Earth Trip Reviews 198

We had a wonderful trip planner - Grace was fantastic right from the get go, and she was really helpful in sorting out specifics in our itinerary - especially given that we booked to go to the Philippines pretty last minute!

Price-wise they were pretty reasonable as well.

The grounds team were good with WhatsApp communication generally advising us timings for the tours next day and flight check in on our behalf etc, which was really good to have whilst out there.

I would definitely recommend Earth Trip & book another trip with them again.

We met the Earth Trip team in Jan of this year at the Dublin travel show. We had decided to go to Costa Rica at Easter but hadn't anything booked at the time. In short order, the team did a remarkable job in putting together a superb itinerary that matched our budget , promptly answering any questions we had along the way. We had an amazing family holiday, which ran like clockwork. Hotels, transfers and of course Costa Rica itself were all first rate. We look forward to using Earth Trip again in future

Our expectations for this trip were very high as I had originally booked 7 years ago but had to postpone. So excitement for this adventure has been building for a long time! Fortunately, Aleem still had my original itinerary. We were able to adapt it based on our current needs and the development of tourism in Sri Lanka. Aleem curated a mix of adventure, culture & relaxation.

On arrival we met our driver and guide Ushanka. He answered all of our questions and listened to our interests and hopes for this trip. Each journey was full of information and chatting so that travelling never seemed a chore. Ushanka paced each day so that we were able to add in some additional stops and see everything we wanted to. His eyesight was incredible. He could spot animals at a distance meaning that we got the opportunity to see and photograph so much that we would never have noticed by ourselves without his expertise. All this while navigating complicated Sri Lankan traffic meant that he truly earned his reputation as ‘The King of the Road’! His sense of humour and personality meant that we quickly became friends (we hope!!)

Aleem & Ushanka both believe in ethical tourism. This really appealed to us. We had so many fantastic interactions with local Sri Lankans who were operating their own businesses rather than big corporations. We were fortunate to enjoy a Culinary experience where we learnt to cook and eat typical Sri Lankan dishes with a Sri Lankan family. We hiked to Heeloya which is a village where we were able to speak with farmers still using traditional methods to farm. We also hiked the Pekoe Trail stage 13 & Horton Plains. Local guides ensured that we saw and learnt so many incredible things. The scenery and natural landscape was breathtaking.

We intended to climb Sigiriya at dawn but as we drove Ushanka spotted an obstacle up the road… two elephants were blocking the road and eating from the branches of a tree that they had pulled onto the road! We waited patiently at a distance. Once the elephants were finished with their breakfast and moved to the side the road was cleared and we drove past carefully ensuring that the elephants were not disturbed. We always felt that the welfare of the animals was the priority wherever we were. This was highlighted during our safaris in Hurulu Eco Park & Wilpattu where we saw so many Elephants including a 6 week old baby with its mother. We also were lucky enough to see a Cobra with its head up looking around, Mongoose, Sloth Bear, Spotted & Barking Deer, Crocodiles, Birds and Leopard footprints!

Sri Lanka has so much to offer. We swam in Waterfalls and the Indian Ocean. In Balapitiya we watched the fishermen & my husband helped them pull in their nets! In Pasikuda we went for long walks along the beach.

Wherever we were we felt safe. We enjoyed the vibrant cities and the historic Temples. An unexpected highlight was the Bluefield Tea Estate where we attempted to pick tea leaves and experienced the tea making process in the factory.

The food was absolutely delicious. Each of our hotels were superb and unique. We loved that each was so different. The one constant was the Sri Lankan people - everyone that we met was friendly and very proud of their country. We loved spending time chatting.I know of no other country that has so many different opportunities to see as many phenomenal things in such a small area.

At the end of our Sri Lankan adventure Aleem organised for us to relax for 4 nights in the Maldives. After the short flight we selected to transfer to our hotel by seaplane. We relaxed watching the sunrise and sunset feeling refreshed and ready to return home.

This trip was to celebrate my 60th Birthday. There were so many little surprises throughout our trip that I really appreciated. It made our adventure even more special & memories that I will treasure forever.

Thank you Ushanka, Aleem & The Earth Trip Team for making my dream come true. Our adventure truly surpassed my high expectations. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Our second adventure with Earth Trip this time to beautiful Sri Lanka, the land of paradise and BIG smiles despite hardships like the recent cyclone and the Iran war.

We finally made it after three reschedules (as flying into the war zone via Dubai!) Aleem was amazing calling us to rearrange the trip and flights and adding on extra days when flight changes lost us a few days at the start of our trip.

