Dasun Hansaka

My wife and I had the pleasure to have Dasun as our driver for our 16 days tour around Sri Lanka. Even though he came highly recommended, and our expectations were pretty high, he managed to rise above them.

We always felt safe with him behind the wheel (even when travelling on Sri Lanka’s narrow mountain roads or congested streets in Colombo), while the car was spacious, well maintained, clean and with working air conditioning. Always on time, we knew that we could count on him no matter what our schedule was (either a 4AM trip towards Horton Plains or a late-night dinner in Colombo).

He is always considerate – willing to tell you stories and anecdotes, or just have a chat, but at the same time giving you personal space if you’re “busy” taking in the amazing scenery Sri Lanka has to offer. He knows so much about the country, its customs and its attractions. If somehow you ask a more unusual question that he may not know the answer immediately, you can be sure that he’ll provide it the next day. Even if you forget you asked the question, he won’t! Also, if you’re interested in trying the local delicacies, expect to be offered different fruits, drinks and local foods on the way. Try them, they’re very delicious and Dasun really knows how to pick the best.

Dasun is very flexible as well, all you need to do is to let him know what you expect from your travel and he’ll make it happen – a veritable tour guide. However, unlike other guides, he never tried to force on us any of the overpriced restaurants/gift shops/tours that we did not want. On the contrary, his recommendations were always considerate and good value for money, helping us avoid well known tourist traps and guiding us (but only if we needed it) towards better alternatives.

I’m grateful to have travelled with Dasun and for getting to know him better during our trip. He may have started as our driver, but he soon became our friend – and as we all know travelling with friends can be so much more rewarding. Thank you, Dasun, and hope to meet again soon!