Colombo / Negombo

After breakfast head to the beach hotel in Negombo, stopping for a tour of the city along the way.

Negombo city tour

A Negombo city tour offers a delightful blend of cultural heritage, colonial history, and coastal charm, making it a perfect half-day or full-day excursion. Start your exploration at the Negombo Fish Market, one of Sri Lanka’s largest, where you can witness the bustling trade of fresh seafood and experience the local way of life. Nearby, the Old Dutch Canal, built during colonial times, provides a scenic walkway lined with palm trees, offering glimpses of daily activities along its banks. Next, visit the Dutch Fort, a remnant of Negombo’s colonial past, though only a gate and walls remain today.

For a spiritual experience, explore Negombo’s diverse religious sites, including St Mary’s Church, a stunning Catholic landmark with intricate frescoes, and the Angurukaramulla Buddhist Temple, known for its massive Buddha statue and vibrant murals. Don’t miss the Negombo Lagoon, where you can enjoy a relaxing boat ride, spot exotic birds, and admire the serene mangrove forests.

Wrap up your tour with a stroll along Negombo Beach, famous for its golden sands and spectacular sunsets. The beachfront is dotted with lively cafes and restaurants, perfect for savouring fresh seafood or a chilled king coconut. If time permits, visit the Muthurajawela Wetlands for a guided eco-tour, where you can encounter diverse wildlife, including crocodiles and migratory birds.

Overnight stay in Negombo

Anuradhapura

Leisurely breakfast at the hotel and explore the monuments in the ancient city. 

Anuradhapura historical city tour
Stop at Anuradhapura and visit the temples, museums, Dagobas, forts, stupas, and many other ancient monuments (UNESCO world heritage site). Your hop-on hop-off Anuradhapura city tour starts after the lunch break, and it lasts 3-4 hours. 

Anuradhapura
In Anuradhapura, with the recent excavations, the history goes back to the 8th century BC. Or 2800 BP. However, legends take history more than 3000-5000 years. (Ramayana is one of them.) At that time, there were 4 tribes living in Sri Lanka. Kingdom lasted one thousand and five hundred years from 380 BC. This city is home to many of the earliest and grandest monuments of Sri Lanka. A popular destination for the Sinhalese Buddhist pilgrimage because of its many ancient Buddhist monuments. 

Anuradhapura was made the royal capital by King Pandukabhaya in 380 BC. It remained the residence and royal capital for 119 successive Singhalese kings till the year 1000 AD, when it was abandoned and the capital moved to Polonnaruwa. You will see some of the most famous and tallest dagobas in Sri Lanka, along with remains of palaces, temples, monasteries, ceremonial baths, and the temple of the holy Bo tree. This tree was grown from a sampling of the very tree under which, more than 2500 years ago, the Buddha found enlightenment. You will visit all these places on our hop-on, hop-off Anuradhapura City Tour.

• Ruwanwelisaya: It is a “stupa” that was built by King Dutugamunu and is one of the biggest completed ones to date.
• Thuparamaya: It is the oldest ‘dagoba’ in Sri Lanka and possibly the oldest visible one in the world.
• Lovamahapaya: The significance of this building is that the roof was once covered in bronze tiles.
• Abhayagiri: It is one of the biggest viharas in Anuradhapura. It was a monastery of 5000 monks.
• Jethavanaramaya: It is a sacred world heritage site and accommodated some 3000 monks at the time. It is also quite similar to Abhayagiri.
• Mirisavetiya: This stupa was built by King Dutugamunu after defeating King Elara.
• Lankaramaya: This is also built by a king called King Valagamba in the Anuradhapura Kingdom times and is one of the eight sacred places in the city.

Aukana Buddha Statue
The Avukana statue is considered one of the best examples of a standing statue of the Buddha from ancient Sri Lanka. The Avukana statue is a standing statue of the Buddha near Kekirawa in North Central Sri Lanka. The statue, which has a height of more than 46 feet (14 m), was carved out of a large granite rock face during the 5th century. It depicts a variation of the Abhaya mudra, and the closely worn robe is elaborately carved. Constructed during the reign of Dhatusena, it may have been made as a result of a competition between a master and a pupil. The Avukana statue is one of the best examples of a standing statue built in Sri Lanka. It is now a popular tourist attraction.

Accommodation hotel in Anuradhapura 

Habarana / Polonnaruwa

After a leisurely breakfast, explore the ancient city of Polonnaruwa.

