country, you'll understand! Lol

Dhanushka did an amazing job in understanding the sort of trip we were looking for a friend reunion, he was checking in regularly to make sure we were well taken care of and promptly took care of a couple of last-minute accommodation changes. The itinerary was well thought out, the very active parts of the trip at the beginning and then mellowing down towards the end.
Dhanuka, our tour guide was a bright and cheerful face that would greet us every morning as we took off on our excursion (s) for the day. He would check in to see if we wanted to stop by at an attraction that may not have been on the itinerary. He gave great recommendations for food. Dhanuka made the trip very memorable for us, he kept us safe and always gave us a heads up on any do's and don'ts.

I cant recommend Dhanuska and Dhanuka enough for such a well thought out and planned trip!

Dhanuka was an amazing tour guide! So friendly, helpful, and informative. He showed up early for every pick up and was able to accommodate and last minute requests and changes we asked of him. He never stopped smiling and was friendly from the moment he picked us up at the airport until he dropped us off 9 days later. Would recommend him to anyone that is looking to have a relaxing, yet busy Sri Lankan experience.

Dhanuka was an excellent tour guide and made our trip memorable. And Dhanushka did a great job of planning the itinerary for us.

Sri Lanka exceeded our expectations! What a beautiful country with warm, welcoming people. Ajeed was a FABULOUS guide! He is incredibly knowledgeable about Sri Lanka and he tailored the trip to make each day memorable. The UNESCO sites are rich with history. Bandu our driver expertly navigated the busy roads keeping us safe.

Our trip to Sri Lanka was wonderful. Dhanushka was a joy to work with in planning the perfect trip, and he even came to meet us in Colombo. Our guide Ajit and driver Bandu were also fantastic. We went to Colombo, Dambulla, Polonnurawa, Mineriya, Kandy, and the hill country. I think my favorite parts were the elephant safari in Mineriya and the Cave Temples in Dambulla. All of the accommodations were great. It was also very affordable! I highly recommend Dhanushka and Koon Holidays!

Excellent trip and communication. Was my first time booking a trip online and the communication was strong and the airport pickup was smooth. Will visit again. Thank you!

Our chauffeur Kapila was very knowledgeable and flexible on travel times as needed.

Best memories:
* Lounging next to monkeys at the Heritance Kandalama
* Sunrise breakfast at Fox Kandy
* Learning country history at the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic
* Seeing dozens and dozens of elephants and a few crocodiles at the Udawalawe National Park
* Galle Beach and Galle Fort
* An air-conditioned car (it does get hot in the summer)

Our guides name was Agith, he was fantastic. Very knowledgeable and patient making sure to explain every attraction we visited with meticulous detail. A real pleasure to spend time with. Dhanushka, the trip oraganizer was always available and replied to me messages immediately. We only spent 5 days in Sri Lanka, but we felt like we managed to experience way more.

Highlights:
- Our driver
- Sigiriya guided tour
- Traditional meal in Dumballa
- Tea factory tour and tasting in route to Sri Padya
- Guided sunrise hike up Sri Padya
- Free time in Galle
- Hotel Welligama

Recommendations:
- Better communication regarding travel duration (too much time in car)
- More transparency regarding how trip fee is being used (hotels, guides, activities, food, etc.)
- Ensure drivers know best route between destinations (fewer kilometers does not always mean fastest route)

Srilanka is a perfect destination; combining nature, beach, cultural sightseeing with people welcoming you with smiling faces. Dhanushka put together a tailored tour helping us out until and after the booking for a great honeymoon vacation. A special mention also goes to our driver, Kapila -a true gentleman and the best chaffeur/guide. He looked after us and watched out for our well-being throughout the 10 day period. He was always on time and ready when needed. Would definitely recommend.

Activity Reviews

Safari in Udawalawa National Park

Udawalawe

Was not lucky to see a leopard in the safari; but an overall satisfactory experience. Close encounters with a lot of elephants, crocodiles and many types of birds.

