Where to find a private driver etc

[Srilanka2026]

We are planning a holiday in Sri Lanka and think the best way to get between places maybe a private driver
Day 1 arrive Colombo airport and transfer to hotel by Galle (c 2.5 hours)
Day 3 Galle to bundala transfer (c 1.5 hours)
Day 5 Bundala to Yala transfer (c45 mins)
Day 7 Yala to tea plantations transfer by Ella (c 4.5 hours)
Day 9 Ella to closer to Colombo transfer (c 3 hours)
Day 10 Transfer to airport (c 1 hour)

We have hotels in mind but do we book them or the driver company? The one hotel I have reserved with free cancellation has said they can help with a driver from airport to Yala so I could ask them I guess.

Is it worth going on to Ella / tea plantations or are the roads too bad for this length trip. Or should we just book hotel to hotel transfers each time. We only have flights booked at the moment and 2 cancellable hotels.

We used private drivers in S India and would always ask our accommodation to arrange them, either picking us up from train, transfer to airport or to the next stay. Great way to get around, although the driver often brought a friend!

Can't comment on specifics of particular roads sorry.

Thanks very much - I've just messaged the hotel I booked as its reasonably priced and very good reviews on Booking.com (9.6) so I would trust them.

I watched a video of the one road to see what the problems where and there were elephants stopping the traffic by swinging their trunks into vehicles hoping for bananas. The motorway (?) along the south coast looks reliable.

We found a good one in Bali via TripAdvisor from personal recommendations

Thanks very much @Squirrelchops1

Watching with interest as we go next month. There is a good Facebook group - Sri Lanka travel tips, which is useful for all sorts of things, including this.

I would recommend See Lanka travel. Nipun is great

Thanks very much - Is it this one for See Lanka Travels? https://www.facebook.com/seelankatravels

Its looking like it maybe cheaper to get transfers hotel to hotel rather than a private driver for whole trip and think we would prefer that. The individual journeys seem to be about $50 each x 6 currently. We may also be able to reduce hotels.

Ours was booked through a tour operator in India, you kept the same driver who was lovely. The company operates in Sri Lanka too - le passage to India it’s called. They arranged hotels (b&b), tickets for sightseeing and tour guides too, was very reasonable compared to British companies

but also consider the train to galle

This is the group - Sri Lanka Travel & Tourism https://www.facebook.com/share/g/16NZhe3WPn/?mibextid=wwXIfr]]

Yes

Thanks so much for all the help. I have had a message back from the B&B in Yala offering a recommended driver for the whole trip and saying they can quote. Not entirely sure how it works but have sent details of our plans and asked for a quote. They are very highly rated and very reasonable pricing so think there recommendation would be good, its just whether its viable.

The hotel has come back with 22,000 a day which seems to be about £53 a day and for this they do all hotel transfers and can also do trips. I just wanted transfers really. They have said to only book hotels that take drivers. I will need to check with each one, I know our first planned one doesn't. I don't know if we pay for and book drivers accommodation or that's included. I don't know if that meals we eat all meals together.

One hotel has come back for driver accommodation and meals for 2 nights its 2500 so that's incredibly cheap. Another does not provide it, a pricey hotel. Original one can provide it and has not mentioned a cost so think will be very cheap. Two more to check. Looks like drivers don't normally eat with you every meal - I want to be kind but want privacy as well and its alone time for us. Good job I had not booked hotels.

Do ask the price!

I've just heard back from original hotel and now they've said either we book hotels with accomodation and food for driver which we pay for if they charge) - one hotel has quoted £5 for 2 nights or we can give driver about 3,000 a day and they will pay for accomodation and food elsewhere so its c£60 a day including accommodation and food. So £600 for the trip and they can do sightseeing tours if we want. I am going ahead with that - think just transfers might have been around £300 but would mean arranging 6 different ones and then extra costs if want tours.