Depart your home country for your flight to Sri Lanka.
Most suited for
Couples
Ideal time to visit
December - September
Travel slowly through the south of Sri Lanka on this itinerary, taking in the country’s most beautiful locations and staying in exceptional hotels.
With the help of your private chauffeur-guide, you’ll journey from the colonial elegance of Galle to the misty hills of Haputale to the wild landscapes of Yala, and back to the tranquillity of Tangalle.
Along the way, set off on wildlife safaris, hikes through the Hill Country, and bliss out at one of Sri Lanka’s most refined coastal hideaways.
Slow Paced Luxury
As with all our holidays, this itinerary is just a starting point. We will create a bespoke package which will be completely unique for you.
Skip
Day 1
Your adventure begins
Days 2 - 4
Galle Coast
On arrival, your private chauffeur-guide will meet you and you’ll travel along the coast to Malabar Hill near Weligama. Spend time relaxing and enjoying the wonderful view and excellent food, or go on a guided walk in the grounds.
During your stay, you could take a trip to Galle Fort, enjoy a cookery class or head down to the nearby beaches.
Days 5 - 7
Haputale
Head into the Hill Country with your chauffeur-guide, the scenery and climate provide an excellent contrast to the coast. During your time in the hills, you’ll stay in a suite in a lovingly restored planter’s bungalow. The property has an inviting pool, fantastic views and excellent walking opportunities nearby. Spend your time exploring the tea-clad region and relaxing around the cottage.
Days 8 - 9
Yala National Park
With your guide, you’ll travel towards Yala National Park for a two-night stay. Here you’ll venture into the less explored parts of the park on safari drives with a local naturalist looking for birdlife and game such as leopards, elephants, buffalos, and wild boar.
There will be a chance to relax back at camp too; you can soak up the tranquil surroundings. There are plenty of activities, such as kayaking, short walks, and even a Sri Lankan cookery lesson. In the evenings, expect a beautiful lit campsite with a roaring campfire.
Days 10 - 13
Tangalle
Transfer with your guide back around the coast to Tangalle, where you’ll check in at Amanwella for four nights. Swim in the sea, feel the sand between your toes, treat yourself in the spa, or unwind in your beach paradise under the shade of a palm tree.
Day 14
Colombo
Travel to Colombo this morning. In the afternoon, enjoy an informative walking tour around the city in the company of a passionate and engaging local guide who will introduce you to the cultural heart of the city. This unique excursion provides a real insight into the influences, traditions, and cultures that have shaped and formed the Sri Lankan capital over the intervening centuries.
Day 15
Fly home
Bid farewell to Sri Lanka as you catch your flight, taking home memories of an unforgettable adventure.
We have just returned from a two-week trip to Sri Lanka
Best family holiday ever. A mixture of beach, temples, wildlife, quiet and fun. [ETG] understands us and we won't be using anyone else for our holidays to Asia.
The Reynolds-Maclean Family
Excellent
850 Reviews
850 Reviews
What’s included:
With ETG, what’s included goes well beyond the basics. From the moment your trip begins to your final farewell, the essentials are already taken care of, leaving you free to immerse, explore and enjoy without the hassle of hidden extras.
Here’s what comes as standard in all of our holidays:
All flights (unless you’ve booked your own!)
Expert guides and drivers
All accommodation
Many meals and snacks
Immersive experiences throughout
All regional transfers
Tips
24/7 In-Country support
Personal travel consultant throughout
Pricing:
As every holiday is bespoke, prices vary depending on destination, flights, hotel choices, inclusions and travel dates. We aim to include as much as possible upfront, so you know exactly where you are. As an approximate guide:
Bespoke Holidays £4,500 - £8,500pp
Bespoke Luxury Holidays £8,500 - £14,500pp
Bespoke Family Holidays from £4,000 - £7,500pp
Meet Our Sri Lanka Experts
Holly is a true Sri Lanka enthusiast, with a talent for designing holidays that blend the must-see highlights with the hidden corners of the country. Whether it’s a family-friendly wildlife encounter, a romantic retreat in the tea hills, or an off-the-beaten-track adventure, Holly loves curating trips that surprise and delight her clients.
