Hi - does anyone have any firsthand driver recommendations for Sri Lanka? I'll be there over New Years and looking for an independent driver at a fair price. I'd prefer not to pay the exorbitant hotel markups and pass some of that back to the driver.

Thanks in advance!

Any news on the driver topic? My GF and I will be in Sri Lanka in late October and we are looking for a reliable driver to take us around for two weeks. Any recommendations would be very much appreciated!

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Does anyone have any recommendations for Sri Lanka drivers?

Thanks,
Merrick

Jetwingtravels.com

One of the most reliable and polite services.

Prices a bit higher than some operators however still very reasonable.

ceylinetravels.com has got a good fleet of vehicles, they have luxury yachts and ships also if you want (they owned a large shipping company) we rented a car with driver and gasoline for about 60$ a day, what fair deal...

Just thought I'd bump this thread back up and ask about driver recommendations.

We will be staying in the Galle area (I think) and would probably like to go visit a tea plantation and some national parks as well as the surrounding area. And of course, transfers to and from the airport.

I had a good experience with these guys on a recent trip:

http://taxisrilanka.com

I was using them for local trips around Dambulla, but the driver was great and the owner really keen to ensure everything worked well.

I assume you mean Colombo airport rather than Mattala?

We loved Galle - stayed between Galle and Unawatuna and pottered around by three-wheeler. Great start to any trip. Do allow a good 2.5-3h from Bandaranaike airport by car - even with the expressways, there is still a big gap through suburban Colombo where the two are not joined up. It's quite interesting to get a tour of the suburbs, but it can be a but trying when you're jetlagged!

Do check up on the state of Uva NP in advance if you intend to visit, as there has been discussion of closure due to drought conditions.

We had a wonderful experience in Udawalawe NP, arranged through the basic but highly recommended guesthouse we stayed at:

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_R..._Province.html

We continued from there to Ella, which was a pleasant surprise - you can walk from the town right up into the plantations (and through the rather stunning looking 98 Acres resort). There and Nuwara Eliya seem to be the top spots for plantation visits - but we were more than happy with our almost accidental DIY visit in Ella.

From there, you can return to Colombo via Kandy via a rather stunning train journey (this is one of the reasons why we only used local taxi journeys rather than a car and driver).

Have a wonderful time. I cannot recommend this island highly enough.

Hi stut, yes, I meant CMB airport as I will be arriving from Singapore.

Thanks for the recommendations! I will look into using a tuk-tuk for ground transportation but the girlfriend might be freaked out enough by Sri Lankan driving that I might prefer to have her in an enclosed car - might try the tuk-tuk for a short trip from the hotel or something. I'm used to Indonesian/Asian driving so I'm fine, but she's a relatively inexperienced traveler so I'm trying to cater to her comfort zone, haha.

I only have about 2 days in Sri Lanka so I'm thinking of exploring Galle, and might leave the safari for another day as we might not have time. The same with the tea plantations in Ella - it's simply too far, and we are constrained by time.

I wouldn't use a tuk-tuk for long distances (e.g. to/from Colombo) though! I didn't find Sri Lankan driving that nerve-wracking (or horn-heavy) compared to the likes of India, but there's still that expectation that, for example, buses will overtake fairly blindly or vehicles will pull out of side roads and you will be expected to accommodate both...

Galle is a wonderful place, with plenty to keep you occupied - but there's a lot along the south coast worth seeing, if you fancy getting out and about without going quite so far.

Definitely no tuk-tuks for long distances. I meant for going around Galle Fort area.

I'll keep looking into the sights and what is available in the area... but we might just want to relax after 7 days in Singapore attending a huge wedding and meeting extended family.

Galle Fort is completely walkable including the walls and ramparts surrounding it so no need at all for a tuk tuk.

If you are wanting just to relax and chill out I think Galle is a wonderful place to do so- however if you want a beach then you would be better heading out a little bit towards Tangalle where the beach is much nicer. If you don't mind not having complete luxury there is a good 3.5-4 star option called Eva Lanka which has (I think) one of the nicest and secluded beach areas in Sri Lanka.

In Colombo - Kangaroo Cabs (especially when coming from the airport, only 1750! Book in advance, call when you arrive to avoid the "paging" fee)

In Galle - Red Cabs. Much cheaper than any tourist-gouging tuk tuk (but call early, they usually get booked up).

Pick up a free Sim card at immigration (one per person) and use the free 50rs credit to make a couple taxi bookings.

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Good advice- even better are the paid sim cards which also include 3G data available immediately on exit- for about 12 EUR (I don't recall the exit equivalent in Sri Lanka currency) there was a 30 day internet package and enough credit for a few local calls. Definitely worth the money from Mobitel.