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SRI LANKA DRIVER GUIDE / SRI LANKA LUXURY PRIVATE TOURS

Sanjeewa Padmal (Seerendipity)
rent a car in Sri Lanka with driver, private driver guide in Sri Lanka

Driving on Sri Lankan roads can be exhilarating same time very exhausting, and therefore it is necessary for you to have space where you can relax. Hiring a Sri Lanka driver guide or having a Sri Lanka private tour with a driver is the best way of having a risk-free and stressful trip in Sri Lanka. According to the statistics, 99% of foreign travellers book private driver tours in Sri Lanka.

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HIRING A DRIVER IN SRI LANKA

When it comes to Sri Lanka trip packages transport is one of the most important parts of your tour package. Same time you should also thoroughly consider procuring a tour guide or tourist driver to take you around the island. You may perhaps think, why can’t I drive my own in Sri Lanka? YES, you are correct, anyone with an international driving licence can drive on Sri Lankan roads. But the fact is the road conditions in Sri Lanka are totally different compared to most other countries. Therefore, most travellers find it difficult to drive on Sri Lankan chaotic roads, So, If you are a foreign traveller, it is highly recommended you hire a driver guide in Sri Lanka. It will be highly important to the success of your trip and it allows you to travel around the island safely, swiftly and comfortably.

HIRING A SRI LANKA DRIVER GUIDE FOR A SRI LANKA LUXURY PRIVATE TOURS

Many local tour operators such as Seerendipity tours organize a wide range of tour packages to Sri Lanka from group tour packages to Sri Lanka family trips, honeymoon packages, private tour packages, adventure tours and many more. Unlike in the past, a new trend is coming up, in which travellers ask for a private driver/guide for their Sri Lanka trips. The number of travellers that look for private transport with a local driver/guide is on the rise over the last 2 years, perhaps due to the impact of Covid-19.

UPWARD TREND OF SRI LANKA LUXURY PRIVATE TOURS

The number of luxury tour seekers are on the rise over the past few years, this trend is very evident among foreign travellers, especially among travellers from western countries. Most of the travellers, who wish to book Sri Lanka luxury tours are demanding a private tour guide in Sri Lanka and they wish to have a private vehicle on the trip. COVID-19 is another important reason for the increasing number of Sri Lanka luxury private tours. Due to this fact, many tour operators such as Seerendipity tours now offer customized private Sri Lanka trips with a private tour guide at a very affordable rate.

The sharp increase in inquiries for Sri Lanka luxury private tours with private vehicles and private drivers is a clear sign that travellers are not willing to travel with groups anymore. If you are also looking for a private tour guide in Sri Lanka and a luxury private tour, you have landed on the correct webpage. This blog post is clearly crafted to serve travellers, who need the information to plan a Sri Lanka luxury private tour with a private driver guide.

Simply Sri Lanka 8 Days Private Tour with Luxury Accommodation- This eight-day private tour takes you to the most important tourist places on the island such as Sigiriya Rock, Dambulla golden temple, and the tooth relic temple of Kandy, the national park of Udawalawe. Towards the end of the trip, you will be anchoring on the empty beaches of Mirissa.

SRI LANKA TRIP PRIVILEGE WILL ALLOW VISITORS WITH SEERENDIPITY

Whether you are travelling by yourself, with your family, or with a group of friends and wish to have a luxury holiday or a budget-friendly trip; travelling in Sri Lankan on one day trip or four weeks; Seerendipity tours (a truly local travel company) work directly with you and make sure every step of your Sri Lanka trip is as good as it can be.

Seerendipity Tours is a local, emerging company with a well-experienced staff capable of organising or arranging all types of Sri Lanka trip packages. Whether you wish to book an all-inclusive Sri Lanka private tour with airfare, accommodation, meals, and sightseeing tickets or just a COVID-19 vehicle with a local driver or guide, Seerendipity Tours is eager to fulfil your expectations.

