Olanka Travels Reviews 

A fabulous time organised to see many interesting people and sites. Expertly guided by my guide. We remain friends today

We’ve just returned from a wonderful 14‑day tour of Sri Lanka and couldn’t be happier. Rush from Olanka Travel organised everything from start to finish with professionalism, warmth, and endless patience. Our plans changed several times — dates, inclusions, even destinations — and nothing was ever too much trouble. Despite booking fairly last‑minute in peak season, she still secured us excellent accommodation and kept the whole process smooth and stress‑free.
We’re two sisters travelling from the UK and Australia, and Rush coordinated our transfers perfectly. When the UK flight was delayed by 12 hours, she rearranged everything so calmly that a stressful situation became manageable.
Our driver, Saliya, was another highlight. Calm, reliable, and always smiling, he made every journey feel safe and enjoyable. Sri Lankan roads can be lively, but with Saliya we were in the best hands. He also took our interests to heart — even adding a couple of garden visits after I mentioned my love of botany — which made the trip feel truly personal.
Sri Lanka gave us experiences we never would have found on our own: history, scenery, wildlife, food, and the warmest people. Every day was memorable.
If you’re planning a trip to Sri Lanka, we highly recommend Olanka Travel. Ask for Rush — she’s exceptional — and if you’re lucky enough to have Saliya as your driver, you’re guaranteed a wonderful journey.

Rush from Olanka Travel organised our tour from start to finish. She was AMAZING!! Our itinerary and pax changed throughout the process. Rush was patient and organised, nothing was as issue for her. I was a little apprehensive because everything ran so smoothly. It was so easy to book with Rush. Even though we were travelling during peak season she still managed to get 9 people in to some great accommodation.

We had a mix up when we arrived in Sri Lanka (at 11:30pm) completely out fault and Rush fixed our issue without a hassle. Rush organised the most amazing tour guide Asanka, we will never travel to Sri Lanka without Asanka as our tour guide. He was knowledgeable, patient, funny and went above and beyond for every person on the tour. Our family will never forget the memories we made with Asanka. We absolutely adore him. If you are planning to visit Sri Lanka ask for Asanka, you will not be disappointed.

Lastly we had the most amazing driver Lacmel. He made sure we arrived safely at every destination. The roads are not for the faint hearted, he was a true champion!

The package Rush put together was 14 days of absolute joy. We did some amazing activities that would not have even been on our radar if we didn't have Rush and Asanka organising. Do yourself a favour and book through Olanka Travel, ask for Rush and Asanka!!!

I usually plan my trips myself, but due to the short notice, I decided to use a local agency to help organise my trip to Sri Lanka.

Savithri, who was very friendly and helpful, designed an itinerary based on my preferences and accommodated all my change requests regarding destinations and locations.

Roshan, my driver—who also became my travel companion—was very kind and attentive. His driving was very safe, and he was always patient, making sure I was comfortable.

The trip went very well overall. If I could change one thing about the arrangements, it would be the location of most of the hotels. While they were very nice and comfortable, they were often far from village centres, and as a solo traveller, I had limited opportunities to explore the surroundings on my own.

Sri Lanka is a beautiful country, and the people are incredibly friendly.

We have had a great visit to SriLanka. Especially thanks to our driver Nishantha for his kindness, professionallity and hospitality. It was a wonderful journey. Thanks 🙏

We booked a 14 day personalised itinerary with Olanka Travels. Mery accommodated our needs accordingly. A big recommendation for our driver Amila. He was polite, always on time, spoke fluent english, with excellent local knowledge on Sri lanka, animals, Flora, fauna & medicinal foods. Added to this, he also took us to reliable & safe food outlets, & even changed our AUD $ as necessary. Being a wildlife volunteer rescuer, this knowledge was also shared. I would not hesitate to recommend Olanka Tours.

