Your tailor-made holiday will be as unique as you are. These itineraries are just a starting point, a bit of inspiration to show what’s possible. Your own trip all starts with a conversation with one of our Sri Lanka experts, who’ll take the time to understand what matters most to you and design the perfect holiday to match.
This wonderful Sri Lanka journey has been designed with first-time visitors who are a little short on time in mind. It packs an awful lot of adventure into just 11 days, but we’ve made sure nothing is too chaotic. This is a holiday after all! Journeying from the cities to the tea hills, and the beaches to a wild adventure in one of the country’s beautiful national parks, you’ll return home with a real flavour of what makes this country so special.
After an overnight stay in Negombo after your long journey, the trip heads straight to Kandy, a historic city in the hills that is home to the Temple of the Tooth. You’ll then continue south via train up into the tea plantations. The hill country is one of the most spectacular landscapes in Sri Lanka, and enjoying the views from the train is an absolute delight. After enjoying walks and colonial accommodation in the hills, your journey continues to visit Udawalawe National Park – and the 600 or so elephants that call it home. You’ll head off on a jeep safari and pay a visit to the Elephant Transit Home, where more than 20 orphaned baby elephants are cared for. Last, but definitely not least, you’ll be whisked off to a beautiful beach hotel on the southwest coast for three nights of relaxation before flying home.
Here's a summary of what you might get up to day-to-day on this Sri Lanka holiday. As always, this is just an idea. Every single day of your trip will be tailored to suit you.
Your adventure begins today with an overnight flight from the UK to Colombo.
When you land in Sri Lanka, your very wonderful and very knowledgeable driver guide will be waiting to meet you. With a smile, of course, this is Sri Lanka! You’ll be driven to your hotel in Negombo, just a short 20-minute drive away. With a traditional fishing market, beautiful canals and plenty of local restaurants, it’s the perfect spot to get acclimatised, recover from the flight, and prepare for the adventures to come.
This morning, your guide will pick you up and drive you the 3.5 hours to Kandy, a city nestled in the hills. Rich in both history and culture, Kandy is home to one of the most sacred religious temples in Sri Lanka: The Temple of the Tooth. If possible, try to schedule your visit for the evening puja festival. To the beat of ceremonial drums, worshippers and visitors alike gather to watch the unveiling of the golden casket containing the sacred tooth of Buddha. It’s a highlight of any time in Kandy.
You’ll spend today exploring what makes Kandy so special. From Kandy Lake and the Royal Botanic Gardens, to the electric marketplace and the Arts and Crafts Centre, where you’ll be able to watch the local craftsmen work and learn all about their trades. This afternoon is free to explore as you wish. If you'd like more structure, we can recommend some great ways to spend your time – they will almost definitely include tasting your way around the countless street food offerings found across the city streets. Well worth it!
The train ride through Sri Lanka’s hill country is one of the most scenic you can experience anywhere on earth. You’ll leave your bags in the car with your guide (who will make sure you get on the train safely and find your seat before heading off), and then settle in for the ride of your life. There are so many great options for places to stay in the tea country. Chat to us about how you’d like to spend your time here. Hiking through the emerald landscapes? Tea tasting at a local factory? Soaking in a pool with a staggering view of the mountains? We've tried and tested all of the best hotels and areas, and will be sure to pick the perfect option for you.
Today, the day is yours to make the most of your time in one of Sri Lanka’s most picturesque regions. If you're a keen hiker, you could head for a guided walk through Horton Plains National Park or up to the panoramic viewpoint at Lipton’s Seat. Tea is big business in Sri Lanka, so you might choose to spend the afternoon visiting a local factory and learning all about how the famous export goes from leaf to bag. Perhaps you fancy visiting one of the most lavish hotels in the area and indulging in High Tea (Sri Lankan style!) Whatever you do, you’ll be surrounded by some of the most spectacular landscapes in the country.
Your drive to Uda Walawe National Park will take around 3 hours today, but at the other end, there’s an impressive ecosystem with plenty of wildlife awaiting you. The wildlife in the park is really diverse, with huge herds of Asian elephants being the main draw. With growing populations of sambar, deer, wild boar, buffalo, jackals, sloth bears and even leopards lurking amidst the grasslands, it's worth keeping your eyes peeled! You'll spend tonight at your lodge before journeying on tomorrow.
Sure to be a highlight of any animal-lover's Sri Lanka holiday, today you’ll visit the orphan elephant transit camp that’s attached to the park. Run by the Born Free Foundation and home to around 20 orphaned elephants, you’ll learn all about how these babies are being cared for, and even watch them being bottle-fed if you time it right! The elephants are released back into the wild once they’re strong and old enough, to live out their lives where they belong. Next up, you'll hop in the car and head to the southwest coast for a bit of R&R and beach time.
There are some seriously lovely hotel options on Sri Lanka’s southwest coast. So beautiful, in fact, that you may well want to do nothing else but enjoy them. However, if you fancy fitting in some more unforgettable experiences into your last couple of days in Sri Lanka, there are so many options in this area. From cooking classes to mask making, we've got plenty of first-hand experiences and stories to share that will help you choose!
It's time to fly home today. Your guide will pick you up from your hotel and drive you back to Colombo in time for your flight. Sri Lanka is such an incredible country, with so much to see, explore and soak up. 11 days isn’t a huge amount of time, but it's more than enough time to board your flight home full of admiration for everything about the place, and plans to return.
We offer tailor-made holidays to suit a wide range of tastes. Our experts Dawn, Lisa and Rebecca are dedicated to all things Sri Lanka and are here to help you plan your perfect trip.
From its tea-covered hills to its colourful towns, endless beaches and magic people, our Dawn’s head over heels with Sri Lanka – and she knows exactly how to help you fall in love with it, too.
Sri Lanka sparked Lisa’s lifelong love for Asia – and it remains one of her favourite places to visit. She’s all about combining cultural highlights, beautiful landscapes and proper local flavour into every itinerary, and Sri Lanka is the place to do just that.
Few places have a hold on Rebecca’s heart like Sri Lanka. It’s the mix of culture, landscapes, unmatched food and magic people that gets her – alongside the closeness of the Maldives! And she’d love nothing more than helping you experience it all.
Speak to one of our travel specialists today.
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