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Tea pickers in Nuwara Eliya

Sri Lanka tours

Still relatively undiscovered, Sri Lanka is best explored with the help of one of our carefully-selected driver-guides who will tell you about the sights and explain local customs and culture as you go. Choose to track leopard in Yala National Park, relax on the southwest coast, or meander through the misty hillsides of the tea plantations on a memorable rail journey.

Our tour ideas are the product of extensive travel in Sri Lanka, inspired by routes that our specialists have taken and enjoyed.

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Audley Travel Specialist Vicky

Start planning your tailor-made trip by contacting one of our Sri Lanka specialists

Our recommended tours in Sri Lanka

These itineraries are designed to give you some suggestions for what is possible when you travel in Sri Lanka, and they showcase some of the routes that we’ve found work particularly well. Treat them simply as inspiration, because your trip will be created uniquely for you by one of our specialists based on your particular tastes and interests.

  • Stilt fishermen just outside Galle

    Sri Lanka's south coast

    Sri Lanka

    • Stay within the Dutch fort at Galle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

    • Explore the various boutiques within the fort walls.

    • Take time out to relax on the beautiful southwest coast.

    • Visit architect Geoffrey Bawa's Brief Garden.

    9 days from £2,415pp

  • Spotted deer, Yala National Park

    Sri Lanka's wildlife highlights

    Sri Lanka

    • Explore rural villages and rolling hills dotted with tea bushes in the Tea Country.

    • Track leopard in the Yala National Park.

    • Take a walk through the Sinharaja Rainforest Biosphere, an UNESCO World Heritage Site.

    • Spot elephants in Uda Walawe National Park.

    11 days from £3,240pp

  • Botanical Gardens, Kandy

    Sri Lanka for families

    Sri Lanka

    • Relax in the beautiful countryside.

    • Explore some of Sri Lanka's cultural treasures.

    • Spot elephants on safari.

    • Enjoy the sunshine on untouched beaches.

    • Drink tea surrounded by tea plantations.

    14 days from £2,915pp

  • Sigiriya Rock Fortress, Sri Lanka

    Northern Sri Lanka tour including Jaffna

    Sri Lanka

    • Watch traditional dancing in the cultural capital, Kandy.

    • Stand on top of Sigiriya Rock and admire the views.

    • Walk through the ruins of historical Anuradhapura.

    • Discover the tourist free Tamil areas of the north.

    • Bargain hard in Colombo's Pettah Market.

    15 days from £3,930pp

  • A young leopard, Yala

    On the Leopard's Trail in Sri Lanka

    Sri Lanka

    • Track leopard in the Yala National Park.

    • Explore the rainforest of Sinharaja.

    • Follow the herds of Elephants in Uda Walawe.

    • Take a morning excursion to spot the blue whale and dolphins.

    • Climb Sigiriya Rock, past ancient wall paintings and carved lions feet, before emerging to panoramic views of the Sri Lankan countryside.

    • Take a train into the heart of the tea growing area.

    16 days from £4,130pp

  • Leopard in Yala National Park

    Highlights of Sri Lanka

    Sri Lanka

    • Learn all about Sri Lanka's fascinating buddhist history.

    • Enjoy a scenic train journey through tea plantations.

    • Search for leopards in Yala National Park.

    • Absorb the atmosphere of quaint colonial Galle.

    • Relax on a Maldivian island.

    21 days from £6,380pp

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Beach tours with a touch of exploration

These tour ideas, from our Hidden Beaches collection, are our answer if you’re looking to relax but still want to explore. Each tour combines time at one of our hand-picked beach properties with a few days spent either on safari, taking in a city, discovering the local culture or hopping to the next beach. They are only suggestions though, and a specialist will plan your holiday individually.

  • Aerial View, Avani Kalutara, Kalutara

    Avani Kalutara and Kandy

    Beach + Culture

    Discover the picturesque city of Kandy, visiting its temples, lakes and tea estates, before heading to the west coast for a relaxing week on the beach.

    12 days from £1,210pp

    4 nights Kandy including breakfast and excursions; 8 nights Avani Kalutara including breakfast. Includes flights and transfers.

  • Pool, Aditya, Galle

    Aditya and Rub’al Khali Desert, Abu Dhabi

    Beach + Wildlife or Scenery

    Discover the dramatic, red sand dunes of one of the largest deserts in the world before a relaxing week in a beachfront, boutique hotel on the shores of the Indian Ocean.

    12 days from £2,130pp

    3 nights Rub’al Khali Desert, including breakfast; 7 nights Aditya, including breakfast. Includes flights and transfers.

  • Galle, Sri Lanka

    Saman Villas and Galle region

    Beach + Culture

    Explore the beautiful countryside of the Galle region, visiting tea factories and discovering Galle’s colonial history, before heading to an intimate, boutique hotel on the west coast.

    12 days from £2,320pp

    3 nights Galle Region including breakfast and excursions; 7 nights Saman Villas including breakfast. Includes flights and transfers.