Polonnaruwa
Polonnaruwa is the second-most historical city in Sri Lanka. It was made the capital of Sri Lanka after Anuradhapura. The second most ancient of Sri Lanka's kingdoms, Polonnaruwa was first declared the capital city by King Vijayabahu I, who defeated the Chola invaders in 1070 to reunite the country once more under a local leader.

Today the ancient city of Polonnaruwa remains one of the best-planned archaeological relic sites in the country, standing testimony to the discipline and greatness of the Kingdom's first rulers. The Duran Duran music video Save a Prayer used its beauty as a backdrop in 1982. The ancient city of Polonnaruwa has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

The city tour includes palaces, dagobas, and temples and provides a good example of Sri Lankan historical craftsmanship. In this 3-hour guided tour of the ancient city of Polonnaruwa, you will cover some of the following attractions:

• Royal Palace (Palace of King Parakramabahu, the most prolific and gifted builder of the era)
• Nissankamulla Palace (royal audience hall with impressive stonework)
• Gal Viharaya (Contains some of the best rock sculptures in the country)
• Thuparama & Lankathilaka Image Houses (good examples of vaulted shrine rooms)
• Vatadage (gives an idea of what a complete vatadage may have looked like)
• Rankoth Vehera (largest stupa in Polonnaruwa)
• Parakramabahu Statue (Statue of one of the greatest kings of ancient Sri Lanka)

Following this, take a tour of the Sigiriya village and enrol in a cooking class to immerse yourself in the essence of Sri Lankan village life and learn how to prepare traditional Sri Lankan cuisine. 

Gal Vihara
The Gal Vihara is a rock temple of the Buddha situated in the ancient city of Polonnaruwa; it was fashioned in the 12th century by Parakramabahu I. The central feature of the temple is four rock relief statues of the Buddha, which have been carved into the face of a large granitic (granite gneiss) rock. The images consist of a large, seated figure, another smaller seated figure inside an artificial cavern, a standing figure and a reclining figure. These are considered to be some of the best examples of ancient Sinhala sculpting and carving arts and have made the Gal Vihara the most visited monument at Polonnaruwa.

Village tour
This village tour gives you a memorable experience in a rural village in Sigiriya. You will enjoy the sightseeing of paddy fields, a bullock cart ride, a traditional catamaran ride in a lake, a visit to a Chena cultivation, a traditional cooking demonstration in a rural village house, and an authentic Sri Lankan lunch during this tour.

Accommodation hotel in Sigiriya or Habarana

Sigiriya / Kandy

After breakfast, leave for the hotel in Kandy. En route, stop at Muttumari Amman Temple in Matale, where you can witness one of the most scenic Hindu temples on the island, and later visit a spice and herbal garden. 

You will do the city tour of Kandy in the afternoon, including a visit to the temple of the sacred tooth relic and a Kandyan cultural show.

Spice/Herbal Garden
Spice Garden Matale is one of the most popular places among tourists to see indigenous spices such as cinnamon, pepper, cardamom, etc., as well as herbal plants used in Ayurveda.
duration: 2 hours.

Kandyan cultural show (1 hour)
The Cultural Dance Show. Dance and drama play a crucial role in Sri Lankan culture, and a function would not be complete without their display. As a multi-ethnic land, Sri Lanka boasts of a rich conflux of dance and drama. The two main ethnic groups share two spectacular dance and drama traditions, which enrich the fame Sri Lanka has gained in this sphere.

Accommodation hotel in Kandy

Kandy / Nuwara Eliya

This morning, say goodbye to Kandy as you hop on a train for around 4 hours to Nuwara Eliya. It’s a kind of long trip, but you can buy all sorts of yummy treats from the onboard sellers. Upon reaching Nuwara Eliya, check in at the hotel and enjoy leisure. Once you've dropped off your luggage, perhaps head out for a visit to a local tea factory. If this doesn't take your fancy, go for dinner in one of the many local restaurants and bars. In the afternoon, consider taking a Nuwara Eliya city tour. 

Hill country train journey
The hill country train trip is an opportunity to see some of the finest scenery in Sri Lanka's hill country. The landscape beyond the track is truly dazzling. The lush mountain vistas dominated every inch of the journey. 

The hill country train trip is one of the world’s most beautiful train trips. The seven-hour journey passes through tea estates dotted with workers in colourful saris, pine forests, waterfalls, mountains, and gorges. The railway, built by the British in 1864 to transport tea and coffee from the Hill Country to the capital, Colombo, is now one of the best ways to explore the villages, towns, and national parks along the way.

