Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan Experiences: Hikes, Glamping and a Homestay

The Knuckles mountains, your own tea and Gal Oya lake, in a small group

Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan Experiences: Hikes, Glamping and a Homestay

Sri Lanka off the beaten track, in a group of 12 at most: sunrise yoga and Lion Rock in Sigiriya, two hikes in the Knuckles range with a night in a luxury tent, a homestay night in Kandy, a night in a tea factory where you make your own tea, a boat safari on Gal Oya lake and a meeting with the Vedda people, then the tea train from Badulla to Ella, Little Adam's Peak and Galle. Private version from €2,165 per person.

When

Dec to April

Price

From 2 114€ excl. flights

(based on 2 people sharing)

How long

10 nights

Ideal length

Sigiriya

Days 1-4

Cycling, pottery, yoga and Lion Rock.

Day 1

Flight to Sri Lanka

Flight to Colombo. Dinner and night on board.

Day 2

Arrival in Colombo – Negombo

Welcome at the airport and transfer to Negombo. Free day.

Day 3

Negombo – Sigiriya

Negombo fish market, then Sigiriya: an Ayurvedic massage, a bike ride through the villages with an English-speaking naturalist and a pottery workshop at the hotel.

Day 4

Lion Rock and village life

Sunrise yoga, then the climb up Lion Rock. A meeting with schoolchildren, an offering to the monks and meditation, the countryside by mini-tractor and canoe, lunch with a family, then dances and fire-walking.

1 / 2

The Knuckles and Kandy

Days 5-6

Two hikes, a night under canvas and a night with a family.

Day 5

Dambulla – the Knuckles

Morning yoga, the Golden Temple of Dambulla and a spice garden, then a 9 km hike at Burnside, through pine forest and viewpoints, to a Hindu temple. Night glamping in the Knuckles range.

Day 6

The Heel Oya valley – Kandy

A 10 km hike (about 4 h) in the Heel Oya valley, to terraced rice fields farmed the old way and a waterfall. Lunch with a family, then the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy, evening street food and a night with a family.

1 / 3

Tea and Gal Oya

Days 7-9

A night in a tea factory, then the lake and forest of Gal Oya.

Day 7

Peradeniya – Mandaramnuwara

The Royal Botanical Gardens of Peradeniya, then a 3.5 km walk through the Kabaragalla tea gardens to a hidden waterfall. Night in a tea factory turned into a hotel.

Day 8

Your own tea – boat safari at Gal Oya

With a planter, pick and then make your own tea, which you take home. Drive east and a boat safari on Gal Oya lake. Night glamping.

Day 9

The Vedda people

A meeting with a Vedda community, one of the last forest tribes, and its cultural centre. A farm visit, then a free afternoon or a jeep safari in Gal Oya park (optional).