Discover some of Not In The Guidebooks’ most popular destinations, from the lush Pacific coast of Costa Rica to the snow-covered pine forests of Lapland.
From winter sun escapes in the Maldives to bucket list adventures in Peru, explore our experience collections of local authentic experiences.
Not In The Guidebooks adventures take you to the places other tourists miss – explore our offbeat, authentic and local itineraries here.
We find that the fastest route to the heart of a culture is through its cuisine. Whether that’s cooking in Italy or exploring markets in Vietnam.
For a holiday that creates more than memories, explore our range of painting, photography, and art & crafts holidays.
The best way to explore a landscape is to immerse yourself in it on an adventure, whether hiking the Spanish Pyrenees or kayaking in Montenegro.
Explore the world on your terms by meeting like-minded travellers who share your passion for discovering new places and experiencing new cultures.
Take the opportunity to refresh, recharge and revatilise on a wellness holiday that also takes you to experience a new culture.
From the Masai Mara to Corcovado National Park, with NITGB you can witness some of the most spectacular wildlife on earth in a responsible manner.
Discover unique accommodation that turns an ordinary weekend escape into a memorable, offbeat experience, whether in the UK or further afield.
On your first night, arrive and you will be met at the airport by your local host. They will take you to your hotel, situated close to the airport, to settle in, refresh, and get over any jetlag before your Sri Lankan adventure begins.
Accommodation
Jetwing Hotel
Hi! My name is Prateeque, your host. I grew up in India, in Bangalore and after completing an engineering degree, I decided to not actually follow this path and chose to follow my passion of travel. I quickly got a job as an actual tour guide in the wonderful southern region of Kerala, India, for a few months and ended up staying for 2 years.
An opportunity opened up to go to Sri Lanka to become manager for the country, so when I was offered it, I jumped at the chance. During my time working in travel, I’ve travelled the majority of both India and Sri Lanka and discovered almost place you could possibly explore in these crazy, yet amazing countries.
I’ve always enjoyed the outdoors and exploring, even as a kid. ... Read All
Hi! My name is Prateeque, your host. I grew up in India, in Bangalore and after completing an engineering degree, I decided to not actually follow this path and chose to follow my passion of travel. I quickly got a job as an actual tour guide in the wonderful southern region of Kerala, India, for a few months and ended up staying for 2 years.
An opportunity opened up to go to Sri Lanka to become manager for the country, so when I was offered it, I jumped at the chance. During my time working in travel, I’ve travelled the majority of both India and Sri Lanka and discovered almost place you could possibly explore in these crazy, yet amazing countries.
I’ve always enjoyed the outdoors and exploring, even as a kid. I would go out on my bike and get lost and then try to find my way back. I grew up in an urban setting, so any chance I could get I was out exploring. The feeling of release you get from the outdoors, is completely different to anything you can feel.
The one thing that inspired me to work in travel and pursue it as a long term career, is the feeling of pure amazement when discovering something new or seeing something spectacular for the first time. It’s an indescribable feeling, but you’re just totally immersed in this place and you just forget about everything else for a while.
And seeing this look on people’s faces and being with them when they’re doing this, is something I found out very quickly when I was tour guide I absolutely loved and just had to pursue this further.
Another thing is, you always learn in travel, there’s always something new that comes up, whether it be an experience, untapped location, or new people, you’re always learning and this pushes me to find new things to do.
It’s fair to say that Sri Lanka is oversaturated, there are plenty of companies here offering the same tours to the same places. We however, like to go off the beaten track. It’s unbelievable how much there is to see in this wonderful country away from the main sights. For example, the busy national parks e.g. Udawalawe National Park can have up to 600 jeeps a day on it’s roads. But if you go just 2 hours away at Gal Oya national park, it’s much less busy and you can get much closer to the wildlife.
Your Sri Lankan adventure begins when your host meets you at Bandaranaike International Airport, where you will be met by your local host and taken straight to your first accommodation.
From there you’ll head inland and northwards towards the centre of the island, where you’ll find the unforgettable Sigiriya. Here you’ll turn south towards Nurawa Ella, before heading taking a train to the relaxed town of Ella, nestled in the lush green hills of Sri Lanka’s interior.
Finally, you’ll journey to Tangalle on the south coast, where you have the chance to spend time relaxing, before you are transferred 3.5 hours to the airport for your homeward flight.
Get off the beaten track and support local communities that you visit.
Sign up for inspiriation for your itinerary, new experiences and special offers.
