Depart your home country for your flight to Sri Lanka.
Most suited for
Solos, Couples
Ideal time to visit
December - September
Spend two weeks travelling through Sri Lanka’s rich and varied natural environments on a quest to encounter some of the 500 bird species that have been recorded here. Your expedition will take you into the lush forests of central Sri Lanka’s hill country and the dry national parks of the south via the lowland rainforest of Sinharaja.
An expert birding guide will be on hand to help you identify some of the rarer endemic and migratory species, and each hotel has been selected to optimise the experience. Though the trip is designed around the island’s birdlife, there is plenty of time to take in many of its other charms, such as its food, culture and warm welcome.
The Birdlife of Sri Lanka
As with all our holidays, this itinerary is just a starting point. We will create a bespoke package which will be completely unique for you.
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Day 1
Your adventure begins
Days 2 - 3
The Notary's House
On arrival, you’ll be met by your private chauffeur-guide for the transfer to your hotel. The residence is a great place to relax with good hospitality, a swimming pool and a light introduction to Sri Lanka’s birds – with Crimson-Backed flame back, Pied Kingfishers and Red Wattle Lapwings spotted in the area.
Days 4 - 5
The Knuckles Mountain Range
With your chauffeur-guide, you’ll travel to the edge of the Knuckles Mountain Range for your stay at Rangala House. This spacious villa is located on a hillside surrounded by tea plantations. With abundant birdlife in the vicinity, the house provides a telescope on the balcony to allow for a more detailed view. We recommend a trek deep into the Knuckles Mountains; your efforts will be rewarded as the range contains almost 75% of Sri Lanka’s endemic bird species, including Layards Parakeet, Brown Capped Babblers and Yellow Fronted Barbets.
Days 6 - 7
The Tea Country
Transfer with your guide to Kandy station and board the train towards Nanu Oya. Your chauffeur-guide will meet you there for the rest of the journey to your lodge, which is high in Sri Lankan tea country. You won’t need to venture far to look for wildlife, as you will be right in the middle of it! Spend a day trekking at Horton Plains and look out for the endemic Ceylon White Eye, Dull-Blue Flycatcher, and Whistling Thrush, and migratory birds like the Kashmiri Flycatcher.
Days 8 - 10
Flameback Eco Lodge
Continue southeast and check in at Flameback Eco Lodge. The property is next to a bird sanctuary between Yala, Uda Walawe and Bundala National Parks and close to Kalemtiya Bird Sanctuary. This location makes it a great base from which to explore more than one aspect of Sri Lanka’s birds and wildlife, from leopards to elephants to a variety of dry zone birds and waders. Yala is home to rare species, such as the black-necked stork, and Bundala alone has some 197 species.
Days 11 - 12
Sinharaja Rainforest
Continue around the island back up to the lowland rainforest reserve of the Sinharaja. This reserve contains at least 17 of the 33 bird species endemic to Sri Lanka. Here, you will stay at a lodge overlooking the rainforest. Spend an entire day exploring the rainforest with a qualified guide.
Days 13 - 14
Kithulgala
Follow the curve of the southeast coast and head north through the small town of Kithulgala and into the hills to your boutique jungle lodge. The surrounding rainforest is home to an impressive array of bird species, including the Sri Lankan Spot-Winged Thrush, the Grey Hornbill, the Ceylon Jungle Fowl, and the recently discovered Serendip Scoops Owl. Take a guided trip into the forest to see what you can spot, or stay at the lodge and let the birds come to you as you relax by the pool.
Days 14 - 15
Colombo
Spend your last night in the heart of Colombo. With a naturalist, explore the city’s fascinating wetlands region and get under the city’s surface with our local signature tour.
Day 16
Fly home
Your driver will drop you off at Colombo airport to depart for your flight back home.
We have just returned from a two-week trip to Sri Lanka
Best family holiday ever. A mixture of beach, temples, wildlife, quiet and fun. [ETG] understands us and we won't be using anyone else for our holidays to Asia.
The Reynolds-Maclean Family
Excellent
850 Reviews
850 Reviews
What’s included:
With ETG, what’s included goes well beyond the basics. From the moment your trip begins to your final farewell, the essentials are already taken care of, leaving you free to immerse, explore and enjoy without the hassle of hidden extras.
