Tour Overview
A scheduled small-group departure, capped at twelve guests in one minibus with one guide – not a forty-seat coach, and not a private tour either. It is the answer for solo travellers who do not want to pay the single-traveller premium of a private tour, and for couples who would rather share the trip and the cost with a few other people.
The route is our classic ten-day circuit: the Cultural Triangle, Kandy, the tea country, the hill-country train, Yala and the south coast. Departures are fixed dates, the group price is per person, and single travellers can either share a twin with another solo guest of the same sex at no extra cost or pay a single supplement for a room of their own. Because the group is small, we can still stop when someone wants a photograph.
Where you spend the nights
| Area / base | Nights |
|---|---|
| Negombo | 1 |
| Sigiriya / Habarana | 3 |
| Kandy | 1 |
| Nuwara Eliya | 1 |
| Ella | 1 |
| Yala / Tissamaharama | 1 |
| Mirissa / Galle | 1 |
| Total nights | 9 |
Trip at a glance
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Duration | 10 days / 9 nights |
| Tour type | Small-Group Tour |
| Group size | Small group: maximum 12 guests |
| Difficulty | Easy – Moderate |
| Best season | All year; most departures December – April and July – August |
| Approx. road distance | ~950 km |
| Guide languages | English, German and Hindi (others on request) |
| Departure dates | Any date – private tour, all year |
Highlights
- Maximum 12 guests – one minibus, one chauffeur-guide, no coach
- Fixed departure dates with a per-person group price
- Solo travellers matched in a twin room at no single supplement, if you want
- Sigiriya Rock Fortress and sunset from Pidurangala
- Polonnaruwa by bicycle and a wild elephant safari
- Hill-country train from Nanu Oya to Ella
- Leopard safari in Yala National Park
- Beach afternoon on the south coast before you fly home
Itinerary
This one is a scheduled small-group departure, not a private tour. The route and the dates are fixed, and you travel with up to eleven other guests. What we can still change is what you do with your free time, your room type, and any nights you would like to add before or after the tour. If you want the itinerary itself rebuilt around you, ask us for the same route as a private tour on your own dates – with two or three of you it is often not much more expensive.
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.
Departure dates. This tour runs on published fixed dates rather than on any date you choose, and we do not run a departure with fewer than four guests. If a date does not reach four we will tell you at least three weeks beforehand and offer you another date or the same itinerary privately at a reduced rate. Tell us your flight dates and we will tell you which departures fit.
Contact us before booking: [info@lankaitinerary.com] · WhatsApp [+94 XX XXX XXXX]
Ayubowan! Your Lanka Itinerary chauffeur-guide meets you in the arrivals hall at Bandaranaike International Airport with a name board and a cold drink. Negombo is only 20 minutes away, so there is time to rest after the flight. In the late afternoon, take an easy walk along the Dutch-era canal, visit the busy fish market (best before noon) or watch the outrigger fishing boats return at sunset. Your guide will brief you on the journey ahead over dinner.
Meals: Dinner · Overnight: Negombo · Travel: 20 min (10 km) · Distance: ~10 km
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
Climb Sigiriya Rock Fortress in the cool of the morning with your guide, who brings the story of King Kashyapa, his frescoes and water gardens to life. Rest at the hotel through the midday heat. In the late afternoon, hike Pidurangala Rock (about 45 minutes, with a short scramble at the top) for the best view of Sigiriya itself – a favourite with photographers at sunset.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner · Overnight: Sigiriya / Habarana · Travel: Short local drives · Distance: ~25 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
Climb into the tea country on one of the most scenic roads on the island. Stop at Ramboda Falls, then visit a working tea factory to watch leaf being withered, rolled and dried – and taste fresh Ceylon tea at its source. Arrive in Nuwara Eliya, known as 'Little England' for its colonial bungalows, rose gardens, post office and golf course. Take an evening walk around Gregory Lake.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner · Overnight: Nuwara Eliya · Travel: 3 hrs (80 km) · Distance: ~80 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: ~65 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
Head out at 5:30 am for a morning safari, when leopards are most active. Return for breakfast, then drive west along the coast to Mirissa or Galle, stopping at a stilt-fishing spot in Koggala.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner · Overnight: Mirissa / Galle · Travel: 2.5 hrs (125 km) · Distance: ~125 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)
- 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
Between 4 and 12. We do not run a departure with fewer than four, and if a date does not reach four we will tell you at least three weeks out and offer you either another date or the same itinerary as a private tour at a discounted rate. Twelve is a hard ceiling – it is the capacity of the minibus we use, and the reason the tour works.
No, unless you want your own room. Tell us at booking and we will match you in a twin with another solo guest of the same sex; if no match comes up, you get the twin to yourself at no extra charge. If you would rather have a single room from the outset, the supplement is quoted per departure – it is roughly the hotel cost of the second bed, not a penalty.
Mostly solo travellers and couples in their thirties to sixties, from the UK, Germany, Australia and India. It is not a party tour and it is not a walking holiday – the pace is ordinary sightseeing with two moderate climbs, Sigiriya and Little Adam's Peak, both of which are optional.
Yes, and if there are two or three of you it is often not much more expensive. Our 10-day Classic Sri Lanka Tour is the same shape of trip as a private tour, on any date you like, with your own vehicle and guide.
No, and that is the point of it. This is a scheduled small-group departure of between 4 and 12 guests travelling together in one minibus with one chauffeur-guide. If you want a private vehicle on your own dates, our 10-day Classic Sri Lanka Tour is the same shape of trip as a private tour.
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.]