10 Day Best Of Sri Lanka Premium Small Group Tour
This tour includes return international airfares. See the Fine Print section for further details.
This tour is fully escorted by a dedicated tour leader who will accompany you throughout the tour. If your tour includes multiple countries, you will be met by a new tour leader in each country and any internal flights included will be unescorted.
This tour is categorised as 1 out of 5
Explore at your own pace: Discover your destination at your own pace with our self-guided itinerary. Options include driving, rail, or cruising (excluding expeditions). Enjoy included guided day trips for sightseeing as outlined in your itinerary.
As a general requirement across all of our trips, you may be required to walk up and down stairs, get on and off transportation, handle your own luggage, and participate in all scheduled sightseeing that may be conducted on uneven ground and terrain. Any physical ailments you may have must be disclosed at the time of booking to determine your suitability and where required, supporting documentation may be requested to ensure that we are comfortable that you will enjoy your trip.
Experience a superior level of comfort. Our Small Group tours have been crafted for Inspiring Vacations travellers exclusively, with personal and unique experiences in mind. Travel with no more than 26 people, allowing for a more personalised and immersive experience. Please see the Important Information on your selected tour for the exact group size.
✓ Return international airfares included
✓ Enjoy the personalised service of a professional, private guide throughout
✓ 8 nights in 4 to 5-star accommodation
✓ Breakfast daily, 8 dinners
✓ Ride the iconic train from Nuwara Eliya to Kandy
✓ Airport transfers included on the first and last day of your tour
✓ Fully escorted by an English-speaking leader throughout
✓ Dedicated private transportation throughout
✓ Incredible sightseeing including entry fees as per itinerary
This 10-day snapshot of Sri Lanka packs a punch: see Galle Fort, the Temple of the Tooth Relic, Dambulla Cave Temple, and Sigiriya Rock Fortress. Bucket list icons ticked off the list: safaris at Yala and Minneriya national parks and a train ride through Nuwara Eliya's tea plantations.
Upon arrival at Bandaranaike International Airport, a local representative will meet you and transfer you to your accommodation on the outskirts of Colombo.
Arrival airport transfers are included as part of your package. You will be met upon arrival at the airport and transferred to your hotel.
If Inspiring Vacations has not provided your international airfares, please ensure you provide your flight details via your Traveller Hub portal no later than 90 days prior to travel so that your transfers can be confirmed.
Please note: if you are arriving early and have made your own arrangements prior to your tour commencing, airport transfers will not be included. However, if you are purchasing pre-nights accommodation as part of your Inspiring Vacations package, airport transfers will still be provided to the starting hotel.
After breakfast, we will head south towards the historical, seaside city of Galle where you will be treated to a guided tour.
This is a city that exudes an essence with a perfect blend of past and present. Declared as an UNESCO heritage site in 1988, the presence of Portuguese, Dutch and English is very evident in the fascinating architectural styles of the Galle Fort.
From Galle, continue following the coast to Sri Lanka’s most famous animal viewing location; Yala National Park.
After checking into your hotel, spend your afternoon on a guided game drive exploring the dynamic wildlife and the most luxuriant plant life in Yala National Park. Being one of the largest parks in Sri Lanka, it is the ideal place to sight the rare leopard!
Return to your hotel to relax and enjoy dinner.
Inspiring Highlights
Special Information
Your travel time today will be approximately 4 hours.
After breakfast, leave Yala behind us and continue the journey to Nuwara Eliya. Often referred to as ‘Little England’, this genteel highland community does have a rose-tinted, vaguely British-country-village feel to it, with its colonial-era bungalows.
Stop en route at Ella where you will board Sri Lanka’s most iconic train journey through the beautiful scenes of the tea country. Pass by various waterfalls, sweeping hills, cloud covered peaks and, at each stop, feel free to mingle with the locals.
On arrival into Nunaoya Station, you will be transferred to your hotel before dinner.
Inspiring Highlights
Special Information
Your travel time today will be approximately 3 hours.
Go slow today. If you are feeling adventurous, you can book onto the additional excursion to Horton Plains National Park where you can undertake various walks to suit your ability.
Lunch will be at your leisure.
This afternoon, enjoy an Inspiring Taste at probably the most talked of outlet in Nuwara Eliya, the Grand Tea Lounge. Here we enjoy an iconic High Tea at the Grand Hotel.
This evening, enjoy dinner before retiring to your hotel.
Inspiring Highlights
At approximately 5:30am, leave for Horton Plains National Park. This park holds great importance due to the rich and unique biodiversity and being a catchment area feeding some of the main rivers of Sri Lanka. It is also known to be a 'super biodiversity hotspot' and thus declared a UNESCO site in 2010. The national park is most famous for the vista - World's End.
