The Ultimate Grand Tour of Sri Lanka (Tour code: 13744)

Arrival in Sri Lanka / Meet & Greet at the airport where you will meet your private guide. You will then proceed to Negombo in your private car (approximately 30 minutes travel time). 

Check in at resort and spend the day time at your own leisure. 

Overnight stay in Negombo at Jetwing Beach in a Deluxe Room.

Beach in Negombo

Enjoy breakfast at the resort and head to Habarana (Approx. 4 hrs). Check in and spend the rest of the day at leisure, soaking in the serene atmosphere.

Overnight stay in Habarana at Habarana Village in a Superior Room. 

Habarana

Enjoy breakfast at the resort.

You will proceed to Polonnaruwa, second most ancient of Sri Lanka’s kingdoms. The visit starts with the Kings Palace and Baths. We then visit 3 different tooth relic temples and then proceed to the stupas. The visit ends on the far western side of the complex where you will see one of the most astonishing Buda rock carvings in Sri Lanka. One can walk, bike or drive between locations.

Take a jeep safari at Minneriya national park which covers 8,890 hectares and consists of a mixed forest of evergreen shrubs, a favourite habitat for animals, which include leopards, deer and wild elephants. During the dry season from June to September, this is a fantastic place to watch herds of elephants come to graze and bathe. You can also see huge flocks of birds, including cormorants and painted storks that come to fish in the shallow waters.

Return to the resort and spend the evening at leisure.

Overnight stay in Habarana at Habarana Village in a Superior Room. 

Polonnaruwa

Enjoy breakfast at the resort.

Today you will first visit Sigiriya Rock Fortress. It is consists of 1200 steps. The first part of the visit is a leisurely walk through the pleasure gardens. Then one starts to climb. There are two areas where one can take a break on the way up. The entire duration of the experience takes approximately 1.5 to 2.5 hours depending on the speed at which you want to climb. Water is provided. 

Afterwards, head to Anuradhapura and explore the Ancient City of Anuradhapura for approximately 3 hrs, witnessing its historical marvels like colossal dagobas and sacred sites. Anuradhapura, dating back to the fourth century BC, served as the island's spiritual and secular capital for over a millennium, leaving behind a mystic and historically rich legacy. Explore its significant archaeological sites, including colossal stupas and the Sacred Fig tree, Sri Maha Bodhi, associated with Lord Buddha's enlightenment.

Return to the resort and spend the evening at leisure.

Overnight stay in Habarana at Habarana Village in a Superior Room. 

Sigiriya Rock Fortress

Enjoy breakfast at the resort.

You will then visit Dambulla Cave Temples which are the largest and best-preserved rock cave temple complex in Sri Lanka, towering 160 m over the surrounding plains with more than 80 documented caves in the surrounding area. The climb from the base is not strenuous – and can be done at a leisurely pace. It takes approximately 30 minutes. Your guide will buy your entrance ticket and climb with you. There are approximately 200 steps. The best time to climb is in the early morning or the late afternoon to avoid the heat. You will need to cover your knees and shoulders – and access the inner chambers barefoot or with socks. You will find socks in the basket inside the vehicle and a sarong in case you need one. The entire visit takes approximately 1.5 hours.

You will then head to Kandy, a UNESCO world heritage site, and check in at Cinnamon Citadel Hotel. Explore Sri Dalada Maligawa or the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, a Buddhist temple in the city and is located in the royal palace complex which houses the relic of the tooth of Buddha. The visit typically lasts 1 hour. First you walk towards the temple through the gardens. Your guide will buy you the entrance tickets. We recommend buying a lotus flower right at the entrance – 100 LKR per set. Your guide will walk you through the various chambers explaining the history and significance of the temple.

In  the evening, you'll witness a cultural performance at the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic. With more than 7 different dance performances, captivating drumming and the skills of the traditional musicians on display, this show will give you a great insight into traditional Sri Lankan culture.

Return to the resort and spend the evening at leisure.

Overnight stay in Kandy at Cinnamon Citadel in a Superior Room. 

Dambulla Cave Temple

Enjoy breakfast at the resort.

Visit Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage, an orphanage, nursery and captive breeding ground for wild Asian elephants located at Pinnawala village, 13 km (8.1 mi) northwest of Kegalle town in Sabaragamuwa Province of Sri Lanka. Pinnawalla is notable for having the largest herd of captive elephants in the world.

Your guide will buy your tickets and walk inside with you. The orphanage consist of various areas which you walk to in a sort of circular fashion. At one point you reach the platform where the little baby elephants are being fed. It’s touristy but charming to see the little ones, especially for children. We prefer seeing elephants in the wild. It has to be said that comparatively Sri Lanka does not have a great ‘elephant experience’ where you’re up close and personal, you’re not. It is not an engaging experience. After the visit the elephants are taken down to the river and everyone follows them.

Afterwards, discover the Peradeniya Royal Botanical Gardens, largest of the botanical gardens of Sri Lanka and the finest of its kind in Asia. In the Mediterranean climate of Kandy, the gateway to the central highlands, the Gardens lies at an elevation of 460 meters above sea-level, tightly bounded on three sides by the loop of the River Mahaweli (Great Sandy River), Sri Lanka’s largest river. Your guide will buy your entrance ticket. Your chauffeur guide will wait for you in the vehicle outside. It’s a leisurely walk in a circular fashion.