Received an outstanding service from Nirmani and the Olanka team to schedule and book my stay in Maldives. Had a pleasant and memorable experience with the stay in Kuredu Island Resort via Olanka. Would always plan to go back. Thank you Olanka team!! And a special appreciation for Nirmani for her dedication and prompt support. 👏👏👏

We had a holiday booked to Sri Lanka for 11 days and it was wonderful! We had the best driver - named Hashi. He took us to super nice places and had friends everywhere. Would definitely recommend!

We have spent in Srilanka 2 weeks, a family with 4 kids. the service we got form Olanka was perfect. Shashini organized for us all the hotels + all the travel route. she was very professional and assist with all our requests. The Driver Shalom was amazing! all the time willing to help with everything that we needed.

We had an excellent experience traveling with Olanka Travels. From the very beginning, everything was well-organized and professionally managed. Special thanks to Rashmi Wijesinghe for her outstanding support, professionalism, and attention to detail throughout the trip.
The itinerary was perfectly planned, covering amazing destinations, and everything went smoothly. Transportation was comfortable, accommodations were excellent, and the tour guide Sameera was knowledgeable and friendly, which made the journey even more enjoyable.
Overall, the service exceeded our expectations, and we felt relaxed and well taken care of during the entire experience. We highly recommend Olanka Travels.

A Christmas Tour of Sri Lanka! What a fabulous way to spend the holiday! Beautiful weather, beautiful people, beautiful places, beautiful food … and so well organised with every attention given to detail. A rich and rewarding experience in every respect - from the stunning landscape, the spiritual shrines, the wildlife safaris, to the working lives of the ordinary people, there was the kaleidoscope of a vibrant culture to appreciate and enjoy. Enriching and thoroughly enjoyable; thank you! Especial thanks to Kalpa , our driver and guide whose knowledge and gracious hospitality were second to none. Brilliant!
Jeff & Cathy Moule

Sri Lanka is an amazing country with so much to do and see...whether it be climbing the Sigiriya Rock or taking the train from Nanu Oya to Ella. What made our trip that extra special was our driver Shanuka from Olanka Travels. He was extremely professional, pleasant and patient with us the full week he was with us.

Our family trip to Sri Lanka from the 23rd to the 30th was an unforgettable experience. We explored Colombo, Kandy, Ella, Nuwara Eliya, Galle, Yala, and Bentota, and each destination added something special to our journey.
Sri Lanka impressed us with its wildlife, stunning natural beauty, cleanliness, and the friendliness of its people. Everywhere we went, we felt welcomed and well taken care of.
Nuwara Eliya was the most beautiful place we visited — serene landscapes, lush tea gardens, and a peaceful climate that we absolutely loved.
Our Yala safari was another highlight, giving us close encounters with wildlife that made the trip even more exciting.
In Bentota, we enjoyed the Madu Ganga River Safari, exploring mangrove forests and peaceful river life.
A special thanks to Olanka Travels for their excellent arrangements, smooth coordination, and friendly service throughout our journey. They made our trip comfortable, enjoyable, and truly stress‑free.

This tour was well worth waiting for. It met all my and family expectations. We saw and experienced Sri Lanka from so many facets, the people who demonstrate a general welcoming attitude, the beauty of the land, the food across the country and the visits that left us in awe, and other times in tears for eg the Tsunami disaster 21 years ago. The spriritual nature of the Sri Lankan people generally. We saw, felt and got immersed in this lands natural beauty.
Despite the recent devastation of the cyclone, one traveling through tourist areas would feel such was the reality a month ago. The resilience of the Sri Lankan people shows up in our quickly they are trying to normalize the situation.
We could not have seen all of this without the effort of two special staff members of Olank Travels. The first is Navodya who put together the itinerary for this tour. Her quick and efficient response to all queries was excellent. The gracious way she accepted all changes to our programme requests must be commended. I will recommend any one to request the services of Navodya of Olanka Travels.
The second bouquet goes to our driver and tourist guide Dayal Priyantha. He was kind, generous of knowledge, willing to accommodate all our requests of changes during the trip.
Always willing to accept to our requests. Nothing was seen has a problem. Never showed that he was tried driving each day, still with a smile and willing to show things to the very last minute of our trip. My thanks to him for a pleasant trip.
Highly recommend that you request his services.