Here’s what comes as standard in all of our holidays:
All flights (unless you’ve booked your own!)
Expert guides and drivers
All accommodation
Many meals and snacks
Immersive experiences throughout
All regional transfers
Tips
24/7 In-Country support
Personal travel consultant throughout
Pricing:
As every holiday is bespoke, prices vary depending on destination, flights, hotel choices, inclusions and travel dates. We aim to include as much as possible upfront, so you know exactly where you are. As an approximate guide:
Bespoke Holidays £4,500 - £8,500pp
Bespoke Luxury Holidays £8,500 - £14,500pp
Bespoke Family Holidays from £4,000 - £7,500pp
Meet Our Sri Lanka Experts
Holly is a true Sri Lanka enthusiast, with a talent for designing holidays that blend the must-see highlights with the hidden corners of the country. Whether it’s a family-friendly wildlife encounter, a romantic retreat in the tea hills, or an off-the-beaten-track adventure, Holly loves curating trips that surprise and delight ETG travellers.
“This itinerary brings clients face-to-face with Sri Lanka’s breathtaking wildlife and landscapes. From tracking elephants and leopards in hidden corners of the island to sipping tea with birdsong in the Knuckles foothills. Carefully chosen, intimate lodges make evenings as memorable as safaris, and ETG’s private chauffeur-guide ensures each moment unfolds smoothly and meaningfully. “
Holly
Sri Lanka Specialist
Explore Our Hotels & Villas
Wherever you go, and whatever you do, at the end of every day you can always be sure of a comfortable rest. Every location on our list of hotels is handpicked, and in its own way, shares the history, the hospitality, and the soul of Sri Lanka. Below are some examples of the different hotels we use.
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The Deep South, Sri Lanka
Flameback Eco Lodge
Gorgeous, luxury tented lodge in the middle of a bird sanctuary with diverse wildlife experiences.
Highlights
Highlights
Best for
Couples
Families
Honeymooners
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South West Beaches, Sri Lanka
Aathma Colombo House
Aathma is a converted family house on a private peninsula by the Diyawanna Lake with colourful and quirky design.
Highlights
Highlights
Lakeside serenity
Eclectic interiors
Proximity to nature
Best for
Couples
Families
Solos
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Hill Country, Sri Lanka
Moksha
A boutique jungle lodge surrounded by lush rainforest besides a stream with natural pools to relax in.
Highlights
Highlights
Best for
Couples
Families
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Hill Country, Sri Lanka
Ferncliff
A charming, rustic planter’s bungalow built in the mid-1800s, set on well-kept grounds, providing wonderful service and food.
Highlights
Highlights
Best for
Couples
Families
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Colombo, Negombo & Around, Sri Lanka
The Notary’s House
The Notary’s House is a charming six-bedroom boutique hotel set amidst beautifully manicured gardens and a coconut grove. Bordering a lake, it offers a calm and serene stay, complete with wonderful facilities and scenery. Located just a 45-minute drive away from Colombo’s international airport, it is an ideal place to ease into your Sri Lankan holiday.
Highlights
Highlights
Lakeside setting
Infinity pool
Relaxed atmosphere
Best for
Couples
Families
Honeymooners
Good to know
Ideal for first or last night stays
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The ETG Guarantee
We guarantee you an experience no one else has ever had.
The travel magic you’ll remember won’t be found on a well-trodden – or over-Instagrammed – itinerary. It will be the surprises, discoveries and secrets that you’ll uncover along the way with us.
Do you ever feel like people aren’t listening to you?
We get it. And we will – that’s a promise. Your holiday starts with with a proper, no-pressure call to understand what you want, what you don’t want, and what matters to you.. From there, we create a completely unique adventure, inspired by our conversation together.
And because of our long-standing relationships with trusted partners across Asia, you’ll have access to experiences you can’t find on Google. The kind of special experiences that are literally impossible to find on your own.
Experiences of Sri Lanka
Crafting bespoke packages is the heart of what we do. Each holiday is specially designed to confound preconceptions and share magical, memorable, and truly exceptional experiences.
