Tailor-Made Private Sri Lanka Tour – 8 Days

Q: How does the tailor-making actually work?

You send us your dates, group size, interests and hotel budget. We send back a full day-by-day itinerary with drive times, named hotels and an itemised price, normally inside 24 hours. You come back with changes; we revise it. There is no charge for this and no limit on revisions, and no deposit is taken until you are happy with the plan in writing.

Q: What does it cost to add a night?

It depends on where. An extra night in the same place is the cheapest change – just the hotel and the guide's day rate. An extra night that adds a region, such as Trincomalee or Jaffna, adds driving and fuel as well. We show these as separate line items so you can see exactly what each change costs rather than watching one total move.

Q: Can you book our hotels, or should we?

Either. Our headline prices exclude accommodation deliberately, because guests' tastes and budgets differ enormously and we would rather not bundle a hotel you did not choose. Tell us a per-night figure and a style and we will propose named properties and quote them; or book your own and we will work around them. We take no commission from hotels we do not book.

Q: What will you refuse to do?

Anything that means more than about six hours' driving in a day, a one-night stop in a region that needs two, or an itinerary that puts you on the wrong coast for the monsoon. We will explain the problem and propose an alternative. We would rather lose the booking than have you spend your holiday in the car.

Q: Is this tour private?

Yes. The tour is private for your group with your own vehicle and chauffeur-guide – you won't share with strangers.

Q: Can I customise this itinerary?

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.

Q: What is the price based on?

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.

Q: How do I book and pay?

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.]

Overview

Itinerary

Cost

FAQs

Map

Tour Overview

This is a starting point, not a fixed product. Eight days is the shortest comfortable length for a proper island circuit, and the route below is the one we would suggest if you gave us no other information: Cultural Triangle, Kandy, tea country, the train to Ella, a safari in Yala. Almost every guest who books it changes something.

Tell us your arrival and departure dates, how many of you there are, what you actually want to do and roughly what you want to spend per night on hotels, and we will send back a day-by-day itinerary with drive times, named hotels in your chosen tier and an itemised price – usually within 24 hours. Add nights, cut nights, swap Yala for Wilpattu, put the beach at the end, travel with your own children’s car seats, start from Kandy instead of the airport. The only thing we will not do is agree to a plan we think will not work, and we will say so and explain why.

Where you spend the nights

Area / base	Nights
Sigiriya / Habarana	3
Kandy	1
Nuwara Eliya	1
Ella	1
Yala / Tissamaharama	1
Total nights	7

Trip at a glance

Detail	Information
Duration	8 days / 7 nights
Tour type	Tailor-Made Tour
Group size	Private tour: 1–15 guests
Difficulty	Easy – Moderate
Best season	All year – we route around the monsoon
Approx. road distance	~970 km
Guide languages	English, German and Hindi (others on request)
Departure dates	Any date – private tour, all year

Highlights

A route designed around your dates, pace and interests, not a fixed departure
Day-by-day itinerary with real drive times sent within 24 hours
Named hotels in the tier you choose – guesthouse, 3★, 4★, 5★ or boutique
Add or remove nights, swap national parks, move the beach to the end
Chauffeur-guides in English, German or Hindi
Unlimited revisions to the itinerary before you pay anything
Itemised pricing – you can see what every element costs
Honest advice about what will not work, including drive times we would not sell

Itinerary

Expand all

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.

Any start date. All tours are private and run on any date you choose, all year round, subject to availability. 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]

Day 01 :

Arrival & Transfer to the Cultural Triangle

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

Day 02 :

Sigiriya Rock Fortress & Dambulla Cave Temple

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

Day 03 :

Ancient City of Polonnaruwa & Elephant Safari

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

Day 04 :

Matale Spice Garden to Kandy – Temple of the Tooth

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

Day 05 :

Kandy to Nuwara Eliya – Waterfalls & a Working Tea Factory

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

Day 06 :

Scenic Train from Nanu Oya to Ella

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

Day 07 :

Ella to Yala – Buduruwagala & Afternoon Safari

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

Day 08 :

Morning Yala Safari & Departure

A final dawn safari in Yala, breakfast at the lodge, and then the transfer to Bandaranaike International Airport along the Southern Expressway – about four hours, so we set off mid-morning. If your flight is late in the evening we would usually suggest adding a night on the south coast instead of waiting at the airport, and we will have raised that at the quoting stage.

Meals: Breakfast · Overnight: — · Travel: 4 hrs to airport (285 km) · Distance: ~285 km

Frequently Asked Questions

Expand all

How does the tailor-making actually work?

What does it cost to add a night?

Can you book our hotels, or should we?

What will you refuse to do?

Is this tour private?

Can I customise this itinerary?

What is the price based on?

How do I book and pay?

Tailor-Made Private Sri Lanka Tour – 8 Days

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Highlights

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Frequently Asked Questions

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