£1799pp—Temples, safaris & beaches: private Sri Lanka tour

Get in-depth local knowledge as you tour Sri Lanka for 11 nights. See ancient temples, ride a heritage train, and trace wildlife on a safari. Your private guide will chauffeur you between the top sights before your stay by the Indian Ocean.

What's included

• Return flights with up to 23kg checked baggage
• Meet and greet at the airport on arrival, with a soft drink and a snack
• In-destination transportation by an air-conditioned private vehicle
• A one-way first-class train journey between Kandy and Nuwara Eliya
• One night at the 4-star Goldi Sands Hotel in Negombo
• Two nights at the 4-star Amaya Lake in Dambulla
• Two nights at the 4-star Thilanka Hotel in Kandy
• One night at the 4-star Blackpool Hotel in Nuwara Eliya
• Two nights at the 4-star EKHO Safari Tissa in Tissamaharama (near the Yala National Park)
• Three nights at the 4-star The Palms in Beruwela
• Daily breakfast and dinner during the tour, and all-inclusive board during the beach stay
• Services of an English-speaking chauffeur-guide during the tour
• Excursions with admission fees, and a story-book album at the end of the tour
• All taxes and service charges

When
Fly from London Heathrow or Manchester on select dates in October, 2024; May–June, 2025.

Depart on select dates in November–December, 2024, from £1899 per person; January–April, 2025, from £1999 per person; or July, 2025, from £2299 per person.

You can travel from Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow International, or Newcastle from £1899 per person.

For more information, see our partner's website.

Itinerary

• Day 1… start your private island adventure in the coastal town of Negombo. Relax on a sunset-facing beach before your tour begins the next morning.
• Day 2… you will head inland to Dambulla for the next two nights. Attend a cooking demonstration (a light lunch is also included). Then, take a tuk-tuk to embark on a boat excursion on a lake nearby.
• Day 3… travel to Sigiriya, and climb the Lion Rock. Afterwards, enjoy a gin & tonic during a jeep safari in the Minneriya National Park.
• Day 4… you'll learn about tropical herbs at a spice garden. Then, see a UNESCO-protected cave temple that's been a pilgrimage site for over 2000 years. Continue to Kandy. There, you'll visit a temple that houses a relic of the tooth of the Buddha.
• Day 5… take a stroll through the Royal Botanic Gardens in Peradeniya in the morning. In the afternoon, you can soak up the sun around your hotel's pool.
• Day 6… join a scenic train ride to Nuwara Eliya in the highlands. The city is nicknamed "Little England" for its colonial brick houses, and red postboxes. You'll also stop by a tea plantation and factory.
• Day 7… continue south, and see the viaducts of Nine Arches Bridge. Stand in awe in front of the thundering Ravana Falls, and visit the Kataragama temple complex. Later on, you can rest at your hotel in Tissamaharama, surrounded by tropical greenery.
• Day 8… spend the morning at your own leisure, then go on a safari in the Yala National Park. You might spot elephant herds, buffalos, sambar deers, crocodiles, and even elusive leopards.
• Day 9… on the way to the west coast you'll take a break at the Elephant Transit Home in Udawalawe. Next, walk through Galle, a delightful walled town with grand colonial mansions. You'll visit a turtle hatchery to hear about conservation efforts. Finally, arrive to your beach hotel along the Indian Ocean.
• Day 10–12… blissful days await in Beruwela. Relax under swaying palms at the pool, or meander through the gardens to the beach. You could book a massage (chargeable) at the tranquil spa. You'll get daily breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks, plus select alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.

Transfers & baggage
All overseas ground transportation, and up to 23kg checked baggage for the flights are included.