Staying in carefully curated boutique hotels, immerse yourself in the heart of Sri Lanka, exploring mist-cloaked mountains, hill country tea plantations and forest-clad valleys before tracking leopards around the remote savannah, strolling through ancient cities and relaxing on palm-fringed beaches.
This sample itinerary in Sri Lanka shows how you can combine the best of Sri Lanka’s iconic sites with immersive cultural experiences whilst staying in beautiful cherry-picked boutique hotels.
Inspired? Tell us what you most want to see or do, and we’ll design a bespoke itinerary built around your own highlights.
This morning, you’ll be met on arrival at Colombo Airport by your private driver and will head off for Sigiriya, winding through rolling countryside dotted with rice paddies and villages. Your serene hotel sits among lakes and streams, overlooking the ancient rock fortress.
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Water Garden
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Your day starts with a climb to the tip of Pidurangala Rock for a sunrise picnic breakfast overlooking the adjacent Sigiriya Rock Fortress. You’re heading there next, to explore the elaborate pools and terraces before a guided visit to the ancient capital of Polonnaruwa.
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Water Garden
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Sunrise at Pidurangala Rock, Sigiriya Rock Fortress, Polonnaruwa
Today you’re exploring the ancient heart of Sinhalese civilisation with a visit to the first capital of Sri Lanka, Anuradhapura. Your Buddhist guide will lead you along serene paths, between the temples, monasteries, bathing ponds and palaces while explaining the significance of pilgrimages here.
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Water Garden
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Guided cycling tour of Anuradhapura
You’re heading to Kandy past paddy fields, thick tropical forest and banana plantations catching glimpses of monkeys, peacocks and the occasional elephant. You’ll stop mid-way to wander the intricate Buddhist murals and statues at the Dambulla Cave Temple before exploring Kandy by tuk-tuk.
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Theva Residency
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Adigar’s Manor
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Dambula Cave Temples, tuk-tuk tour of Kandy
Today, you’re taking one of the most beautiful and serene train rides in the world. Leaving Kandy, snaking through Sri Lanka’s central highlands and circling the Demodara Loop, you’ll pass tea pickers in vibrant saris, towering mountain peaks, forested valleys and distant waterfalls.
Stay at
Thotalagala
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98 Acres Resort & Spa
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Train ride to Ella
The long-distance Pekoe Trail beckons today, seeing you trekking a part of it through lush forests, passing remote villages and tea-country outposts. You’ll stop to survey the sweeping views from Lipton’s Seat before indulging in a plantation tour and tea tasting.
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Thotalagala
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98 Acres Resort & Spa
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Pekoe Trail, Lipton’s Seat, tea plantation tour and tasting
Leaving the misty hills behind you, you’re winding down into the valley and out to the warm, dry lowland plains. As you approach Yala National Park look out for boar, deer or elephants along the road, before your first safari drive this evening.
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Leopard Trails Yala
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Wild Culture Yala
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4WD safari drive
A day topped and tailed with safari drives exploring the park’s diverse ecosystems. Keep an eye out for leopards, crocodiles, elephants and sloth bears together with the over 200 species of bird as you drive through the forests, among grass meadows and wetlands.
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Leopard Trails Yala
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Wild Culture Yala
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4WD safari drive x 2
You’re heading to the south coast today to the secluded Kaburugamuwa Beach where the privacy and serenity of your hotel offers a wonderfully relaxing atmosphere. Keep an eye out for the turtles hatching on the beach as you wander the pristine sands.
Stay at
Lantern Boutique Hotel
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A day to soak up the peace of this calm haven. You might want to enjoy a swim in the freshwater pool under the shade of the palm trees, watch the food preparation in the organic ‘Urban Kitchen’ or indulge a spa treatment.
Stay at
Lantern Boutique Hotel
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Perhaps hop in a tuk-tuk to neighbouring Mirissa today, where you can snorkel in the crystalline waters, spot blue whales, dolphins and turtles or walk out to the palm covered headland of Coconut Tree Hill. Evening visits promise spectacular sunsets accompanied by beachfront cocktails.
Stay at
Lantern Boutique Hotel
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Today you’ll have a privately guided trip to Galle Fort, a wonderful city to wander on foot where local handiworks overspill from boutique shopfronts, cafes nestle in quiet courtyards and the beautifully restored colonial buildings jostle for space alongside ivy-covered alleyways.
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Lantern Boutique Hotel
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Guided tour of Galle Dutch Fort, Meeran Jumma Mosque visit, Galle Services Club
This morning you’ll be driven to the airport at Colombo to board your flight home. Time to revel in the memories and plan your next trip.
Does this sound like the ideal adventure for you?
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