Summary
Short description
See Sri Lanka's highlights in luxury, with a private driver, exclusive touring and opulent stays
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 National Park
- 4 Nights Galle
In pictures
About
Recommended for:
April holidays | Beach | Best of holidays | History & culture | Independent tour | Natural world | November holidays | 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. Along the way, you’ll make a stop at the spectacular Dambulla cave temple, a UNESCO World Heritage site and the best-preserved cave temple complex in Sri Lanka, featuring over 2,000 square metres of painted walls and ceilings as well as an enormous Buddha figure carved into the rock.
The following day, you’ll visit Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka’s ancient capital, which rose to prominence around the end of the 10th century following the destruction of Anuradhapura in 993 AD. Polonnaruwa also holds UNESCO World Heritage status, offering a fascinating insight into Sri Lanka’s ancient past across its myriad ruins of temples, palaces and Buddha statues. After exploring this vast archaeological complex, you’ll move on for a game drive in Minneriya National Park, which is home to the largest population of Asian elephants in the world, along with a vast array of other impressive species. You’ll then return to your accommodation in the evening.
Stay: Jetwing Vil Uyana, Sigiriya (Superior)
Meals: B
Day
5
Sigiriya to Kandy
This morning, you’ll climb the ancient rock fortress of Sigiriya, which towers dramatically over the jungle from a height of over 200 metres. Dating back to the fifth century AD, it once formed the focal point of a fortified town, surrounded by ramparts, gardens and a moat at its base. The views of the surrounding countryside from the top are quite magnificent, as are the intricate frescoes painted on the western face of the rock. You’ll then visit a spice garden in Matale, learning about how these spices for which Sri Lanka is renowned are grown and produced, before ending the day in a 19th-century palatial manor house in Kandy, complete with antiques, four-poster beds and private terraces.
Stay: Ratwatte Walauwa (Deluxe)
Meals: B
Day
6
Kandy
Today begins with a visit to the Royal Botanical Gardens of Peradeniya before a private tour of the jungle-fringed city of Kandy – the last capital of Sri Lanka’s ancient kings. You’ll have the chance to admire its ornate temples, picturesque lake and buzzing street markets before being treated to a traditional dance show later on, featuring a spectacular display of dance moves, drumming and stunts, including fire walking.
Stay: Ratwatte Walauwa (Deluxe)
Meals: B
Day
7
Kandy to tea country
After breakfast, you’ll visit the Temple of the Tooth, one of Sri Lanka’s most important Buddhist sites, housing the relic of a tooth said to have belonged to the Buddha himself. You’ll arrive in time for the daily ‘thevava’ ceremony, which is held in the inner chamber of the temple. Your private driver will then bring you south into Sri Lanka’s central highlands, watching as the tropical climate and palm trees give way to cool, tea 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.
Stay: Ceylon Tea Trails, Hatton (Deluxe)
Meals: B L D
Day
8
Tea country
You have the whole day free to explore this beautiful region and enjoy optional activities, such as a visit to a local tea plantation, in which you’ll get to watch tea pluckers in action and learn all about the tea-making process from fields to factory to cup. Other popular activities include guided hikes and mountain biking tours, which will introduce you to the area’s breathtaking natural beauty.
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 in Kogalla, 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 £5,695 pp incl. flights
Superior
Low Season
from £5,695 pp. incl. flights
High Season
from £7,640 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.
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