Tea factory
On a tea plantation visit, you can learn about tea picking and processing and enjoy some fine Sri Lankan tea tasting. It’s probably a much more exciting prospect if you’re a tea lover, but even if you’re not, the Hill Country (or Tea Country, as it’s sometimes called) is arguably the most scenic part of the island and worth a visit.

You’ll find rolling hills clad with row upon row of luscious, green tea plants. It’s often shrouded in a fine mist and is the perfect escape from the heat of Sri Lanka’s wonderful beaches (if you need an escape!).

Nuwara Eliya city walk
A walking tour of Nuwara Eliya involves scenic views of Sri Lanka's forested hills. One can take a stroll around the tea plantations and visit the many different sightseeing places around. It is known as 'Little England' and has old buildings with colonial and Tudor architecture, making it a pleasant place for walking around. The town also has many historical sites and temples that are valuable to different cultures. This town is the perfect place to walk, relax, rewind, and get a taste of different cultures; it spans a few kilometres.

Accommodation hotel in Nuwara Eliya

Nuwara Eliya / Ella

After breakfast, take the scenic winding road to Ella; en route, stop at Sita temple. In the afternoon venture out onto Ella Gap, Mini-Adams Peak and the nine-arch bridge. 

Historical Sita temple
Sita Amman Temple is located approximately 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) from Hakgala Botanical Garden and 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) from Nuwara Eliya. The temple is located in the village of Sita Eliya (also known as Sita Eliya). This place is believed to be the site where Sita was held captive by Asur Samrat (Devil King) Ravana and where she prayed daily for Rama to come and rescue her in the Hindu epic, Ramayana. On the rock face across the stream are circular depressions said to be the footprints of Lord Hanuman.

Nine arch bridge
The Nine Arch Bridge is considered one of the great sites in railway engineering. The nine-arch bridge is located just a couple of kilometres from the Ella Holiday Resort, near the Ella railway station. It is one of the very popular sites in Ella, and it is on the bucket list of every tourist who visits Ella on their trip. The nine-arch bridge is a masterpiece of colonial-era construction. The construction was completed in 1921, during the British colonial era. The bridge is 100 metres long and rises up to 33 metres from the valley below. The awe-inspiring views from the high-rise bridge take travellers by surprise. The architecture of the nine-arch bridge is masterminded by a local constructor from Welimada, a small town a few kilometres down the road. 

Mini adamspeak

The Mini Adam’s Peak Hike in Ella is a short but rewarding trek, perfect for all fitness levels. The 30-45 minute uphill trail winds through lush tea plantations, leading to a scenic summit with panoramic views of Ella’s valleys and waterfalls. Best enjoyed at sunrise or sunset, it’s a must-do for nature lovers and photographers.

Accommodation hotel in Ella

Yala

Early in the morning, start your yala safari, which lasts about 8 hours with a midday break.

Yala Safari

A full-day safari in Yala National Park is an exhilarating wildlife adventure, offering the best chance to witness Sri Lanka’s diverse fauna in their natural habitat. As the country’s most famous national park, Yala is renowned for its high density of leopards, making it one of the top destinations in the world to spot these elusive big cats. The safari begins at dawn, when animals are most active, with experienced trackers guiding visitors through scrub jungles, grasslands, and waterholes. Apart from leopards, Yala is home to elephants, sloth bears, crocodiles, and sambar deer, along with over 200 bird species, including vibrant peacocks and endemic species like the Sri Lankan junglefowl.

The day includes multiple game drives, with a break for a packed breakfast or lunch at a scenic spot within the park. The varied landscapes—from rocky outcrops to coastal lagoons—create stunning backdrops for photography. Yala’s Block 1 is particularly famous for leopard sightings, while other zones offer quieter, equally rewarding encounters. As the sun sets, the golden light enhances the park’s raw beauty, culminating in an unforgettable wilderness experience. With expert guides sharing insights into animal behaviour and conservation, a full-day Yala safari is a must for nature lovers and adventure seekers alike. 

Accommodation hotel in Yala

Your Plan

The next five days are dedicated to your beach holiday.  The 5-day beach stay on Sri Lanka’s southwest coast promises sun, sand, and relaxation in a tropical paradise. Begin in Bentota, where calm lagoons and golden beaches offer the perfect start—try kayaking or a river safari. Sri Lanka's southwest coast, famous for its coral reefs and vibrant nightlife, is ideal for snorkelling and beachfront dining. Unwind on the southwest coast, where palm-fringed shores and whale-watching excursions create unforgettable moments. The southwest coast of Sri Lanka harbours serene hideaways with boutique stays and stunning sunsets—a blissful finale to your Sri Lanka trip.

Accommodation hotel in the beach resort