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Savour tea and sacred cities on the ‘Teardop Isle’
Sri Lanka has just about everything a traveller could want – superb ancient sites, magnificent scenery, amazing wildlife, delicious cuisine, incredibly welcoming people and palm-fringed, white sandy beaches. Add to this a history touched by Portuguese, Dutch and British influences and a society with a strong and devout adherence to the Buddhist faith and we find an island-nation of incredibly rich diversity with much to offer. We discover all of this and more on a comprehensive journey of what has been affectionately called, due to its shape, the 'Teardrop Isle'.
- Start
- Seeduwa, Sri Lanka
- Finish
- Colombo, Sri Lanka
- Destination
- Sri Lanka
- Style
- Peregrine
- Code
- PISJ
- Physical rating
- Trip rating
- 39 reviews
- Ages
- Min 15
- Group size
- Min 1, Max 12
Why you'll love this trip
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Climb the narrow steps that wind around the cliff-carved rock fortress of Sigiriya, emerging triumphant at the world’s oldest landscaped gardens that sit 200 metres high.
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Sip on fresh Ceylon tea in Nuwara Eliya, tasting lovely brews with even lovelier views of rolling, evergreen hillside.
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Search for crocodiles, elephants, monkeys and buffaloes under cover of darkness during an evening safari tour of Yala National Park.
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With a history touched by Portuguese, Dutch and British influences and a society with a devout adherence to the Buddhist faith, this island-nation has incredible diversity.
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With included trips to key sites and plenty of free time to discover Sri Lanka yourself, this trip is the perfect balance between guidance and space.
Is this trip right for you?
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Though its equatorial position means fairly constant temperatures, the summer months in Sri Lanka are very hot with short, sharp monsoons in the southwest. Be sure to use adequate sun protection and drink plenty of water.
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The Rock Fortress – or Lion Rock – of Sigiriya is spectacular. However, those with a fear of (or even an aversion to) heights may wish to sit the excursion out. Scaling the rock involved walking up lots of rough, narrow steps and tight walkways.
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There are a couple of long travel days on this trip. Journeys may take up to five hours, but are a great opportunity to get to know locals, fellow travellers and the diverse scenery.
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Tourism in Sri Lanka is booming, resulting in a huge increase in visitors to Yala National Park. Overtourism and lack of sustainable management practices are of major concern to Peregrine, so in order to reduce our impact on wildlife and the environment we are trialling visits in a less-touristed section of the park known as Block 5 or Veheragala. If we determine that Block 5 is also too crowded to visit responsibly, we will change our itinerary to visit Udawalawe National Park and Bundala National Park. Udawalawe is home to wild elephants, wild buffalo, sambar deer and leopards. Bundala is home to crocodiles and birds.This is the same itinerary we follow from September to mid-October when Yala National Park is closed annually for infrastructure development and rejuvenation.
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Itinerary
Accommodation
- Vivanta Colombo or similar (1 night)
Included Activities
- Complimentary Airport Arrival Transfer
Meals Included
There are no meals included on this day.Special Information
The arrival transfer is only valid if arriving on Day 1 or if you have booked pre-trip accommodation through us. Please provide your flight details at the time of booking, or at a minimum 14 days prior to travel, as we may not be able to confirm a request made within 14 days of travel.Accommodation
- Jetwing Lake Dambulla (Feature Stay) or similar (1 night)
Included Activities
- Sigiriya - Lion Rock
- Negombo - Fish market
Meals Included
- Breakfast
Special Information
The visit to Lion Rock takes around 3.5 hours in total. Depart from Negombo in the late afternoon and arrive at the Lion's Paw entrance gate after about 1.5 hours. From the Lion's Paw there is a steep, 30-minute climb over often narrow walkways and steps to reach all of the points of interest at the site. Those who do not want to climb can wait at the Lion's Paw until the rest of the group return. You must climb in order to access sites like the water garden, boulder garden, frescoes and the mirror wall.Accommodation
- Jetwing Lake Dambulla (Feature Stay) or similar (1 night)
Included Activities
- Anuradhapura - Bodhi Tree Temple
- Anuradhapura - World Heritage Site of ancient kingdom ruins
- Anuradhapura - Isurumuniya Temple
Meals Included
- Breakfast
Accommodation
- Jetwing Lake Dambulla (Feature Stay) or similar (1 night)
Included Activities
- Polonnaruwa - Site of ancient ruins
Meals Included
- Breakfast
Accommodation
- Ozo Kandy or similar (1 night)
Included Activities
- Matale - Spice Garden
- Dambulla - Cave Temples
Meals Included
- Breakfast
Accommodation
- Ozo Kandy or similar (1 night)
Included Activities
- Kandy - Botanical Gardens with local botanist
- Kandy - Temple of the Tooth with pooja ceremony
- Kandy - Private cultural dance performance
Meals Included
- Breakfast
Accommodation
- The Golden Ridge Hotel or similar (1 night)
Included Activities
- Nuwara Eliya - High Tea
Meals Included
- Breakfast
Special Information
TRAIN TICKETSTrain tickets from Kandy to Haputale are in very high demand, especially over high season (December - April, and August).While we always try our best to secure tickets, on the rare occasion that we cannot you will be provided with a private vehicle.
