Short Circle Sri Lanka 5-day tour

This 5-day Sri Lanka cultural triangle tour is one of the best opportunities to see all major historical sites on a trip. The cultural triangle tour takes you to many important historical and natural sites. The tour includes five of the seven UNESCO world heritage sites on the island, namely Sigiriya, Dambulla, Kandy, Polonnaruwa, and Anuradhapura, while wildlife reserves, lakes, and remote hamlets are places to explore with activities such as wildlife safaris and visiting the elephant orphanage in Pinnawala.

The Sri Lanka cultural triangle tour starts in Colombo or at any other location that is convenient for you, but the pick-up location should be within Colombo. If the pick-up location is far from Colombo, there will be a supplement charge for the transfer.

Since this is a private tour with a reserved vehicle for you and your associates, the pick-up location and time will not impact the tour in any way. Having a private vehicle for the tour means that you can enjoy the tour while having maximum privacy; the tour will run at your own pace. We will allocate an air-conditioned, modern vehicle for your trip, complete with a local driver/guide.

Is this trip right for you?

• The entire trip is private (transfers and sightseeing); only you and your associates take part.
• This 5-day trip packs a lot in. It’s one of the most popular Sri Lanka tours we run in our original style, perfect for those who look for a one-week trip and a desire to do the most with it. If you're looking for a more leisurely trip in Sri Lanka or a shorter trip, check out our other tour itineraries.
• Sri Lanka can get scorching hot in the summer. While we aim to do our walking and city tours early in the morning or afternoon, when it's cooler, remember to keep water on you and bring a hat, sunscreen, a long-sleeved shirt, and anything else that will protect you from the sun.
• Part of traveling with Serendipity means respecting local cultures and sensibilities. This maximizes your interactions with locals and environments. We visit a number of temples on this trip, and to enter them, you must have clothes that cover the wrists and below the knee. Upon entering the temple, you must also take off your head coverings and shoes. Please click here to know more about the rules and regulations pertaining to Sri Lanka temple visits.

Places you visit on this trip

• The ancient city of Anuradhapura is a UNESCO world heritage site. Read more about Anuradhapura.
• The ancient city of Polonnaruwa is a UNESCO world heritage site. Read more about Polonnaruwa.
• The Sigiriya rock fortress is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Read more about Sigiriya Rock Fortress.
• The Dambulla Golden Temple is a UNESCO world heritage site. Read more about Dambulla Golden Temple.
• The sacred tooth relic temple is a UNESCO world heritage site. Read more about the Tooth Relic Temple.
• Minneriya National Park (Safari, optional). Read more about Minneriya Safari.
• Take a guided walking tour in Horton Plains National Park. Read more on Horton Plains National Park.
• Hill country, Nuwara Eliya. Read more on Nuwara Eliya.
• You can walk in the Royal Botanical Garden for an hour and thirty minutes. Read more about the botanical garden.
• Sri Lanka tea plantation tour. Read more on the Sri Lanka tea plantation tour.
• See the performances of typical Sri Lankan dancers and musicians (1 hour). Find out more about the Kandyan cultural show.
• Spice gardens.
• Pinnawala elephant orphanage. Read more on Elephant orphanage.

Highlights

• Touring Sri Lanka’s cultural triangle.
• Experience Sri Lanka’s historical and cultural heritage while visiting thousands of years old monuments.
• Cycling through the ancient monuments in Polonnaruwa.
• Kandy sightseeing tour with Kandyan cultural show, gem museum, silk garden.
• Take a 360-degree panoramic view from the summit of the Sigiriya rock fortress.
• We strolled through the Spice Garden, gaining knowledge about the medicinal trees, plants, and spices.
• Walk in the tea plantations, Royal Botanic Gardens of Peradeniya, Victoria Park, and many more.
• A local guide and driver will accompany you on a wildlife safari in Minneriya National Park, where you will search for wild elephants, crocodiles, bears, and other creatures.
• A walking tour of the Pinnawala elephant orphanage.
• Explore the Peradeniya Garden's trees, plants, and veins, along with the orchid house.

Hotel

• • Sigiriya Village hotel (2 nights).
  • Oakray Regency Hotel-Kandy (1 night).
  • Galway hotel-Nuwara Eliya (1 night)

Trip includes

• Accommodation for 4 nights in standard hotels.
• From day 2, there will be four daily breakfasts.
• Daily Dinner (4 Dinners), starting from day 1.
• The entrance fees and activity costs are listed below.
  • Anuradhapura ancient city
  • Polonnaruwa ancient city
  • The Dambulla cave temple
  • Sigiriya Rock Fortress
  • Pinnawala elephant orphanage
  • Temple of the tooth relic
  • Spice garden
  • Kandy sightseeing tour
  • English-speaking tour guide
  • Pickup and drop-off from the airport or hotel in Colombo
  • Kandyan cultural show
  • Royal botanical garden.

• Meeting arrangements at the airport on arrival and departure.
• Entire ground transportation as per the itinerary in a modern air-conditioned vehicle.
• The above are nett and include all government taxes.

Trip excludes

• Expenses of personal nature such as tipping, porters, laundry, telephones, etc.
• Trekking through Horton Plains National Park
• Minneriya National Park Safari

Choose your payment method.

We offer you mainly three payment options: card payments, bank transfers, or payment on arrival. You can choose whatever is the most convenient payment option for you. If you choose to pay on arrival, we will collect a 25% advance payment as a guarantee once we confirm your booking.

Best price guaranteed

We guarantee the best price. If you find the same tour package at a cheaper price elsewhere, we do match the price of other tour packages and furthermore add a 10% discount to it.

No hidden fees

The price you see on the product pages is the exact same price that you see in the final stage of the trip booking. There are no hidden fees and taxes such as hotel supplements, transport supplements, GST, BTT, service charge, nation-building tax, hotel tax etc.

Additional information

• Confirmation will be received at the time of booking.
• A current, valid passport is required on the day of travel.
• The child rate is only applicable when sharing with two paying adults.
• An adult must accompany children.
• The duration of transfers is approximate; the exact duration will depend on the time of day and traffic conditions.
• A current, valid passport is required on the day of travel.
• Not wheelchair accessible.
• Infant seats are available.
• Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level.
• This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate.

For more information or changes to the itinerary, please write to us at admin@seerendipitytours.com.

Important information:

The time predicted to travel between cities may be varied depending on the traffic. If you have any time constraints due to the departure flights, appointments, etc., please inform us in advance so that we can plan your Sri Lanka cultural triangle tour accordingly.

Please contact us at least a day before your Sri Lanka cultural triangle tour so we can easily arrange our vehicles and guides. For this trip, we arrange hotel pickup from 40+ hotels. We cover all hotels on the western and southern coasts, as well as Colombo airport.

You can book both luxury and economical accommodations for the Sri Lanka cultural triangle tour. You can book the tour with 5-star, four-star, or three-star hotels, among others; however, we plan the standard tour package with four-star compatible hotel accommodations. You will be notified of the hotel name before finalizing the Sri Lanka cultural triangle tour. The rate can make a notable difference across different hotels categories.