This jam packed itinerary really does combine everything that Sri Lanka has to offer. Explore Sri Lanka’s cultural triangle, visit Ella and the nearby tea plantations, spend time in Yala and Udawalawe where you can see the best of Sri Lanka’s wildlife, before finishing your adventure relaxing on the island’s golden beaches.
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Description
1 night – Colombo
2 nights – Anuradhapura
3 nights – Dambulla / Sigiriya (inc Polonnaruwa)
2 nights – Kandy
1 night – Ella
1 night – Yala
1 night – Udawalawe
3 nights – Mirissa
✈️ UK to Colombo (1 night): Upon arrival in Colombo, your adventure begins with a warm welcome from your personal chauffeur who will be ready to take you to your hotel and through every step of your Sri Lankan journey. Beyond simply transporting you between each hotel, your dedicated driver offers you the flexibility to visit any sightseeing attraction you desire both en route and also at each stop in your itinerary. In Colombo, wander through the colourful Pettah market, explore colonial relics including the Old Parliament Building and the Galle Face Green promenade, and indulge in the wonderful Sri Lankan cuisine.
🚗 Colombo to Anuradhapura (2 nights): After a hearty breakfast, your driver will be ready to whisk you out of the city and into the heart of the country’s cultural triangle to the city of Anuradhapura. One of the oldest inhabited cities in the world, it is home to ancient ruins, monasteries, palaces, and three huge dome-shaped stupas: Mirisavatiya, Ruvanweliya and Jetavanaya. One of the oldest living trees in the world can also be found here, the Sri Maha Bodhi, which is a sacred fig tree.
🚗 Anuradhapura to Dambulla / Sigiriya (inc Polonnaruwa) (3 nights): Delving deeper into the cultural triangle, your next stop is Dambulla / Sigiriya, home to some incredible ancient cities and truly fascinating structures. Dambulla is home to the Dambulla Cave Temple complex that features five caves with stunning murals and over 150 carved Buddha statues that have been painstakingly carved directly into the natural rock formations. Just a short drive away is the spellbinding Sigiriya Rock Fortress, also known as Lion Rock, with its incredible ‘rock-cut’ architecture and landscaped gardens built on top of a huge granite rock outcrop. The nearby ancient city of Polonnaruwa is also a must-visit within the area, and its ruins include royal palaces, temples, statues, and stupas, including the Gal Vihara, a rock temple with four huge Buddha statues carved into the granite.
🚗 Dambulla / Sigiriya to Kandy (2 nights): To complete your full exploration of the Cultural Triangle, you’ll head to Kandy, home to the Temple of the Tooth Relic. This Buddhist temple is widely believed to house a revered tooth that belonged to Lord Buddha himself – and therefore holds huge significance in the Buddhist religion. A short walk from the temple complex is the pretty Kandy Lake, surrounded by lush greenery, offering a peaceful retreat in the busy city.
🚗 / 🚂 Kandy to Ella (1 night): Your next destination is the picturesque small town of Ella in the central highlands, and you have the option for your driver to transport you door-to-door, alternatively, you could choose to take a scenic train journey from Kandy to Ella. This captivating train journey takes you through lush tea plantations, mist-covered mountains, and cascading waterfalls, offering an unforgettable experience. Despite its small size, Ella has become a popular tourist destination due to its scenic beauty, offering a range of highlights including Ella Rock with its fabulous panoramic views, the iconic Nine Arch Bridge, and the delicious local cuisine.
🚗 Ella to Yala (1 night): Yala, situated in the south-eastern region of Sri Lanka, is home to Yala National Park, the country’s most visited and second-largest national park. It boasts a wide range of ecosystems, from dense forests to expansive grasslands and coastal lagoons. Within the National Park, you can take a jeep safari to encounter a wide range of wildlife, including the iconic Sri Lankan leopard, elephants, sloth bears, and various bird species.
🚗 Yala to Udawalawe (1 night): Continuing the wildlife theme, you’ll head to Udawalawe, which is a smaller park, and ideal for a more intimate safari experience. Udawalawe National Park is renowned for its large herds of Asian elephants, which can often be seen roaming the grasslands and congregating around the park’s water sources. You can also spot water buffalos, sambar deer, spotted deer, wild boar, mongoose and around 200 species of birds.
🚗 Udawalawe to Mirissa (3 nights): You’ll conclude your Sri Lankan adventure with an escape along the southern coast of Sri Lanka, in the picturesque coastal town of Mirissa where you can soak up the sun for the final few days of your holiday. Mirissa is one of the most popular beach resorts in Sri Lanka, where you’ll find pristine beaches, a lively yet laid-back beachfront, and ample opportunities for whale watching, surfing, and snorkelling.
