Sri Lanka Highlights: Luxury Escape

Sri Lanka in style: six days and five nights for your party alone, in five-star hotels with breakfast and dinner, travelling in a premium SUV or luxury van with a senior English-speaking guide, and with special touches along the way. It is the plan for honeymoons, anniversaries and other trips that deserve the best of the island, and a honeymoon set-up at the hotels is arranged on request. The route is the classic one, from the rock fortress of Sigiriya through Kandy and the tea country to the coast at Bentota, Galle and Colombo; the Bentota river safari and tickets for a Kandyan dance show are included. The same itinerary is offered with four-star hotels as our Classic Comfort plan and with three-star hotels and breakfast only as the Smart Saver.

WHAT TO EXPECT

Sigiriya And The Caves Of Dambulla

Your guide meets you at the airport with a name board, and you travel north in the premium vehicle to the cultural triangle for the first night at Sigiriya. The second morning is given to Sigiriya rock, the fifth-century fortress raised on a column of granite 200 metres above the plain: the water gardens at its foot, the mirror wall and the frescoes of the cloud maidens, the lion's paws at the last stairway and the palace foundations on the summit, with views across the jungle to the hills. You continue to the cave temple of Dambulla, its painted ceilings and rows of Buddha figures sheltered beneath the rock, and pause at a spice garden on the road south to see cinnamon, pepper, cloves and vanilla growing. In the evening the tickets for a Kandyan dance show, with its drummers, masked dancers and fire-walkers, are included. The night is spent in Kandy.

The Sacred Tooth And The Tea Country

Day three opens at the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic beside Kandy Lake, the most revered shrine on the island, before the road climbs into the central highlands through tea estates on every slope. You visit a working tea factory to watch the leaf withered, rolled and fired and to taste the tea, and stop at Ramboda Falls on the way to Nuwara Eliya, the cool hill town the planters built at nearly 1,900 metres, with its lake, its gardens and the Grand Hotel of the colonial era. The night is spent in Nuwara Eliya.

The Bentota Coast

On day four you come down from the hills to the south-west coast. At Bentota the included boat safari takes you along the river and into its mangrove channels, home to water monitors, kingfishers and the occasional crocodile; you visit a turtle hatchery, where eggs rescued from the beaches are protected until the hatchlings return to the sea, and the rest of the day is for the beach and the resort. The night is spent at Bentota.

Galle Fort, Colombo And Departure

Day five follows the coast south to Galle for a walk around the fort, the walled Dutch town of ramparts, a lighthouse and streets of colonial houses, then turns 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: Cinnamon Lodge. Kandy: Grand Kandyan. Nuwara Eliya: The Grand Hotel. Bentota: Sheraton Kosgoda. Colombo: Cinnamon Life. 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 private Yala safari, a seaplane transfer or extra beach nights can be added. Included are five nights in five-star hotels with breakfast and dinner, a premium SUV or luxury van, a senior English-speaking guide, the Bentota river safari, Kandyan dance show tickets, a honeymoon set-up on request, 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.