We arrived several hours late in Colombo due to various delays on the outward flight. Despite this, and after a fairly confusing phone call to Jith from Doha our guide/driver Upali was waiting for us. We were very relieved to see him. The 3 hour transfer to our hotel in Kitulgala had to be driven through the ‘rush’ hour. There wasn’t a lot of rushing but it was a real experience enduring the driving conditions in a new country. Upali quickly gave us confidence in his own driving skills and it remains a mystery how he avoided all manner of hazards on this and all subsequent journeys.
Our alternative hotel (2 nights) at Kitulgala was fine with particularly friendly staff. The food was good.
First of all my wife and I would like to thank you and team for the great holiday you have done for us. We can and will strong recommend a birding watching trip to Sri Lanka with WalkWithJith. Already Sunday evening I will be together with other Danish Birdwatchers and I will strongly recommend you.
Allow me to highlight few points which has been important for the success:
- During the planning process you have been very fast in responding and following-up. This gives confidence as we don´t know each other.
- For me it has also been crucial that you have prepared a transparent and clear programme. It made a decision quiet easy.
2012 December
Dear Jith,
Thank you for a wonderful Sri Lanka experience. The wild life has been fantastic – perhaps too up close and personal for Sara & Ann on one occasion – elephant! And your ability to patiently guide and explain will always be remembered. Your ability to adjust when the weather did not cooperate as expected was very much appreciated. We enjoyed your ability to explain Sri Lankan culture and history. But most of all we enjoyed your positive outlook on life and hope to see you again, either in Sri Lanka or Sweden or Germany.
Thanks for a lovely time! See your new friends, you soon hopefully!
Plantation Kitulgala -- Very nice, not much choice for vegetarian choice Binota -- friendly, loud on one evening. Hibiscus -- very nice, excellent birding, excellent food Martin’s Lodge -- simple but an excellent location, friendly people and good food. Our Guide -- Upali was most helpful and knowledgeable. He was driving very safety and we found all the birds;
All in all an excellent experience which I can recommend to any birder visiting Sri Lanka.
Very many thanks, Jith for a wonderful two weeks which surpassed our expectations in all respects; also many thanks to Dilan for his good company & careful driving which has a big significance on the enjoyment of a holiday like this –we all felt safe with him 100% of the time.
Unser guide Rowan hat uns hervorragend geführt und an Plätze und Orte geführt, die wit allein nie gefunden hätten. Auch die lokalen guids waren seher freundlich und Kompetent.
Dadurch war es möglich, viele schöne Beobachtungen und Fotos zu machen. Wir haben ca. 190 Vogelarten gesehen! Dabei waren viele endemische Arten!
Rowan hat uns aber auch viele interessante Dinge und Orte gezeigt und interessantes erzählt, 2.B. von einer Dagoba und einem Tempel.
Auch unser Fahrer Danushka war sehr aufmerksam, hifsbereit und ist ein sehr gutes und sicherer Fahrer!
Besonders danken wir Ruwan, daß er seinen Urlaub für uns und unsere Tour verschoben hat!
5th February 2013
We do not need to say how much we ador this beautiful country
But best of all we loved the birds and your very special company!
Love Carol & Alistair McLee
Teeside, United Kingdom
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Our second trip with “Walk With Jith” enjoyed it more than the first, 4 years ago. Thanks especially for your patience and sharp eyes with out which we would never have seen the leopard, watercock and lesser adjutant- to name but a few. A super time again
My wife and I have just been on an intensive 15-day bird watching in Sri Lanka by the company "WalkWithJith" (www.walkwithjith.com.) We had over birds peeping also 3 days with cultural insights, however, it was possible to have binoculars with all locations. The trip was very well organized and we were lucky with good weather and many birds. Thus it was possible to see all the endemic species. We were fortunate to have an excellent guide in addition to the birds could mammals, butterflies, dragonflies, botany and cultural history at your fingertips. We arranged themselves the trip and booked flights with Emirates. I highly recommend WalkWithJith for the well-developed program where all clapped to the smallest detail.
My wife & I had 16 days in Sri Lanka in March/April this year with “Walk with Jith”. I would like to thank Jith for an unforgettable experience. It was a first class holiday, the organisation by Jith being faultless without a single problem. Though we were initially a little disappointed that we were not to be guided by Jith himself, our guide Upali Nisshanka was excellent & on the long drives between the sites, we learnt such a lot from him about the wonderful culture & traditions of the island. It was a “birds & culture” tour in which we spent time at Sigiriya, Polannaruwa, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Horton Plains, Tissamaharama, Yala, Bundala, Weligama [for a whale watch], ending at Ranweli Village.
Hi Jith,
Just a note to let you know that we returned safely after our short visit to Kerala.
Our tour with you was excellent. The van was in great condition, Manju was an excellent driver and Upali is a very fine and knowledgeable person. We all got along very well together and enjoyed every day of our tour. I also thank you for the map of Sri Lanka, the bird list and the bird book. All were put to great use during our visit and I wish that all tour operators would provide these facilities for us.
It will take me quite some time to sort through all of the photos that I took and keep just the very best ones to share with others. When I do this, I will send access for you.
John Kirman, Ginny Smith and Jan Kirman
