We Love —
- Visiting Sri Lanka’s legendary temples, lush tea plantations, and spectacular scenery from the mountains down to the beach.
- Meeting elephants in Udawalawe National Park, and admiring the view on one of the world’s most scenic railway journeys.
- The dazzling white beaches and vibrant coral reef in Passikudah on the 11-night tour!
Customer reviews —
Your Itinerary In Brief —
Discover the highlights of Sri Lanka with a 9 or 11-night tour through ancient royal cities and spectacular landscapes.
Visit the rock fortress of Sigiriya and the medieval capital of Polonnaruwa. Take in the serene atmosphere at stone temple Nalanda Gedige, and perhaps even give your own offering of flowers at the famous Temple of the Tooth in Kandy.
Marvel at incredible landscapes, from lush tea plantations to deep valleys, during your scenic railway journey to Nanuoya. Stop at Ravana Falls, and observe wild elephants in Udawalawe National Park.
9-Night Tour
Day 1: Colombo Airport - Galle
Day 2: Galle - Weligama - Kalametiya - Udawalawe Region
Day 3: Udawalawe National Park - Elephant Transit Home - Wellawaya - Ella
Day 4: Ella - Nanuoya - Nuwara Eliya - Kandy
Day 5: Kandy
Day 6: Kandy - Matale - Dambulla
Day 7: Dambulla - Sigiriya - Dambulla
Day 8: Dambulla - Polonnaruwa -Dambulla
Day 9: Dambulla - Kurunegala - Negombo
Day 10: Negombo - Airport
11-Night Tour
Day 1: Colombo Airport - Galle
Day 2: Galle - Weligama - Kalametiya - Udawalawe Region
Day 3: Udawalawe National Park - Elephant Transit Home - Wellawaya - Ella
Day 4: Ella - Nanuoya - Nuwara Eliya - Kandy
Day 5: Kandy
Day 6: Kandy - Matale - Dambulla
Day 7: Dambulla - Sigiriya - Dambulla
Day 8: Dambulla - Polonnaruwa - Passikudah
Day 9 & 10: Passikudah
Day 11: Passikudah - Habarana - Kurunegala - Veyangoda
Day 12: Veyangoda - Airport
Your Itinerary In Detail —
Day 1: Colombo Airport - Galle
Welcome on arrival at Colombo International airport by your driver guide and immediate transfer to Galle.
Galle is a former Dutch colony. Protected by UNESCO, with its old winding streets between the walls of the fort, it's one of the most charming ancient cities on the island.
On arrival, check into your hotel for dinner and overnight stay (depending on your arrival time).
Transfer - Private vehicle, 2 ½ hours
DAY 2 : GALLE - WELIGAMA - KALAMETIYA - UDAWALAWE
Breakfast at the hotel. Visit the city of Galle, an important place of trade for spices throughout the centuries. Years ago, market-sellers would've jostled for space all along the roads, selling everything from cinnamon to mother of pearl.
Continue your journey to the Udawalawe region on the coastal road with a stop at Weligama, a fishing village.
On the way to Udawalawe you'll stop at Kalametiya bird sanctuary for a two-hour boat ride. Kalametiya bird sanctuary is a main bird watching site in Sri Lanka. This sanctuary includes a Kalametiya mangrove lagoon. This is a brackish water lagoon very close to Kalametiya beach. There are lots of picturesque places in this area.
Transfer to Udawalawe, and check into your hotel for dinner and overnight stay at your hotel.
Transfer: Private vehicle - 3 ½ hrs during day
Day 3: Udawalawe National Park - Elephant Transit Home - Wellawaya - Ella
Breakfast at the hotel. This morning, you'll visit Udawalawe National Park on a 3 and a half hour jeep safari. Elephants, birds, crocodiles, and water buffalo count among the wildlife found in this park.
After the safari, visit the Udawalawe elephant transit home, just next to the park. The main goal of this centre is the rehabilitation of orphan elephants in their natural habitat.
After your visit to the transit home, your next step is Ella, renowned for its incredible scenery. Stop at the Ravana Falls en route, one of the highest waterfalls in Sri Lanka. In the afternoon in Ella, you'll take a short walk to Little Adam's Peak, with a superb view over the valley. Check in to your hotel for dinner and overnight stay at your hotel.
