Lakpura pairs you with a knowledgeable Sri Lankan guide who is fluent in Hungarian and travels with you through the country. At each stop the guide explains what you are looking at — the ruins, the temples, the plantations, the coast — and fills in the history and the customs behind them. Where the people around you are speaking Sinhala or Tamil, your guide translates for you, so a question, a price or a piece of advice never has to be guessed at.
Hungarian in the hill country
Guides who speak Hungarian are rare across South Asia, so this is one of the few ways to travel Sri Lanka without passing everything through a second language. The hill country is where that matters most. On the tea estates around Nuwara Eliya and Haputale, your guide can take you through a working factory and explain, in Hungarian, how the leaf is plucked, withered and rolled, and why each of those steps changes what ends up in the cup. On the slow, scenic railway between Kandy and Ella, there is time to talk properly — about the plantations passing the window, the people who work them, and how these hills came to look the way they do.
What your guide does for you
- Explains a site as you walk it, whether that is the cave temples at Dambulla, the ruins of Polonnaruwa or a colonial-era town in the hills
- Translates for you in a market or a village shop, so you know what is being sold and what is being said
- Tells you the etiquette at a temple — shoes and hats off, shoulders and knees covered, which way to walk around a dagoba
- Opens up conversations with the people you meet along the way, from tea pluckers to cooks to fellow passengers
- Answers the practical questions that come up daily: what is in a dish, what a word means, what a custom expects of you
Book the guide for as many days as your trip needs, from a single day to four weeks, choosing the number of days when you book. Tell us your itinerary as well, so the guide can be matched to the places and the pace you have in mind.
Frequently asked questions
What does a Hungarian-speaking tour guide do?
Your guide is a Sri Lankan who is fluent in Hungarian and travels with you to the places on your itinerary. At each stop they explain what you are looking at, from the history of a site to the meaning of a carving or a custom, tell you the temple etiquette before you go in, and answer the practical questions that come up along the way, such as what a sign says or how spicy a dish is likely to be.
Is a vehicle included?
No. This is a guide-only service: the price covers the guide, and no vehicle or driver is included. Your guide travels with you in the transport you arrange. If you need a car with a driver as well, Lakpura can arrange one as a separate booking.
How much does the guide cost?
The guide costs USD 100 per day, and the rate is the same whichever language you choose. You pay for the number of days you book, so a seven-day booking is USD 700.
How many hours a day does the guide work?
Each guiding day covers up to 8 hours with you.
Are the guide's meals and accommodation included?
No. The daily rate covers the guide's services only, and does not include meals or accommodation for the guide.
Are entrance fees included?
No. Entrance fees to sites, temples, parks and other attractions are not included in the price.
Can I cancel my booking?
Yes. Cancellation is free up to 48 hours before the start of your booking.
For how many days can I book a guide?
From a single day up to 28 days (four weeks). You choose the number of days when you book.
Can the guide follow my own itinerary?
Yes. Tell Lakpura your itinerary when you book, and we match you with a Hungarian-speaking guide who knows the places you plan to visit.
Will the guide translate when I talk with local people?
Yes. When the people you meet are speaking Sinhala or Tamil, your guide translates between them and you in Hungarian, in both directions, so a real conversation can take place rather than a few gestures.
Also available in other languages
Your service advisor
Mewan Manager
Have questions about this service or want it arranged around your dates? Reach Mewan directly — replies usually within a few hours during Sri Lanka business hours.