Visit to Peradeniya Botanical Garden

Sri Lanka

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hike to Diyaluma Waterfall

Sri Lanka

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had an amazing time in Sri Lanka. Dhanushka has been an amazing help in planning the trip, and he was always reachable and responsive, he made sure to make regularly check-up on us, and accommodating to every request we had.
Our guide and chauffeur Priyantha was also great, he was very flexible in accommodating our asks, and he always suggested ways and activities we can enhance our trip, he was also very knowledgeable of Sri Lanka’s history and culture, and of the best rest-stops and restaurants while on road trips.

Sri Lanka is truly the wonder of Asia, it has amazing nature, culture, and food. We specifically enjoyed the Village Trip nearby Kandalama, which was like a trip in time, Horton Plains and Tea Production nearby Nuwara Eliya, and the Spices experience.

Sri Lanka people are very friendly, weather it is the hotel staff, or tour guides, or a random you are meeting at the street. The food is very delicious and has many varieties, and the fruit is as fresh as you can get.

Activity Review

Rural Village Trail in Habarana (Cycling, Boat Trip & Lunch)

Sri Lanka

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our trip was breathtaking....We were met at the airport in the middle of the night by Ruwan who was to be our fantastic, knowledgable and generous driver and guide throughout our 16 day trip. I highly recommend to ask for him specifically. He made sure entries into all the sites went smoothly and he was a safe and careful driver on very tricky roads. We were greeted at the hotel at 3am with fresh juice and a lovely hotel team. Next morning we met Ishan who was our amazing guide as well, predominantly but not only , when we were on our bicycles which was up to 6 hours a day. He cycled us, a party of 4 - 50 something old parents and 2 strapping 20 something old sons, through the gentle quiet roads, through forests pointing out all kinds of stunning scenery, the magnificent birds that he knew by name, up and down hills and through jungles. All are requests for what we were interested in...mainly the Sri Lankan life and as little as possible touristy places, were met gracefully. Every evening we sorted out the route for the next day....exactly according to our ability, interests and his advice regarding the best path, scenery. Both Ruwan and Ishan I can recommend very highly for their unfaltering reliability, knowledge, humor, kindness and understanding....The hotels were all superb...quiet places that all provided breakfast on the go and a wonderful dinner. We particularly enjoyed the camp sites in the countryside with fabulous views and our own lake to canoe in. Yasantha was in touch with our guides throughout and had been in touch all the time as we planning...with patience and understanding helping us plan our trip and with irreplaceable advice. I recommend everything about the trip.....Even after the trip was over our wonderful guides offered unlimited support to our son who stayed in Sri Lanka another 2 weeks. We would like to thank all of the kimkim team that provided the platform for Yasantha Ishan and Ruwan and for a life long memorable holiday.

Hotel Reviews

Fairview Hotel

Colombo

Very convenient and quiet in the midst of busy Colombo...Very comfortable and clean. Relaxing...perfect place.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Kinchigune Adventure Camp

Belihuloya

Camping for real in the heart of the country surrounded by birds, monkeys. The guy who runs the place was fantastic, welcoming and knowledgable. And the lake was incredibly warm and we could swim and canoe. Breathtaking scenery and wild life....birds, buffalo, dear....

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Camping with all its charm!

Lake View Comfort Bungalow

Nuwara Eliya

Unexpectedly unique place. Lovely staff cooked us a delicious meal. Great scenery all around us.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Thilanka Hotel

Kandy

Stunning room. Great views....lovely dinner including live music and European food.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Amaara Forest

Sigiriya

Loved it. Lovely rooms Beautiful surroundings, cool refreshing pool. Great service. Nearby lots of historical sites at Sirygia.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Big Game Camp -Wilpattu

Wilpattu

Middle of the jungle, camping in incredible style. Fantastic dinner and night nature walk....unforgettable

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Morning Star Resort

Negombo

Loved it, great garden lovely dinner perfect swimming pool

Authenticity & Character

Location

Just a short ride from the airport. Quiet steet

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lady Hill Hotel

Galle

Very interesting renovated hotel....super staff lovely swimming pool great views

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Big Game Camp - Udawalawe

Udawalawe, Angunakolapelessa

Ecocamps are a must for any trip in Sri Lanka....they are outstanding....on everything....