The support staff of Seereyears and Andy Tours is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, enabling you to contact them at any time during the trip.  All Sritravellersate trip packages are fully customizable to meet your specific requirements. Sri Lanka packages organised by Seerendipity fully comply with the safety protocol introduced by the medical authorities of Sri Lanka at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Seerendipity offers a large array of Sri Lanka tour packages from Sri Lanka day trips to 2-weeks Sri Lanka tours to 3 weeks Sri Lanka trips. Those trips can be booked as private tours and public tours. However, most of our customers opt for private Sri Lanka tours and many of those trips are luxury tours. On the private Sri Lanak trips you can choose your own destination and activities, and a trip date that works for you. Although our public tours are interesting and a great way to meet new people who share a common interest with you, there are many private tour advantages. They are a fun way to gather your friends or family for a memorable vacation. Here are 5 advantages to booking your own private Sri Lanka tour:

WHAT ARE THE FIVE MOST IMPORTANT BENEFITS OF A PRIVATE TOUR IN SRI LANKA?

  1. You choose who you are travelling with. Meeting new people in a foreign country can be very interesting and can sometimes be half the fun of your vacation – but in a group of 15 people there can be one or two people that you don’t get along with which can sometimes put a damper on the trip. With a private tour, you can make sure that you interact only with the people you like and feel that would enjoy the same kind of vacation as you.
  2. You can gain access to exclusive experiences.  Yes, it is possible to plan a Sri Lanka trip on your own with help of friends and/or family. But your program may lack some incredible experiences that are just not available to the general public. On most Sri Lanka private trips we plan to include exclusive experiences like a private cooking class, private wildlife tours, a private luncheon at a local chef’s residence and garden, a tea-tasting session, or walking tours that dive deeper than the general public tours that just skim the surface.
  3. You may not know what you don’t know. As a foreigner, it is evident that you are not aware of all the wonderful experiences available in any given location. You may think that you can do extensive research online, but there are still many amazing experiences, restaurants, and local activities that may be completely new or haven’t been shared on social media yet. As a local company with extensive experience in the industry, we are well-educated about the exciting activities and places on the island that can be packed into your personal tour. Let us help you create your itinerary by suggesting activities that may have not even been on your radar.
  4. Take the trip you want, the way that you want it.  It is our pleasure to create engaging and fun itineraries but we still understand that not everyone is thrilled to be doing each of the activities we have chosen. That’s where private tours come in handy. You choose the people you want to go with, the destination, and the activities you want to do.  With the help of our tour operations team, you can build your dream vacation.
  5. Go when you want to go. With a private Sri Lanka tour, you are free to decide on your travel date and go on vacation whenever you want, but the reality is that we have many responsibilities and obligations in our lives that need to come first. Sometimes the public tour dates just won’t fit into a busy schedule the way you’d like. With a private tour, you can schedule your vacation for when it works best for you.

SRI LANKA GERMAN-SPEAKING DRIVER GUIDE

There is a high demand for Sri Lanka german speaking drivers and guides because a large number of german travellers are in search of luxury tours with private german speaking drivers. Now it is not only possible to hire a German-speaking driver in Sri Lanka but also drivers who are capable of speaking many other languages such as Italian, French, Spanish, Arabic, Japanese and many others foreign languages. So if you are in need of a German-speaking driver for your Sri Lanka trip, don’t hesitate to contact Seerendipity tours at admin@seerendipitytours to get a german speaking driver guide for your private tour.

LUXURY TOURS WITH A PRIVATE TOUR GUIDE IN SRI LANKA

Below mentioned luxury tours of Sri Lanka with driver-guide can be booked Seerendipity, which is a Sri Lankan inbound tour operator, that mainly caters to foreign travellers. Usually, most Sri Lanka luxury tours are small groups with high-end accommodations as well as luxurious vehicles. Below mentioned luxury tours of Sri Lanka with driver-guide are private packages and can be customized to meet the requirement of each individual booking.

