Guide

Our Sri Lankan team of leaders has proved very popular with their incredible knowledge, passion and hospitality adding greatly to the experience. There is no better way to experience Sri Lankan culture than letting a local leader show you around their country.

Others

All listed activities

Meals

All breakfasts and nine dinners are included. We suggest allowing about 7,000 rupees (US$23) per day for lunch and dinner. You can eat out very cheaply in Sri Lanka and your leader will provide recommendations for where to eat locally however, the options may not always be suited to larger groups. Some locations you stay may have limited local restaurant choice, in which case meals will be at the hotel. Hotel meals are generally buffets; the majority offer an à la carte menu, but service can be slow. Where suitable, your tour leader will be happy to arrange a shuttle transfer into the local town or, if you prefer to be more independent, take a tuk tuk or taxi. Your leader can help recommend some good places to eat. Sri Lankan cuisine is a fascinating reflection of the island’s heritage; there is a unique fusion of fresh local produce with spices brought to the island over the centuries by Malays, Arabs, Indians as well as the Dutch, Portuguese and English. Despite (or perhaps because of) these influences, Sri Lankan cuisine is often referred to as simply rice and curry. This is the staple dish in most restaurants and is usually a serving of rice accompanied by assorted meat and vegetable curries as well as various pickles, sambols (condiments), and a handful of tiny poppadum – all using the contrasting flavours of coconut, chilli, curry leaves, cinnamon and garlic. Vegetarians are well catered for but please inform us before departure of any special dietary requests. Please note, the availability of certain products is minimal or non-existent in Sri Lanka. For example, wheat- or dairy-free options outside of hotels are limited. Please be prepared for this and you may need to bring these from home. Spicier food can be avoided easily and lots of the hotels will serve Western options alongside traditional food. Mineral water is provided in large containers throughout the trip so please bring a bottle with you to refill. Please note, restaurant service can be quite slow.

Accommodation

We have nine nights in hotels and lodges, several of the hotels have swimming pools. We have four nights at the coast, two at the Insight Resort in Ahangama and two at Dickwella Resort & Spa on the south coast. Dickwella Resort & Spa will no doubt be a highlight – set in tropical grounds with a freshwater swimming pool, comfortable rooms, three different dining options, a spa and fitness centre that makes for a memorable and fantastic island getaway. Single accommodation (available on request). Please note, paying the single supplement may not mean that you receive a double or twin room for sole use. The room you are allocated may differ from hotel to hotel and on some nights a smaller room for one person may be allocated.

Transport

We use an air-conditioned minibus or coach depending on the size of the group. Vehicles in Sri Lanka tend to have limited legroom so we try to stop for comfort breaks as needed. In Udawalawe and Yala National Park, 4x4s are used for our game drives. For whale watching, we use a small, private boat for a maximum of 16 people, which has an overhead canopy for shade.

Not included:

Optional

Other activities and services not included

Flights

International flights are not included

Others

— Travel Insurance — Single accommodation (available on request) — Visas or vaccinations

Insurance

Insurance is not included

Start planning your experience

Day 1 Day 1: Start Colombo; Transfer To Ahangama Beach Hotel (Dinner)
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 1: Start Colombo; Transfer To Ahangama Beach Hotel (Dinner)

Our Sri Lankan adventure begins. It’s a 2hr 30min transfer to Ahangama on the south coast – please refer to the Joining Instructions for further information. As we approach the seaside suburb of Galle, we see coastal coconut groves and tall palms giving way to magnificent views of the ocean. Accommodation: Insight Resort (or similar)
Day 2 Day 2: Morning Private Whale-Watching Excursion; Afternoon Visit To Galle Fort (Breakfast,Dinner)
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 2: Morning Private Whale-Watching Excursion; Afternoon Visit To Galle Fort (Breakfast,Dinner)

We depart for the harbour shortly after sunrise, where we board a small, privately chartered boat for a whale-watching excursion. Accompanied by excellent crew and a naturalist guide, we spend the morning searching the Indian Ocean for whales and other cetaceans. The vessel is fitted with radar and GPS, which increases our chance of success. Blue whales, the largest animals that have ever lived, typically frequent these waters between November and April. They are huge, reaching up to 100ft (30m) long and weighing about the same as 30 elephants. We may also be lucky enough to encounter sperm whales, bryde’s whales and large pods of spinner or bottlenose dolphins. After spending the morning at sea, we return to the harbour and our hotel in Ahangama. Later this afternoon, we have a guided visit to Galle to discover the historic fort, a fabulous Unesco World Heritage site. Built by the Dutch in 1663, it is a maze of cobbled streets crammed with cafes, boutique shops and beautifully restored colonial houses. Accommodation: Insight Resort (or similar)
Day 3 Day 3: Transfer To Sinharaja Rainforest; Afternoon Walk (Breakfast,Dinner)
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 3: Transfer To Sinharaja Rainforest; Afternoon Walk (Breakfast,Dinner)

