Details of a safe, honest, reliable, fun driver/guide in Sri Lanka.
I've just returned from a 10 day holiday in Sri Lanka. My 3 travelling companions and I had arranged for a driver to pick us up from Colombo airport and take us down to Unawatuna. When the driver failed to appear we met Sunil, another driver, and he agreed to take us. Long story short - we hired Sunil for the whole 10 days as a driver and guide. We're all pretty experienced travellers and were more than happy to bus, train and tuk tuk around, but Sunil was the best investment we could have made. We paid 30 dollars per day (Rp. 3000 at July 2006 rates), and in 10 days we saw and did ten times more than we would have been able to without Sunil. He's a knowledgable guide, he's utterly trustworthy, he's happy to do as much or as little as you want, he won't take you to places that inflate their prices for tourists (and thereby does himself out of a fortune in kickbacks), he forewarned us of every scam, every tout, every rip-off, and saved us a fortune in unnecessary guides. We'd tell him what price we wanted to pay for accommodation and he'd haggle on our behalf with the owners. If the owner wouldn't budge, he'd take us somewhere else. After a trip to a spice garden, he laughingly showed us Rp 700 the manager had given him after we'd spend a fortune on oils, and offered the money back to us. We refused, obviously, but it's a good example of his honesty and the myriad ways in which he looked out for us.
All this and he's a brilliant laugh, a great singer of Singhalese songs, and has the most infectious laugh you'll ever hear.
If you're going to Sri Lanka and want a driver for any length of time, email or call Sunil. I can't recommend him highly enough. Tell him I sent you. His details are:
Sunil Pathirana
email:
Mobile:
Have a great time.
Jamie Minoprio, UK Reply to this if anyone wants a fabulous driver for Sri Lanks -
lovely guy in early 30's - 100%!t(MISSING)rustworthy - great
english - will not drag you round shops all day - only
if requested - really cannot reccomend him enough - i
still speak to him every month 2 years after our trip
- for his email etc contact me on
and i
will put you in touch. Or visit his web side
http://www.geocities.com/jagath_in_srilanka/home.html
or www.jagathtours.com
Reply to this Have just come back from a 10 day trip around Sri Lanka - visited Dambulla, Kandy and Galle and had the most amasing time.
For the first 5 days in Dambulla / Kandy we had a tour guide called Karnal De Silva who was superb. He took us with a driver to all the best places, making each one fun and interesting and whilst also being very sensitive to our needs. A real family man, very trustwothy and honest, will tell you everything you could want to know, also not at all intrusive if want to be on your own. He could not be more highly recommended, he also went out of his way to collect us for our return flight.
He comes with a driver for the cost of $60 a day including his accomodation, food, van, petrol and entrance fees for him. His details are below
D. Karnal De Silva
Official member of the Sri Lanka Tourist Board.
National Tourist Guide Lecturer
Sri Lanka
Tel :
E-mail :
Website : www.karnaldesilva.com
Please call him if you are interested in a driver he is great!
thanks,
sando michel
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