HIRE A SRI LANKA PRIVATE DRIVER-GUIDE DURING THE ECONOMIC DOWNTURN

First of all, I must say that it is a good practice to hire a local driver-guide on your Sri Lanka road tour, it helps you to get protected from the craziness of the Sri Lanka traffic. It is not an easy task to drive on Sri Lankan roads mainly due to the lack of respect for traffic rules and etiquette. Hiring a driver-guide for your Sri Lanka trip is a straightforward affair. You can hire a driver-Guide through travel agencies. Local travel agencies have a fleet of vehicles and driver guides are assigned to their vehicle. There are individual driver-guides in Sri Lanka and they are not attached to any company. These driver-guides also can be booked for Sri Lanka trips and usually, they have their own vehicles.

Due to the prevailing BOP (Balance of payment), it is strongly recommended to book your private driver-guide in Sri Lanka through a German-registered tour operator. Imported items such as gasoline are restricted. Vehicle owners in and Sri Lanka are subject to the restrictions listed below. However, these restrictions do not affect the services of tour operators. Local tour operators that travel with the Sri Lanka Tourist Board are issued with a special fuel pass, allowing them to secure plenty of fuel for the below-mentioned trip that they organise for travellers. This facility may not be available for customised driver-guide requirements, and therefore they may not be able to find enough gasoline for your trip.

HAVE SPACE TO RELAX WITH A LOCAL DRIVER?

Driving on the island can be exhilarating and exhausting, and therefore it is necessary for you to have space where you can relax. Hiring a Local driver guide in Sri Lanka is the best way of accomplishing it. As far as my knowledge, 99% of foreign travellers hire a local driver-guide whenever they travel within the island, thereby you can explore this fascinating island without any unnecessary problems.

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW WHILE HIRING A SRI LANKA PRIVATE DRIVER-GUIDE?

Hiring a driver guide in Sri Lanka is a very common practise among travellers. Even though it can be a bit expensive compared to travelling on a group tour. But it is reasonably priced when you compare it with the group tours in terms of privacy, comfort, convenience, and safety. Having a private driver’s vehicle also means that you save a lot of time during the trip. Sri Lankan driver guides are specially trained to work with foreign travellers. The driver-guides have the advantage of speaking English, and some of them are also capable of speaking a few other foreign languages. Travellers can depend on them for accurate information about the island, its people, religions, and the history of Sri Lanka. These drivers have been given a thorough knowledge of Sri Lanka and other aspects of the island in a classroom educational program conducted by university lecturers. Sri Lankan driver guides are given a service certificate and special licence from the Sri Lanka Tourist Board upon successful completion of their training programme.

HIRING A SELF DRIVE CAR IN SRI LANKA

Perhaps it is not a good idea to drive your own on Sri Lankan roads, especially if you are coming from a western country. However, it is possible to hire a self-drive car in Sri Lanka and there are many companies with branches in all major cities that provide self-drive cars. However, hiring a car and driver is far more common among foreign travellers in Sri Lanka. The price of self-drive cars varied depending on the vehicle you hire and the duration.

This 10-day private Colombo package includes 6 UNESCO World Heritage sites: Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Sigiriya Rock Fortress, Golden Temple of Dambulla, Galle Fort, and Temple of the tooth relic with Sri Lanka mountain resorts, southern national parks, and western and southern beach resorts.

IN SRI LANKA, HIRE A PRIVATE DRIVER-GUIDE

Gooooood question! You will understand why you should not drive in Sri Lanka as soon as you hit the roads. Luck is not on the side of foreign drivers when they drive in Sri Lanka. However, there is foreigner, who drive on their own, and there is no legal barrier to it. You need to have an international license and you can rent a vehicle from a company for your tour. 

AVOID STRESS AND HAVE COMFORT IN YOUR TRAVEL WITH SRI LANKA PRIVATE DRIVER

Driving on a zig-zag pattern, cutting in front of you giving no clue, swerving into the next lane without any signal, and even driving in the opposite direction on the lane are some of the things you can see on Sri Lanka roads. The local drivers are well aware of the behaviour of local traffic and well adapted to it. Unless you seriously like road rage and high stress, please avoid self-navigation.

