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Colombo Tours
Withlocals Highlights & Hidden Gems: Best of Colombo Private Tour
4.5

Withlocals Highlights & Hidden Gems: Best of Colombo Private Tour

By Withlocals
Recommended by 92% of travelers
92% of reviewers gave this product a bubble rating of 4 or higher.
What is Travelers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.

Ages 0-99
Duration: 3h
Start time: Check availability
Mobile ticket
Live guide: English
More


  • Local guide
  • Private tour
  • Entrance to Gangaramaya Temple
  • Carbon neutral experience
What's not included
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off


Start:
  • Independence Square, Colombo 00700, Sri Lanka
    Independence Monument, near the information plaquette
End:This activity ends back at the meeting point.

    • Not wheelchair accessible
    • Near public transportation
    If you have questions about accessibility, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 24380P399

    • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
    • Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
    • This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate

    • For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.

    If you have questions about this tour or need help making your booking, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 24380P399

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    This product is unavailable to book via Tripadvisor.
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    Itinerary
    • Independence Square, Colombo 00700, Sri Lanka
      Independence Monument, near the information plaquette
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    About the operator
    Don’t take it from us – here’s what people have to say about this operator:
    • Withlocals
      479
      Kandy, Sri Lanka
      Joined in December 2015
    • carladW3050XC
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      The best tour & tour guide in Kandy!
      My friend and I booked the 10 Tastings of Kandy tour with Buddhima, and it was perfect from start to finish. Buddhima is absolutely lovely, joyful, and happily answered all of our questions about Kandy & Sri Lanka. The food we tried was amazing - and there was SO MUCH that we ended up taking some away for the next day as we just couldn't eat everything! Do not hesitate to book this tour, or any tour, with Buddhima!
      Written December 5, 2024
    • brir703
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Fantastic
      Filled with… wonderful experiences, great conversations, delicious food, friendly encounters and exotic delicacies. Buddhima gave me a fantastic experience with her open and cordial manner and her great knowledge.
      Written December 2, 2024
    • Q6741PLmichaels
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      great food tour
      Thanks Chandana, this was a fun tour around some eateries in town. Handy to have someone explain what the names of foods were that I hadnt experienced, as well as what was in them. The trip to the market for fruit at the end was a nice way to finish up. Was way more food than I could handle. Very interesting tour.
      Written December 1, 2024
    • MarianneStorey
      0 contributions
      4.0 of 5 bubbles
      Super-flexible and attentive
      Umair was a great host who was super-flexible about our very specific timing requirements. We were unable to do the whole tour so Umair squeezed in as much as we could in the time we had available. He was charming and fluent in English and we enjoyed our experience despite the torrential rain. The sweet treats and egg hopper were highlights!
      Written November 29, 2024
    • X253QGjennifers
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Amazing Tour
      Buddhima is an absolute gem. She was so friendly and welcoming that we felt instantly at home in Kandy. She showed us around the market and took us to restaurants run by different nationalities so we got a real taste of the variety of the city. The spicy samosas are the best thing I’ve eaten on our trip so far! The tour price includes the food you’ll be trying so it’s 100% worth it (more than, in my opinion!). Buddhima also shared really interesting facts about the city so it’s more than ‘just’ a food tour; it’s a cultural experience. Fully recommend…and would definitely suggest you start the tour hungry! We wish all the best to Buddhima and her family.
      Written November 14, 2024
    • roso60
      0 contributions
      2.0 of 5 bubbles
      Most disappointing
      Very disappointing food tour in Colombo. It was only 1 and a half hours instead of 3 hours. We had very little food and were made to start half an hour early as our guide Muditha was obviously going out after with friends.We could not recommend this tour. We have done many food tours in many cities all round the world and this was rated the worst.
      Written October 1, 2024
    • Wander08678660487
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Awesome food tour with Buddhima!
      We had a really great day with Buddhima, she explained everything very well, gave us great insights of Kandy and we got a lot of different typical Sri Lankan food to try. We can totally recommend her!!! Big thanks to Buddhima! :)
      Written September 3, 2024
    • Alexander B
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Amazing tour of Kandys best authentic food
      Buddhima showed us some amazing food places where you can taste the true Sri Lankan food. Also she was great company we could talk about all sorts of things and she told us a lot about the Sri Lankan culture.
      Written August 25, 2024
    • 44Vanessa
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      A tasty way to explore Columbo
      We had a great time on our food tour. Priyantha was very knowledgeable on all aspects of Sri Lanka. On the walking tour he made sure that we had every opportunity to try a range of tasty Sri Lankan fruits and street food specialties. He could not have been more helpful and offered us advice for the rest of our trip. Would definitely recommend this tour.
      Written August 24, 2024
    • johnmL1085IU
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      A fantastic street food tour
      My travel buddy and I adored Buddhima. A consummate host and all round excellent ambassador for Kandy and its multiple cultures and traditions. A truly worthwhile tour and if I'm back I intend to enrol in one of her cooking classes too !
      Written August 16, 2024
    • Sybo3939
      0 contributions
      1.0 of 5 bubbles
      DO NOT BOOK - Unsafe and doesn’t show up
      Do not book this. The guide never showed up. We waited 20 minutes, whatsapped, called 3x absolutely no response and was not in an okay or safe neighborhood. We reached out to TripAdvisor - no response no help from anyone or anything. It completely ruined our day and left a huge hole with no back up. Viator and TripAdvisor should take down this advert immediately as you do not want to be stuck in an unsafe location with no help no response and no feedback. DO NOT BOON
      Written June 27, 2024
    • Wander15851034751
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Amazing
      Dulshan was an amazing Tour guide. He was so friendly and knowledgeable – he made you feel like you were learning so much but from a friend rather than a stranger. The tour itself was so great – Dulshan was so accommodating with my requests but also made sure that we didn’t miss out on any highlights. We really thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, more than I ever expected. And I can’t thank Dulshan enough for his time and friendliness towards us. I would highly recommend Dulshan on this tour and other tour you have in mind - you will be getting professionalism at its highest. He is by far one of my favour tour guides over my many years of travel and I can’t wait to tour with him again. Thanks Dulshan.
      Written May 13, 2024
    • Yasvau
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      The highlight of our time in Kandy
      The highlight of our trip to Kandy! We had such a fun time. It was like hanging out with a friend. We got to sample a lot of different food and learn about the local history and culture. Highly recommend.
      Written April 9, 2024
    • Cruiser53287666373
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Wonderful experience!
      We had a wonderful experience with Buddhima on her food tour. Buddhima is from Kandy and that is demonstrated through her knowledge of the history of the area and even better through taking us to all the best food spots in Kandy! We have been on many food tours around the world and in Sri Lanka, and this has been one of our favourites. It is a really fun afternoon full of incredible food and Buddhima’s great company. Would highly recommend!
      Written April 3, 2024
    • lisamD8081WN
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Fantastic tour with Buddhima!
      We had a great time with Buddhima. She is a very nice, humorous and intelligent woman. We not only learned a lot about Sri Lankan cuisine, but also about the country and its culture. It was a highlight of our trip. Thank you very much, Buddhima!! 😊🙏🥰
      Written March 30, 2024
    See all 479 reviews
    These reviews are the subjective opinions of Tripadvisor members and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

    Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

    Popular mentions

    4.5
    4.5 of 5 bubbles38 reviews
    Excellent
    34
    Very good
    1
    Average
    1
    Poor
    0
    Terrible
    2

    Carolynne B
    Civitavecchia6 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    We arranged to meet Chinthaka at the port gate and it was great. A
    good mix of culture information, walking, tuk tuk ride and visiting
    the market. We tasted different types of bananas, vegetable crisps
    cooked in the street and had tea with the locals. Great host would
    recommend unreservedly
    Written March 20, 2020
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Ailene M
    Newmarket84 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Chinthaka was a great guide and we really felt like we experienced the key highlights of Colombo since we were only there for a day off a cruise ship. Learning the history, visiting the temples. Going to the market and tasting local foods was really fun. We even had a few tuk tuk rides and we know there is much more to see. We were so delighted we definitely want to come back to see more of Sri Lanka.
    Written March 14, 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    prasanna
    2 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Dec 2019
    Exciting day with Prasanna. Nice guy with history knowledge and we
    recommend to use his services. Prasanna picked us with his Toyota from the Cruise ship on time, 4-5 hours tour of Colombo.
    Written January 14, 2020
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Sue N
    2 contributions
    1.0 of 5 bubbles
    Nov 2019 • Solo
    It never happened. I am waiting for a response from you guys. No one turn up. I waited in heat and the rain for 1.5 hours. Apparently the host cancelled the tour the day before but no one told me. They just sent confirmed meeting place have a great time. If it can’t be rescheduled for Friday 29th in the morning, I want a full refund. Pronto! Thank you
    Let’s see if any one contacts me. Grumpy 😡
    Written November 24, 2019
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    william H
    Riverside, CT3 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Apr 2018 • Friends
    My wife and I travel frequently and have had tours all over the world.
    Krishani was our all time favorite. She was full of energy, passionate
    about Colombo, knowledgeable, flexible and fun. She also gives hiking
    tours and we want to come back with our whole family and spend more
    time with her. I can't recommend her highly enough! Bill
    Written April 17, 2018
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    davebuch
    Edinburgh, UK16 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Very interesting to see and hear the history of Sri Lanka and get to view parts of Colombo we wouldn't have found otherwise

    We really enjoyed our morning with Khasim
    Written January 2, 2020
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    AucklandShelly
    New Zealand666 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles

    We only had one night in Colombo so booked our tour through Withlocals to give us a good
    introduction and that's exactly what we got. The weather was
    absolutely atrocious, torrential rain making it impossible to get out
    of the car but yet we managed to see the main sights and learn so much in
    the process. If we hadn't booked the tour I have no idea what we would
    have done, the weather prohibited everything. Thanks Muditha for your
    help, it was a great way to start out trip, your friendliness and helpfulness was much appreciated.
    Written November 8, 2019
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    508Kay
    Melbourne, Australia49 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    My partner and I only had one day in Colombo and decided a tour would be the best way to see all the essentials. So glad we decided to go with The True Essence of Colombo!

    Our tour guide was Muditha.

    Pros:
    - Muditha was awesome! So knowledgable about Colombo and Sri Lankan history and culture.
    - Answered all of our questions
    - Muditha gave us lots of tips to help us through our travels in Sri Lanka and even messaged us afterwards with places we should visit while we are here.

    Cons:
    - We have nothing to fault. It was a great few hours.

    Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed this tour and I definitely recommend them.
    Written August 17, 2019
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    queenpersia
    Brisbane, Australia51 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Jan 2019 • Family
    What an amazing morning in Colombo, loved by the whole family. Kids loved it and were engaged from the second they met Miyuru. We saw so much of the true Colombo and loved the whole experience, highly recommend.
    Written January 28, 2019
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    purplepurchaser
    Annapolis, MD22 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Feb 2020 • Couples
    We met our guide, Ishaan at Independence Square. It was confusing because we didnt have an exact location to meet. Fortunately, a police officer assisted us with a telephone call to Ishan and directed us to the meeting spot. Ishan was a fantastic host. His English was great, and he was friendly and informative. We toured the temple and drove throughout the city to various locations where we strolled while Ishan provided narrative. It was a lovely half day tour.
    Written March 4, 2020
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Showing results 1-10 of 34
    *Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.

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