Our classic 2 week tour of Sri Lanka is a great starting point when planning a trip. Perfect for anyone wanting to combine the country’s main cultural and scenic highlights with a stay on the beach. This itinerary is well paced and offers plenty of flexibility. You will stay in a mixture of four and five star boutique hotels and be accompanied by a private driver until you reach your beach hotel. Please note that cheaper hotel options and likewise upgrades are available. We can also alter all of our tours in any way you see fit.
Land at Colombo International Airport and meet your private English speaking driver. Your driver will drive 20 minutes to The Wallawwa where you can rest and acclimatise. The Wallawwa is a smart boutique hotel that has successfully combined traditional Sri Lankan architecture with stylish contemporary interiors.
Your driver will return first thing in the morning and transfer you to the Cultural Triangle. En route you could stop at the Elephant Freedom Project and spend the morning with 2 rescued elephants, walking with them and feeding and bathing them. Your hotel for the night will be Vil Uyana, a collection of stilted villas surrounded by paddy fields, water and forest.
Wake early to climb the Sigriya Rock Fortress. The ruins of the capital built by the parricidal King Kassapa I (477–95) lie on top of a granite peak standing some 180m high, which dominates the jungle from all sides. In the afternoon enjoy some relaxation and pampering at your hotel.
Today your driver/guide will take you to visit the ancient city of Polonnaruwa. Visit the museum and explore the fantastic temples, stupas and relics by bicycle with your guide, keeping a look out for any roaming elephants.
Start the day with a village cycling or tuk tuk tour and discover the local lifestyle and cottage industries such as brick making, coir broom and ayurvedic oil making. Stop off at the local village dance teachers house and observe the traditional dances. Finish the morning with a lovely feast of rice and curry.
After lunch, make your way down to Kandy and visit the Temple of the Tooth and possibly the Botanical Gardens and Commonwealth War Cemetery. Spend two nights at The Elephant Stables
This morning, visit a local Kandyan home and learn to ‘cook like a local’. You will be given an in depth introduction to Sri Lankan spices and you will cook up your feast in traditional clay pots on wood fires stoves as well as using more modern methods.
Enjoy your delicious dishes for lunch.
In the evening we recommend a drink at the outrageous Helga’s Folly. Former guests of this eccentric abode include Vivien Leigh, Laurence Olivier and more recently the Stereophonics who wrote ‘Madam Helga’ following their stay.
From Kandy you can catch the scenic railway up into the hill country and tea plantations. Your driver will follow the train with your luggage and transfer you to Living Heritage Koslanda after you disembark at Haputale station. The scenery here is breathtaking with beautiful walks and waterfalls.
While in the tea country you can visit a local tea factory, enjoy a guided walk through the tea fields. You could also tackle a more challenging bicycle ride or hike, taking in the incredible views from Lipton’s seat. Visit the charming hill town of Ella, go for a guided nature walk or just relax at Living Heritage’s own private waterfall!
From the hill country you can make your way to Yala National Park, where you can hope to see elephants, leopards, crocodiles, sloth bears, wild boar, pythons, birds of prey etc… You can spend the afternoon you arrive by the pool at Yala Jetwing and then do a half day safari the following morning.
After a morning in Yala National Park make your way to the south coast where you can spend your last four nights relaxing on the beach. Dine and shop inside the 16th Century UNESCO Galle Fort, photograph the stilt fishermen in Weligama, go whale watching of the coast of Mirissa, scuba dive in Unawatuna and enjoy the string of pretty bays that run from Thalpe to Midigama.
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