  • Dinner on the lake, Cinnamon Lodge, Habarana

    Kurumba and Cinnamon Lodge

    Beach + Culture

    Discover the historic sights of Sri Lanka's Cultural Triangle, including ancient capitals and the mighty rock fortress of Sigirya before a week of pure relaxation enjoying the Maldives' soft white sands and clear water.

    12 days from £2,365pp

    3 nights Cultural Triangle including breakfast and excursions; 7 nights Kurumba including breakfast. Includes flights and transfers.

  • Pool, Jungle Beach

    Jungle Beach and Cultural Triangle

    Beach + Culture

    Explore the main highlights of the Cultural Triangle and experience history, culture and wildlife followed by a stay in a unique property on one of Sri Lanka's finest beaches.

    13 days from £2,835pp

    3 nights Cultural Triangle, including breakfast and excursions; 7 nights Jungle Beach Resort, including breakfast. Includes flights and transfers plus a night in Colombo.

  • Water Pool Villa, Baros Maldives, Maldive Island

    Baros Maldives and Kandy

    Beach + Culture

    Spend a few days hiking and biking round Sri Lanka’s countryside, visiting tea factories and exploring Kandy’s temples before flying to the paradise island setting of the Maldives for a week.

    12 days from £3,245pp

    3 nights Kandy, including breakfast and excursions; 7 nights Baros, including breakfast. Includes flights and transfers.

  • Aerial View, Anantara Peace Haven Resort & Spa , Tangalle

    Anantara Peace Haven Tangalle Resort and Yala National Park

    Beach + Wildlife or Scenery

    Discover the wildlife of Yala National Park on jeep safaris from a luxury resort before heading to a secluded beachfront location on Sri Lanka’s south coast.

    13 days from £3,285pp

    3 nights Yala National Park all-inclusive including daily game drives, 7 nights Anantara Peace Haven Tangalle Resort including breakfast. Includes flights and transfers.

  • Tai, COMO Maalifushi, Maldive Island

    COMO Maalifushi and Kandy

    Beach + Culture

    Explore the beautiful countryside around Kandy, discovering tea plantations and small villages, before spending a week by the beach on a secluded Maldives island.

    12 days from £3,995pp

    3 nights Kandy, including breakfast & excursions; 7 nights COMO Maalifushi including breakfast. Includes flights and transfers.

Some of our favourite travel guides

Mother and baby elephants in the wild

Sri Lanka’s wildlife: safaris, jungles and plains

An avid wildlife enthusiast, Sri Lanka specialist Seamus explains where to spot Sri Lanka’s leopards, sloth bears and elephants. He also shares his recommended experiences away from the usual parks, such as walking through primary rainforest and taking boat rides across secluded lakes.

View this travel guide
Buddha statues in the Dambulla Cave Temples

What to do in Sri Lanka: our highlights guide

With impressive cultural sites, delightful beaches and wildlife viewing opportunities within its many parks, Sri Lanka offers a diverse mix of experiences, which can easily be combined in a two week trip.

View this travel guide
Freshly produced prawns just outside Jaffna

5 ways to try Sri Lankan food

Sri Lanka specialist Alison explains how a recent culinary tour to Sri Lanka reignited her passion for its food. She shares her most memorable food experiences, from cooking beetroot curry in a rural homestay to stripping cinnamon bark in a plantation.

View this travel guide
Summer house at Norwood Bungalow

Luxury Sri Lanka holidays: colonial grandeur to palm-fringed shores

Luxury in Sri Lanka can take the form of a palatial beach-front suite, secluded colonial cottage or a safari tent. Sri Lanka specialist Sophie shares her suggestions for the most comfortable stays and exclusive experiences, including tea tasting with a master tea specialist or a chartered flight across the coastline.

View this travel guide
Jaffna,Sri Lanka

Slow down in Sri Lanka: a leisurely tour of the north

Trips to Sri Lanka can often be rushed, but it pays to slow down the pace, says Sri Lanka specialist Chloe. On an unhurried tour of Sri Lanka’s little-visited north, there’s time to really get to know a region that, although marred with the scars of war, welcomes visitors warmly.

View this travel guide
Macaques are a regular sighting throughout Sri Lanka

Family holidays to Sri Lanka

A family holiday to Sri Lanka will get you close to wild elephants, crocodiles and possibly even the elusive leopard. Country specialist Alison picks some of her Sri Lanka highlights such as Yala and Minneriya national parks, its cultural triangle and tea region.

View this travel guide
Ceylon Tea Trails, Castlereagh Bungalow, Hatton

Honeymoons in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is a small island, yet for its size it offers a remarkable array of attractions from ancient temples and grand colonial cities to diverse national parks and powder-soft beaches. For honeymooners, that means lots to see and do as well as plenty of time to relax between destinations.

View this travel guide
View all Sri Lanka travel guides