Sri Lanka Grand Discovery Tour – 14 Days

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

Drive inland to the Cultural Triangle, stopping for a fresh king coconut and at the Kurunegala rock. Check in near Sigiriya and relax by the pool, or take an evening village walk with your guide.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner · Overnight: Sigiriya / Habarana · Travel: 3.5 hrs (150 km) · Distance: ~150 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 in Minneriya or Kaudulla National Park. From July to October hundreds of wild elephants gather on the old reservoir beds in what is known as 'The Gathering'.

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 (90 km) · Distance: ~95 km

Visit the Royal Botanic Gardens in Peradeniya, 60 hectares of orchids, spice trees, giant bamboo and the famous avenue of royal palms. After lunch, stroll around Kandy Lake, browse the central market, and drive up to the Arthur's Seat viewpoint for a panorama of the city. Optional: a gem museum, a batik workshop or a Kandy cooking class.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner · Overnight: Kandy · Travel: City sightseeing · Distance: ~25 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 (77 km) · Distance: ~80 km

Early start (5:30 am) for Horton Plains, a high cloud-forest plateau and UNESCO site. Walk the 9 km loop trail (about 3 hours) to World's End, where the cliff drops 870 m, and to the pretty Baker's Falls. Look out for sambar deer, endemic birds and the purple-faced langur. Afternoon free in Nuwara Eliya to visit a strawberry farm or the Hakgala Botanical Garden.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner · Overnight: Nuwara Eliya · Travel: 1 hr each way · Distance: ~70 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 (100 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 · Travel: 2.5 hrs (120 km) · Distance: ~125 km

Set sail at 6:30 am with a responsible operator to look for blue whales, sperm whales, spinner dolphins and turtles off the south coast (best from November to April). Back on land, spend the afternoon on Mirissa beach or climb Coconut Tree Hill for sunset.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner · Overnight: Mirissa · Travel: 4–5 hrs boat · Distance: ~40 km

Explore Galle Fort (UNESCO), a 17th-century Dutch fortified town still full of life. Walk the ramparts to the lighthouse, visit the Dutch Reformed Church and the old warehouses, and browse boutiques, galleries and cafés in the cobbled lanes. Afternoon at Unawatuna or Jungle Beach, and sunset from the ramparts.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner · Overnight: Galle / Unawatuna · Travel: Local · Distance: ~25 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