Sri Lanka Highlights: Classic Comfort

Our most popular way to see Sri Lanka: six days and five nights for your party alone, in hand-picked four-star hotels with breakfast and dinner, with your own air-conditioned car or KDH van and an English-speaking driver-guide for the whole trip. The route runs from the rock fortress of Sigiriya through Kandy and the tea country down to the coast at Bentota, Galle and Colombo, and the boat safari on the Bentota river is included. The same itinerary is offered with three-star hotels and breakfast only as our Smart Saver plan, and with five-star hotels, a premium vehicle and a senior guide as the Luxury Escape.

WHAT TO EXPECT

The Rock Fortress And The Caves

Your driver-guide meets you at the airport with a name board and takes you north to the cultural triangle, where the first night is spent in Sigiriya. The next morning is the climb of Sigiriya rock: the royal water gardens at its foot, the mirror wall and the frescoes of the cloud maidens halfway up, the two carved lion's paws at the final stairway and, on the summit, the foundations of a fifth-century palace with the plain spread out below. From there you continue to Dambulla, whose cave temple holds painted ceilings and rows of Buddha figures beneath a great overhang of rock, and call at a spice garden on the road south, where cinnamon, pepper, cloves and vanilla are shown growing. The night is spent in Kandy.

Kandy, Then Up Into The Tea

Day three starts at the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic on the edge of Kandy Lake, the shrine at the centre of the island's Buddhist life, before the road climbs into the central highlands. Tea estates cover the slopes on both sides; you visit a working factory to see the leaf withered, rolled and fired and to taste the result, and stop at Ramboda Falls before reaching Nuwara Eliya, the cool hill town the planters laid out at nearly 1,900 metres. The night is spent in Nuwara Eliya.

River, Turtles And The Beach

On day four you descend from the hills to the south-west coast. At Bentota the boat safari takes you along the river and into its mangrove channels, where water monitors, birds and the occasional crocodile are seen from the water; you visit a turtle hatchery, where eggs rescued from the beaches are kept safe until the hatchlings can go back to the sea, and the rest of the day is for the beach. The night is spent in Bentota.

Galle Fort And Colombo

Day five runs south along the coast to Galle for a walk around the fort, the walled town the Dutch built with its ramparts, lighthouse and streets of colonial houses, and then north to Colombo for a city tour and time for shopping. The final night is in Colombo. On day six you are driven to the airport in time for your flight, where the services end.

YOUR HOTELS (OR SIMILAR)

Sigiriya: Fresco Water Villa. Kandy: Golden Crown. Nuwara Eliya: Araliya Red. Bentota: Habitat Kosgoda. Colombo: Fairway Colombo. Hotels are named as a guide and may be replaced by similar ones, subject to availability.

GOOD TO KNOW

This is a private tour, quoted on request on the basis of two adults sharing a double room; groups of four or more are quoted at lower rates, and the plan can be changed, any day, hotel or pace, when you ask for your quote. A Yala leopard safari or the hill-country train to Ella can be added. Included are five nights in four-star hotels with breakfast and dinner, a private air-conditioned car or KDH van, an English-speaking driver-guide, the Bentota river safari, airport pickup and drop-off, bottled water every day, government taxes and WhatsApp support throughout the trip. Not included are flights, the Sri Lanka visa, entrance fees, camera permits, lunches, tips and personal expenses. Cancellation is free up to 21 days before arrival. Rates are quoted for travel until 30 April 2027; the standard rates do not apply from 20 December to 5 January or on festival dates. See also our other Sri Lanka packages and the rest of our holiday packages.