The Ultimate tailor made holiday to Sri Lanka

Our recommended 'Tour + Beach' holiday to Sri Lanka

Why a tailor made holiday is best...

• Choose the hotels YOU want, rather than being put where the tour goes
• Have your own car + driver for complete freedom
• Have more time in the best places (such as Habarana)
• Avoid places you are not that interested in
• Travel on any date, not be tied to set dates
• Add on as long as you wish on a Sri Lankan beach, or with an extension to the Maldives
• You can make your holiday unique without breaking the bank by spending just a couple of nights in a truly special hotel such as Elephant Corridor

Do you prefer independent arrangements to a fully escorted group coach tour? If so, then you do not have to be bound by the exact itinerary in the brochure. You do not have to stay in the same hotels. And you can stay longer in some places, while missing out bits that are not really that interesting to you.

We are experts at putting together tailor made trips throughout the world, and will almost always come up with a better trip than if you followed a group itinerary. Room upgrades are something to consider too - for a relatively small increase in the cost of your holiday, you can often get much better rooms with better views.

So, if you had a week to spend in Sri Lanka for touring / sightseeing, how would we do it? Here is our 'ultimate Sri Lanka trip'.

The Ultimate Itinerary to Sri Lanka

Here is our recommended itinerary for a 12 night (or more) trip to Sri Lanka. As always, we try to get you in the places locations so you will see the most, while keeping travelling times and hotel changes to a minimum.

• 1 night in Negombo
• 4 nights in Kandalama
• 2 nights in Kandy
• 1 night at Nuwara Eliya
• 4 nights or more on the beach OR an extension to the Maldives

Total: 12 nights

Negombo (1 night)

Many tours use a hotel in Colombo such as Mount Lavinia, which is admittedly a great value 3.5* hotel, but it takes about 90 minutes to get there. Instead, I suggest the resort of Negombo, a fishing village only 20 minutes from the airport, with a golden beach and several restaurants within walking distance of the hotels.

What to do...

• Freshen up, and chill out for the afternoon then have a good meal in the evening!

Where to Stay?

Just 20 minutes from the airport is a wonderful small hotel called Jetwing Beach, with just 78 rooms. There is a choice of restaurants as well as the restaurants that are within walking distance of the hotel.

Your transfer to Jetwing Beach is included - the next morning you will start your tour proper.

Kandalama (4 nights)

What to do...

• Visit and/or climb Sigiriya Rock Fortress - it is a bit of a climb but the views from the top are amazing, and you will see the remains of the Royal Palace.
• Dambulla Cave Temple - a UNESCO World Heritage Site which has 5 caves housing Buddhist statues and paintings, and dates to 100 years BC - this is a MUST SEE, and just 20 minutes from the hotel. In the largest cave is a gigantic 150 ft long reclining Buddha. There is a smell of incense in the air as people place offerings to the Buddhas.
• Elephant safaris - these can be done around the hotel and by the lake
• Minneriya National Park - enjoy a Jeep Safari and see a wide variety of wildlife especially elephants - it is also a fantastic location for bird watching
• Lake activities - include bird watching, elephant rides, horse rides, sunset boat rides (there is a 'Bird Island' in the centre of the lake where you can watch the birds settle down on tree tops for the night)
• Jungle treks and Mountain bike hire - there is a 9 mile cycle route from the hotel, or a longer 18 mile route.
• Puranagama Ancient Village - a rare opportunity to see traditional Sri Lankan village life, Puranagama is located at 25 minutes’ walk from the hotel.
• Visit the sacred city of Polonnaruwa with spectacular shrines, Buddhist statues, and the ruins of the Royal Palace.

Where to Stay?

One of our favourite hotels in the whole of Sri Lanka is the Heritance Kandalama set in a stunning position by a lake. The views from all parts of the hotel are superb, and it is located very conveniently for trips to Sigiriya Rock Fortress, Dambulla Caves and the Minneriya National park.