CAR RENTAL SRI LANKA

Most multi-national car rental companies have set up their branches in Sri Lanka. However, it is highly recommended to hire a local driver/guide in Sri Lanka. The chaotic traffic on the island can be hazardous for foreign drivers because they are not familiar with Chaotic traffic in Sri Lanka. The driver is even not following the traffic rules sometimes.

2. HIRING A DRIVER GUIDE IN SRI LANKA Vs TAKING PUBLIC TRANSPORT?

Public transport is the cheapest form of transport on the island and it cost only a fraction of the money you pay for taxis. However, there are many drawbacks with regards to trains and buses, they are overcrowded most of the time and they are also behind the schedule.

SAVE TIME ON YOUR TRAVEL WITH SRI LANKA PRIVATE DRIVER GUIDE

THE delays in transport can jeopardize your entire holiday plans. It is very inconvenient to travel on overcrowded, odiferous, uncomfortable too, and most importantly it sucks your time. If you are seriously considering curtailing your holiday expenses, have no constraints on the time available for the trip, and do not necessarily have personal space, using public transport will be fine with you.

Should I Hire a Private Driver in Sri Lanka?

Sometimes the travellers ask “why it is important to have a private driver guide in Sri Lanka?”. the most accurate answer is privacy. The most important benefit of having a private driver guide is that you can do the trip with maximum privacy at your own pace. When you are on a group tour, it is highly important to follow the exact tour itinerary and instructions given to you by the tour guides. Otherwise, it might be difficult to complete the tour successfully. Having a private driver guide means you are free to make twists and turns to the program as you are the sole representation of the group.

LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY OF SRI LANAKDRIVER GUIDE

The trained Sri Lanak driver guides are well knowledgeable in the English language. you will not find any difficulty in communicating with them on the trip. These guides are given extensive knowledge of the important tourist attractions in Sri Lanka too. With very good communicating skills and knowledge of the places, they are capable of giving you accurate and reliable information about the places you come across on the trip.

THE EXPERIENCE OF LOCAL DRIVERS REALLY MATTERS

Having a private driver-guide means the vehicle is at your disposal at any time of the trip within short notice because the vehicle and driver are dedicated to your trip. Having a local driver guide means that you have an expert, who is good at driving on Sri Lankan roads and he has good knowledge of how to go to places. The knowledge of local roads and important tourist attractions is very important because it allows you to save time on travelling on your trip, thereby saving time for sightseeing or leisure.

The Sri Lanka Tourist Board trains Sri Lanka Tourist Drivers.

Usually, the tourist drivers of Sri Lanka (employed by travel companies) have to follow a program at the Sri Lankan tourist board before starting their job, the course is a special program that improves the knowledge of driver-guides on the island (history, nature, culture, etc.) and educates them how to provide good service to their customers.  Most importantly licensed driver-guides do have experience in how to deal with the populace with dismal road etiquette

Unlike city taxi drivers, Sri Lanak tourist driver guides are well knowledgeable and acquainted with the road network and conditions of the roads on V-Program Travel routes. Sri Lanka represents a holiday distraction, but it can also be exhausting for some. So, plan your trips with a safe space to enjoy; it helps you recover Sri Lanka has an electrifying atmosphere. Don’t give yourself room to worry as a result of unnecessary traffic accidents.

On this 7-day Sri Lanka private trip you will be visiting ancient monuments in the cultural triangle, tea country, Spice and herbal garden, wildlife reserve, botanic gardens, Idyllic west coast beaches, plus enjoy a breath-taking view on the hill country rail journey from Peradeniya to Nanuoya, learn to cook a Sri Lanka meal and many more. Towards the end of the trip, you will have time to relax on the pristine beaches of Sri Lanka’s west coast.

