PACKAGE INCLUDES
- Accommodation in a shared double / twin room
- Chauffeur-guide and vehicle for the duration of the tour (including leisure days)
- Both airport transfers
- Expert advice and support prior to and during the tour
TERMS & CONDITIONS
- Price shown is a starting price and is subject to change, depending on travel dates / the number of people travelling etc.
- Price shown is based on two people sharing a double / twin room
- See our Booking Conditions for more details
Day 1 Colombo
Upon arriving in Sri Lanka, head south to the nearby capital of Colombo. This is a compact and relaxed city, abounding with confidence and ambition once more. Kick-start your tour by joining a genial Sri Lankan host who will give you a professional cooking class on the terrace of her own home. Your host’s no-fuss approach means that the art of curry making is easy to replicate at home. After cooking you will sit down to enjoy lunch together.
Accommodation: Cinnamon Grand
Recommended Activities: Colombo Cooking Class
Day 2 Colombo
Today, hit the streets to learn about Colombo street food or consider a meal at one of Colombo's top restaurants, led (but by no means the only choice) by the wonderfully atmospheric Gallery Café and Ministry of Crab. You might like to check out our Colombo restaurant guide.
Accommodation: Cinnamon Grand
Recommended Activities: Colombo's Street Food Walk , Colombo Restaurant Guide
Day 3 Jaffna
Take an early domestic flight from Colombo to Jaffna, on Sri Lanka's northern tip. Jaffna cuisine is renowned for its use of the fresh seafood readily available along the coast, particularly the signature dish: crab curry. Learn the secrets to cleaning fresh sea crabs and all the secrets to preparing a traditional Jaffna crab curry. To finish off the experience, sit down to one of the best crab curry meals you’ll have while in Sri Lanka. Spend the rest of the day exploring Jaffna town where sacred Hindu kovils dedicated to various gods are found in every street corner. Visit the ruins of Jaffna Fort, stroll around the bustling markets and snack in small local eateries and cafes. During the migrant birding season from September to March, flamingos and other water birds in their thousands line the Jaffna lagoon: a spectacular site not to be missed.
Accommodation: Jetwing Jaffna
Recommended Activities: Jaffna Crab Curry Cooking Class , Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil , Birdwatching in Jaffna , Jaffna Dutch Fort
Day 4 Jaffna
The following day, board a small boat to Delft Island, a remote and charming island where wild horses, left by the Portuguese, graze the barren plains. Delft Island - located in the Palk Strait, between India’s state of Tamil Nadu and the Northern part of Sri Lanka – is about as remote as it gets in Sri Lanka. View the old Delft Fort, an ancient Baobab tree and learn how Palmyra toddy and crafts are made with local farmers. End the day with a simple lunch with a local pastor and his wife at their humble home. You may like to round it off with a relaxing swim by an undeveloped beach.
Accommodation: Jetwing Jaffna
Recommended Activities: Jaffna Islands
Day 5 & 6 Kandalama, Cultural Triangle
Travel south by car to The Cultural Triangle where the chance to look upon the ruins of Polonnuruwa or Anuradhapura, and a potential clamber up the awe-inspiring Sigiriya rock as the heat falls out of the tea gives you an experience of Sri Lankan culture. Spend the next village at a remote village near Habarana – an area the locals call ‘God’s village,’ that is said to have been a refuge of King Wasaba (66-110 AD). Take a tractor journey alongside paddy fields, through miniature forests and vegetable and fruit plantations and stop along the way refreshing fruit slices and native aromatic herbal brews served in coconut shells. The journey also includes a feast of fresh vegetables harvested from the fields you have just explored, prepared in Sri Lanka’s traditional clay cooking pots and served on a lotus leaf.
Accommodation: Heritance Kandalama
Recommended Activities: Traditional Sri Lankan Village Life , Sigiriya Rock Fortress , Polonnaruwa , Anuradhapura
Day 7 Matale, Kandy
Break your journey towards the hills near Matale where you can rest on a serene 50-acre organic farm with mountain views, midway between Dambulla and Kandy. Eat farm-fresh produce either in the privacy of your own villa or on a convivial group dining table. A restful day which allows you the chance to read on your terrace or take a swim in tranquil surroundings.
