A few suggestions to get the holiday planning process started
Explore the tranquillity of the lush paddy fields.
15 days, from £2,625 to £4,190
Enrol the children on the Young Rangers course at Wilpattu National Park
13 days, from £2,880 to £4,595
Head out on a sunrise game drive in Wilpattu National Park
17 days, from £5,000 to £7,190
Hike the Knuckles Mountain Range for incredible views
15 days, from £3,780 to £6,035
Tamil culture in Jaffna, bird-watching safari in Wirawila Reserve: a different side to Sri Lanka
16 days, from £3,860 to £5,355
Leave your Sri Lanka holiday planning to our skilled consultants, who use their firsthand knowledge of time spent on the isle to tailor every experience to you and the time of year. Be it walking with the Indigenous Veddha or cooking with a local family, in-country, we work with vetted local guides who think outside the box to make your trip unforgettable. Our fantastic Concierges are just a text away, helping with everything from insider tips to last-minute changes. And whether you’re after boutique hotels or eco-lodges, we’ve got our finger on the pulse for exciting new openings and can recommend the best properties to suit you.
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Discover different ways to explore Sri Lanka
Practical advice and inspiration to help you prepare for your holiday
Practical guide
Sri Lanka Travel Advice & Information
Boasting a Condé Nast Top Travel Specialist in our ranks, our Sri Lanka consultants can’t get enough of the country’s rolling hills, vibrant culture and beautiful coastline. We'll get creative when designing your trip and are big advocates of giving back to communities, such as by donating old cricket equipment or joining a local family's cooking class. On the ground, we work with a team of tried and tested drivers and guides who'll listen to your needs and help you see the best the country has to offer. Sri Lanka is a great family destination, and we'll make sure experiences are tailored to both the adults and little ones.
Sri Lanka's cultural heritage marks the country out as a truly extraordinary luxury holiday destination. The Cultural Triangle in the northern centre of the country, comprising the tongue-twisting cities of Polonnaruwa and Anuradhapura, as well as Dambulla and the island's crowning glory - the rock fortress of Sigiriya - together making this an astonishing heritage heartland. Heading south the leafy holy city of Kandy and Sri Lanka's tea plantations are also highlights. Finally, Yala and Wilpattu National Parks might not have the tigers that make India's reserves so popular, but they are both beautiful and home to populations of leopards.
And then there are the beaches. Palm-fringed and stretching for mile upon mile, Sri Lanka's beaches are some of the least spoiled in Asia. The south coast is home to some of the very best, with an ever growing number of charming boutique hotels looking straight out onto the ocean. The centre of the south coast action is the wonderful walled city of Galle, like a Lankan Lucca and potentially worth a day or two's exploration before the lure of the beach overwhelms all your other luxury holiday plans.
A Sri Lanka holiday is perfect for travellers who want to push themselves to their limits and find wisdom. For travellers who want a bit of everything in a single trip. Nature and culture, sea and mountains, walks and relaxation, cuisine and spirituality. For those who might not necessarily believe in the existence of heaven, but want to be convinced otherwise. For those who already acknowledge the existence of heaven, but want to spend more time there. For those who want to surf, walk, climb, meditate and taste new foods all in the same day. For travellers dreaming of visiting tea plantations. For those who want to meet Buddha, or rather, 'Buddhas'. For those who want to visit both king's palaces and colonial houses. For travellers who like history and stories. For family travellers who want to introduce the next generation to another culture, especially a warm and welcoming one. For real travellers.
Arugam Bay offers a variety of surf spots and almost deserted beaches. Visit giant stone Buddhas, like those in Buduruwagala and Maligawila, or go blue whale watching off the beautiful beaches between Mirissa and Tissamaharama. See the fast-flowing Kelaniya Ganga river where you can go rafting. Explore the city of Galle, founded by the Portuguese in the 16th century. Then head to Kandy, the last capital of the Sinhalese kingdom before the British arrived. Kandy and its Temple of the Sacred Tooth with the relic of Buddha's tooth. A major site of pilgrimage for faithful Buddhists. See the Buddhist and Brahmanic remains in Polonnaruwa - Sri Lanka's former royal capital. Above all, Sri Lanka holidays offer the delights of a gentle lifestyle and hospitality like nowhere else. And last but not least, it offers sublime cuisine.
As the sun rises over the Maskeliya district and the town of Dikoya, take a walk along dirt trails in the tea plantations and see women with their wicker baskets, leaning over and tending to the shrubs. With their delicate hands, they pick just two buds between their fingers; no more, no less. Continue along the paths and you will see children on their way to school or perhaps a woman adjusting her bright pink sari. At the bottom of the hill, a Buddha watches over a selection of amulets and offerings. Sit and rest for a while and allow yourself to be overcome by an immense sense of calm. Feel the light breeze, hear the call of a bird, the laughter of a child, the whispering of the wind among the tea pickers. Experience a sense of fulfillment. A feeling of gratitude. This is what Sri Lanka can do to you.
Visit the banyan tree at Anuradhapura that - 2,300 years ago - Sangamitta brought back as a cutting from India. This was the tree beneath which Buddha attained awakening, and which continues to thrive, attended to night and day by a team of seven monks who care for it, and a crack team of 1,000 soldiers and policemen who protect it. Votive lamps illuminate the sacred tree to a soundtrack of mantras chanted by devotees who believe that one day the venerable and venerated tree will return to the void where everything springs from.
Our team of destination experts will get to know you and your unique requirements for your holiday
We work with you to build an ultra-personalised holiday itinerary with your choice of accommodation, experiences and activities
All of our holidays include little extras designed to make a big difference to your trip, from fast-tracking you through airport check-in and security to our network of local Concierges