“I love this route, it’s the epitome of lovely, laid-back luxury in Sri Lanka. Spend your days drifting between incredible natural landscapes and elegant boutique hotels, accompanied by your chauffeur-guide.”
Holly
Sri Lanka Specialist
Explore Our Hotels & Villas
Wherever you go, and whatever you do, at the end of every day you can always be sure of a comfortable rest. Every location on our list of hotels is handpicked, and in its own way, shares the history, the hospitality, and the soul of Sri Lanka. Below are some examples of the different hotels we use.
See More
The Deep South, Sri Lanka,
Amanwella
Total sensual luxury in a dazzling location on Sri Lanka’s spectacular southern coastline.
Highlights
Highlights
Modernist design,
Private plunge pools,
Beachside tranquility
Best for
Couples
Honeymooners
Gallery
See More
The Deep South, Sri Lanka
Uga Chena Huts
The first luxury Safari Lodge set between Yala National Park and the ocean – great for wildlife and beach enthusiasts alike.
Highlights
Highlights
Best for
Couples
Honeymooners
Wildlife lovers
Gallery
See More
The South Coast, Sri Lanka
Malabar Hill
An emerald escape. Perched on high, with enviable views over jungle-clad hills to Weligama Bay. Serene, stylish, sophisticated.
Highlights
Highlights
Best for
Family
Couples
Gallery
See More
Kandy and around, Sri Lanka
Thotalagala
A revived tea planters bungalow with personalised service and cinematic sweeping views over the surrounding plantations.
Highlights
Highlights
Best for
Couples
Friends
Gallery
The ETG Guarantee
We guarantee you an experience no one else has ever had.
The travel magic you’ll remember won’t be found on a well-trodden – or over-Instagrammed – itinerary. It will be the surprises, discoveries and secrets that you’ll uncover along the way with us.
Do you ever feel like people aren’t listening to you?
We get it. And we will – that’s a promise. Your holiday starts with with a proper, no-pressure call to understand what you want, what you don’t want, and what matters to you.. From there, we create a completely unique adventure, inspired by our conversation together.
And because of our long-standing relationships with trusted partners across Asia, you’ll have access to experiences you can’t find on Google. The kind of special experiences that are literally impossible to find on your own.
Experiences of Sri Lanka
Crafting bespoke packages is the heart of what we do. Each holiday is specially designed to confound preconceptions and share magical, memorable, and truly exceptional experiences.
View Experience Page
Galle, Sri Lanka
Lunuganga & Brief Garden
Set beside tranquil Dedduwa Lake in Bentota, Lunuganga was once a colonial-era plantation. Geoffrey Bawa transformed it into a 15-acre garden estate that fuses tropical beauty with subtle modernist design—reflecting his signature “tropical modernism” philosophy. Pathways wind through symmetrical lawns, dense foliage and carefully framed vistas. Sculptures and hidden pavilions surprise at every turn.
Gallery
View Experience Page
Sigiriya, Sri Lanka
Pilikuttuwa Cave and Forest Temples
Spread across over 200 acres of countryside, the Pilikuttuwa site is one of Sri Lanka’s largest cave temple complexes. More than 100 natural caves and dripstone shelters dot the landscape, once offering refuge to Buddhist monks seeking solitude during the rainy season. Etched rock murals hint at the devotion of past centuries, while many shrines remain in quiet use by local worshippers today.
View Experience Page
Galle, Sri Lanka
Market, Cooking and Galle Fort
Begin your day at a lively local fish market, where the catch of the day arrives fresh and flapping. With the help of your host, you’ll choose fish, vegetables and spices before heading to a nearby home kitchen for a hands-on cooking class.
View Experience Page
Galle, Sri Lanka
Essence of Galle
Galle is the beating heart of Sri Lanka’s south coast, where seafood markets buzz at dawn and the centuries-old Fort hides layers of history and life. This experience offers a window into its soul.
For those keen to venture beyond the Fort, there’s the option of a gentle cycling tour through nearby villages. Ride past checkerboard paddy fields and gurgling streams, stopping to try your hand at making “hoppers” – a much-loved Sri Lankan tea-time snack.