Our 3 week wildlife, culture and nature adventure took us from west to east, to the highlands and the south coast via wildlife parks, cave temples, mountains, tea plantations, lakes and rivers, staying in beautiful lodges in the middle of nowhere to enjoy the simplicity of nature whether on foot or on two (or three – Tuk Tuk ) wheels. From the diverse landscapes to the excellent Sri Lankan cuisine (words just cannot convey how wonderful the food is!), every day was a highlight whether climbing a mountain, gasping at giant Buddhas in cave temples, trekking through paddy fields, meandering through tea plantations, cooking with the locals, indulging in an ayurvedic massage or driving beside a herd of elephants enjoying the mud after a heavy rain storm.

Our guide Sampath was a fountain of knowledge on the unique flora and fauna in the country and became a true friend on our journey. I certainly got my elephant fix on this trip :)

We have truly fallen in love with beautiful Sri Lanka. Thank you Aleem and the Earth trip team on the ground in Sri Lanka for a truly unforgettable holiday with so many wonderful memories. We will be back :)

Was very easy. A fantastic itinerary crafted for us. Staff were all excellent.

Aleem and his team put together an exciting, varied and most interesting itinerary for our second trip with him to Sri Lanka. All boutique hotels were exceptional both in the accommodation, staff service and culinary delights. They were all located off the beaten track in places in spectacular surroundings. Truly idyllic.
Our guide, Ushanka, more than lived up to his excellent reputation from our last trip. His knowledge, friendliness and attention to detail was second to none.
We look forward to another Sri Lankan adventure

We have had a fabulous trip which massively exceeded our expectations. All Hotels were great and also varied which made it even more interesting Over two weeks we have experienced so much variety, way more than we could’ve managed under our own steam and which Aleem totally organised for us, all achieved in a relaxed and informed way because we had a lovely cheerful calm driver called Sampath and they both gave us a wonderful introduction to Sri Lanka and was an expert on the local Bird life and wildlife.
We do not hesitate to recommend Earth Trip , all the organisation and each interaction could not have been better
Very tempted to go with them for a trip to the north part of Sri Lanka ,next year

Thank you Aleem ,so much

Mary

We have had a wonderful time in Sri Lanka thanks to Aleem and the team at Earth Trip. The itinerary Aleem put together for us gave us everything we wanted out of our trip and more. All the hotels were excellent. The excursions lived up to expectations and enabled us to fully experience the varied and rich culture of the country. Our driver, Madushanka, was excellent and ensured everything went to plan. Nothing was too much trouble and he had a great sense of humour. We would highly recommend Earth Trip.

Aleem is Sri Lankan. He organised our holiday to Sri Lanka. His local knowledge was unbeatable. The route, hotels and experiences we encountered introduced to a country that was most beautiful and its people so friendly and interesting. Sri Lankan hotels are up there with the best and Aleem found small high quality accommodations throughout. The food was sublime and our driver, Sam, was professional, organised, and jolly throughout. We had the best holiday ...... ever! Thank you Earth Trip!

Aleem took great notice of what we like to do on holiday and tailored our itinerary perfectly. We had a great mix of culture, wild life and culinary visits. We were kept busy but also had some time to take in the places we visited. The hotels and lodges we stayed in were excellent not too luxurious but very comfortable and the food was wonderful. Our guide Manuka was absolutely excellent and he was able to tweak the itinerary if he thought it would enhance our experience and he went above and beyond to ensure all the arrangements went smoothly, his knowledge of history and wildlife was huge. His driving was excellent and he managed to avoid all the tuktuks and motorcycles that just pull out in front of us! We can't thank everyone involved enough for our wonderful experience of the country of Sri Lanka

Just back from 3 week tour of Costa Rica. Hard to think of any negative comment, every person involved in our trip performed professionaly and enthusiastically. Initial meeting was at a show in Manchester where we initailly discussed what we were looking for with Alex. He came up with a suggested itinerary - we went back and forth a few times making changes to fine tune the trip.
I must say, the final outcome was extraordinary; we stayed in a total of 7 hotels, each one of which offered a totally different experience.
All guides and drivers were excellent - extremely entertaining and knowledgeable without being boring.
We made a couple of changes whilst on the trip which were handled with good grace and made seamlessly.
I would highly recommend Earth Trip if you're considering a bespoke holiday - you get what you want, not what somebody in an office thinks you should have!