Return to the resort and spend the rest of the day at leisure.

Overnight stay in Kandy at Cinnamon Citadel in a Superior Room. 

Royal Botanical Gardens

Enjoy breakfast at the resort.

You will then take a train and head to Nuwara Eliya. One great way of exploring the tea country is to jump aboard the train*. The dramatic landscape of the highlands stirs the senses as you wind past lush tea plantations, majestic peaks and rushing waterfalls.

The train departs from Peradeniya. Your guide will take you to the station usually 45 to 30 minutes in advance. He will have your tickets and will hand them over to you. You may leave your luggage in the vehicle. The vehicle will drive to the station where you will be picked up – on the other side. Take only essentials. Your guide will accompany you into the station and show you where the platform is and reconfirm the arrival time with the station master. Feel free to walk around the train station. Some are wonderfully nostalgic. Don’t be afraid to ask the Station Master questions about their systems and the technology they use. Ask the station master to explain the ‘tablet’ system – it’s fascinating. The question is “What is the tablet system?”, “How does it work?”. Your guide will give you water to take with you. When the train arrives he will show you to your seats. If you are travelling with a National Guide he will go with you on the train. If you are travelling with a Chauffeur Guide he will drive the vehicle to the train station down the line where you will be picked up. Your chauffeur guide may be pressed to ‘rush off’ so that he can make it to the other station on time.

Stay at the charming Grand Hotel and spend the rest of the day at leisure.

Overnight stay in Nuwara Eliya at Golden Ridge in a Deluxe Room. 

*Please note that train tickets are subject to availability. 

Nuwara Eliya

Enjoy breakfast at the resort.

You'll visit Horton plains. It is a beautiful, silent, strange world with some excellent hikes in the shadows of Sri Lanka's second- and third-highest mountains, Kirigalpotta (2395m) and Totapola (2359m). The ‘plains’ themselves form an undulating plateau over 2000m high, covered by wild grasslands and interspersed with patches of thick forest, rocky outcrops, filigree waterfalls and misty lakes. The surprising diversity of the landscape is matched by the wide variety of wildlife.

Return to the resort and spend the rest of the day at leisure.

Overnight stay in Nuwara Eliya at Golden Ridge in a Deluxe Room. 

Horton Plains

Enjoy breakfast at the resort.

Today, you'll head to Yala (approximately 5 hours travel time) and check in at Cinnamon Wild. Spend the day at your own leisure. 

Overnight stay in Yala at Cinnamon Wild in a Jungle Chalet. 

Yala

Today, you'll take a Morning Jeep Safari at Yala National Park with packed breakfast. 

Yala’s arid boulder-scattered parklands are dramatically different from the lush jungles and paddy fields that cover so much of the island. Spanning 100,000 hectares of dry thorny scrub and dusty glades, you could easily be in an African bushveldt, right down to the long-thorn bushes. This background was so suited to viewing elephants, leopards, wild boar, spotted deer, crocodiles and jackals that the entrepreneurial South African Englebrecht, who was shipped over as a POW after the Boer War, rightfully instigated it as a sanctuary – Sri Lanka’s first – at the turn of the twentieth century. It’s now the oldest and most prominent of them all.

Starting either at 5AM or at 3PM, your guide will take you on a 2.5 to 3 hour game drive into the National Park. The campsite is situated outside the national park. Entrance fees are all included. The vehicles are customized Toyota safari jeeps with row seating. There is cool box with drinks, there are binoculars as well. In the evening gather around the campfire in the evenings to enjoy a range of international drinks from our jungle bar. With the sounds of the jungle around you and the campfire casting a romantic glaze over the natural surroundings, you can’t help but be enchanted by the unique experience of being in the jungle at night.

Overnight stay in Yala at Cinnamon Wild in a Jungle Chalet. 

Yala National Park

Enjoy breakfast at the resort.

You'll then proceed to Galle and check in at the Radisson Blu. Spend the remainder of the day at leisure. 

Overnight stay in Galle at Radisson Collection in a Collection Room.

Galle

Enjoy breakfast at the resort.

You'll walk through the Galle Fort. An utterly fascinating fort walk discovering time locked trinkets from the working lighthouse to learning about the bizarre customs, which make the voodoo ridden Haiti pale into insignificance, a place where more than 80 countries traded not only goods but ideas and ideals. Whether it’s learning about the church next to the Galle Fort Hotel originally being the law courts and where the altar stands today is where the gallows are believed to have stood, in a time when TV didn’t exist and entertainment was a bloody affair or why some fort people still hang three chili’s and limes from their doors. We guarantee one thing you will be sure to want to stay longer and discover more.

Return to the hotel and spend the rest of the day at leisure.

Overnight stay in Galle at Radisson Collection in a Collection Room.

Galle Fort

Enjoy breakfast at the resort.

Today, you have the entire day to spend at your own leisure. 

Overnight stay in Galle at Radisson Collection in a Collection Room.

Galle Fort

Enjoy breakfast at the resort.

You will then be transferred at the airport for departure.