The island of Sri Lanka lies off the south-east tip of India and is surrounded by classic Indian Ocean beaches of long stretches of sand, lapped by blue ocean and fringed by coconut palms. Inland the countryside offers verdant tea-clad hills, streams and waterfalls as well as highland areas of rhododendron, tropical rain forest of teak and ebony, and national parks which are home to abundant wildlife. Sri Lanka also has some outstanding Buddhist cultural and archaeological sites, as well as architecture which has been influenced by Portuguese, Dutch and British colonists.
We offer a selection of suggested touring holidays with itineraries of 6 to 14 nights which can be booked exactly as they are but for your chosen departure date, they can be amended according to your interests with extra nights added where appropriate, and special interests such as safari, birdwatching, local history, walking, golf, arts and crafts can be included too.
A typical touring holiday of Sri Lanka, if you haven’t been before, will include a few nights in the Cultural Triangle where you visit ancient capitals and cultural sites, then you move south to Kandy, a cultural centre for Sri Lanka, with traditions that transcend the ages before heading into the rolling hills of tea country, where there are tea factories, planters’ bungalows, plantations to explore and beautiful views. Further south you reach lush, rainforest before spending a couple of nights on safari in the Yala National Park. After the safari you are likely to visit the south coast, perhaps Mirissa for whale-watching and then spend a few days in or near Galle, an historic, former colonial fort with beautifully preserved architecture. Many clients then opt to spend a few nights at a beach resort on the coast, perhaps at Bentota or Wadduwa before returning to Colombo.
Flights to Sri Lanka
Sri Lankan Airways operates daily flights to Colombo from London Heathrow. Most flights leave London in the evening and arrive about 13.00 hrs, returning at a similar time and arriving later that evening in London. Flying time is about 11 hours. There is economy and a business class cabin. Emirates is also an option for Sri Lanka with flights from London and other UK airports to Colombo via Dubai. Some adjustments to the itineraries may have to be made to accommodate the flight arrival and departure times in Colombo.
Driver-guide
Our touring holidays for individuals are accompanied by a driver-guide who will be with you throughout the touring part of the holiday. The driver is available every day to take you not only to included excursions but to other places that you decide between you that you want to visit. There is a daily mileage allowance that must not be exceeded. If you spend part of the tour in a beach resort, then the services of the driver-guide will not be included automatically. A transfer will be provided at the end of the beach stay to return you to Colombo.
Local flights in Sri Lanka
Cinnamon Air operate a scheduled air-taxi service from Colombo to destinations in Sri Lanka such as Sigiriya, Trincomalee, Batticoloa, Kandy, Bentota, Koggala, Dickwella and Hambantota. This can save you time, especially if you have been to Sri Lanka before and just want to reach a certain area, for example, Trincomalee which would take about 7 hours by car, or Hambantota which would take about 5 hours by car from Colombo.
Scenic train
There is a marvellous journey from Colombo to Tea Country by train, although most of our clients take the train for part of the journey, from Peradeniya near Kandy to Hatton or Nanuoya for Nuwara Eliya. The journey time from Peradeniya to Hatton is about 2 hrs 30 minutes with another 90 minutes on to Nanuoya. We always request seats in the 1st class observation car with reserved seats (this car may or may not be air-conditioned).
Our touring holidays of Sri Lanka include
● Travel arrangements with flights, private car travel with driver-guide, and trains as required● Sample touring itineraries to book as they are or adapt
● Flexible durations and multi-centre stays
● Accommodation in personally-selected 4-or 5-star hotels
Included in all our holidays
● Concierge service● Handcrafted helpful hints and local information provided with all our holidays
● Personal service by your sales consultant who looks after all aspects of your holiday
● Full financial protection with our ATOL (3076) for all holidays including a flight and our ABTOT for all non-air holidays