Transfer - Private vehicle 3 ½ hours, 1-hour walk
DAY 4: ELLA - NANUOYA - NUWARA ELIYA - KANDY
After breakfast, proceed to Ella railway station and board the train to Nanuoya. This train trip from Ella to Nanuoya in Sri Lanka, is one of the most beautiful railway journeys in the world. The trip takes two hours, and travels through stunning landscapes of lush tea plantations and mountain views.
On arrival at Nanuoya railway station, you'll join your driver guide and transfer to Nuwara Eliya. Nuwara Eliya is a mountain station at 1,900 m of altitude, in a splendid landscape. The city was built entirely during the 19th-century and its architecture mimics that of an English country town, with red-brick walls, country houses, and mock-Tudor half-timbering.
After strolling around the city, take your transfer to Kandy to visit a tea plantation and factory, where you'll be taught about the different methods of making black tea. Kandy is classified by UNESCO, and situated at 350m altitude, with a lake surrounded by lush green hills. Arrival and check in to your hotel. Dinner and overnight stay at your hotel.
Transfer - Private vehicle 3 hours, Train 2 hours
Day 5: Kandy
Breakfast at the hotel. Visit Kandy, the World Heritage Site and last royal capital of the Sri Lankan kings. Visit the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic (Dalada Maligawa), one of Sri Lanka's most iconic sites. Every day, hundreds of Buddhist pilgrims come to venerate the precious relic of Buddha.
After your visit, take your transfer to Peradeniya, and visit the beautiful botanical garden of Peradeniya. The gardens are truly majestic, and home to hundreds of species of tropical plants, trees, flowers, spices and fruit.
Walk through acres of beautifully landscaped gardens, passing well-tended lawns, and pavilions. It is unquestionably one of the oldest and most beautiful gardens in the world.
In the early afternoon, you'll visit a precious stone workshop, before attending the Kandy dance show. Return to the hotel for dinner and overnight at your hotel.
Transfers - Private vehicle 1 ½ hours
DAY 6 : KANDY - MATALE - DAMBULLA
Breakfast at the hotel, and then head to Matale. Spices are mainly grown in this region of Sri Lanka. Stop in a spice garden for a visit to discover the different spices growing in Ceylon.
On completion leave for Dambulla, and en route, stop at the fascinating Nalanda Gedige. This site has long mystified viewers with its strange mix of Hindu and Buddhist architecture. Believed to be constructed in between 8th to 10th century, the structure was rediscovered in 1893. Nalanda Gedige is designed like a Hindu temple with a mandapa, an entrance hall, a short passage, and an ambulatory round the holy centre.
Continue your journey to Dambulla, and check into the hotel. In the afternoon, visit the cave temple in Dambulla. Dambulla Royal Cave Temple and Golden Temple houses drawings in magnificently constructed five-cave temples, flanking the golden temple of Dambulla. As you enter the retreat, look straight up to the gigantic Buddha statue glittering in gold.
Return to your hotel after your visit. Dinner and overnight stay at your hotel.
Transfer - Private vehicle 3 ½ hours
Day 7: Dambulla - Sigiriya - Dambulla
After breakfast, you'll have a Sri Lankan village experience. Board a tuk tuk and then a bullock cart to ride through the countryside. Take a boat ride on the small lake in a fishing boat, called a catamaran (English term derived from Tamil two words, Katta and Maran). You'll then visit a local plantation, before going into a village house, where you'll see a Sri Lanka cooking demonstration.
After your trip, take your transfer to Sigiriya, and in the afternoon, head to Lion Rock. This rock was transformed into a fortress palace and citadel belonging to King Kasyapa in the 5th century.
Step through the gigantic 'Lion Paws' - overlooking the symmetrical royal gardens below. Surrounded by ramparts and moats, the Lion Rock is adorned with frescoes that relate to Gupta style paintings found in Ajanta caves in India.
Return to hotel for dinner and overnight stay at your hotel.
Transfer - Private vehicle 1 to 1 ½ hours during the day, 2 ½ hours of walking time in Sigiriya.
Day 8 to 10 (9-Night Tour)
DAY 8: DAMBULLA - POLONNARUWA - DAMBULLA
Breakfast at the hotel. Drive to Polonnaruwa and visit this medieval city framed by tropical forest. You'll see plenty of palaces, shrines, monasteries, pavilions, parks, and lakes, including the ancient Parakrama Samudraya.
Return to Dambulla. Spend the rest of the day at your leisure. Dinner and overnight stay at your hotel.