A 4 night duration gives you three full days. I would spend one day at Sigiriya and Dambulla, the second on a safari at Minneriya National park, and the third doing some of the excursions around the hotel such as the elephant rides. Alternatively you could spend the day in the old city of Polonnaruwa.

Kandy (2 nights)

What to do...

• Visit the Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage to see the group of about 60 elephants come down to the river to bathe and play
• Visit the Royal Botanical Gardens which include a spice garden and hundreds of exotic tropical plants
• See the Temple of the Tooth on Kandy Lake
• Enjoy an evening Cultural Show with food and dancing

Where to Stay?

In a wonderful position on the banks of the Mahaweli River is the Chaaya Citadel, Kandy. Sip a drink in the pool bar as you watch the world go by on the other side. The bedrooms are very smartly designed and overlook the river. Each has a sitting area with a built-in couch and coffee table.

Nuwara Eliya (1 night)

What to do...

• Watch the tea making process - you can do this at the hotel itself
• Waterfalls - the best is St. Clair's
• The Hakgala Botanical Gardens
• Bike rides - hire mountain bikes from the hotel and ride on beautiful traffic free routes

Where to Stay?

The famous Tea Factory is a unique hotel which has been restored from an old tea plantation factory with stunning views of the surrounding countryside. Inside the lobby you'll see the original working machinery of the old Tea Factory. Special features include the fine dining restaurant which is actually a restored train carriage, a spa specialising in tea treatments, and a miniature tea factory.

Sri Lanka Beach / Maldives (4 nights or more)

There are some stunning hotels in Sri Lanka which provide a great value beach stay in luxury - one of our favourites is the Fortress Hotel, and for a cheaper alternative the Heritance Ahungalla.

For the ultimate in island escapism, why not extend your holiday with a week in the Maldives? There are several different islands to choose from, of different styles, sizes and character. Please call us for details and recommendations.

Where to Stay?

The Heritance Ahungalla is an elegant hotel set on a beautiful sandy beach in a fishing village. By day, there is a wonderful pool to relax by, or enjoy a variety of massage treatments at the spa. In the evening dine in one of the two restaurants, or enjoy one of the special themed nights - Sri Lankan on Tuesday, Far Eastern on Friday and barbeque on Saturday.

Many hotels can be quite a distance from the airport, and if you have an early onward flight then it is usually necessary to give you a hotel either at the airport or in nearby Negombo for the night before your flight.

What else?

Of course if you have a special interest, for example walking or wildlife then you might want to consider other parts of Sri Lanka, and we can tweak the itinerary accordingly.

• The national parks for a wildlife safari - Udawalawe and Yala. Please note that often only one is open at a time. Yala has a slightly higher standard of accommodation of Udawalawe involves less travelling to get to. Yala is one of the best places in the world to see leopard. Wild elephants are abundant, and you will also see spotted deer, jackal, and sloth bears.
• Only a couple of hours from Nuwara Eliya is Horton Plains National Park, for spectacular walks and bird watching. The highlight is 'Worlds End' where the plateau drops over 2000 ft to the plain below.
• Some escorted tours include a trip to the ancient capital of Sri Lanka, Anuradhapura which has immense Buddhist shrines dating back to 400 years BC. However because it is quite a long journey from Kandalama (almost 4 hours each way) and because less is preserved than at Polonnaruwa, I have omitted it from the itinerary.
• The Dutch Fort at Galle plus watching fishermen working on stilts. If you would like to visit Galle, then this is usually best done either en-route to your beach hotel, or as a day trip from your beach hotel.
• If you want something truly special, then we can recommend a couple of outstanding hotels close to Sigiriya. There is the Elephant Corridor hotel (www.elephantcorridor.com) and Jetwing Vil Uyana (www.jetwinghotels.com/jetwingviluyana). In Nuwara Eliya, Tea Trails is a unique and very personalised cluster of bungalows (www.teatrails.com). Please ask us if you would like us to substitute any of the hotels in the itinerary for these.
• And of course you can choose to just have a couple of nights in one of these really special hotels - this makes for a unique tailor made holiday whilst keeping the costs down!

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