✈️ Mirissa to UK: You will be collected from your hotel and driven to the airport, ready for your return flight home to the UK.
Why choose eShores?
One to One Service
Our experienced personal travel consultants will ensure you find the most suitable holiday, whilst taking care of every last detail. Everything from start to finish will be effortless.
100% Tailor Made
We can use any hotel, in any destination, so we will craft an itinerary to suit your exact needs. Also, as we can provide any itinerary, the only holiday we'll offer, is the one that's right for you.
Fully Protected
Our ATOL bonding provides you with the financial protection you need and as a member of the Travel Trust Association, you'll have 100% financial protection. Covering you for any eventuality.
Competitive Pricing
As a tour operator & travel agent, we'll search the market to ensure that we find you the best price. Also as an online business, we can ensure our prices are as competitive as possible.
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AlisonFletcher
Brilliant trip organised by Dave, included Helsinki, Tallin, Vilnius and Riga. (4 different countries) Everything ran smoothly. Dave organised hotels, flights, taxis, ferry and coach. Have used this company a few times and can't recommend highly enough they are fab 😀
Posted 2 days ago -
Sandra
As always, Chris was extremely helpful and knowledgeable. He gave me good advice on my travel plans and booked the holiday on my behalf. I've used eshores a number of times, and will continue to do so.
Posted 5 days ago -
Harrison
We haven’t been on our trip yet but based purely on the experience of booking the trip we are pleased with the result. It started with a bit of a hiccup as we spoke to a member of staff who never came back to us but when we reached back out again we were placed in the hands of Andy who has helped us book a 2 week trip to India including the golden triangle and then a few days on the beach. Andy was very patient with us with our changes to our tailor made holiday, even when we asked him to explore different areas only to revert back to the original plan. He also recommended moving the holiday back one week which created a saving of over £700 which meant we could upgrade the room for our beach stay in Goa. Andy was also available on weekends if we wanted to speak and regularly picked up the phone as opposed to keeping it to purely email dialogue. Hopefully the holiday will be amazing but based on the booking experience I would recommend eShores if you’re looking to book a tailor made holiday
Posted 5 days ago -
Wendy
I spoke to Lynette who was extremely helpful in understanding the trip that myself and my sister in law wanted from Thailand. Myself and my sister in law are both 72years young and we are really looking forward to our trip.
Posted 6 days ago -
Dawn
Excellent service from Matt at eShores. So very helpful and nothing was too much trouble. I booked Mya holiday after all his hard work finding me the perfect holiday that I wanted. Superb service and not pushy all all.
Posted 1 week ago -
Amrik
We have booked two big holidays this year for a group of 8 and a group of 10, Rachel has coordinated our holidays with the utmost excellence, during the consultation we changed countires hotels and even flights but it did not phase Rachel one bit. Exceeds customer expectations by helping advising and supporting throughout the holiday. We are off to Thailand and Dubai in August and then followed by India and Thailand in November, I have rang emailed Rachel many times during the booking and I got very prompt responses even on her days off. Rachel is a credit to EShores and EShores is setting standards regarding customer focus.
Posted 1 week ago -
IainWilliam
I can’t praise Lynette at EShores enough. She has organised my trips perfectly to the point that I wouldn’t use anyone else. She listens to what I want or to the problem I have and comes up with a solution. Nothing is too much trouble. Try them out yourselves and I bet you become a repeater too!
Posted 1 week ago -
Kevin
At short notice, I needed a quote to travel through the USA (July the 20th) I emailed eShores with an idea of what I wanted to do, within a short period of time I had a response from Matthew, After several amendments to my holiday which wasn't any trouble to Matthew, Holiday all booked, now looking forward to travelling through the USA Have to say, the service I had through eShores was fantastic, well done Matthew for working through the changes,
Posted 1 week ago -
Marcus
Dealt with Adam who was great, I went back and forth many times, nothing was a problem for him. We got there in the end and Adam arranged a 3 place holiday to Malaysia and Singapore. We go on 5th August, will if update review when we return. EShores so far brilliant hats of to Adam.
Posted 1 week ago -
Jill
We as a family used eShores last year to go to USA, and they were brilliant, my husband and 1 are going to Italy with them this September and we have just booked again to go back to USA with them next May, very efficient and Matt is lovely to deal with
Posted 1 week ago
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