Tour Overview
Sri Lanka’s best-regarded hotels, senior chauffeur-guides and privately arranged experiences, all in a luxury vehicle. Stay in tented safari camps, restored tea-planter bungalows with butlers and a heritage villa inside Galle Fort.
Private experiences include an after-hours temple visit with a monk, a tea-tasting masterclass and a private chef dinner.
Where you spend the nights
| Area / base | Nights |
|---|---|
| Sigiriya / Habarana | 3 |
| Kandy | 2 |
| Hatton | 2 |
| Ella | 1 |
| Yala / Tissamaharama | 2 |
| Galle / Unawatuna | 1 |
| Total nights | 11 |
Trip at a glance
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Duration | 12 days / 11 nights |
| Tour type | Luxury |
| Group size | Private tour: 1–10 guests |
| Difficulty | Easy |
| Best season | December – April |
| Approx. road distance | ~1,135 km |
| Guide languages | English, German and Hindi (others on request) |
| Departure dates | Any date – private tour, all year |
Highlights
- Luxury 5★ & boutique hotels
- Senior chauffeur-guide in luxury vehicle
- Blessing ceremony with a Buddhist monk
- Tea-tasting masterclass & butler-service bungalow
- Luxury tented camp in Yala
- Private chef dinner in Galle Fort
Itinerary
Every tour is 100% flexible and customizable. This itinerary is a starting point – we can change the order of the days, add or remove nights, swap activities or extend the tour to match your exact dates, pace and interests.
Hotels and accommodation are not included in the standard tour price. You are free to book your own stays, or let us organise a complete accommodation package for you in your preferred hotel tier (guesthouse, 3★, 4★, 5★ or boutique/villa). We work with hotels across the island and can quote your whole trip as one package.
Please contact us before you place a booking so that we can finalise your customised itinerary and your accommodation plan, confirm availability for your dates and send you a final price.
Family, senior and accessibility friendly. We can arrange an elder-friendly set-up (slower pace, shorter drives, ground-floor rooms, lift-access hotels, wheelchair-friendly vehicles and skip-the-climb alternatives such as the Sigiriya museum and gardens or the Pidurangala base viewpoint) and a child-friendly set-up (child and booster seats, family or connecting rooms, hotels with pools, shorter driving days and kid-friendly meals).
Guides and languages. Our chauffeur-guides work in English, German and Hindi, and we can arrange French, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Chinese and Japanese speaking guides on request.
Meals. The meals shown in the itinerary are what we include when we arrange your accommodation on half board. If you book your own hotels, your meals follow your own hotel booking – tell us which you prefer.
Start dates. This tour is private and runs on any date you choose within its season, subject to availability. It operates in January, February, March, April, December – outside those months the conditions make it either impossible or much less rewarding, and we will say so and suggest an alternative rather than take the booking. Tell us your arrival and departure dates and we will build the itinerary around your flights.
Contact us before booking: [info@lankaitinerary.com] · WhatsApp [+94 XX XXX XXXX]
Your chauffeur-guide welcomes you at the airport and you head straight inland to the heart of the Cultural Triangle. The drive passes coconut estates, paddy fields and roadside fruit stalls – stop for a fresh king coconut on the way. Check in to your hotel near Sigiriya, surrounded by forest and lakes, and spend the evening by the pool while the rock fortress glows on the horizon.