You will be accompanied by a private escort the entire duration of the hike - from the Horton Plains Park Park Office, to World's End (via Mini World's End) and back. Wear strong and comfortable walking shoes, a hat and sunglasses. Bring sunscreen, food and water. The weather can change very quickly on the plains – one minute it can be sunny and clear, the next chilly and misty. Bring a few extra layers of warm clothing.
Start time: 5:30am departure from hotel
End time: 12:30pm return to hotel
Distance: 7.5km round trip - 150m elevation gain
Inclusions: return transfers, entrance into Horton Plains National Park, packed breakfast, private escort
There are no safety rails available so we recommend this activity for those who are physically fit and go on long walks often. We do not recommend this if you have a difficult time walking along uneven, potentially wet, and rocky terrain.
After breakfast, depart Nuwara Eliya for Kandy.
En route, visit a Tea Plantation and Factory. Here you will enjoy an absolute tea experience, taking you from the moment young tea leaves are plucked to being processed in the factory to make a steaming cup of tea. If you are interested, the tea factory is the best place to purchase high quality tea.
Discover the rich history of Kandy, once known as Senkadagala, during its time as the Hill Capital from 1514-1815 AD. Named a UNESCO heritage site in 1988, Kandy boasts a beautiful lake, historic temples like the Temple of the Tooth Relic, and well-preserved ruins of the royal palaces.
Some time this afternoon, your guide will take you into the sacred Temple of the Tooth Relic of the Buddha, the founder of Buddhism. Brought to Sri Lanka in the 4th century A.D, the sacred relic has ever since been the symbol of sovereignty for its ruler and always enshrined in great splendour.
This evening you will be treated to a traditional Sri Lankan Cultural performance, followed by dinner at your hotel.
Inspiring Highlights
Special Information
Your travel time today will be approximately 3 hours.
Today after breakfast, head north into the region dominated by Sri Lanka’s history - Sigiriya.
En route to Sigiriya, stop at a local spice garden. Sri Lanka has a very proud history of its spices, which have unique flavours, colours and aromas. During the 1500s, Portuguese, Dutch and British took these local spices to the world and thus, Sri Lanka became famous for such spices as cinnamon, black pepper, clove, cumin, cardamom, turmeric and ginger. These spices are continually used in homes throughout the world today.
Be taken on a guided tour of Dambulla Rock Cave Temple, also known as the Golden Temple of Dambulla. This UNESCO heritage site dates back to the 3rd Century BC and boasts 157 statues and extraordinary paintings covering a vast 2100m2 area, making it the most impressive cave complex in Sri Lanka. It's truly a masterpiece worth experiencing.
This afternoon, check into your hotel and spend the remainder of the day at your leisure, followed by a dinner at your hotel.
Inspiring Highlights
Special Information
Your travel time today will be approximately 2.5 hours.
After breakfast, leave on bicycles (or walking) through Augandawa Village, visit the local temple and evoke blessings from the priest. Visit a villager’s house and enjoy a warm herbal drink (with Sri Lankan short eats) or a king coconut. Ride through the village passing paddy fields and Chena cultivations.
From here, get your chef’s hat ready as you will be taking part in a cooking demonstration of Sri
Lankan rice and curry preparation (5-6 curries) and enjoy the typical Sri Lankan lunch overlooking the paddy fields or the garden.
In the afternoon, we'll take a sightseeing tour of Polonnaruwa, the medieval capital city of Sri Lanka (1017-1235 AD). Polonnaruwa was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982 after the fall of Anuradhapura.
Return to the hotel and spend the remainder of the day at your leisure prior to dinner at your hotel.
Inspiring Highlights
In the morning, we'll climb the Sigiriya Rock Fortress (also known as Lion's Rock) - an extraordinary artistic complex dating back to 477-498 AD. This UNESCO World Heritage Site has become a global attraction due to its unique architecture.
In the afternoon you will be treated to a safari at Minneriya National Park, where you might be lucky enough to see incredible elephants, spotted deer, wild buffalo, or even the ever elusive leopard.
Tonight enjoy a dinner at your hotel, and time to relax.
Inspiring Highlights
Special Information
Since elephants are migratory animals, we may visit Wasgamuwa National Park on this day instead, based on the elephant locations.
Your travel time today will be approximately 1.5 hours.
Unfortunately today marks your final day; depart Sigiriya after breakfast bound for Negombo.
On arrival into Negombo, check into your hotel (Goldi Sands Hotel - subject to change) which you have access to until 8pm this evening.
Dinner is included tonight, prior to being transferred to Bandaranaike International Airport (CMB) in time for your international flight.
Arrive home today. We hope you have enjoyed your inspiring journey and have memories to last a lifetime.
Airport transfers are not included. Our transfer portal offers the option to book your airport transfers for an easier arrival experience (additional charges apply). Access to this portal will be available through your Traveller Hub once your booking is confirmed.
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