Highlight
Sri Lanka packs an entire continent's worth of scenery into one small island, and eight days is just enough to catch it all. You'll climb Sigiriya Rock Fortress at sunrise, a fifth century palace balanced nearly 200 metres above the jungle, walk into candlelit cave temples at Dambulla and stand close enough to watch a wild elephant herd wade into the river at Pinnawala. Kandy holds its sacred tooth relic. Visit Nuwara Eliya for misty tea estates and waterfalls that look made for a postcard. Explore Ella for a slow train ride through hills so green they barely look real. By the time you reach Mirissa's beaches and Galle's Dutch fort walls you will find yourself surrounded by people who will be travelling to next destination with you. Batches for this Sri Lanka trip are exclusive and they move fast, especially the December to March window when the coast is at its best. Reserve your seat with a small booking amount today and let the island do the rest.Itinerary
Touch down at Bandaranaike International Airport, where our team will actually be waiting for you, not just pinging you on WhatsApp. Once you're checked into your Colombo hotel, head out to Galle Face Green, the city's beloved oceanfront promenade that's been the go to sunset spot since 1859. Watch kites dip against the skyline, grab something fried and spicy from a street stall, and if you're not ready to call it a night, Colombo's rooftop bars and casinos stay open well past dinner. Overnight in Colombo.
Breakfast done, it's time for the big one. Sigiriya Rock Fortress is a fifth century palace that King Kashyapa somehow built nearly 200 metres up a sheer rock face, and climbing it still feels like an achievement today, frescoes, mirror wall and all. It's Sri Lanka's most photographed UNESCO site for good reason. From there, visit Dambulla Cave Temple, the country's largest and oldest cave temple complex, where more than 150 Buddha statues sit carved directly into the rock, some over a thousand years old. Overnight in Sigiriya.
Morning belongs to the elephants. Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage is home to one of the largest herds of captive elephants anywhere in the world, and watching them wade into the river for their daily bath is the kind of thing photos never quite capture. From there, drive to Kandy, a UNESCO World Heritage city built around the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, Sri Lanka's holiest Buddhist site. Walk the edge of Kandy Lake as evening sets in, then end the day with a Kandyan dance show, drumming, fire walking and centuries of tradition packed into one performance. Overnight in Kandy.
The drive up to Nuwara Eliya is where Sri Lanka starts feeling like a different country altogether. Locals call it Little England, thanks to the cool climate and rows of British era buildings from the 1800s that never really left. On the way, stop at Ramboda Falls, one of the tallest waterfalls in the country, and walk through a working tea estate to see exactly how your morning cup of Ceylon tea gets made. Later, visit Gregory Lake, built back in 1873, and Seetha Amman Temple, believed by many to be the spot where Ravana held Sita captive in the Ramayana. Overnight in Nuwara Eliya
This is the day everyone's been waiting for. Board the train from Nanu Oya to Ella, regularly ranked among the most scenic rail journeys on the planet, built by the British in the 1800s to move tea through these hills. In Ella, walk out onto Nine Arch Bridge, built in 1921 using nothing but brick and stone because steel was scarce during the war, hike up Little Adam's Peak for a view that makes the climb worth it, and stop by Ravana Falls, another site linked to the Ramayana. The day's travel runs about 3 to 4 hours, woven between the stops. Overnight in Ella.
Say goodbye to the hills, hello to the ocean. Drive down to Mirissa, one of Sri Lanka's most loved beach towns and a well known spot for blue whale sightings. Stop at Coconut Tree Hill first, a viewpoint where a stretch of palm trees lines up perfectly against the open sea, made for exactly the photo you're already picturing. Spend the rest of the day at Mirissa Beach, calm water, easy currents, and beach shacks that stay lively well after sunset. Overnight in Mirissa.
Explore Galle Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage Site first built by the Portuguese and later expanded by the Dutch, its ramparts and cobbled lanes still standing centuries later. Visit the Dutch Reformed Church and Galle Lighthouse, the oldest lighthouse in the country, before heading out on a boat safari through the Madu River, a maze of mangroves and small islands. The day wraps up at a turtle hatchery working to protect Sri Lanka's endangered sea turtles. Back to your hotel in Mirissa for the evening.
One last breakfast before checkout, then it's time to head to Colombo Airport for your flight home. You're leaving with a phone full of photos that don't do it justice, a group chat that's not going anywhere, and a mental list of everything Sri Lanka packed into eight days, rock fortresses, tea hills, sacred temples, golden beaches and centuries old forts.
Other Info
- The Sigiriya Rock Fortress climb
- Elephant bathing time at Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage
- A Kandyan dance show with drumming and fire walking in Kandy
- A guided tea tasting at a working factory in Nuwara Eliya
- The hike up Little Adam's Peak in Ella for panoramic hill views
- Whale watching off the coast at Mirissa, best between November and April
- Rice and curry, the everyday Sri Lankan meal, several small curries served together
- Kottu roti, chopped flatbread stir fried with vegetables, egg or meat on a sizzling griddle
- Hoppers and egg hoppers for breakfast, bowl shaped rice pancakes that are hard to stop eating
- Ceylon tea, straight from the hills where it's grown
- King coconut water, fresh off the fruit
- Fresh seafood along the coast in Mirissa and Galle
- 7 nights of hotel accommodation on double sharing basis
- 7 breakfasts and 2 dinners, served at your accommodation
- All transportation and city tours exactly as laid out in the itinerary
- 1 bottle of water per person, every day
- A dedicated English speaking guide with you throughout
- Entry tickets for Sigiriya Rock Fortress, Dambulla Cave Temple, Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage and the Madu River boat safari
- Train ticket from Nuwara Eliya to Ella (subject to seat availability)
- A guided visit and tasting at a working tea factory
- Group airport pickup and drop off, timed around the batch's common flight schedule
- Tips for your local guide and driver, already settled
- Driver allowance, fuel, toll charges, parking and transport permits
- Complimentary travel insurance covering medical assistance, emergency evacuation, baggage loss or delay, trip cancellation and more, a genuine inclusion most Sri Lanka group operators leave out or charge extra for
- 24x7 travel assistance for the full duration of the trip
- Any service not specifically listed under inclusions
- Extra meals outside what's mentioned in the itinerary
- Early check in or late check out charges at hotels
- Camera or video permits at monuments and parks
- Personal expenses of any kind
- Airport pickup or drop off outside the group's scheduled flight timing
- Costs arising from landslides, road closures or other events outside anyone's control, payable directly by the traveller on the spot
- 5% GST, applied additionally on the package price
No Refund shall be made with respect to the initial booking amount for any cancellations. However,
- If cancellations are made 30 days before the start date of the trip, 50% of the trip cost will be charged as cancellation fees.
- If cancellations are made 15-30 days before the start date of the trip, 75% of the trip cost will be charged as cancellation fees.
- If cancellations are made within 0-15 days before the start date of the trip, 100% of the trip cost will be charged as cancellation fees.
- In the case of unforeseen weather conditions or government restrictions, certain activities may be cancelled and in such cases, the operator will try his best to provide an alternate feasible activity. However, no refund will be provided for the same.
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