Accommodation
- The Golden Ridge Hotel or similar (1 night)
Included Activities
- Nuwara Eliya - Pedro Tea Estate visit
Meals Included
- Breakfast
- Lunch
Accommodation
- Grand Tamarind Lake or similar (1 night)
Included Activities
- Yala/Udawalawe National Park - Wildlife safari
Meals Included
- Breakfast
- Dinner
Special Information
From September to mid October the Wildlife Conservation Department of Sri Lanka close Yala National Park for the development of infrastructure as well as for plant and wildlife rejuvination. Today we instead go on a jeep safari in Udawalawe National Park. Udawalawe is home to wild elephants, wild buffalo, sambar deer and leopards.Accommodation
- Grand Tamarind Lake or similar (1 night)
Included Activities
- Yala/Udawalawe National Park - Wildlife safari
Meals Included
- Breakfast
- Dinner
Special Information
From September to mid October the Wildlife Conservation Department of Sri Lanka close Yala National Park for the development of infrastructure as well as for plant and wildlife rejuvination. During this time our jeep safari will be in Bundala National Park. Bundala National Park is home to elephants, crocodiles, monkeys, and wild boar.Accommodation
- Pinnacle Boutique Villas or similar (1 night)
Optional Activities
- Kataragama - Kataragama Temple - Free
Meals Included
- Breakfast
Accommodation
- Pinnacle Boutique Villas or similar (1 night)
Included Activities
- Galle - Galle Fort Walking tour
Meals Included
- Breakfast
Accommodation
- Jetwing Colombo Seven or similar (1 night)
Included Activities
- Colombo - City tour by bus
Meals Included
- Breakfast
Optional Activities
- Colombo - Colombo by Tuk Tuk Urban Adventure - USD55
- Colombo - Eat, Eat, Repeat Urban Adventure - USD55
Meals Included
- Breakfast
Meals
13 breakfasts, 1 lunch, 2 dinnersTransport
Private vehicle, Safari Vehicle, Taxi, TrainAccommodation
Comfortable Hotel (10 nights), Feature Stay in Dambulla (3 nights)Included Activities
- Complimentary Airport Arrival Transfer
- Sigiriya - Lion Rock
- Negombo - Fish market
- Anuradhapura - Bodhi Tree Temple
- Anuradhapura - World Heritage Site of ancient kingdom ruins
- Anuradhapura - Isurumuniya Temple
- Polonnaruwa - Site of ancient ruins
- Matale - Spice Garden
- Dambulla - Cave Temples
- Kandy - Botanical Gardens with local botanist
- Kandy - Temple of the Tooth with pooja ceremony
- Kandy - Private cultural dance performance
- Nuwara Eliya - High Tea
- Nuwara Eliya - Pedro Tea Estate visit
- Yala/Udawalawe National Park - Wildlife safari
- Galle - Galle Fort Walking tour
- Colombo - City tour by bus
Dates & availability - 2021 season
Trip departures are unavailable.
There are currently no scheduled departures on our Jewels of Sri Lanka trip. If you are interested in other trips in the region visit one of the links below.
Jump to a departure month
Important notes
1. A complimentary airport arrival transfer is included; valid if you are arriving on Day 1 or if you have booked pre-tour accommodation through us. You must provide your flight details to your booking agent at least 14 days prior to travel.
2. A single supplement is available if you’d prefer not to share a room on this trip. The single supplement applies to all nights of your trip and is subject to availability. Please speak to your booking agent for further information.
3. Tourism in Sri Lanka is booming, and with it has come a huge increase in visitors to Yala National Park. In order to reduce our impact on wildlife and the environment we are trialling visiting a less touristed section of Yala. Should we determine that tourist numbers here also make it difficult to visit responsibly, we will change our itinerary to visit Udawalawe National Park.
4. Yala National Park is closed in September and October for infrastructure development and rejuvenation. During these months we visit Udawalawe National Park.

Essential trip information
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