Essential Sri Lanka: Bespoke Holiday Itinerary Bespoke Holiday Itinerary / Experience Tour

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This tour encompasses much of the island - taking in the ancient cities, the hill country and a beach stay. Transport is with your own chauffeur-guide, who will remain with you for the entire tour, leaving you for a few days while you relax on the beach at the end. The hotels are all fantastic, laid back, low key and unpretentious. We tend towards the smaller character hotels as believe Sri Lanka does them best but if there are other places you would like to visit then we would be happy to adapt this to suit. This is one of the best trips to get an overview of what makes Sri Lanka so special.

Highlights include:

Bumping along in a private jeep in the less explored national park of Uda Walawe
Trying your hand at cooking in the rural countryside of the cultural triangle
Walking up little Adam’s peak for the jaw dropping view of Ella Gap
Relaxing for a few days on the sweeping bay of Unawatuna with lots of local places to eat out.

DAY 1 DEPART THE UK

Depart the UK for Colombo, Sri Lanka. Usually a 12 hour flight if going direct.

DAY 2 & 3 GAMPAHA

Arriving in Colombo, you will be transferred to your accommodation in rural Gampaha. This lovely boutique hotel provides the perfect place to relax and get into the Sri Lankan pace of life. You will have one full day to explore the coconut estate, take part in bird watching or rent some bikes to explore the countryside and villages.

DAYS 4-7 CULTURAL TRIANGLE

You will venture up to the Cultural Triangle where you will spend three days exploring. Visit the majestic ancient city of Polonnaruwa, cycle through rural villages and visit the UNESCO world heritage site at Sigiriya a towering rock fortress with a fascinating history. A unique farm village experience takes you away from the crowds, where you can meet farmers who call the fields their homes, travelling around by foot, tuk-tuk and tractor. You will also explore Dambulla Cave temple, another stunning world heritage site. Stay at a convenient located hotel - close to all of the sites.

DAYS 7 & 8 KANDY

Based just outside the city with breath taking views of Kandy, you will explore the cultural capital of Sri Lanka for two days. You will visit the famous Temple of the Tooth, the Peradeniya Botanical Gardens and shop in the myriad of stalls that make up the daily market. There is a great selection of restaurants in Kandy and the night market is an interesting place to taste a great range of dishes from the food stalls.

DAY 9 & 10 TEA COUNTRY

Take the train up through the tea covered hills to the wonderfully scenic town of Ella. Stay in one of Experience Travel Groups favourite hotels, with some of the best views of anywhere in Sri Lanka. Walk in the mountains, visit tea factories, explore the picturesque towns of the hill country and summit little Adam’s peak for spectacular views of Ella gap.

DAY 11 Uda walawe national park

Journey towards the lesser explored national park of Uda Walawe for your chance of spotting leopards in the wild with an afternoon jeep safari. You will know doubt see plenty of elephants, which are abundant in the park, as well as the toque monkeys, grey langur, spotted deer, wild pig and sambar.

DAYS 12 - 15 THE GALLE COAST

In the morning, there is a chance to visit the ethical and well run elephant transit camp just by the gates to the park proper before driving down towards the Galle coast and the curving bay of Unawatuna. Usually a 3-4 hour drive. You will say goodbye to your chauffeur guide ready for some relaxation time. One of the mornings you will visit a bustling fish market, then take part in a nearby cooking class and take a walking tour of Galle Fort with a private guide.

Talk to your travel consultant if you would like to upgrade your accommodation during the beach part of your trip.

DAY 16 FLY HOME

Today you will drive up to the international airport, which usually takes around 3 hours for your on flight back to the UK.

As every holiday is unique to you, prices vary. To give you an indication, two-week holidays range from roughly £2,500 to £8,000 per adult, with an average price of £3,300. We also offer substantial child and seasonal discounts.

Fill in our Quote Request form to get your quick, no-obligations proposal.

As every holiday is unique - Call our experts on 1-888-577-8452 for an inclusive, personalised quotation for your preferred dates or use the quote request form below...

Inclusions

Your personalised quotation with Experience Travel Group will include:

International Flights (which can be omitted from your quotation if you prefer)
Accommodation as described
Privately guided tours and transfers
Original Experience Travel Group "Signature" experiences
Full financial protection (full ABTA and ATOL bonding)
Meals as described
24 hour in-country backup whilst away
Your own dedicated travel expert in the UK

For more on our pricing policy read here

You can book this holiday tour on its own, with flights or it can be tailored for you.

Here are the hotels and villas within this holiday as standard...

98 Acres, Ella

A stunning resort and spa hidden away in one of the most scenic tea estates in all of Sri Lanka.

Comilla Bungalow, Gampaha

Set in the beautiful countryside of Gampaha, this property is the perfect place for guests to relax before or after a flight home.

Kalus Hideaway, Uda Walawe

Comfortable jungle lodge on the borders of Uda Walawe National Park

Kumbukgaha Villa, Sigiriya

Close to Sigiriya; a collection of comfortable villas surrounded by wilderness with outdoor bathrooms and a veranda to relax on at the end of a long day.

Sergeant House , Unawatuna

A tropical haven in Unawatuna, this elegant villa with its lush garden surroundings does everything right.

Villa Rosa, Kandy

A villa style, boutique hotel; offering personal comforts, great food and the finest views of any hotel in Kandy

You can book this holiday tour on its own, with flights or it can be tailored for you.

Here are the experiences & activities within this holiday as standard...

Dambulla Cave Temples, Dambulla

Beautiful and decorative cave temples hidden into rocks and ccaves at Dambulla

Elephant Transit Camp, Uda Walawe

A rehabilitation centre for orphan elephants, visit the transit camp to see how these animals are released back into the wild.

Exploration of Ella, Ella

Explore Ella on foot and visit spectacular waterfalls, also a local tea factory.

Galle Fort, Galle Fort

Explore Galle's beautifully preserved fortified city

Peradeniya Botanical Gardens, Kandy

Beautiful, historic gardens

Rural cycling and Polonnaruwa, Polonnaruwa

A lovely rural cycling trip around villages with an afternoon explore of ancient Polonnaruwa

Sigiriya and Village Farm experience, Sigiriya

Visit local farms and learn firsthand about the life and work of the villagers, enjoy a home-cooked lunch and visit the stunning Sigiriya rock fortress

Temple of the Sacred Tooth, Kandy

Former royal palace turned temple - home to Sri Lanka's most sacred religious relic

Upgrade your beach stay for some seriously relaxing time at the end of your busy tour - we can suggest many options for you.

Frangipani Tree, Thalpe

Luxury villa hotel with private tennis court and wide beach frontage outside Galle

It's easy to add on a stay in Colombo at the beginning or end of your trip. While there do one of our fantastic 'City Walks' which is a guided walking tour of the city, taking in local food, colour and history with a brilliant, fun and knowledgeable guide.

Colombo City Walk, Colombo

Spend a few hours exploring Colombo's architecture, hidden gems and colonial history with local expert Mark Forbes.

Customer Feedback

Claude our guide really became part of our family and a really important part of our holiday. He was always cheerful,calm and prompt. We all loved him and wouldn't hesitate to recommend him.

- The Foggo Family

Customer Protection

The air holiday packages shown are ATOL protected by the Civil Aviation Authority. Our ATOL number is ATOL 9324. Please see our booking conditions for more information.

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