Sri Lanka Essentials

Galle – Yala

After breakfast, check out from the hotel and meet your private English-speaking guide and driver for a walking tour of Galle, a vintage postcard town straight from the Dutch colonial area. Its paved streets, unique buildings, and history etched deep within its ancient architecture speak volumes about the island’s past.

Next, see the fishermen perched on stilts as they fish in the shallow waters. They use fly-fishing methods to capture small to medium fish that get carried with the currents onto the shore.

Before making the journey to Yala, visit the Galle Turtle Hatchery and watch as the eggs are incubated in the sand. Observe many species of Turtles, from Leatherback, Greenback, Loggerhead and Hawkbills, as they are protected and returned to the sea after hatching. Five of the seven known Turtles visit Sri Lanka’s shores yearly to lay eggs and continue this cycle.

Drive to Yala National Park for an afternoon Safari in the hopes to see the majestic leopard. The chances of you seeing a leopard here are relatively high compared to the other parks on the island. The parkland includes many lakes, rivers, and jungles where over 32 species of mammals, hundreds of bird species and many reptiles have been recorded.

Check into your Yala hotel where the rest of the evening will be at your leisure

Breakfast included
Overnight in Yala – you can choose your hotel and standards below

Yala - Nuwara Eliya

After breakfast at the hotel, you’ll be driven to Nuwara Eliya with your private English-speaking guide for a tour of a local tea factory. Ceylon Tea is famous worldwide, and the tea leaves are carefully handpicked by women wearing sarees with big baskets they hang on their backs. Each day the woman can pick up to 40kgs of fresh leaves.

Next, you’ll visit Nuwara Eliya, a town surrounded by tea plantations. The atmosphere of a British countryside village and a hot cup of tea perfectly framed within a beautiful postcard scenery makes this a must-visit in your adventure in Sri Lanka.

Check into your Nuwara Eliya hotel where the rest of the evening will be at your leisure

Breakfast included
Overnight in Nuwara Eliya – you can choose your hotel and standards below

Nuwara Eliya - Kandy (Train)

After breakfast, check out of the hotel and head to the rail station with your private English-speaking guide to experience the spectacular subtropical spice and eucalyptus forest of the rail route to Kandy.

On arrival, Comfort travellers will check into their hotel where the rest of the day is at their leisure. Deluxe and Indulgence travellers will enjoy a Kandy cultural show, where dancers are adorned with colourful and ornate costumes while moving to drums and other instruments. Acrobatic movements, graceful movements and fire dancing are part of the performance before checking into their hotel for an overnight stay.

Breakfast included
Overnight in Kandy – you can choose your hotel and standards below

*Note: for any travellers visiting Sri Lanka between the 21-31^st of August we recommend visiting the Kandy Esala Perahera annual event. This gorgeous cultural rehearsal of Kandy’s past glory carries a spiritual message too and it also shows the harmonious blending of Buddhism and Hinduism. More information can be found in your travel booklet, but please note this is at an additional cost.

Kandy – Passikudah

After checking out of the hotel, you and your English-speaking driver will head to Temple of Tooth in your comfortable private car. Dating back to the 14th century, its tucked away in Kandy’s valleys; and is a reminder of the last Kandyan King, Wickrama Rajasinghe.

Next, Deluxe and Indulgence travellers will visit Peradeniya botanical garden, the largest botanical garden in Sri Lanka, elevated 500 ft above sea level and established during the British Colonisation.

Drive to the coastal resort town of Passikudah, where clear sand and deep blue waters offer an ideal setting for the next three nights.

Check into your hotel where the rest of the evening is at your leisure.

Breakfast included
3 nights in Passikudah – you can choose your hotel and standards below

Days at leisure

A short break from the journey can be a great opportunity to discover a new culture. Our guide will suggest places to visit, but today is about exploring Sri Lankan culture at your own pace. Take advantage of the lush green landscapes or take the day by the beach to build up that suntan!

Breakfast included

Passikudah – Polonnaruwa - Sigiriya

After breakfast, check out from the hotel for a comfortable drive to Polonnaruwa, a “World Heritage Site” and the ancient capital of Sri Lanka from the 11th – 13th Centuries. Cycle through the spectacular statues, large stupas and rock shrines. The medieval capital was fortified with inner and outer moats and inner and outer walls.

Later, check into your hotel, where you will have the remaining day at your leisure.

Breakfast included
2 nights in Sigiriya – you can choose your hotel and standards below

Sigiriya and Dambulla

It is best to visit Sigiriya Rock Fortress early in the morning before the sun gets hot, so after breakfast, begin climbing up the incredible summit.

Next, journey to Dambulla Cave Temple. Built in the first century B.C, is an enormous, isolated rock mass 500 feet high and a mile around the base. It sheltered King Walagamba’s caves during his 14 years of exile from Anuradhapura. When he regained the throne, he built one of the most magnificent Rock Temples in Sri Lanka.

Later, return to your hotel, where you will have the remaining day at your leisure.

Breakfast included

Depart Sri Lanka

Depending on your chosen flight time, breakfast will be served at the hotel before being transferred by your English-speaking driver back to Colombo airport. Depending on your chosen airline, most flights will arrive in Australia the following morning.

Breakfast included