We can not say enough good things about Sunrise Travel and how authentic they made our trip to Sri Lanka. First of all they came highly recommended to us, and Mr. Budhikka and his driver Mayura were everything we could have wanted from day one with first contact by email to book until the end of the trip when we regretfully said goodbye to Mayura. We spent 10 days traveling from Negombo, to Kandy, to N. Eliya, to Ella, to Yala and then to Mirissa to the beach for some relaxation and sunshine before heading back to Colombo. We saw elephants, we hiked, we whitewater rafted, we went to temples, we went on safari, and we ate and ate some more.

Mayura and his explanations about what we were seeing, his gentle persuasion to visit some sites we were not sure if we had the energy for, but were truly stunning and so valuable for us all to experience, and his safe, calm and professional driving made the trip not only enjoyable but memorable. We are so grateful for what he taught us and showed us. We toured Asia for six weeks (Malaysia, Laos, Thailand and Sri Lanka) and the time with spent with Mayura in Sri Lanka was our top experience (rated top by the kids too who are 14 and 16).

Planning the trip I had an idea of where we wanted to go and what might be of interest to our family of four (two teenage sons). I sent a request and a tentative itinerary to Mr. Budhikka and he was very prompt to respond. He not only worked out an itinerary with suggestions for us on what we could do but also worked with us ensure that the trip timing and destinations were a good fit as well as booked train tickets, and white water rafting. He provided us with a quote and we paid the deposit. Very easy and straightforward.

Our driver Mayura who met us at the airport and would be with us for the next 10 days was perfect. He was polite, professional and really friendly. His full attention was on ensuring that we were happy, and we would start out every morning with a checkin making sure we had every thing "passports? happy?" He had a lot of a patience for traveling everyday with messy teenage boys (the van was spotless every morning), and inquisitive Canadians. I am sure I drove him crazy with all my questions! He even attempted to teach us Sinhalese. He learned that my son was doing a school project on food and farming in Sri Lanka and that it was of interest to us and he made sure to point out different plants, and took us to see tea plantations, tours of rice fields, and pointed out relevant things along the way. And the food! great recommendations for places to eat and he would pull over at little stands with all types of fruit and fresh yogurt and treacle for us to experience. He also took everything in stride, from hanging our wet clothes on the side of the van while we hiked Hortons Plain to scraping the leach out of the ceiling vent in the van that I flung off my leg in a panic after we had climbed up the mountain side with him to see the tea growing "up close". so good natured.
The thing that really translated to us was how much he loved his country, and the people, and he showed us a very personal side of Sri Lanka. That totally made a huge difference. It made a deep impression on our boys and on us and we are very grateful for having him as not only our driver but a new friend.

We feel so lucky to have landed with Sunrise travel and gotten to know Mayura, we won't hesitate to recommend this business and team. I don't usually give 5 stars but they deserve it.