My husband and I had a spectacular 3.5-week holiday in Sri Lanka and the Maldives in January/February 2026, organised by Aleem at Earth Trip.

Our driver/guide in Sri Lanka, Sam, was patient & professional. He was extremely knowledgeable about the many birds we encountered on our trip. He went above and beyond on a few occasions, including organising a visit to a local doctor to obtain a prescription for me as I had left some of my meds in the UK.

We stayed in some beautiful hotels and we enjoyed a perfect mixture of wildlife, culture and relaxation. The combination of the vibrancy of Sri Lanka and the laid-back Maldives proved to be the perfect blend.

Thank you Aleem and Sam for such a memorable holiday.

Just back from an amazing 12 nights in Costa Rica , my first time booking with Earth trip & wasn’t disappointed would definitely book with them again & have recommended them to everyone who have asked me about my trip .
I knew nothing about the company had only been past their office in Chelmsford & thought their trips looked a bit different . Checked reviews & gave them a call as being a solo traveller prices on the website were based on 2 people sharing .
I told their expert on that area what I was interested in - wildlife ,different environments mainly was told confidently where I should visit & was asked what type of accommodation I preferred etc ..
They got back to me swiftly with an itinerary & price . I called again to ask a few questions & added & changed a few things with no problems.
I was updated with revised itinerary advised what & when to expect payments & documentation.
I was given useful info along the way until departure in a professional friendly manner .
My holiday was everything I asked for & more (surpassed my expectations)
A family member who lives in America has a career in travel & has visited Costa Rica herself, was tracking my trip was really impressed with the places , accommodation & tours Earth trip had arranged for me . I had been given details of who to contact while there if were any problems /questions etc & I used them once to revise a tour as something was closed due to a volcano being more active at the time , which again was easy & no problem for them to change .
All my transfers tours & hotels /lodges were were perfect .
Thank you Earth trip for all your work .

We have just returned from an amazing trip to Sri Lanka booked with Earth Trip. Aleem arranged an excellent itinerary, with a perfect mixture of wildlife, culture, relaxation and great hotels. Our guide, Ushanka, was excellent, going out of his way to ensure we had the best experience possible . We thoroughly recommend Earth Trip, and will definitely book with them again. We also highly recommend Ushanka for a guide. Linda and Steve

We put down a deposit for a Madagascar trip in early October but were informed a couple weeks later the trip would have to be cancelled because of travel advisories. Aleem let us know the refund would be issued within 6 to 8 weeks which seemed a little long but we were fine with this. Unfortunately we had to hound them for the refund and it wasn't refunded until 14 weeks after being told a refund was coming. Other than this we found Aleem easy to work with and itineraries were delivered promptly upon request. We weren't able to travel so we can't speak to the quality of the trips.

We had a fantastic 17 day trip to Sri Lanka. Our whole trip including the flight bookings was planned in detail with Aleem and the Earth Trip team, who prepared a bespoke itinerary for us, taking time to discuss exactly what to do and where we wanted to go, and the types of accommodation available, until it was precisely as we wanted. And then the local team in Sri Lanka were always on hand and easily contactable throughout our holiday.

The accommodation was well chosen as we'd discussed, and many of the small and remote places we stayed were absolutely amazing!

As well as the tour itinerary and accommodation, the best thing about our trip to Sri Lanka was our dedicated and knowledgeable driver and guide, Sameera. Sameera, was always there to help us when he was needed, but he was also careful to give us our own time and space. For 17 days we knew he had everything organised for us, and he made sure to check exactly what we wanted to do each day. Basically we didn't have a single worry or problem to deal with for the whole time, it was all taken care of. And most importantly, Sameera was so easy to chat to, interesting, funny, happy and always expert as a guide, perfect. And he was also a excellent driver!

In summary, we can totally recommend using Earth Trip if you are planning a tour to Sri Lanka.

This was our second holiday with Earth Trip and our first group tour. We thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience although it was quite full on at times and some might find the pace a little challenging. Visiting the four countries of Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam all within just over three weeks is no mean feat. We certainly packed a lot in!
There were eight of us in our group plus Alex, our tour leader. He led with complete professionalism, putting us at ease at all times and ensuring our every request was granted if at all possible. Alex’s immense knowledge of this part of the world and the expertise of the local guides too, meant that we were given a truly authentic insight into the lives of the Indochinese people and their beautiful, fascinating corner of the world.
We very much look forward to discovering more of the world with Earth Trip in the future.
Nick & Sue

Aleem at Earth Trip organised our honeymoon to Mauritius. We were initially meant to be travelling to Madagascar and Mauritius but due to last minute travel restrictions, we had to change our plans a week before travelling. Aleem was excellent in planning a new itinerary for us, proposing several options and he totally took away the stress of the last-minute changes! We loved our trip and Aleem was great to deal with throughout the whole process.