Gallery
View Experience Page
Colombo, Sri Lanka
Dilmah High Tea Experience
An absolute must for tea-lovers, a tour and gourmet high tea at the Dilmah Lounge in Colombo is one of the most in-depth and specialist tea experiences in Sri Lanka. The charming lounge is in the beautifully refurbished colonial-style Fertiliser Building just behind the Dutch Hospital. Dilmah Tea is an internationally renowned brand with decades of research into tea gastronomy and mixology. Visitors are invited to experiment with flavours, immerse themselves in the colourful traditions of tea culture and get acquainted with tea as never before. Make sure you don’t miss out on one of the Dilma Tea Lounge’s famous tea-inspired cocktails and snacks after your tour in the lovely outdoor area.
View Experience Page
Galle, Sri Lanka
Galle Cycling, Boat Ride and Cooking Tour
Explore inland from Galle on this exciting morning tour by bike and boat finally culminating in a cooking lesson.
The boat ride is accompanied by a naturalist with a specialist knowledge of the plant, aquatic and birdlife around.
The cycle ride is very relaxed and you can go at your own pace, should you rather drive through the villages by tuk tuk this can also be arranged. It’s only a short journey to your cookery lesson which is led by a local villager. Try your hand at making hoppers and have them for your lunch – a delicious end to the first part of your day.
View Experience Page
Colombo Wetlands
The 60-acre park was formally a wasteland before being transformed into a biodiversity study park in 2010, with artificial ponds and canals created to attract local wildlife. Now, the area is home to a myriad of butterflies, fish and reptiles and an excellent spot to see various migratory birds, depending on the time of year.
View Experience Page
Colombo, Sri Lanka
Colombo Food Coma
Sri Lanka is known for its rich and varied culinary delicacies, and as the foodie heart of the country, Colombo is a great place to try as many of these dishes as you can manage.
Your local guide for the day is an expert in the Colombo food scene and will take you to a handpicked selection of restaurants or street food stalls (depending on the time of day) to sample foods like Tamil Ululdu and Vadai, delicious pastries, award-winning Lamprais, and some ice cream from one of the city’s oldest and most popular dessert spots.
Gallery
View Experience Page
Colombo, Sri Lanka
Colombo City Walk
To start the tour you will be picked up at your hotel by your local guide, Mark and head off to the busy city of Pettah. Here you will search out colonial architectural gems such as the Dutch Museum. This 17th Century building was originally the residence of a Dutch Governor and it is very easy to imagine him sitting upon the veranda looking down to the port below whilst having a cup of tea or gin and tonic.
Important FAQs about Sri Lanka
At Experience Travel Group, we’ve been curating immersive Sri Lanka holidays since 2006 long before the island became a mainstream destination. Our deep-rooted local knowledge, trusted partnerships, and passion for meaningful travel make us the ideal choice for discovering Sri Lanka beyond the ordinary.
Over nearly two decades, we’ve developed unique experiences that blend cultural depth, comfort, and flexibility. Whether it’s staying in boutique hotels hidden in tea country, meeting local artisans, or exploring UNESCO heritage sites with expert guides, we design every journey to reveal the real heart of Sri Lanka, not just the tourist highlights.
With our thoughtful planning and in-country support, you’ll have peace of mind while enjoying a tailored adventure that suits your interests and travel style. We don’t do off-the-shelf holidays — we create personalised journeys that capture what’s truly special about Sri Lanka.
Let us show you the Sri Lanka we know and love.
Sri Lanka is a year-round destination, but the best time depends on where you’re going. One of the best times to visit is between December and March. The summer month and September is also a great all-round option, with good weather and fewer crowds.
Every ETG holiday to Sri Lanka is carefully designed to be seamless, immersive, and stress-free. Your journey typically includes international flights (if requested), chauffeur guide throughout and accommodation in hand-picked, characterful hotels.
You’ll enjoy incredible, immersive experiences unique to you, all planned by dedicated Sri Lanka specialists, with the added reassurance of 24/7 in-country support from our local team.
The Curious Traveller’s Guide to Sri Lanka
Wondering when to visit Sri Lanka? Our Curious Traveller’s Guide to Sri Lanka will give you a more detailed breakdown of the best time of year to book a holiday, as well as tips on the best beaches, unmissable sites, and much more.
