A veteran solo traveller's experiment with group travel has turned into something of a Sri Lanka love story. Lydia Swinscoe, who wrote for The Independent after two decades of travelling alone through countries like India, Georgia and Colombia, signed up for a 12-day organised tour of the island in March 2024 to work out why group trips were booming among millennials — and walked away with a partner, plus plenty of useful intel for anyone weighing up the same decision.
The tour itself took in a well-chosen route: Negombo's famous fish market, the ancient city of Polonnaruwa, hill country stops at Haputale and Ella (home to the much-photographed Nine Arch Bridge), a safari in Yala National Park with chances of leopards and sloth bears, a night inside historic Galle Fort, and a beach finale at Kosgoda. Her group of nine, mostly Americans with a few Brits and an Australian aged in their 30s and 40s, was led by a local guide named Suranga — whose dry humour and encyclopedic knowledge of the country became the trip's defining feature.
Here's the twist: group travel, she concluded, genuinely wasn't for her. She found the rigid structure and constant small talk draining, and she left the tour early to spend several weeks travelling independently — heading north to Jaffna, tracking down a seventh-century limestone Buddha at Maligawila near Monaragala, and exploring the ancient city of Anuradhapura. But a broken phone screen led to a day trip into Colombo's Pettah district with Suranga to find a repair shop, followed by king coconut drinks at the Barefoot Garden Cafe. Six months of daily messages later, the two made it official. More than two years on, she's still based in Sri Lanka, exploring lesser-known corners together — Mannar island with its long-eared goats and giant baobab, and dawn starts in Wilpattu, the country's largest national park.
For travellers, the practical details are as useful as the romance. Licensed national or chauffeur guides are strongly recommended for the cultural triangle, safaris and remote hikes, with a directory available at Srilanka.travel. SriLankan Airlines flies direct from London Heathrow to Colombo's Bandaranaike International in around 11 hours, with returns from £787. Her hotel shortlist includes Ishq in Colombo, Galle Fort Hotel, beachside Meraki on the south coast, The Warden's House for quieter Yala safaris, Nine Skies near Ella for tea-estate views, Kalkudah Beach House on the east coast, and Jetwing Mahesa Bhawan in Jaffna.
The takeaway isn't that group tours are bad — it's that they're one tool among many. If you crave slow travel and off-trail sites, book the guide, skip the coach, and leave room in the itinerary for the unplanned. It worked out rather well for one traveller.