We were a family of 7 travelling around Sri Lanka from Dec 22nd to Jan 7th. I contacted Responsible Travel in the UK and they put me touch with 3 companies.
Aleem from Earth Trip was the first to respond and totally outshone the others on professionalism, itinerary and price. I had done my research and had an idea of the itinerary and standard of accommodation we required and Aleem wasted no time in getting back to me with a perfect tailor made trip .
We were not disappointed in any way and all of us made memories of a lifetime time made extra special by our outstanding driver and guide Ushanka who was with us throughout.
I wouldn’t hesitate to use Aleem at Earth Trip again and will be recommending him to my sister and brother in law and also some friends who are interested in visiting the wonderful island of Sri Lanka.

After an outstanding holiday to Vietnam and Cambodia with Earth Trip in 2024 we booked 18 nights in Sri Lanka and 4 nights in The Maldives. Aleem devised an interesting itinerary incorporating bird watching, history and culture. He listened to our requests and amended the details to suit our requests. Our driver and guide Sam met us at Colombo airport and we were quickly impressed with his knowledge of birds, wildlife and history. Sam was very patient and pointed out many photographic opportunities and we came home with a fantastic array of photographs of 44 species of birds plus elephants, buffalo, deer, golden jackal and mongoose. We appreciate the Earth Trip ethos to use small boutique hotels with Sri Lankan owners. Every hotel we stayed in was special for different reasons. The wildlife and lakeside setting at Tranquil Wild at Yala. Watching local fishermen catch fish on the beach at Sundara by Mosvold. The breathtaking views at Jansen’s bungalow and watching wildlife whilst we ate. The highlight being the blue magpies. At Turtle Bay the food was a highlight. The buffalo curd and treacle from the local village fresh each day and hoppers for breakfast. The view of the hills from the bedroom at Capoe House and outstanding food. Sigiriya Kings has another stunning view this time of the two huge rocks where you could see people climbing the rock through binoculars. Again the food was excellent. The highlight was breakfast in the tree house spotting birds and enjoying the garden. I have never seen so many butterflies before drinking nectar from one type of plant. We ended our trip at the colonial Galle Face hotel in Columbo which has lots of history and its own museum !

When we were in Yala the weather started to change and it was the beginning of the cyclone. Sam drove us up windy roads to Haputale in torrential rain. He is an excellent driver and we felt totally safe. We should have stayed two nights at Capoe House but the cyclone caused flooding so we could not travel to Horton Plains or Kandy. We ended staying an extra night in Capoe House which we were very happy to do. The level of service by Jihan and his staff was excellent. They went out of their way to make us comfortable and when the weather improved they took us on a guided tour of the extensive gardens. The chef was excellent and the food so delicious and beautifully presented. Despite the cyclone we felt safe and very well looked after. Aleem was in contact with us to update us on the situation. Sam was checking in with us to see if we were ok. We thought we were so lucky to be in Capoe House being cared so so well. On the third night we were given the option of driving to Colombo and staying a night in Colombo and then driving to Sigiriya or driving for nine hours to Sigiriya. After checking Sam was ok with doing the long drive we opted for going straight to Sigiriya. As you can imagine it was a very long journey and we witnessed some of the flooding. Sam drove very carefully and was considerate of our needs for regular stops. We were so thankful to have Sam as our driver and felt totally safe. It must have been a logistical challenge moving tourists around Sri Lanka when certain hotels were inaccessible. The Earth Trip team rose to the challenge and we were booked into a hotel in Sigiriya for two nights and we then reverted to our planned hotel. For our two extra days in Sigiriya Sam booked an extra safari, we climbed Sigiriya rock and because Sam knew how much we like cooking he took us to a herbal garden. Such was the standard of service it felt stress free for us and seamless. We felt fortunate to be so well looked after given the suffering of some of the Sri Lankan people. We were sad to miss the famous train ride at Haputale and other parts of the itinerary. However, we enjoyed the wildlife, scenery, abundance and friendliness of the Sri Lankan people so much we will be booking another trip to Sri Lanka with Earth Trip.
Earth Trip look after you every step of the way, use wonderful hotels and find interesting things to do and see.