Railway Adventures

Railway Adventures' Private Train Tour of Sri Lanka I highly recommend the luxury train tour of Sri Lanka with the Railway Adventures travel company (https://railwayadventures.travel/) Our small group of ten people travelled around the country in a private train accompanied by a tour leader, a local guide, and train staff who provided morning and afternoon tea and lunch - as scheduled. We were followed by a bus that delivered us to and from train stations. It also carried our luggage between hotels and drove us on road-based excursions. This level of support eased our journey and facilitated a relaxing and engaging holiday.

I chose this tour because train travel has advantages over road travel. It takes passengers away from dusty roadside vistas. Instead, our train travelled through mountain, jungle and coastal scenery. We were not strapped into bus seats. Rather, we could stroll around to chat, visit the bar, or find the toilet. The train stopped for scenic photos and to meet the bus for excursions.

Whilst the ethos of this company is train travel, it is also about understanding local culture and visiting important sites. Accordingly, Railway Adventures curated a well-balanced itinerary and our ever-present Sri Lankan tour guide, Moditha, gave his all to introduce us to his country. He frequently summarised the geography, culture and economics of each region to create a meaningful picture of Sri Lanka as a whole. He was also sensitive to the individual needs of clients ensuring that they heard stories relevant to their own interests.

I’m not a train buff, but even I got interested on the day our train was pulled by one of only three steam engines remaining in Sri Lanka. It was quite an event with locals lined-up along the route to grab a photo as we passed by.

The company gave clear guidelines ahead of the trip about required activity levels. I have some difficulty with steps, so I rang the company before booking to see if I could opt out of two excursions that risked being too much for me. This presented no problem to them nor to me because the train offered comfortable sanctuary whilst I waited for the group to return from the excursion.

The Tour Leader offered a self-funded golf cart to facilitate my visit to the extensive Royal Botanic Gardens. This was a huge success, partly because the driver was very knowledgeable and interesting. When others heard about the golf cart they wanted to join me. The golf carts are in high demand so Railway Adventures might like to consider making pre-booked buggies a permanent feature of this excursion for all clients. This is not about addressing individual ability levels. Rather it is about the principles of universal design which enhance the experience for all.

Railway Adventures is a client-centred company. The office staff members are low-key and helpful. There is no commercial pushiness. The company gave good information in advance and fair warning that adherence to strict schedules is impossible when travelling on single-line train tracks. Trains must wait to pass. Nobody had any problem with this. However, more warning about imminent events, in the moment, would have been helpful so that clients have enough understanding to organise themselves in a timely manner. Flexibility and tolerance must be backed by the dissemination of good information to everyone.

Railway Adventures is a company that can be trusted. They guarantee tours when minimum numbers have been reached. I’m told that two people dropped out of my tour at the last minute. This meant that the group was unusually small. Yet Railway Adventures had guaranteed the tour so they went ahead. I’m very grateful that they did so. It was a good trip.