4. WHAT IS THE COST TO HIRE A PRIVATE DRIVER GUIDE IN SRI LANKA?

This is the most difficult and most important question when it comes to hiring a private driver in Sri Lanka. In order to make the exact figure for your trip, you need to be very specific with your requirement. The price of a Sri Lanka private driver/guide is calculated based on several criteria, you need to find the best match for your requirement.

THINGS THAT DECIDE ON THE RATE OF SRI LANKAN DRIVER-GUIDE

  1. Firstly, there are professionally licensed Sri Lanka drivers/guides certified by the Sri Lanka tourist board, they can accompany you to historical monuments and other sights, and provide assistance, cultural/historical interpretation, etc. When you get a licensed driver/guide he will serve you throughout the tour.
  2. Secondly, Site guides are a category of guides employed in important historical monuments and a few other places. There are a large number of well-experienced and knowledgeable guides without a guide license. These drivers/guides are not allowed to enter the sites with foreign travellers due to the unavailability of driver/guide licenses. These drivers/guides frequently use the service of site guides. These site guides are well-trained by the Sri Lanka tourist board however they allow to carry out business only at a specific place or a few places.
  3. There are people who are “guides” who might take you on a walking tour E.g a Colombo sightseeing tour, or Sigiriya. These people are not usually “licensed guides”, however, they are experts at what they do, and entirely fit for purpose.
  4. Thirdly, of course, there are people who will pounce on the outside of major sights, and offer a guide service, and who may or may not be licensed.
This 5 day Sri Lanka tour includes many iconic tourist places such as the Sigiriya rock fortress, Dambulla golden temple, and tooth relic temple. This 5 days private tour also takes you to the breathtaking scenery in Sri Lanka’s hill country. The travellers will be able to explore Sri Lanka’s fascinating wildlife on a safari too.

5. WHAT ARE THE FACTORS THAT DECIDE ON THE RATE OF THE DRIVER GUIDE IN SRI LANKA?

Visiting sites with your driver-guide

You can book just a tourist driver for your Sri Lanka trip, usually, drivers are able to communicate with you in English and they do also have some knowledge about the country as well. But they are not licensed driver-guides means you can’t expect the exact service provided by licensed driver-guides.

The biggest disadvantage of hiring a tourist driver is that tourist drivers are not able to accompany you to important cultural and historical sites such as Sigiriya rock fortress, and Tooth relic temple. Therefore, you need to hire a site guide (the guide trained to share knowledge on one particular site) whenever you come across a tourist attraction. Usually, the rates of site guides are expensive and you also need to pay the driver, thereby you will be ended up paying a lot more than, what you pay for a licensed driver guide.  

Sri Lanka private tours with a driver who is knowledgeable in foreign languages

The rate of private driver guides in Sri Lanka varied depending on the language they speak. If you hire a driver-guide that speaks English they have the minimum charge and a driver-guide that speak languages such as French, German and Italy will charge more than what an English driver/guide charge.  

It will be a daunting task to find a private driver guide in Sri Lanka with proficiency in some languages such as Spanish and Dutch. It is advisable to book your Sri Lanka driver guide in advance, especially if you need the service of a guide that speaks any other language other than English.

Sri Lanka Driver-guide cost-based on language proficiency

The driver-guide cost mentioned below is the average rate that prevails on the island now. However, the rate differs based on demand. Usually, the rate pushes higher during the peak holiday season (From November to April), and the demand increases.

Above mentioned rates can be slightly varied depending on the company that you hire the guide from.

Availability of SLTB guide license

The Sri Lanka Tourist Board-certified driver guides charge a higher rate than the tourist drivers.

Driver-guide accommodation in Sri Lanka

The way you book the accommodation makes a big difference with regard to the driver accommodation, in Sri Lanka. According to the contract between local tour companies and hotels, the hoteliers are obliged to provide accommodation to the driver guides of local travel companies. Therefore, every hotel has a separate quarter for the driver guides, where they arrange accommodation at an affordable rate. Usually, local tour operators do not charge the guests for driver-guide accommodation. Thereby the guests can save a lot of money.

