Great experience - We booked at very short notice and as written, another driver was offered for hotel pickup with good price. It all worked out reliably. The River Safari was great. Our guide Coka tried super hard and showed us many animals. Carrots of all sizes, crocodiles, birds, monkeys, chameleons and also flying dogs again. They were bigger than in Kandy. The river landscape with the mangroves is bizarre and the play of colors with the sun is very impressive. We were up to the mouth of the sea and well 2.5 h on the road. The boat has a hinged roof in case it rains. We are currently traveling in the Monzun period, so the weather was very unstable. Price performance we found top and can highly recommend this excursion for all animal and nature lovers.

River Safari - Great Fun - Great tour through Bentota river and mangroves. Our guide Coca helped us spot some amazing animals, especially the crocs and water monitors! Very lucky to see such a variety and would highly recommend this tour.

Loved the experience, moving through the mangroves and catching a glimpse of Benatota wildlife was beautiful. - Loved the boat safari. Safe and nicely managed. Very hospitable crew. Also, provided pickup and drop. Overall a great experience. Must do in Benatota.

Fantastic wildlife sightings with a knowledgeable guide - This was a fabulous trip exploring the wildlife of the river and mangroves. Our guide Coca was excellent and helped capture the memories with some excellent close up photography. We saw crocodiles, eagles, kingfishers, monkeys, water monitors, enormous fruit bats and more! A truly magical experience that will stay with us.

Feeding the monkeys - Had a great tour of the mangroves with Cocoa, he took amazing photos of the animals close up for us, very experienced. He called the monkey's down from the trees to feed from our hands, an amazing experience.

Fantastic River Safari - Excellent river safari. Coca was a fantastic guide. Punctual pick up in a TukTuk form our hotel and driver was happy to stop off at an ATM and wine shop on the way back.

A fabulous birding experience. - I went on the birdwatching river safari and it did not disappoint. The tour guide was able to spot, not only birds, but an array of animals that I could barely even see when he pointed them out. My highlights were the brown fish owl the tour guide spotted within the mangroves and a beautiful red-backed flameback. I would absolutely recommend.

True Wildlife experience - Caption Coca was amazing and our kids had a really amazing experience seeing bats, crocodiles, birds, giant lizards and able to feed monkeys. Amazing experience and it was all about wildlife

Safari - We went on the safari trip a couple of days ago, it was brilliant! our tour guide coca was excellent, he made us laugh, took great photos of the animals and us with them. Would well and truly recommend

Staged, overpriced—and pressured to rethink my review - I booked the early morning river safari hoping for a raw and immersive wildlife encounter. While the guide was friendly and spoke good English, the tour felt staged rather than natural. The route stayed close to the main river, passing holiday resorts. The first monitor lizard we spotted was climbing a garden fence—not quite the wilderness I’d imagined. Wildlife sightings felt rehearsed; we lingered under a fruit bat canopy far too long, and later the guide fed monkeys milk biscuits and spoke to them like pets. That moment shifted the tone entirely—something more suited to children than travelers seeking authentic animal behavior. To be fair, the guide answered my questions well and helped me spot a pair of wood owls I wouldn’t have seen otherwise. The full two-hour duration was delivered, and I appreciated the pickup and drop-off from my guest house. I also tipped him for his effort. In advance, I was told tourist trap stops (like cinnamon gardens or animal handling) would be avoided, and they were—even though those places weren’t open, it was clear they weren’t part of the plan. That showed some professionalism. Originally, I gave this experience 3 stars—acknowledging the guide's strengths while highlighting the artificial staging and inflated price. However, shortly after posting my review, I received multiple phone calls from the operator pressuring me about my feedback, which I found deeply inappropriate. Public reviews should be respected, not challenged through unsolicited contact. This interaction alone has made me reconsider my rating. At $40 USD, for what amounted to a polished but shallow encounter, I now feel 2 stars is a more honest reflection. If you’re after something unfiltered and wild, this won’t deliver it.