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Sigiriya, Sri Lanka
Pilikuttuwa Cave and Forest Temples
Spread across over 200 acres of countryside, the Pilikuttuwa site is one of Sri Lanka’s largest cave temple complexes. More than 100 natural caves and dripstone shelters dot the landscape, once offering refuge to Buddhist monks seeking solitude during the rainy season. Etched rock murals hint at the devotion of past centuries, while many shrines remain in quiet use by local worshippers today.
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Colombo, Sri Lanka
Dilmah High Tea Experience
An absolute must for tea-lovers, a tour and gourmet high tea at the Dilmah Lounge in Colombo is one of the most in-depth and specialist tea experiences in Sri Lanka. The charming lounge is in the beautifully refurbished colonial-style Fertiliser Building just behind the Dutch Hospital. Dilmah Tea is an internationally renowned brand with decades of research into tea gastronomy and mixology. Visitors are invited to experiment with flavours, immerse themselves in the colourful traditions of tea culture and get acquainted with tea as never before. Make sure you don’t miss out on one of the Dilma Tea Lounge’s famous tea-inspired cocktails and snacks after your tour in the lovely outdoor area.
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Colombo Wetlands
The 60-acre park was formally a wasteland before being transformed into a biodiversity study park in 2010, with artificial ponds and canals created to attract local wildlife. Now, the area is home to a myriad of butterflies, fish and reptiles and an excellent spot to see various migratory birds, depending on the time of year.
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Colombo, Sri Lanka
Colombo Food Coma
Sri Lanka is known for its rich and varied culinary delicacies, and as the foodie heart of the country, Colombo is a great place to try as many of these dishes as you can manage.
Your local guide for the day is an expert in the Colombo food scene and will take you to a handpicked selection of restaurants or street food stalls (depending on the time of day) to sample foods like Tamil Ululdu and Vadai, delicious pastries, award-winning Lamprais, and some ice cream from one of the city’s oldest and most popular dessert spots.
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Colombo, Sri Lanka
Colombo City Walk
To start the tour you will be picked up at your hotel by your local guide, Mark and head off to the busy city of Pettah. Here you will search out colonial architectural gems such as the Dutch Museum. This 17th Century building was originally the residence of a Dutch Governor and it is very easy to imagine him sitting upon the veranda looking down to the port below whilst having a cup of tea or gin and tonic.
Important FAQs about Sri Lanka
At Experience Travel Group, we’ve been curating immersive Sri Lanka holidays since 2006 long before the island became a mainstream destination. Our deep-rooted local knowledge, trusted partnerships, and passion for meaningful travel make us the ideal choice for discovering Sri Lanka beyond the ordinary.
Over nearly two decades, we’ve developed unique experiences that blend cultural depth, comfort, and flexibility. Whether it’s staying in boutique hotels hidden in tea country, meeting local artisans, or exploring UNESCO heritage sites with expert guides, we design every journey to reveal the real heart of Sri Lanka, not just the tourist highlights.
With our thoughtful planning and in-country support, you’ll have peace of mind while enjoying a tailored adventure that suits your interests and travel style. We don’t do off-the-shelf holidays — we create personalised journeys that capture what’s truly special about Sri Lanka.
Let us show you the Sri Lanka we know and love.
Sri Lanka is a year-round destination, but the best time depends on where you’re going. One of the best times to visit is between December and March. The summer month and September is also a great all-round option, with good weather and fewer crowds.
Every ETG holiday to Sri Lanka is carefully designed to be seamless, immersive, and stress-free. Your journey typically includes international flights (if requested), chauffeur guide throughout and accommodation in hand-picked, characterful hotels.
You’ll enjoy incredible, immersive experiences unique to you, all planned by dedicated Sri Lanka specialists, with the added reassurance of 24/7 in-country support from our local team.
The Curious Traveller’s Guide to Sri Lanka
Wondering when to visit Sri Lanka? Our Curious Traveller’s Guide to Sri Lanka will give you a more detailed breakdown of the best time of year to book a holiday, as well as tips on the best beaches, unmissable sites, and much more.