Accommodation: Jim's Farm Villas
Day 8 & 9 Bandarawela, Hill Country
This morning you will wind your way into the heart of Sri Lanka's hill country. If you wish you can savour the Tea Experience at a hill country tea factory and take a stroll through a tea plantation to discover gorgeous mountain vistas once gazed upon by the great tea entrepreneurs in colonial times. We have a range of activities to consider building into your stay in this cooler and entrancing climate.
Accommodation: Dutch House
Day 10, 11 & 12 Koggala, Galle Coast
Journey to the south coast and relax by its cove-like beaches and turquoise seas. Here, fresh seafood is brought ashore soon after dawn by local fishermen and buffalo are a reminder of the region's penchant for fresh curd and treacle. Fusion cuisine dominates the boutique hotels as Western and Asian influences enter Sri Lankan cooking in an innovative burst of styles. For the more active, Mirissa Water Sports, based at the Mirissa harbour offers several activities including whale watching, snorkelling, sailing, river trips, and sea kayaking.
Accommodation: KK Beach
Recommended Activities: 6 Best Water-Sport Activities in Sri Lanka , Whale Watching in Mirissa
Day 13 Galle Fort, Galle Coast
Travel along the picturesque southern coast to the historic city of Galle. En route learn about the growing of cinnamon, particularly suited to the gentle coastal hills of southern Sri Lanka. This major export of Sri Lanka is used in both cooking and medicine. A local planter will take you on a tour of a cinnamon plantation. Try your hand at cinnamon peeling and visit a cinnamon factory.
Accommodation: Fort Bazaar
Recommended Activities: Galle Dutch Fort
Day 14 Galle Fort, Galle Coast
After visiting the vibrant Galle Market, journey along the river towards a secluded rural village and learn how to make a variety of traditional Sri Lankan dishes in the cool of a wattle-and-daub hut. Hours can be also spent exploring the maze of narrow streets in Galle Fort, lined with colonial-period buildings, sturdy ramparts looking out to sea, and a collection of art and antique shops, cafes and restaurants. Later that evening, head up the motorway to the airport, full of good food and wonderful memories.
Accommodation: Amanwella
Recommended Activities: Traditional Sri Lankan Cooking Class
Jetwing Jaffna
Jaffna, Jaffna & the North
Located in the Northern peninsula of Sri Lanka, Jetwing Jaffna offers 55 stylish bedrooms, impeccable hospitality and great cuisine.
Heritance Kandalama
Kandalama, Cultural Triangle
Heritance Kandalama is a minimalist contemporary hotel cleverly designed by Geoffrey Bawa, Sri Lanka’s famous architecture guru.
5
Jim's Farm Villas
Matale, Kandy
Jim’s Farm Villas is an escapist retreat set on a strikingly attractive, 50-acre coconut and spice estate near Matale. With Kandy and Dambulla both about an hour away, it offers a hill-country atmosphere in an entirely secluded setting.
Dutch House
Bandarawela, Hill Country
The Dutch House is a two-bedroom villa perched on a hillock overlooking Bandarawela town at a distance and surrounded by mountains. Set on a two-acre garden filled with fruit trees and flowering plants, this highly-praised boutique property is flourishing again under new Sri Lankan owners.
KK Beach
Habaraduwa, Galle Coast
KK Beach is a stylish beachfront boutique hotel in Habaraduwa, a quiet coastal town along the Galle Coast just a short drive from historic Galle Fort. Sister property of the highly-praised Kahanda Kanda.
5
Fort Bazaar
Galle Fort, Galle Coast
Fort Bazaar is an 18-room luxury boutique hotel located in the heart of Galle Fort, its beautiful architecture and décor inspired by Portuguese heritage and contemporary design. The addition of a great restaurant makes this a must-visit place in the Fort.