Ranjit. Our guide was superb.
Always there assisting us in every possible way.
Careful .safe driving.
Always smiling and caring .accommodating.

Can't say more. Superb .experienced guide.

If you’re planning to visit Sri Lanka, Olanka is the best company I can suggest. We had a 10 day trip and it was awesome. Special thanks to Shanuka, our guide, and Subodini, tour executive, for such a curated tour and great experience. Cheers guys

The best guide and driver, Mr Tushara from Olanka Travel. I wanted to do a Ramayana Trail from Colombo to Kandy to Nuwara Eliya and safari at Yala and whale watching in Mirissa.
Mr Tushara is knowledgeable; very careful driver and most of all extremely accommodating and help.

Our itinerary, though packed, managed to be fulfilled for the entire 5 days.

Memorable experience with Mr Tushara and thank u Reshani from Olanka.

The booking process was easy, Navodya was able to include all our requested destinations, even adding a couple that we had overlooked and fit it into a timeframe that suited our holiday.
The actual trip coincided with Cycle Ditwah so changes were required whilst in country due to access/flooding etc. Our driver Amila and Navodya were incredibly flexible having to change routes, destinations and accommodation to enable us to see as much as we did. It was a great experience albeit at a tough time for the country.

We planned a trip to Sri Lanka for November 2025 and initially contacted a company in Australia and Sri Lanka. That experience did not go well and we became very nervous.
We contacted Olanka Travels and connected with Reshani . We expressed our concerns and fears. Reshani was amazing. She offered to connect us with Olanka clients in Australia to understand their experiences. She addressed our fears of making payments to the company without knowing too much about the company. She arranged that after the deposit was paid the balance of the account would not became payable until we had actually arrived in Sri Lanka and met up with a company representative. I was sold; I knew I had met someone I could trust.
We told Reshani where we thought we wanted to go and what our interests were and what style of accommodation we required. Reshani went to work on our behalf.
She emailed us an itinerary which we had to either approve or adjust. She sent us two lists of suggested hotels for our consideration and approval.
She informed us of the very reasonable cost of the whole 18 day trip.
The cost covered the driver, a very helpful and considerate person, the hotels, breakfast and dinner every day; as well as the cost of a safari and other side tours.
My wife and I met up with Reshani near the end of the trip in Colombo. We discovered that she had been in contact with our driver almost every day of the trip to ensure that everything was going according to plan. We appreciated that.
I cannot praise the skills and commitment of Reshani high enough and therefore, Olanka Travels.

We have not long come back from our 15 day tour of Sri Lanka organized by Olanka travel , Olanka travel did wonderful job in organizing the holiday sending all the information , hotel options ,with tailor made tour, Shanika, organized the tour, and made changes to one of our hotel stays, we were met at the airport by there representative, who showed us to our car and driver who was Sanduwm , you could not have had a better person to take us on our tour, he helped make our holiday, he could not do enough for us, Florence misses your driving, he organized the elephant safari, arranged a tour guide for the temple of the Tooth relic, he put us on the train to ELLA , organised our whale watching ,he really looked after us , he was informative, fun, made a great companion for the 15 days. a couple of niggles the grand tamarind hotel at Yala was not that inviting, also would have nice to be told that there was a drive up a mountain in a jeep which took an hour and shook our bodies , not good if you have nervous disposition looking over cliff edge. but worth it when arrived at the Rain forest lodge, the staff were brilliant, all the hotels were wonderful , we have such great memories to many to mention. would like to say a big thankyou to all the Sri Lankan people who we met. a big thankyou to Olanka travel for organizing this tour which we will not forget. and a very very big thankyou to Sanduwn who helped make our tour unforgettable ,if anybody wants a brilliant holiday come to Sri Lanka use Olanka Travel you will not be let down.
thanks again
Mike and Florence