SRI LANKA
Exuberant. Proud. Enduring.
Classic Sri Lanka
Use the sample itinerary ideas below to create a similar trip or start from scratch. We specialize in creating custom programs based on your available time, interests, budget and preferred pace. Please call or email for a quote and a unique itinerary crafted just for you.
Attractions
- Travel with an expert on Sri Lankan culture
- Converse with a wildlife biologist who has been studying Sri Lankan primates for decades
- Experience the spectacular Esala Perahera festival (August) alongside locals
- Sip tea and nibble scones at British-tinged hill stations amid rolling tea plantations
- Search for Sri Lanka's elusive Leopard and other fauna on 4WD wildlife safaris
- Explore the historic Galle Fort with a resident guide
- Stay at quintessentially Sri Lankan hotels, including one of Geoffrey Bawa's modernist masterpiece
- Famously detailed information and personalized service with every aspect of your trip, from beginning until end
Best Time to Go
Sri Lanka has two monsoon seasons affecting different coasts. The best time depends on which regions you plan to visit.
Best for west and south coasts, Cultural Triangle, and hill country. Warm and dry.
Brief rains island-wide. Still good for wildlife at Yala before park closures.
Wet on the west coast. Best for east coast beaches. Esala Perahera festival in August.
Rains in the north and east. Good shoulder season for south coast and hill country.
Your Itinerary
Each day carefully curated to showcase the best of Sri Lanka's ancient heritage, wildlife and coastal beauty.
- Arrive in Colombo
- Greeted and privately transferred to hotel
- Lunch stop in Kurunegala
- Anuradhapura (a UNESCO World Heritage site)
- Dambulla
- Kandalama
- Sigiriya Rock Fortress (a UNESCO World Heritage site)
- Frescoes of the Heavenly Maidens
- Picnic lunch by the lake at Giritale
- Polonnaruwa (a UNESCO World Heritage site)
- Ruins of the Royal Palace
- Gal Viharaya temple
- Smithsonian Primate Research Station
- Wild Primate discussions
- Minneriya National Park by Jeep
- Elephant gatherings
- Monkeys — purple-faced langurs and macaques
- Drive to Kandy (a UNESCO World Heritage site)
- Temple of the Tooth Relic
- Gadaladeniya Temple — Buddhist and Hindu elements
- Lankatilaka temple — Sinhala style
- Embekke Devalaya temple — built of wood
- Peradeniya Royal Botanical Gardens
- Kandy Esala Perahera procession (August)
- Travel by train to Nuwara Eliya
- Highlands — tea plantations
- High tea at the country-house-like Hill Club
- Tea cultivation and processing
- Colonial Nuwara Eliya
- Trek through the maze of tea trails that surround the town
- Drive to Yala National Park
- Adisham Bungalow, St. Benedict's Monastery
- Kataragama Temple complex
- Naturalist-guided, 4WD wildlife safari
- Variety of habitats: open grasslands, water holes and lagoons
- Animals: sambar deer, wild boars, water buffalo, mongooses, jackals, sloth bears, Asian elephants, crocodiles, leopards and 142 species of birds
- Drive to Galle (UNESCO World Heritage site)
- Spear fishermen
- Cinnamon plantation
- Explore Galle Fort with a resident guide
- Lunch at home of Sri Lankan family
- Wander and explore independently
- Former home of Geoffrey Bawa
- Private transfer to the airport or extend
Pricing Note
The estimated daily land cost per person for this sample itinerary using moderately priced first class and boutique style hotels, not including any internal or international flights, starts at:
$650 per person per day · based on double occupancyReady to Explore Sri Lanka?
Every ATJ trip is custom crafted with famously detailed information and personalized service, from beginning until end.
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