Private Driver for 14 days in Sri Lanka

Avoid at all costs

Scam – stay away! We spent two weeks with this company, using two vehicles: one for us and one for our parents. It was a complete disaster from start to finish. The drivers changed almost every day, sometimes they simply sent random Uber drivers, they forgot to pick us up on several occasions, and many of the drivers spoke absolutely no English. When we complained, the manager claimed that we had been informed in advance that both the drivers and vehicles would change regularly. This is simply false. We were never told anything like that. To make matters even worse, halfway through the trip they terminated the service for my parents because they dared to complain after being repeatedly forgotten in the mornings. The company refused to provide any refund and simply abandoned them in the middle of Sri Lanka to fend for themselves. Ironically, it was only after being left on their own that my parents were finally able to start enjoying their holiday. As for the excursions, despite clearly explaining that we wanted authentic experiences and wanted to avoid tourist traps, they only took us to overpriced places with which they obviously have commercial agreements. Everything was presented as “the best experience” or “the best place to visit,” but in reality we ended up paying up to ten times the normal price for mediocre activities and services. The worst part is their attitude. The moment you raise a concern or complain, they become rude, sulk, and stop communicating with you altogether. Professionalism completely disappears. This company ruined a significant part of our trip and created unnecessary stress throughout what should have been an enjoyable vacation. We deeply regret choosing them. Avoid at all costs.

via Tripadvisor

Best tour organizer in Sir Lanka

I want to express my deepest gratitude to Ferose and Sahan for making my trip to Sri Lanka such a memorable and successful experience. From the very first day until the very end, they were there for me, organizing every tour and ensuring that I had everything I needed at all times. The car service they provided was exceptional – always clean, spacious, and comfortable, which made a huge difference, especially after long days of sightseeing. Sahan, our driver, was incredibly friendly with my children, patient with all our requests, and always willing to go the extra mile to make us feel comfortable. His kindness and professionalism truly stood out. Ferose was equally outstanding. As a Muslim himself, he took special care to find halal restaurants and nearby mosques for prayers, which I appreciated more than words can express. He also arranged many additional services during the trip, making everything smooth, convenient, and worry-free. Both of them are genuinely respectful, trustworthy, and dedicated to ensuring their guests have the best possible experience. I felt completely safe and well taken care of throughout my entire journey. If you’re planning to visit Sri Lanka, I can’t recommend them highly enough – get in touch with Ferose and Sahan, and you will not be disappointed!

Response from the operator: Dear Sir/Madam, Greetings from Kingfisher Tours Sri Lanka! It was a great pleasure having had the opportunity to be of service to you in your visit to Sri Lanka. We are truly glad that you had a wonderful tour with Kingfisher Tours Team. The best part of any journey is hearing that our guests had an amazing time with us! There's no greater testament to our passion and dedication to this goal than anything. As a Travel agency and tour Operating Company, Kingfisher Tours Sri Lanka is committed to provide the best product to our each client. As a professional and a reputed tour company, we always concern and give the priority to needs of our all customers along with the maximum satisfaction. We do not think twice to go for an extra mile to give maximum service to our clients. Thank you very much for the review posted on TripAdvisor and share your travel experience with us. It would be great having you back with us for another tour to give you another memorable experience. We are looking forward to seeing you again and bring you another great memory of rest of Sri Lanka.

via Tripadvisor

not the best planning company but great drivers

I found the Kingfisher Tour on Tripadvisor. I emailed immediately because the comments were very good. I wrote down one by one that I was planning a 2-week Sri Lankan vacation with my family and the places we would like to see. Then we started talking with Aashik and he made an itinerary at my request. I also asked him to arrange hotels. I also asked him to give a price excluding lunch and dinner only by adding the entrance fees and other activities. He gave a price, saying that he added them. I asked him 2-3 times in a row to see if it was all inclusive. Because I've had bad things happen to me about this before,I didn't want to face a surprise. He also told me that we should only pay for surfing,snorkeling and zipline activities ourselves. But he confirmed that every activity we will do other than these is within the money we pay for. When we got there, he greeted us and placed us in the hotel. Then came the day when we were to go up to Sigiriya Rock and Pidurangala Rock, and we went up to Pidurangala Rock first. Later, when we thought that we would go to Sigiriya Rock, we were told that this was not included in the fee we paid... If you want to climb Sigiriya Rock, you have to give $65, Aashik said. But when I said that he wrote it in the itinerary, he said yes, but I didn't add it because tourists usually don't want to climb there... he later apologized for this incident and said it would not happen again. But then when the last day came, before I arrived, I wrote to him at the turtle conservation center and he said that I was adding OK, even if he didn't add it to the itinerary, and he didn't tell me about the fee for it. And when that day came, he told me it wasn't in the fee we paid... I think mistakes have been made with money like this and with planning. After all, we come from thousands of kilometers away to an unfamiliar foreign country. That's why I think the planning and functioning here should go flawlessly. But that's not what Aashik's plan did. And when I said that, he said that he wasn't happy with us either? We're clients there, so I always wanted him to be constructive with us. By the way, the hotel names that I was told before I came were not the same as the hotels we stayed dec. And although it was said that breakfast was included, we couldn't get some breakfasts... Other than that, we had fun for the rest of the tour. I would like to thank Nisanthi for giving us a great day on safari. Also, of course, I owe a special thank you to SASI, who has been our driver for 14 days. He was always friendly and oriented towards solving problems. He tried to answer all our questions. He took our photos. He had fun with us and took us to his house. I'm giving this score just for SASI. It's not for Aashik. Because he didn't even say goodbye when we left. Anyway, be sure to choose this tour for SASI, but always ask Aashik a few times about every step and what is included and what is excluded when preparing an itinerary. Because he's not the best planner. thanks.

Response from the operator: Dear Madam, First of all let me ask apologize for what happened and for the misunderstanding you felt, Before confirming the tour booking we already explained you alot and gave more than 10 itineraries with all your requirements as you kept changing day by day skipping activities for your budget but we never failed to satisfy you although you said to add up the entrance fees for you as well and also we added it then after finalizing everything you started bargaining with us we even reduced you from the tour price but then you said there are few more people arriving with you so according to that we divided the tour price for per person rate and gave you and we were even flexible to pick 4 people arrived in one airline and the other two in another airline on different time then once you arrived you said us to go to the airport maybe the two people will come or else they will cancel due to the airport closure I already explained you that if the two people are not coming the price will be changed and you also agreed for that once you started the tour everything was changed which seems like you already planned for this (Two people didn’t come, decreased a huge amount on the total prices) even though we started the tour and while adding up the inclusions i explained you that tourists mostly climb the Sigiriya Rock in the morning or evening but you planned to climb in the noon which is very hot so that i said you i didn’t add the entrance fees for it you can pay at the point if you would like to climb in the noon and you agreed for all and you musunderstood us once you are on the tour but if you recheck the messages you will understand we have clearly mentioned all the things and you also have agreed As you have mentioned like you haven’t visited the Turtle Hatchery but we said you we wont add entrance for turtle hatchery you also can pay it at the point and once you are at the point you started arguing with us to include it and by our own expenses we even added it up because the two people didn’t arrived and we didn’t change the prices as well als we were flexible for the hotels you requested to stay and we changed all because of you , We are sorry if the tour made you unhappy but going beyond the limits and giving the satisfactions for our clients are only our happiness We hope you will come back again to this Paradise and we promise we will deliver and exceptional service more and more carefully for you to make you and your family happy Best Regards and Deepest Apologies, Aashik

via Tripadvisor