Sri Lanka

Grand Tour of Sri Lanka: Ancient Cities, Kandy, Tea and an Udawalawe Safari

From Anuradhapura to Galle, the full tour of the island, full board

Sri Lanka

Grand Tour of Sri Lanka: Ancient Cities, Kandy, Tea and an Udawalawe Safari

The tour of the island in a group of 16 at most and full board: Negombo, Anuradhapura, Ritigala monastery, Lion Rock and Polonnaruwa, Dambulla, Matale and Kandy, the temples and villages around Kandy by tuk-tuk, the train and tea in Nuwara Eliya, Ella and a safari in Udawalawe, then the young elephants of the Elephant Transit Home and the south coast to Galle. Private version from €2,134 per person; with 3 beach nights (15 days) from €2,252 (Tangerine Beach 4*) or €2,369 (Naya Collection Blue Waters 5*); 2027 version in 14 days from €2,278, or 17 days with beach from €2,530.

When

Dec to April

Price

From 1 961€ excl. flights

(based on 2 people sharing)

How long

9 nights

Ideal length

Negombo and the ancient cities

Days 1-5

From Anuradhapura to Lion Rock and Polonnaruwa.

Day 1

Flight to Sri Lanka

Flight to Colombo. Dinner and night on board.

Day 2

Arrival in Colombo – Negombo

Welcome at Colombo airport and a short transfer to Negombo, on the coast. Depending on your arrival time, lunch at the hotel and free time on the beach.

Day 3

Negombo – Anuradhapura

Negombo fish market, then drive to Anuradhapura (about 170 km). A lunch of Sri Lankan specialities and a visit to the island's first capital, a UNESCO site: stupas, carvings and monasteries.

Day 4

Ritigala – Sigiriya

A stop at the ruined monastery of Ritigala, lost in a protected forest, then Sigiriya. In the afternoon, a show of traditional dances in period costume. As an option, breakfast at dawn in Wilpattu park, leopard country.

Day 5

Lion Rock and Polonnaruwa

Early in the morning, climb the fortress of Sigiriya (about 1,000 steps), a UNESCO site, and its frescoes of the 'Maidens'. After lunch, the medieval city of Polonnaruwa, its palaces and the three great Buddhas of Gal Vihara (a bike visit is possible, paid locally).

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Kandy and the hill country

Days 6-9

Temples, gardens, a train and tea plantations.

Day 6

Dambulla, Matale – Kandy

The Golden Temple of Dambulla and its five painted caves, the Hindu temple of Nalanda Gedige, then lunch in a spice garden in Matale. In Kandy, the Temple of the Tooth and its puja ceremony, to the beat of drums.

Day 7

Peradeniya and the villages around Kandy

The Royal Botanical Gardens of Peradeniya, then by tuk-tuk to three old temples (Gadaladeniya, Embekke, Lankatilaka) and villages, with a local village guide. A local lunch and a tasting of Sri Lankan snacks.

Day 8

By train to Nuwara Eliya

A local train ride through the mountains, then a visit to a Ceylon tea plantation and factory. The day ends in Nuwara Eliya, the island's highest town, among the tea gardens.

Day 9

Ella – safari in Udawalawe

A stop in Ella and at Ravana Falls, then Udawalawe National Park: about two hours on safari among Asian elephants, buffalo, crocodiles and birds.

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The south coast

Day 10

From the young elephants of Udawalawe to the ramparts of Galle.

Day 10

The orphaned elephants, Weligama and Galle

The Elephant Transit Home, which cares for young elephants before they return to the park, then the coast: a fish and prawn lunch in Weligama, the stilt fishermen, the Peace Pagoda at Unawatuna and the fortified town of Galle, a UNESCO site. Night at a hotel on the coast.