Meals: Dinner · Overnight: Sigiriya / Habarana · Travel: 4 hrs (160 km) · Distance: ~160 km
Start early (7:00 am) to climb Sigiriya before the heat and the crowds. The 5th-century citadel of King Kashyapa rises 200 m above the jungle: walk through the symmetrical water gardens, see the famous cloud-maiden frescoes and the mirror wall, pass between the giant lion paws and reach the palace ruins on the summit for a 360° view. After lunch, visit the Dambulla Cave Temple (UNESCO), five caves filled with over 150 Buddha statues and painted ceilings. Return to your hotel for a relaxed evening.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner · Overnight: Sigiriya / Habarana · Travel: 40 min each way · Distance: ~45 km
Explore Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka's medieval capital (UNESCO), by bicycle or by car. Highlights include the Royal Palace, the Quadrangle with its Vatadage, the Parakrama Samudra reservoir and the Gal Vihara – four Buddha figures carved from one granite rock. In the afternoon, join a jeep safari for wild elephants. Your guide takes whichever park is right for the month: Minneriya in August and September, when the falling tank level exposes fresh grass and hundreds of elephants gather in what is known as 'The Gathering'; Kaudulla from October to December and again from May to July, when Minneriya floods and the herd moves northeast; and Hurulu Eco Park from January to April, where elephants are resident all year.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner · Overnight: Sigiriya / Habarana · Travel: 1 hr to Polonnaruwa · Distance: ~135 km
Drive south to Kandy through Matale. Stop at a spice garden to see cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg and pepper growing and learn how they are used in Ayurveda and Sri Lankan cooking. Continue to Kandy, check in and in the evening watch a traditional Kandyan dance and fire-walking show. Then visit the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic (UNESCO) for the evening puja, when drummers and pilgrims bring flowers to the golden shrine.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner · Overnight: Kandy · Travel: 2.5 hrs (95 km) · Distance: ~95 km
Begin with a private blessing ceremony and conversation with a Buddhist monk, followed by the Royal Botanic Gardens and a private tour of the Kandy Lake area.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner · Overnight: Kandy · Travel: City sightseeing · Distance: ~30 km
Drive into the tea country and check in to a restored tea-planter's bungalow with butler service. Afternoon tea-tasting masterclass.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner · Overnight: Hatton · Travel: 3 hrs (75 km) · Distance: ~75 km
Walk through the estates with the planter, enjoy a spa treatment, or simply relax on the veranda with a pot of estate tea.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner · Overnight: Hatton · Travel: — · Distance: ~30 km
Take the most famous section of the hill-country railway from Nanu Oya to Ella (about 3 hours). Lean out of the doorway (carefully!) for views of tea-covered hills, waterfalls and villages. Your driver meets you in Ella. In the afternoon, walk to the Nine Arch Bridge and try to time it with a passing train.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner · Overnight: Ella · Travel: Train 3 hrs · Distance: ~90 km
Descend from the hills, stopping at Buduruwagala to see a 16 m Buddha figure carved into the rock face in the 10th century. Arrive in Tissamaharama/Yala for lunch. At 2:30 pm set off on a jeep safari in Yala National Park, which has one of the highest densities of leopards in the world, as well as elephants, sloth bears, crocodiles and water buffalo.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner · Overnight: Yala / Tissamaharama · Travel: 2.5 hrs (105 km) · Distance: ~105 km
Spend the whole day in the park with a packed breakfast and lunch, taking the time to wait patiently at waterholes and rocky outcrops where leopards rest. Full-day safaris reach quieter areas of the park and give the best chance of sightings.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner · Overnight: Yala / Tissamaharama · Travel: Full day in the park · Distance: ~70 km
Drive west along the coast to a heritage villa in Galle Fort. Guided fort walk at sunset followed by a private chef dinner.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner · Overnight: Galle / Unawatuna · Travel: Local · Distance: ~150 km
Enjoy a final morning by the sea before the transfer to Bandaranaike International Airport via the Southern Expressway (allow 3 hours).
Meals: Breakfast · Overnight: — · Travel: 3 hrs to airport · Distance: ~150 km
Includes / Excludes
Price Includes
- Airport pick-up and drop-off
- Private air-conditioned vehicle with licensed English-speaking chauffeur-guide (SLTDA)
- Meals as listed in the itinerary (daily breakfast and dinner as standard)
- Entrance fees to all sites listed in the itinerary
- Jeep safaris as listed, including park entrance fees
- Reserved train tickets where listed (subject to availability)
- Senior chauffeur-guide in luxury vehicle
- Private monk blessing ceremony
- Tea-tasting masterclass
- Private chef dinner in Galle
- Local SIM card with data for the lead traveller
- Bottled water in the vehicle daily
- All government taxes and service charges
- 24/7 support while you travel
Price Excludes
- Accommodation (not included in the standard price – we can book any hotel tier for you; see 'Accommodation options')
- International flights
- Sri Lanka ETA (visa) – free for 40 nationalities since 25 May 2026; fee applies to others
- Travel insurance (strongly recommended)
- Lunches and drinks unless listed
- Camera/video permits at some sites
- Tips for guide, driver and safari trackers (suggested USD 10–15/day for your chauffeur-guide)
- Optional activities (e.g. hot-air balloon, zip-line, extra safaris)
- Personal expenses (laundry, phone, shopping)
- Early check-in / late check-out
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Seaplane and helicopter transfers can replace long drives (e.g. Colombo–Sigiriya or Galle–Colombo). Prices on request.
Yes. The tour is private for your group with your own vehicle and chauffeur-guide – you won't share with strangers.
Of course. You can add or remove days, change hotels, upgrade to boutique or luxury properties or swap activities. We'll send a revised quote within 24 hours.
The price is per person based on two adults sharing a room in the hotel category shown. Prices vary by season, hotel choice and group size – request a quote for your exact dates.
Send an enquiry or click Book Now. We confirm availability, then you secure the tour with a deposit; the balance is paid before arrival. [Insert your real deposit and payment terms.]