Sri Lanka · CRUISES & BOAT TOURS
36 reviewed
The shortlist we would hand a friend flying into Colombo: 15 cruises & boat tours, each with its price, its traveller verdict and the one thing worth knowing before you commit.
Private 3 to 4 hour whale watching from Mirissa on a sports boat with breakfast, naturalist commentary, WiFi, and restroom on board.
“Great whale, dolphin and turtle spotting experience. Wonderful staff and an excellent, clean boat. We had a whale of a time :)”
Private Galle day tour with sea turtles, Turtle Beach, and a Madu River boat safari, plus Galle Fort and coastal stops.
“Our guide and driver Rusiru was amazing 🙏 He did everything pissible and beyond to make us feel comfortable and very kind and ready to help. I can only say he is a great person with a very professional attitude. 👌🥰”
Paddled eco boat safari in Pottuvil Lagoon: 2 hours of mangroves, birds, possible elephants and crocodiles, with Arugam Bay pickup.
“We had a wonderdul experience with Imam on our lagoon safari. He was verry kind and asked us right away what animals we were hoping to see. And he made sure we saw them all. Since the chance of seeing crodociles was low on the lagoon itself he took us somewhere nearby, before the safari, so we could see them (and there were a lot of them!). He even offered us a drink and snack on the way there as well. He knew so much about the mangroves, all the birds, fish and we were even verry lucky and spotted an elephant! We could not recommend this more, especially with…”
2-hour shared motorboat safari on Sri Lanka’s Madu River with a monastery stop, fish foot massage, and cinnamon island.
Bentota River Safari by boat through mangroves with wildlife spotting, expert local guides, and free hotel pickup. Two hours in Sri Lanka.
“Our guide Nicholas is knowledgeable and knows everything about the river and mangrove. We were able to spot a variety of birds, snakes and even three crocodiles. We had a great time during this safari trip.”
Negombo Lagoon boat safari with hotel pickup, tuk tuk sightseeing, mangroves, monkeys, and fresh fruit on the water, plus entry included.
“The number one activity to do in Negombo. Can recommend the afternoon because of cooler temperatures. The tour guide was exceptional. He played fantastic music for us in the tuk tuk on the way yo the Lagoon. The fruit platter in the Lagoon was delightful and fresh and the experience feeding the monkeys was terrific. We had a truly great day!!!”
Sunrise whale and dolphin cruise from Nilaveli, Trincomalee, targeting blue and sperm whales plus spinner dolphins on a fast boat.
“El guía al principio no estaba muy pendiente , iba rápido barca y cuando veíamos nosotros delfines se los pasaba de largo. Mucha aglomeracion de barcas demasiado juntas. Ballenas no hay , solo delfines.”
All inclusive dawn boat ride from Kotapola near Mirissa to spot whales, dolphins, and turtles, with hotel pickup, snacks, and water included.
“Kaikki järjestelyt toimivat todella hyvin. Henkilökunta oli myös todella mukavaa porukkaa. Iso suositus tälle matkanjärjestäjälle!”
Cruise Negombo Lagoon by boat with mangroves and wildlife, plus tuk-tuk hotel pickup, refreshments, and a calm 2 to 3 hour outing.
“Wonderful trip! Our guide, Raugh, arrived to our hotel on time and was very courteous. He asked us about ourselves and told us about himself. We rode via TUK TUK to the canel where we caught the boat and met the boat captain. They workRead more”
Madu River boat safari from Balapitiya: mangroves, crocodiles, a temple island, cinnamon stop, and optional fish massage.
“We had the boat to ourselves and our young guide was so great at spotting things of interest in the undergrowth. It was relaxing and fascinating all at once! As it was just us we picked the stops we wanted and not those we didn't! He found jellyfish, baby alligators and huge lizard. We visited a cinnamon island and saw lots of different plants and enjoyed the breeze of the river boat at speed!”
Private, quiet lagoon boat ride in Kalametiya Sanctuary to spot 150+ bird species with an English guide for $25.
“Birdwatching in the lagoon on a canoa driven by a local and in company of an expert telling interesting stories about animals watched. Extremely friendly guide and beautiful lagoon, perfect for wildlife observation and photography.”
Mirissa whale and dolphin cruise with Geeth, insured boat, free pickup, onboard breakfast, and seasickness help for $29.45.
“Good experienced crew who managed to find us whales. We had no problems everything ran smoothly would recommend”
Escape Sigiriya crowds on a 2-hour Pahala Thalkote boat ride with tea, snacks, sunrise or sunset views, and bird spotting.
“It was amazing, the tour was beautiful and the guide was very nice and knowledgeable. We really enjoyed and recommended!”
Colombo cruise shore tour with port pickup, A/C transport, Pettah markets, Seema Malakaya temple, Old Parliament and clock tower photo stops.
“Really good trip. Met straight off the ship and then driven out of the port to meet our driver for the day, Rangit. Really nice guide who was happy to take us to all the places we wanted to see and didn't put any pressure on us to visit the shRead more”
A 2-hour sunset boat trip from Negombo, through Dutch Canal mangroves to Monkey Island, with macaque feeding, lagoon walks, and fresh fruit.
“Considering the weather (rain wind ) the trip was fabulous Robin was an excellent guide very informative courteous and friendly. we had a snack of pineapple banana mango papaya watermelon and fresh coconut milk all delicious we fed the monkeys in the mangroves and saw a water lizard Brilliant trip would highly recommend 😊”
