Hidden Gems of Sri Lanka Tour Package

Your Sri Lanka tour package begins in Colombo, the lively capital, where colonial buildings sit alongside modern towers and tree-lined streets. Explore colourful markets, visit serene temples, and take in the city’s energy. Highlights include the Dutch Museum, Gangaramaya Temple, and the bustling Pettah district.

Enjoy a Lamprais lunch at the historic Dutch Burgher Union, a colonial-era dish of rice, meat, and accompaniments wrapped in a banana leaf. In the evening, take a street food tour sampling local favourites such as kottu roti and spicy fritters. You may also choose a vintage jeep tour through Colombo’s colonial streets or visit an Angampora martial arts school to see one of Sri Lanka’s oldest combat traditions.

Accommodation: Maniumpathy House, a beautifully restored colonial manor converted to a boutique hotel.

Travel north to Jaffna by train, enjoying a scenic journey through Sri Lanka’s varied Travel north to Jaffna by train and enjoy the changing landscapes along the way. Predominantly Hindu, Jaffna offers a very different cultural experience from the mainly Buddhist south.

Explore the city’s heritage and colonial past. Visit the Dutch Fort, the Jaffna Library, St. Mary’s Cathedral, and Nallur Kandaswamy Temple, a colourful Hindu shrine.

Beyond the city, see the Nilavarai Bottomless Well, a natural freshwater spring, Vavettithurai, a traditional fishing village, Vallipuram Temple, an ancient Hindu site, and Point Pedro, the northernmost tip of Sri Lanka with sweeping ocean views.

Take a boat ride to Nagadeepa, a sacred island for both Buddhists and Hindus. Visit Nagadeepa Purana Vihara, a Buddhist temple believed to have been visited by the Buddha, and Nagapooshani Amman Kovil, a Hindu temple dedicated to the goddess Amman, known for its colourful architecture and vibrant rituals, before continuing your journey south.

Accommodation: Jetwing Mahesha Bhawan, a charming colonial manor steeped in history.

After breakfast, travel north to Wilpattu, Sri Lanka’s largest and one of its oldest national parks. Stay at the boutique and characterful Leopard Trails Wilpattu, close to the park entrance.

Spend your day exploring the park on game drives with an expert naturalist. Wilpattu is famed for its natural lakes, quiet forest tracks, and its rich wildlife including leopards, sloth bears, elephants, and a wealth of birdlife.

Patience is often rewarded here, with memorable encounters unfolding when you least expect them. Whether it’s the call of a peacock, a sudden glimpse of a leopard, or the quiet thrill of a sloth bear ambling across your path, Wilpattu offers a truly immersive wildlife experience in a setting that feels raw and untouched.

Accommodation: A luxury safari-style tent at Leopard Trails Wilpattu, located near the park entrance.

Travel into the heart of Sri Lanka’s Cultural Triangle, pausing en route at Anuradhapura, a UNESCO World Heritage city and former capital for over a thousand years.

Explore the region’s heritage and wildlife, including a safari in Minneriya National Park, known for its large herds of elephants.

Rise early to climb the Sigiriya Rock Fortress, an ancient royal citadel with sweeping views, and visit the Dambulla Cave Temples, adorned with centuries-old murals and over 150 Buddha statues.

Experience local life with a visit to a nearby traditional village, where a home-cooked lunch is served on lotus leaves in a rustic thatched pavilion.

Accommodation: Kalundewa Retreat, a serene eco-luxury hideaway set amidst 100 acres of lakes, paddy fields, and forest.

Continue to Gal Oya National Park, a quieter and less-visited reserve.

Explore the park on a boat safari across the lake, where you may see elephants along the shore, crocodiles in the shallows, and colourful birds. Venture into the Nilgala section, known for its medicinal plants, or join a torch-lit night walk, keeping an eye out for nocturnal creatures such as the frogmouth bird or a pangolin.

Meet the Veddah people, an indigenous community living traditionally in small forest villages. The village chief will share stories of ancestors and guide visitors to ancient caves and traditional hunting grounds.

For a gentle adventure, take a nature walk, where you may spot kingfishers, eagles, and other wildlife, or climb Monkey Mountain at sunrise for sweeping valley views.

Accommodation: Gal Oya Lodge, a secluded eco-retreat set within 20 acres of pristine private forest.

Journey into Sri Lanka’s lush hill country to Hatton, known for misty mountains, emerald tea fields, and tranquil landscapes.

Over the next two days, explore a working tea estate, learning about the journey of Ceylon tea from leaf to cup. Stroll through tea bushes, visit the factory to see traditional processing methods, and sample different brews under expert guidance.

Beyond the estate, enjoy scenic walks through the hills, forests, and villages of the central highlands. Options include gentle guided walks through tea plantations or more challenging hikes to hidden viewpoints, waterfalls, and Buddhist shrines tucked into the hills.

Accommodation: Camellia Hills, a luxurious bungalow overlooking tea plantations and a tranquil reservoir.

Board Sri Lanka’s scenic train from Hatton to Ella, a slow journey through misty mountains, tea gardens, and cascading waterfalls, including the famous Nine Arches Bridge. Continue south as the landscape shifts from highlands to forested valleys.

Trek with a guide to the summit of Diyaluma Falls, Sri Lanka’s second-highest waterfall, or enjoy a gentle nature walk along the Nahavila Oya River, passing pepper vines, wild coffee, jackfruit and kumbuk trees, and keeping an eye out for local wildlife such as giant squirrels, macaques, and colourful birds.

Accommodation: The Living Heritage Koslanda, a serene and stylish retreat nestled in a private forest estate.

Head towards Sri Lanka’s southern shores, where history meets the ocean. Wander the cobbled streets of UNESCO-listed Galle Fort or take a boat trip on Koggala Lake past spice islands and Buddhist temples. Venture out to sea for whale watching during the best season from November to April and you may spot blue whales, sperm whales, and pods of spinner dolphins.

Visit a cinnamon estate to see how Sri Lanka produces some of the world’s finest cinnamon or join a hands-on cookery class to master classic Sri Lankan dishes. Between activities, relax on golden beaches where marine turtles nest or swim in the hotel pool under gently swaying palms.

Accommodation: KK Beach, a stylish beachfront boutique hotel offering relaxed coastal luxury on Sri Lanka’s south coast.

After a final leisurely morning, drive back to Colombo for your international flight. Depart with a deep sense of Sri Lanka, its rich stories, serene landscapes, and the warm, welcoming people who bring the island to life.