Arrive at Bandaranaike International Airport and meet your driver-guide for the scenic transfer north to the Cultural Triangle. Along the way, stop for lunch at a local roadside restaurant and take in your first glimpse of Sri Lanka’s rural countryside.
Check in to your hotel in the Sigiriya area and spend the evening at leisure, with an optional sunset viewpoint visit.
Highlights:
Rise early to climb Sigiriya Rock Fortress, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Asia’s most striking archaeological sites, before the heat and crowds set in. In the afternoon, visit the Dambulla Cave Temple, home to over 150 Buddha statues and centuries-old ceiling murals.
Transfer to Kandy in the late afternoon, arriving in time for dinner.
Highlights:
Spend the morning exploring Kandy, Sri Lanka’s cultural capital. Visit the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, stroll through the Royal Botanical Gardens at Peradeniya, and browse a local gem or spice shop.
In the evening, enjoy a traditional Kandyan dance performance before an overnight stay in Kandy.
Highlights:
Drive up into the hill country to Nuwara Eliya, stopping en route at a working tea plantation and factory to see how Ceylon tea is grown and processed, followed by a tasting session.
Visit Ramboda Falls and Gregory Lake, then settle into a colonial-era hotel for the night in this cool mountain town, often nicknamed ‚Little England‘.
Highlights:
Begin the journey back towards Colombo, stopping at the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage to watch the elephants bathe and feed. Continue on to Colombo for a quick city tour, including the Gangaramaya Temple and Galle Face Green, before transferring to the airport for your onward flight.
Highlights:
