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• BEWARE, TOURIST TRAP! This company scammed us without a doubt

  Alice H,

  12 thg 9, 2025

  - Viator

  2.00

  BEWARE! TOURIST TRAP! Guide name: Kamara The bad part: At pickup the morning of our safari we were informed we should go to a different park (Hurulu) if we wanted to see elephants as he explained that the previous nights thunderstorm had “scared them away” from Minneriya and into the jungle of Hurulu. Based on recommendations to “trust your guide” we agreed as he informed us the elephants would not be in Minneriya. If we wanted to see elephants he assured us we needed to adjust and follow them to Hurulu, where they had moved to the night before. I knew nothing about Hurulu. He said all three parks (minneriya, kaudulla, and Hurulu) were connected and they had moved into this area. There are fragments of truth to these statements and a quick Google search simply wasn’t enough to actually know he was lying. I couldn’t think of any reason why he would lie about this, or why it would be to their benefit to change the park on us, so I hesitantly agreed. When we pulled into the park I again asked because I felt like something was off as it just seemed very unofficial for a big national park. So with skepticism i again asked if he was sure this was where the elephants were gathering. He assured us that was the case based on the morning reports. I should’ve trusted my gut that it didn’t seem right, but instead I followed the online advice to trust your guide to know where best to go- BIG MISTAKE! Hurulu, as we discovered later turned out to be a very small “park”- it’s not an official National Park, which I believe is why we were scammed since they make extra money on entrance fees. In addition they initially attempted to charge us the Minneriya entrance fees to the Hurulu Park- Hurulu Park does not have set entrance fees per my online research. Some sites say it’s around $20usd per person. Deeper research says it’s as low as $3usd per person. By contrast minneriya is $40+usd per person. Fortunately I refused to pay more than $20 per person although now I think that was still highly inflated. As we drove around the park I quickly realized we had been scammed by the company and the guide. I kept quiet since it was too late to change anything and my family was unaware of what we should have been experiencing versus what we were experiencing and they were enjoying the few elephants we found. However, we should have been witnessing the big “gathering” of hundreds of elephants at minneriya. Instead we were searching to find even a few. Honestly it makes me so sad to know we were in the right place (Sri Lanka) at the right time (September) -and had booked the right experience ( minneriya) to witness a truly special event, and I trusted the wrong people and missed witnessing it. DO NOT MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE I DID! The good: You may be wondering why I gave even two stars and I’ll tell you why. Hurulu was still a lovely pretty place, and we did see some elephants which was still a special thing, they are simply amazing animals to see in their wild habitat and we saw approx 10 between about two different small family herds. Kamara, the guide, was respectful towards the elephants and their habitat, which I appreciated. But two stars honestly is still generous considering the dishonesty. Lastly: you may wonder how I know the guide was lying? Maybe the elephants weren’t at Minneriya and were hiding in the jungle like our guide said? That is why I waited a few days to write this review, to be sure I wasn’t wrong about it. We have friends who were there the same time as us (same day, same morning) who booked with a different safari company- when we caught up with them a few days later they confirmed what I suspected- we got scammed. They saw bunches and bunches of elephants and babies “gathering” just like we had expected we would see when we booked our tour. I saw their photos. Conclusion: DO NOT TRUST THIS COMPANY OR THEIR GUIDES, no matter how friendly and nice the guide seems to be. BOOK ELSEWHERE.

• I booked a jeep safari...

  Bader A,

  13 thg 5, 2025

  - Viator

  3.00

  I booked a jeep safari and had an overall enjoyable experience. The driver was very friendly, the jeep was comfortable, and we even got to see some elephants, which made the trip special. However, I’m not convinced that we were actually taken to Minneriya National Park as promised. The gate we entered had a different name, which I unfortunately don’t remember. I asked the driver, but his explanation wasn’t clear and left me a bit unsure. While I appreciated the service and the scenery, I wish there had been more clarity about the destination. It felt like we might’ve been taken to a cheaper, smaller substitute park.

• Expensive walk in the forest

  Alain D,

  15 thg 4, 2025

  - Viator

  1.00

  I think it should have been called a walk in the forest rather than a safari. We didn’t even come across a single animal along the way. You chose a park at your own discretion. Well, apparently, it’s a terrible one — there’s nothing in it. And you forced it on us. It’s really disappointing, that’s all I can say.

• Excellent Safari. Our...

  Anthony D,

  2 thg 1, 2025

  - Viator

  5.00

  Excellent Safari. Our guide did the best to ensure we see as many elephants as possible. He was also respectful of the animals so as to not cause too much nuisance.

• Elephants Galore!

  Paul B,

  1 thg 1, 2025

  - Viator

  4.00

  This tour was excellent! Our guide was patient and fun. He knew where to go to find the elephants. We saw a whole bunch of elephants, peacocks, other birds, and lizards. A very memorable experience. A tip: don’t pay the driver the park entrance fee—wait to get to the park.