A tour of Southern Sri Lanka
An ideal tour for nature lovers featuring dramatic views and superb mountain scenery of the Hill Country and Southern Coast. Visit tea estates, historic temples, and shrines and see leopards on a safari at the premier game reserve of Yala National Park.
Touring Style - a private tour with your own driver who also acts as your guide.
Best time for this tour: December to April.
Prices are seasonal, include hotels, breakfast, professional touring and transfers. Starts from:
GBP 627 per person sharing a twin room, Standard Class Hotels
GBP 853 per person sharing a twin room, Superior Class Hotels
GBP 1181 per person sharing a twin room, Deluxe Class Hotels.
International airfares are extra..
- Day 1: Arrival and transfer to Galle
- Day 2: Visit Mulgirigala Rock Temple and Kalametiya Bird Sanctuary
- Day 3: Tissamaharama Temple and Yala National Park safari
- Day 4: Buduruwagala Mahayana Buddhist Images and Ella Hill Country
- Day 5: Scenic train to Nuwara Eliya
- Day 6: Scenic train to Kandy
- Day 7: Departure or beach extension
Day 1: Arrival and transfer to Galle
Meet on arrival and transfer to Galle en-route visiting a Devil Mask factory. Galle, the southern capital where classic Dutch architecture meets a tropical setting.
In the afternoon, leave with your guide for an in-depth Fort tour. Walk the Dutch-haunted streets listening to the creaks of wooden saloon doors and observe how European architecture mingles with South Asian traditions. Flanking the old gate is the Zwart Bastion and the lighthouse standing 18 feet in its glory next to the Point Utrecht Bastion. This Dutch bliss is painted with streets that spread in a rectangular grid pattern pierced with houses carrying Dutch colonial style verandas. Overnight in Galle.
Overnight in Galle.
Distance and journey time: 152 km, approx. 3 hrs
Day 2: Visit Mulgirigala Rock Temple and Kalametiya Bird Sanctuary
Proceed to visit the Mulgirigala Rock Temple at Tangalle. This ancient temple is perched on an enormous boulder more than 200m high. The temple complex consists of ancient murals, a recumbent Buddha statue, and several cave temples. You will then visit the Kalametiya Bird Sanctuary, one of Sri Lanka’s oldest bird sanctuaries and home to many species of resident as well as migratory shorebirds.
Overnight in Tangalle.
Distance and journey time: 80 km, approx 2.30 hrs
Day 3: Tissamaharama Temple and Yala National Park.
Continue to the historical Tissamaharama Temple and participate in the pooja at Kataragama Shrine. Afterwards, you will be transferred to Yala National Park for an afternoon safari. There are herds of elephant, sloth bear, the spotted deer, jackal, extensively populated birdlife as well as the highest density of leopards in the world.
Overnight at Yala.
Distance and journey time: 117 km, approx 2.30 hrs
Day 4: Buduruwagala and Ella
After breakfast, you will be driven to Buduruwagala to see the Mahayana Buddhist Images. After the visit, a leisurely drive to Ella, a quaint hillside village offering the most amazing view in all of Sri Lanka, Ella is ideal for leisurely treks.
Some activities you may like:
Visit a Tea Factory for a fascinating tour.
Ella Rock - Hiking up Ella Rock is one of the most popular treks to do in Ella, but is also far more challenging than the easy climb up Little Adam’s Peak. The summit is 3,300m above sea level, and 1,000m higher than Ella town. The view from the top is one of the most spectacular in Sri Lanka. You need to allow 4-5 hours. Walk along the train tracks for about half an hour and begin the ascent up the slope through fruits fields and a tea plantation. A local guide is recommended and available en route.
Little Adam’s Peak - This is a scenic and easy hike with sensational views from the top of Little Adam’s Peak. Take a gentle stroll through a tea estate before ascending a short stretch of winding steps up to the top of the peak. From the top, there is a spectacular panorama featuring Ella Rock, rolling tea fields and the Ella gap. Plan to reach the summit for sunset.
Nine Arch Bridge is one of the most iconic bridges in Sri Lanka and is a stunning example of the incredible engineering prowess behind the island’s railway system. It is a 30-metre-high viaduct with dramatic, high arches.
Overnight in Ella.
Day 5: Scenic train to Nuwara Eliya
In the morning proceed to Ella Train station to board a scenic train bound for Nuwara Eliya This will be a 4-hour scenic train journey. Upon arriving at Nanu Oya station, you will be transferred to your hotel for an overnight stay. Nuwara Eliya, Little England, studded with colonial bungalows, hedgerows & one of the finest 18-hole golf courses in the world. A hike through the green grass and red-brick walls presents breath-taking views of a buzzing countryside hamlet. Drive through green valleys of the hill country pierced by endless waterfalls & dotted by tea pluckers draped in bright coloured saris.
Overnight in Nuwara Eliya.
Day 6: Scenic train to Kandy
Hop back on the train for the scenic 4-hour journey to Kandy. On arrival, you will be met by your driver for a transfer to your hotel.
Take an early afternoon walk around Kandy Lake and visit the British Garrison Cemetery housing the graves of early British colonials.
Your evening tour will take in the main attraction of the Temple of the Tooth, where a tooth relic of Lord Buddha is enshrined. A pooja (religious service) is held at dawn, midday, or in the evening, accompanied by traditional music and drumming. Daily Kandyan dance performances are held in town by the Temple of the Tooth at 6.30 pm.
Overnight in Kandy.
Day 7: Departure or beach extension
Make an early morning visit to Kandy's local market before visiting the magnificent Kandy Botanical Gardens. Take a walk through its immaculately designed lawns, pavilions and an octagon conservatory on foot or a cattle-drawn carriage. Do not miss the orchid house & giant Java fig tree.
Departure. Why not extend your stay to one of the fabulous beach resorts in Sri Lanka?
Distance and journey time: 101 km, 3 hrs