Summary
Short description
See Sri Lanka's highlights in luxury, with a private driver, exclusive touring and opulent stays
British Airways Sale now on
The British Airways Sale is now on, with savings to a wide range of destinations from the USA and Canada to Asia and the Middle East. Book by 3 October 2023.
Highlights
- Take in the UNESCO delights: Sigiriya, Galle & Polonnaruwa
- Spot leopards and elephants on safari
- Pause among Sri Lanka’s colonial gems
- Explore private transfers and touring throughout, from cultural shows to tea-plantation tours
- Enjoy luxury stays, including four nights by the beach
In Brief
- 1 Night Negombo
- 2 Nights Sigiriya
- 2 Nights Kandy
- 2 Nights Hatton
- 2 Nights Yala
- 4 Nights Galle
In pictures
About
Recommended for:
April holidays | Beach | History & culture | Independent tour | Natural world | Wildlife
With the services of a private driver throughout, this curated itinerary showcases the highlights of Sri Lanka. Sweeping along the country’s beach-fringed coastlines and plunging into the jungled interior, you’ll take in everything from colonial towns and rolling tea plantations to cave temples, the lost city of Polonnaruwa and Sigiriya – an ancient rock fortress. You’ll even head out on a trio of safaris, spotting elephants and the world’s densest population of leopards. Indeed, it’s all brought to life by private tours, including the likes of dance shows, spice plantations and tea plantations. You’ll also stay in luxury throughout, enjoying nights in colonial manor house, where a personal chef will treat you to full-board dining, before you end with four nights by the beach in an ultra-luxury resort.
Day by day itinerary
Day
1
Depart UK
Begin your trip in style with complimentary airport-lounge access before you fly out to Sri Lanka.
Day
2
Negombo
Arriving in Sri Lanka, you'll be met at the airport by your private driver, who'll see you inland to Negombo. Here, you'll settle in to your luxury hotel – a colonial manor house whose four-poster beds and acres of landscaped gardens are perfect for some post-flight relaxation. For those who want to explore, Negombo is a town packed full of history, with the Dutch and Portuguese leaving their marks in pretty churches and an imposing fort. You'll also be able to watch the local fishermen coming in with the day's catch, sold in the town's bustling markets.
Stay: The Wallawwa Hotel, Negombo (Superior)
Days
3-4
Sigiriya, Polonnaruwa & Minneriya National Park
Today, your private driver will bring you along palm-lined roads into the country’s jungled interior for a stay in a luxury stilted cottage, enjoying spa treatments among the bright-green paddy fields. You’ll also be brought to next-door Sigiriya – a spectacular fifth-century rock-top fortress. Climbing to its summit rewards with a fascinating palace complex and views over the Sri Lankan countryside. The next day, your private touring begins with the medieval city of Polonnaruwa, a 12th-century archaeological park blessed with everything from tombs and temples to statues and stupas. In the afternoon, you’ll be brought to a safari in Minneriya National Park, whose rolling grasslands host elephants, leopards and an astonishing array of bird life.
Stay: Jetwing Vil Uyana, Sigiriya (Superior)
Meals: B
Days
5-6
Kandy
Your private transfer today will see you to Dambulla’s cave temples, where Hinduism first gained a foothold in Sri Lanka – something evidenced by beautiful carvings of Vishnu. You’ll then visit a series of beautiful spice gardens and pause at a batik print factory, before ending the day in a 19th-century palatial manor house, complete with antiques, four-poster beds and private terraces. The next day, you’ll be treated to a private city tour of jungle-fringed Kandy – the last capital of Sri Lanka’s ancient kings. Indeed, alongside its botanical gardens and quaint colonialism, you’ll take in its sacred Buddhist temples and a traditional dance show. Think fire dancers and thumping drummers.
There's also the option of taking a super-scenic train ride, either the classic original or a brand-new luxury version – the Ella Odyssey. Equipped with first class, air-conditioned seating, it makes a series of stops along what is Sri Lanka's most famous stretch of railway, including St. Clair Falls, Great Western Railway Station, Algin Waterfall and Demodara Nine Arch Bridge. You'll have time to step off in each, taking in the views and capturing some photos, too.
Stay: The Kandy House (Deluxe)
Meals: B
Days
7-8
Hatton: Sri Lanka's tea country
After breakfast, your private driver will bring you south into Sri Lanka’s central highlands, watching as the tropical climate and palm trees give way to cool, plantation-dotted hills. Here, you'll stay in the country’s first and only Relais & Châteaux hotel, bedding down in a colonial-era bungalow, enjoying gorgeous valley views and sensational dining. Each cottage comes with its own chef, who'll treat you to included, full-board meals of local delicacies and just-baked pastries. The next day you’ll be brought out to explore, with the resident tea planter taking you through the tea-making process from fields to factory to cup. After a tasting, your private guide will bring you to the mountain station of Nuwara Eliya, taking in its 19th-century British architecture and beautifully terraced slopes.
Stay: Ceylon Tea Trails, Hatton (Deluxe)
Meals: B L D
Days
9-10
Yala National Park
Your private transfer today, winding through the tea plantations, will see you to the Elephant Transit Home in Uda Walawe National Park. Recognised as one of the finest animal rehabilitation centres the world over, it offers the chance to spot everything from leopards and a myriad of bird species to sloths, bears and, yes, elephants. You’ll then continue to the south coast, where you’ll stay among its white sands with a beach villa or luxury forest tent. You’ll also be right on the border of Yala National Park, which you’ll explore the next day in the company of an expert guide. Its light forest and grassy plains are home to 215 species of bird and the world’s densest population of leopards.
Stay: Jetwing Yala, Yala National Park (Deluxe)
Meals: B
Days
11-14
Galle
Sweeping along the coast, your private driver will see you to Galle for four nights of golden-sands relaxation. You’ll stay in a boutique, beachfront resort just outside Galle Fort, enjoying spa treatments, infinity-pool luxury and private-balcony views of the ocean. It’s no surprise that it’s a member of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World. Alongside the iconic fishermen who cast their lines from single stilts flung out among the waves, there’s also plenty of cultural intrigue in nearby Galle. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is an old trading port, home to everything from Dutch-colonial buildings and ancient mosques to grand mansions and stylish artists' cafés.
Stay: The Fortress Resort and Spa, Galle (Deluxe)
Meals: B
Day
15
Depart for UK
After breakfast, a final private transfer will see you to the airport for your flight home, arriving the same day.
Meals: B
Map
Pricing
Any element of this itinerary can be adjusted to suit your needs. Just contact us to find out more.
15-day tailor-made holiday
from £4,830 pp incl. flights
Superior
Low Season
from £4,830 pp. incl. flights
High Season
from £4,910 pp. incl. flights
Includes:
- Complimentary UK airport lounge access
- Return flights from London to Colombo
- Private transfers and touring with English-speaking driver/guide
- 11 nights accommodation in typically 4/4+* (Superior) hotels on a B&B basis
- 2 nights accommodation in a 5* (Deluxe) lodge on a full-board basis
Terms & Conditions
Prices are per person based on two people sharing a twin/double room; prices are subject to availability and possible change; normal booking conditions apply.
Meet our experts
Speak to a tailor-made specialist on 020 7590 0613
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