If the travellers book the accommodation through a booking portal such as Booking.com, the driver guide is not entitled to have accommodation in the driver’s quarters in the hotel, which is usually free, which means your driver-guide should have to sleep outside the hotel. As a result, the tourist who travels with the driver guide must pay the additional expense the driver-guide incurs for his lodging, which increases the traveler’s daily budget by about $25.

6. TIPS FOR HIRING A DRIVER GUIDE IN SRI LANKA

The job of a tourist driver guide is not a very comfortable one, and their salaries are also at their lowest ebb pertaining to the salary structures on the island. Perhaps they do not earn enough for what they do to take a passenger from one end to the other safely. They do spend long hours on the road and safely manure on the hectic street. The driver guides are heavily dependent on the tips. It is recommended to pay $5–10 per day, depending on the service provided by the driver.

As for meals, usually, the driver guides get free food at the restaurants in a private dining room designated just for them. If you invite them to dine with you, most drivers are reluctant to accept it, because it cost you money, on the other hand, they like to have a bit of privacy. The dining table and the hotel driver’s quarters are the places where they meet their colleagues and which is an opportunity to have interesting chats and share their interesting experiences, which they don’t like to miss.     

7. CONTACT INFORMATION FOR DRIVERS

When you book Sri Lanka private tours with the driver, it is customary to get the driver’s details upon successful completion of the booking. You also get the contact details and other information of the travel company, by whom you book the vehicle and the guide. However, there may be instances when the travellers are not given the contact details of the driver guide. It is highly advisable to have the mobile phone number of your driver’s guide. Because on a multi-day Sri Lanka tour such as 7 day Sri Lanka tour or a 10-day Sri Lanka tour, you drive to faraway destinations and spend an overnight stay faraway destinations from Colombo. Therefore it is only your guide is in the immediate vicinity and there may be instances you need the support of your driver guide.    

8. HOW TO GET A PRIVATE DRIVER’S GUIDE IN SRI LANKA?

The best way of finding a driver guide in Sri Lanka is through a local tour operator. Usually, the local companies employ licensed driver guides and thereby you are able to get the professional service of a well-trained guide. When you book a guide through a company it is their responsibility of providing a good tour guide. Companies do not want to tarnish their image and therefore strictly maintain the quality of the service.

It is not recommended to use anyone you find on your own, even though it is very affordable. Those drivers might not be well experienced, and they might not have a guide licence. Some drivers drive crazy even with their guests; they turn out to be sadistic maniacs aimed at terrorising other motorists as well as the passengers with their antics. They drive carelessly and pass other cars at high speeds, cutting off other drivers and even risking the lives of the passengers and those of other motorists.

If you wish to avoid such nasty experiences, it is best to resort to a local company to find well-disciplined Sri Lankan private drivers. Over and above that, hiring a driver guide in Sri Lanka is a very common practise among travellers. Perhaps you think that hiring a Sri Lankan private driver with a professional certificate from the Sri Lanka Tourist Board is expensive compared to travelling by bus or train. However, travelling by private transport is reasonably priced when you compare it with the comfort it offers. Private transport with Sri Lankan private drivers also saves a lot of time for you.

WHY SHOULD I HIRE A SEERENDIPITY DRIVER DRIVER GUIDE?

Serendipity Tour is an entirely locally owned travel company with a head office in Colombo. The highly experienced local staff is a key strength of Serendipity Tours, and they can plan your dream holiday to Sri Lanka.

The best price guaranteed for your Sri Lanka trip

When you book a tour with Serendipity Tours, you directly book the tour with the local company, which means there are no middlemen and therefore you can guarantee the best price. Simply get in touch with us and let us know when you travel and what you like to see.

Plan your best Sri Lanka trip with-expert

Our staff makes a personalised program for you, which you can change until you find the best Sri Lanka trip package for you. Visit www.sirilaktours.com to browse our existing tour packages, which you can customise to meet all your expectations. Write to us at admin@seerendipitytours.com, tel. 0094-77-440977, WhatsApp 0094-77-4440977.

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