Transfer - Private vehicle 3 ½ hours
DAY 9: DAMBULLA - KURUNEGALA - NEGOMBO
Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to Negombo via Kurunegala. On arrival, check in to your hotel. Rest of the day at leisure on the beach. You’ll have free time to visit the fishing village and city of Negombo. Dinner and overnight stay at your hotel.
Transfer - Private vehicle 3 ½ to 4 hours
DAY10: NEGOMBO - AIRPORT
Breakfast at the hotel. Depending on your flight time, take your transfer to the airport for your departure flight.
Transfer - Private vehicle, 30 minutes.
Day 8 to 12 (11-Night Tour)
DAY 8: DAMBULLA - POLONNARUWA - PASSIKUDAH
Breakfast at the hotel. Drive to Polonnaruwa and visit this medieval city framed by tropical forest. You'll see plenty of palaces, shrines, monasteries, pavilions, parks, and lakes, including the ancient Parakrama Samudraya.
Afterwards, head to the sandy beaches of Passikudah. You'll find one of Sri Lanka's most unspoiled stretches of coastline. Arrival and check in to the hotel. Rest of the day is at leisure. Dinner and overnight stay at your hotel.
Transfer - Private vehicle 3 ½ hours
DAY 9 & 10: PASSIKUDAH
Spend the days at your leisure, with dinner and overnights at the hotel.
Anilana Passikudah is a hidden gem discretely located away from the crowds in Passikudah Bay, surrounded by a coral reef. Thoughtfully designed, this intimate and luxurious retreat preserves the natural beauty of the environment. Swim in the pool, read quietly in the gardens, or visit the beach.
DAY 11 : PASSIKUDAH - HABARANA - KURUNEGALA - VEYANGODA
Morning at leisure. Check out from the hotel around noon. Transfer to Veyangoda via Habarana and Kurunegala. On arrival, check in to your hotel. Dinner and overnight stay at your hotel.
Transfer - Private vehicle, 5 hours
DAY 12: VEYANGODA
Breakfast at the hotel. Free day at Veyangoda. Airport transfer for return flight.
Transfer - Private car, 30 minutes transfer to airport.
Your Hotels —
HAND-PICKED JUST FOR YOU
Maximum room capacity
Throughout your tour, you'll stay in Deluxe Rooms in 4* hotels as per itinerary (or similar).
Guests who choose the 11-night tour will also enjoy a beach stay in a 5* hotel as per itinerary (or similar).
- Galle: Lady Hill Hotel (or similar)
- Udawalawe: Centauria Lake Resort (or similar)
- Ella: Ekho Ella, Morning Dew Hotel (or similar)
- Kandy: Earls Regent (or similar)
- Dambulla: Sigiriana Resort by Thilanka (or similar)
- Negombo: Camelot Beach Hotel (or similar)
- Passikudah: Anilana Passikudah (or similar, 11-night tour only)
- Veyangoda: Covanro Hotel (or similar, 11-night tour only)
Your Dining Choices
This offer is based on a Half Board stay (breakfasts and dinners as per itinerary).
Your Journey —
Flights:
You may choose from Economy, Premium or Business class flights on sectors that they operate, at the next stage of the booking process. The flights included are with either a scheduled or no-frills airline and are subject to live availability and prices can change. You can choose your preferred departure times during the booking process. Please select your flight options carefully as departure and arrival airports may differ.
Transfers:
Tour transport and inter-hotel transfers are included as per your itinerary.
Your Destination —
Sri Lanka
With 8 Unesco World Heritage Sites to be found on such a small area of land and a 2,000 year old culture, Sri Lanka is as fascinating as it is beautiful. A destination that is often skipped by many a traveller on their trips to India or Asia, Sri Lanka remains one of the Indo-Asian best kept secrets. Visit its ancient sites and marvel over its legendary temples, or see the sacred home of the world’s oldest living tree, Anuradhapura.
Take a tour in one of Sri Lanka’s national parks to encounter elephants, leopards, water buffaloes, and exotic birds, or spend the day relaxing on the dazzlingly white, often untrod, beaches. Try your hand at a little surfing or retreat up into the Sri Lankan hills to experience a more temperate climate and the lavish greenery of the tea plantations. In addition, you can even trek through the rainforests with an experienced guide or just take in the breathtaking vistas on a spectacular train ride. With fabulously flavoursome food and a vast array of culturally rich experiences to delve into, Sri Lanka promises to be one of your best-loved travel destinations, where the charm of the people will simply enchant you.