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Blue Magpie Lodge

Sinharaja

Loved it. Great large room. Beautiful surrounds. Very kind staff and great food.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Cycling Trail in the backyards of Sigiriya

Sigiriya

Ishan was a wonderful cycling guide and was the best we could have imagined. He fulfilled our dream of a cycling holiday....we cycled through villages, past lakes with countless birds, though forests and jungles and even through bustling towns...always with our warfare and satisfaction foremost in his thoughts....thank you

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

City Tour in Colombo

Colombo

Ruwan took us on a fascinating tour of the city. Memorable, interesting and diverse. Help us with some lasting minute shopping as well making sure we got a good deal.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had an amazing trip and were able to see so much in five days with a full itinerary. Our driver guide Kapila was an amazing driver and we always felt very safe. He also went out of his way to give us all the great and special experiences we wanted to make this a most memorable trip. Our tour operator Dhanushka was very professional and accommodating and helpful in order to make sure we received the best trip possible with the most positive and enjoyable experiences. Very well planned five full days of sightseeing. The people we interacted with were all extremely friendly and the staff at the hotels were very kind and helpful and provided excellent service. Our boat trip on Athena lake was peaceful and gorgeous. Our rafting trip on Kelani River was loads of fun with gorgeous views, We purchased an optional additional lunch which was a traditional wood fire cooked meal in a mud/coconut leaf constructed bungalow and was a very unique experience. To walk among the ancient historical sites that we visited was just awesome. Our elephant safari was magical. We saw so many elephant families with babies up close to our jeep and even saw elephants along the highway! Loved the beautiful scenery while driving through the forests, country side and mountains and the bustling towns as well. We also saw lots of monkeys during our trip which we enjoyed watching up close. The cultural show with traditional Kandyan dance was fabulous! So many highlights from our trip that we couldn’t have asked for a better itinerary and are so happy we booked with KimKim and the local tour company who gave us this amazing trip that we will never forget! We only wish we had more time to see more of this beautiful country. Been wanting to visit Sri Lanka for so many years and am happy to finally have experienced this wonderful destination. Was a long flight to get here (20 hours) but was more than worth it! Thank you for the memories!

Activity Reviews

Rainforest trail in Kitulgala

Sri Lanka

We did not do this activity due to the rain and did the river rafting instead which was beautiful and so much fun

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Discover Kandy: Temple of the Sacred Tooth visit

Kandy

Quality of Experience

Transport

Visit Sigiriya Rock Fortress

Sri Lanka

Unbelievable! It’s a climb to the top but they help and it’s worth the climb!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Elephant Safari in Minneriya National Park

Sri Lanka

Magical!!! So many wild elephants up close and lots of babies. Other animals like deer and monkeys and lots of birds and eagles too!

Quality of Experience

Lo

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Discover Ancient Polonnaruwa

Sri Lanka

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Vehicle & Driver

Sri Lanka

Kapila is an excellent driver! Very safe and showed us everything we wanted to see and take pictures of

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Evening boat ride in a catamaran & BBQ dinner

Sri Lanka

Very beautiful and peaceful boat ride along the calm waters of the lake followed by a lovely outdoor dinner poolside

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore the Dambulla Cave Temple Complex

Sri Lanka

Very impressive!

Quality of Experience

Transport

Enjoy a Refreshing Snack at a Roadside Food Stall

Sri Lanka

Quality of Experience

King coconut water stop and watching the monkeys

Transport

Colombo Lotus tower visit

Colombo

Quality of Experience

Transport

Explore Lively Colombo

Sri Lanka

Transport

Picked us up in early morning from airport so we could check in and rest before our tour later in the afternoon