Destinations
Ancient cities, misty tea hills, golden beaches and wild national parks. Tap “Add to my trip” on anything that catches your eye, and we’ll plan the route with you for free on WhatsApp.
Ancient kingdoms
Rock fortresses, cave temples and ruined royal cities sit close together on the dry central plains. Most travellers stay near Sigiriya and take short drives out each day, then finish in Kandy on the way to the hills.
UNESCO World Heritage
The 5th-century rock fortress rises straight out of the jungle, with painted frescoes and giant lion’s paws halfway up. It’s the island’s most famous climb, and worth every step. We also run Sigiriya as a day tour.
Ideal stay 2 nights
UNESCO World Heritage
Five cave shrines carved into a granite outcrop, filled with painted ceilings and more than 150 Buddha statues. It sits on the road to Kandy, so it fits neatly into a travel day.
Ideal stay Half a day
UNESCO World Heritage
A medieval royal capital of palaces, temples and the calm, rock-cut Buddhas of Gal Vihara, spread across a leafy, walkable site.
Ideal stay 1 day
UNESCO World Heritage
Sri Lanka’s first great capital, with vast white dagobas and a sacred fig tree that is one of the oldest known trees in the world. Quieter and more spread out than Polonnaruwa.
Ideal stay 1 day
UNESCO World Heritage
The old hill capital wraps around a lake and is home to the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic. It’s the gateway between the ancient cities and tea country.
Ideal stay 1 to 2 nights
Tea and cool air
Cool air, tea on every slope, waterfalls and the famous blue train. The roads up here are narrow and winding, which is exactly where a careful, unhurried driver makes all the difference.
A laid-back hill village with big views in every direction. Days here are for short hikes, long breakfasts and watching the train cross the Nine Arches Bridge.
Ideal stay 2 nights
Known as “Little England” for its colonial bungalows and cool climate, this is the heart of tea country.
Ideal stay 1 night
UNESCO World Heritage
A high, windswept plateau of grassland and cloud forest that ends at a sheer drop called World’s End.
Ideal stay Half a day
Beaches and a fort town
Palm-lined bays, the old Dutch fort at Galle and whale boats heading out at dawn. The south coast is where most trips slow down for a few days on the sand.
UNESCO World Heritage
A walled 17th-century fort town of cobbled lanes, cafés and small shops, wrapped in ramparts above the sea.
Ideal stay 1 to 2 nights
A curve of golden sand with a relaxed beach-town feel, and the best-known place on the island to go whale watching.
Ideal stay 2 nights
A wide, sandy bay with soft, rolling waves that make it one of the best places in Sri Lanka to learn to surf.
Ideal stay 2 to 3 nights
The other monsoon
When the rains reach the south and west, the east coast comes into its own: calm turquoise water, coral reefs and long, quiet beaches.
A deep natural harbour with clifftop temples, and white-sand beaches at Nilaveli and Uppuveli just up the coast.
Ideal stay 2 nights
A surf town on the far south-east coast, famous for its long point break and easy-going village life.
Ideal stay 3 nights
A shallow, sheltered bay where you can wade a long way out in warm, calm water. Lovely for families.
Ideal stay 2 nights
Leopards and elephants
Leopards, elephants, crocodiles and hundreds of bird species. Jeep safaris run early in the morning and late in the afternoon, when the animals are most active.
Sri Lanka’s best-known national park, famous for its leopards, with elephants, sloth bears and crocodiles too.
Ideal stay 1 night nearby
Open grassland around a large reservoir, and one of the most reliable places on the island to see wild elephants.
Ideal stay Half a day
In the dry season, hundreds of elephants gather on the grassy shores of the ancient Minneriya reservoir.
Ideal stay Half a day
Where most trips begin
We meet you at arrivals at Bandaranaike International Airport and drive you to wherever your trip begins. Spend a night in Colombo for its markets, temples and seafront, or head straight for the hills. Day transfers start from $50.