This morning, we transfer to Sinharaja Rainforest, the last undisturbed rainforest area in Sri Lanka. This biodiversity hotspot harbours several endemic species. Canopy trees reach heights of up to 145ft (45m) and bird species number 160 and counting. Among the insects, amphibians and reptiles are mammals such as sambar deer, marking deer and wild boars. Purple-faced langurs usually congregate in groups of 10 or more and are fairly common to see among the trees. Around 15 leopards are known in this area but sightings are very difficult due to the dense vegetation. This afternoon, we take a walk to discover Sinharaja and its many inhabitants, accompanied by our naturalist guide. Accommodation: Rainforest Eco Lodge or Sinharaja Forest Edge (or similar)
Day 4 Day 4: Full Day To Discover Sinharaja Rainforest (Breakfast,Dinner)
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 4: Full Day To Discover Sinharaja Rainforest (Breakfast,Dinner)

Wake up to birdsong and get ready for another day in the forest. Sinharaja covers a narrow sliver of land, covering roughly 27,643 acres (11,187ha). Within this area live 43 percent of all species recorded in Sri Lanka. Our naturalist guide takes us on a wildlife walk to discover the many trails and abundant diversity here. Accommodation: Rainforest Eco Lodge or Sinharaja Forest Edge (or similar)
Day 5 Day 5: To Udawalawe; Afternoon Game Drive In Udawalawe National Park (Breakfast,Dinner)
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 5: To Udawalawe; Afternoon Game Drive In Udawalawe National Park (Breakfast,Dinner)

This morning, we leave the rainforest and travel further inland to Udawalawe National Park, which lies on the boundary between the wet and dry zones of Sri Lanka. Udawalawe is one of the best parks in Sri Lanka to see elephants with around 600 in the park roaming in herds of up to 50 – the highest concentration of wild elephants in Sri Lanka. The Udawalawe Reservoir is at the centre of the park and makes a stunning backdrop among the otherwise lightly vegetated area. For this reason, wildlife watching in the national park is relatively easy. Aside from elephant families feeding in the grasslands, we may encounter sambar deer, spotted deer, water buffalos, wild boars, jackals and mongoose on this afternoon game drive. Accommodation: Centauria Wild (or similar)
Day 6 Day 6: Morning Game Drive In Udawalawe National Park; Visit Elephant Transit Home At Feeding Time (Breakfast,Dinner)
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 6: Morning Game Drive In Udawalawe National Park; Visit Elephant Transit Home At Feeding Time (Breakfast,Dinner)

This morning, our 4x4 safari vehicles are waiting to take us back into Udawalawe for a second game drive. Game drives typically last for three hours, depending on sightings, and are always accompanied by a naturalist guide. In the afternoon, we visit the Elephant Transit Home, just 3mi (5km) from the park entrance. The transit home is run by the Department of Wildlife Conservation and supported by the Born Free Foundation. It provides a safe environment for orphaned elephants, who are typically looked after at the home until they reach four years’ old, at which point they are old enough to be released back into the wild. Our visit coincides with feeding time, where the juveniles are given bottled milk by a team of park rangers and the noisy spectacle can be witnessed from the viewing platform. Accommodation: Centauria Wild (or similar)
Day 7 Day 7: Dawn Village Walk; Transfer To Tissamaharama; Afternoon Game Drive In Yala National Park (Breakfast,Dinner)
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 7: Dawn Village Walk; Transfer To Tissamaharama; Afternoon Game Drive In Yala National Park (Breakfast,Dinner)

