johnbuterbaugh
25 Feb 2023
I treated my parents to a driving tour from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya. Hill Country Tours arranged our trip very professionally and conscientiously. Even though our hotel was not on the dropdown list for the reservation, the manager was very flexible in arranging for pickup at our hotel anyway.
The manager initiated contact with me via WhatsApp and was quick to respond to my inquiries through that. He provided driver details and license plate information beforehand. I was very impressed when the tour manager came to the hotel as we awaited our driver's arrival. This came off to me that he genuinely cared about customer satisfaction and was willing to be on the field, even if only briefly. The driver was running just a few minutes late because of traffic, but this was totally forgivable.
Our driver Mr. Nissanka was delightful! He demonstrated a very warm, familial presence right away, and I knew it would be a lovely trip down to Nuwara Eliya. We first stopped at a spice garden in Atabage which had many fragrant plants and oils. Chaminda (the tour guide there) gave a very educational presentation on the oils and plants. He was not at all pushy in selling his products, but we were happy to give him a tip.
We also made stops at Ramboda Falls and Seetha Kovil. The viewpoint on the road doesn't get too close to Ramboda Falls, but the souvenir shop had a nice elephant gift that my mother bought. Seetha Kovil was mildly disappointing as there are other Hindu temples in Sri Lanka that are much larger and more elaborate. Still, the view from the temple was quite memorable. (And yes, you are asked to remove your shoes before entering the temple.)
The tour does list certain stops, but you can add or remove stops within reason. I don't remember Mackwood Labookellie Tea Centre being listed, but we still went upon my request! The well-manicured estates and the tea factory itself were very interesting. We learned that white, green, and black tea come from different leaves on the same tea plant species. Who knew?
In retrospect, the tea factory was the high point and perhaps we should have saved it for last. Nuwara Eliya Town had lovely features and had a comfortable climate. There was some things (at no fault of the tour company) that rubbed us the wrong way...
...If I recall correctly, Victoria Park charges foreigners 500 rupees and locals and resident visa holders 100 rupees. The ladies in the ticket office couldn't make change for a 500 rupee note. Fortunately, I had exact change. The parking also charged 100 rupees. Victoria Park itself needed some maintenance because it just looked tired. In the future, I would just skip Victoria Park.
...Having been to the Golf Club as the guest of a member, I suggested the driver take us to lunch there. Unfortunately, non-member foreigners were welcome to eat lunch in the club, but locals were not allowed to dine with them. This was highly offensive to me, as we very much liked and respected our driver and did not want him to be excluded. So, we decided to have lunch at the Grand Hotel instead.
...The meal at the Grand Hotel was fine. However, as with many other Sri Lankan restaurants, the server took too much time to deliver the bill. On top of that, payment was delayed because they needed to find a credit card machine that actually worked. At this point, I have learned to just ask for the bill once the last food item reaches the table.
...Gregory Lake was beautiful and our quick trip to Adma Agro Strawberry Farm Shop was fine. However, at that time, we were tired and ready to go home. The roads back to Kandy (especially between Nuwara Eliya and Atabage) are windy and nauseating. So, those roads would preclude us from doing the trip again.
However, we truly enjoyed the trip and have no regrets as the trip offered the most comfortable weather we experienced in Sri Lanka as well as some highly enriching and educational moments. We were very pleased to have had a friend in our very charming and professional driver Mr. Nissanka who is driving during retirement because he enjoys interacting with people! That's the right kind of person for the job! We probably won't take the windy and nauseating road to Nuwara Eliya again.
Excelente trato y comunicación desde el primer momento.Sunil,nuestro guía,estuvo siempre presente con cualquier duda,se presento siempre en hora a buscarnos por los hoteles,y mantiene la camioneta en impecable estado.cómo plus muy importante,maneja un excelente nivel de español.