4.8
Amanwella
Tangalle, South Coast
Amanwella is renowned as one of Sri Lanka's most luxurious properties. This chic beach hotel is set in a small coconut grove sloping down to a crescent-shaped beach in Tangalle in Sri Lanka's deep south. This 30-suite hotel is owned by the exclusive Aman Group.
5
Cinnamon Grand
Colombo
Cinnamon Grand has a touch of grandeur and opulence which has long made it a favourite among Colombo five-stars. Central location, great restaurants and the added convenience of an adjoining shopping mall
Following are recommended optional activities
Colombo's Street Food Walk
Colombo
Savour the local delicacies of Colombo as you weave your way through busy streets brimming with people, food, culture and stories. Be sure you’ve got your adventure cap on for this one.
Colombo Restaurant Guide
Colombo
Explore Colombo’s wide range of restaurants, cafés and street food options, which offer a wide range of traditional local dishes as well as cuisine from around the world.
Jaffna Crab Curry Cooking Class
Jaffna
Learn how to clean fresh sea crabs and how to prepare traditional Jaffna crab curry, a dish renowned throughout the island, before sitting down to one of the best meals you will have in Sri Lanka.
Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil
Jaffna
One of Sri Lanka’s most prominent Hindu temples, Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil was originally built over 1,000 years ago. It boasts many beautiful pieces of colourful and dramatic architectue.
Birdwatching in Jaffna
Jaffna
Bird watching in Jaffna during the migrant season from September – March is a highlight for nature lovers. Migrant birds along with other waders in their thousands flock to the lagoons.
Jaffna Dutch Fort
Jaffna
It was the Dutch who expanded Jaffna Fort in 1680 and, more than three centuries later, they are financially supporting its renovation.
Jaffna Islands
Jaffna
The Jaffna islands are fascinating to explore. Spend a day out at Delft Island with its small village homes, wild horses that roam the plains, and ruins of a Portuguese Fort.
Traditional Sri Lankan Village Life
Sigiriya, Cultural Triangle
Hop into a bullock cart and explore the village life of the island. Walk through lush paddy fields, take a boat ride along Hiriwaduna Wewa and finally, savour a traditional Sri Lankan meal to wrap up your sojourn in the village.
Sigiriya Rock Fortress
Sigiriya, Cultural Triangle
Sigiriya, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is one of the most majestic, awe-inspiring and stunning historical locations in the world, built in the 5th century AD by ‘mad’ King Kasyapa.
Polonnaruwa
Polonnaruwa, Cultural Triangle
Sri Lanka’s medieval capital from 1073 until the late 1200s, the ruins of the Kingdom of Polonnaruwa are incredibly well-preserved and include magnificant granite sculptures of Lord Buddha.
Anuradhapura
Anuradhapura, Cultural Triangle
Discover the majestic remains of Sri Lanka’s first capital, originally built in the 4th century BC, the ruling place for over 100 Sri Lankan kings. You can explore these extensive ruins by bike.
Whale Watching in Mirissa
Mirissa, South Coast
This modern catamaran complete with professional crew sets out from Mirissa Harbour at 6:30am, beating the other boats in order to have the best dolphin and whale sightings.
6 Best Water-Sport Activities in Sri Lanka
Island-wide
Discover the 6 best water-sport activities in Sri Lanka, from athletic surfing, kite-surfing and windsurfing to laidback snorkelling and sailing trips.
Galle Dutch Fort
Galle Fort, Galle Coast
Galle Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage Site originally built by the Portuguese before it was further developed by the Dutch and British, covers nearly 4sqkm and houses a range of old colonial buildings.
Traditional Sri Lankan Cooking Class
Galle, Galle Coast
After visiting the vibrant Galle Market, journey along the river towards a secluded rural village and learn how to make a variety of traditional Sri Lankan dishes in the cool of a wattle-and-daub hut.
Colombo Cooking Class
Colombo
Join your experienced host at her home in the outskirts of Colombo for a fascinating morning learning to prepare a range of Sri Lankan rice dishes, curries, salads and sambols.