We start our day before breakfast and head out on a walk to a nearby village (approximately 3kms), a chance to observe and interact with the locals starting their day as well as spot the wide variety of wildlife en route. The early walk takes us alongside an irrigation canal, rich in bird life such as Ibis, Kingfishers, Cormorants and Storks. The canal feeds into the banana, mango, guava, peanut trees and many more crops grown alongside it. This area is also home to eagles, kites, horn bills, lapwings, sun birds, mongooses, monitor lizards and chameleons. Midway through our walk, we stop at the village shop for tea and a piece of fruit to snack on. During our walk, we have a local initiative in place which distributes a variety of fruit trees to the families in the village. These fruit trees hold a sustainable and commercial value to the villagers, in time they can be cultivated and sold to generate income for the families as well as provided for the community. We finish our walk at a farm where our breakfast will be served close to the river. After breakfast, we return to the hotel by 4x4 vehicles and get ready to depart for Tissamaharama and Yala National Park, a drive of around three hours. On arrival in Yala, we check into our hotel; around 3pm, we head out in 4x4s for our afternoon game drive. Yala is famous for having one of the highest concentration of leopards in the world. In the lowland dry zone in the southeastern corner of the country, Yala is extensive, covering some 242,000 acres (97,880ha). The vegetation primarily consists of dense secondary forest, semi-arid thorny scrub, brackish lagoons and mangroves since the park borders the coastline. With this diverse habitat comes a huge array of wildlife, including elephants, sloth bears, spotted deer, water buffalos, sambar deer, wild boars, langurs and macaques. Bird counts are also high, with more than 215 recorded species, including thousands of migrating waterfowl. Our group is split evenly between 4x4s and is joined by the tour leader, naturalist and tracker who each sit in a different vehicle. The game drive this afternoon lasts around three to four hours, before we return to the hotel to freshen up and have dinner. Accommodation: Kithala Resort (or similar)
Day 8 Day 8: Morning Game Drive In Yala National Park; To Dickwella (Breakfast,Dinner)
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 8: Morning Game Drive In Yala National Park; To Dickwella (Breakfast,Dinner)

Wildlife tends to be at its most active in the early morning, so we have a morning game drive in Yala, returning to our hotel for a rest and lunch afterwards. Our naturalist guide will focus on the diverse wildlife and birds of Yala, with our game drive lasting around three hours. After lunch, we transfer (around 3hr 30min) to Dickwella – in our opinion, one of the most picturesque beaches in Sri Lanka – where traditional fishing boats rest on the sand in front of palm trees. Accommodation for our two nights here is at a lovely resort with direct access to the beach. The resort is set on tropical grounds and is among the top beach hotels in Sri Lanka! Relax under swaying palms by the pool and enjoy long beach walks. The rooms have contemporary amenities and you could simply surrender yourself to healing Balinese rituals at the spa during your seaside getaway in paradise. Accommodation: Dickwella Resort & Spa (or similar)
Day 9 Day 9: Relax By The Beach In Dickwella (Breakfast,Dinner)
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 9: Relax By The Beach In Dickwella (Breakfast,Dinner)

Today is free to enjoy all the facilities at Dickwella Resort & Spa. Why not stroll over to Turtle Cove, true to it’s name you’re almost certain to see turtles swimming around by your feet. Alternatively, just relax within the hotel grounds, enjoying the sea view while taking a dip in the pool. Accommodation: Dickwella Resort & Spa (or similar)
Day 10 Day 10: To Colombo; End Colombo (Breakfast)
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 10: To Colombo; End Colombo (Breakfast)

This morning, we check out and make our way to Colombo Airport where our adventure comes to an end. Alternatively, an additional night’s accommodation can be organised near to Colombo Airport if you would like fly home the following day.

10 days tour

Wild Sri Lanka

This tour includes:

Not included:

Start planning your experience

Itinerary of your trip Wild Sri Lanka

Day 1: Start Colombo; Transfer To Ahangama Beach Hotel (Dinner)

Day 2: Morning Private Whale-Watching Excursion; Afternoon Visit To Galle Fort (Breakfast,Dinner)

Day 3: Transfer To Sinharaja Rainforest; Afternoon Walk (Breakfast,Dinner)

Day 4: Full Day To Discover Sinharaja Rainforest (Breakfast,Dinner)

Day 5: To Udawalawe; Afternoon Game Drive In Udawalawe National Park (Breakfast,Dinner)

Day 6: Morning Game Drive In Udawalawe National Park; Visit Elephant Transit Home At Feeding Time (Breakfast,Dinner)

Day 7: Dawn Village Walk; Transfer To Tissamaharama; Afternoon Game Drive In Yala National Park (Breakfast,Dinner)

Day 8: Morning Game Drive In Yala National Park; To Dickwella (Breakfast,Dinner)

Day 9: Relax By The Beach In Dickwella (Breakfast,Dinner)

Day 10: To Colombo; End Colombo (Breakfast)

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