How to holiday in Sri Lanka

With a dizzying mix of ancient cities, jungle wilds, surfy shores and tea-covered hills, planning a trip to Sri Lanka can feel like a lot to unpack. But fret not – this handy guide will help you get your bearings.

First things first: get to know Sri Lanka

Before you start plotting in temples and tea trails, here are the basics.

Where it is: Just off the southern tip of India, surrounded by the Indian Ocean and compact enough to pack in culture, wildlife and coast in one trip.

Flight time: Around 11 hours from the UK with direct flights to Colombo.

Getting around: Distances look short on the map, but winding roads mean journeys can take a few hours. The best way to travel is with a private car and driver, your own local expert along the way.

How long to go for: A week gives you a taste; more time means more adventure. Itineraries here can flex to whatever window you’ve got.

When to go: Sri Lanka is a year-round destination with split monsoon seasons. For beach time, the west and south coasts are driest from November to April, while the east is at its best from May to September. Touring is rewarding year-round, with plenty to explore whatever the weather’s up to.

Choose your holiday style

If you’re up for an adventure

Sri Lanka is the textbook touring destination. It has a cosmopolitan capital, a heritage-packed Cultural Triangle and an eye-poppingly gorgeous Hill Country, and it’s chock-full of wildlife-rich national parks too. And then there’s the coastline (insert heart-eyed emoji here). And you’ll want to see it all.

Most routes follow a satisfying loop – think Colombo → Anuradhapura or Sigiriya → Kandy → Hill Country → Yala → Galle – finishing with well-earned downtime on the south-west coast. The beauty is, it can all be tailored to you.

We’ve got a suggested honeymoon trip for the newlyweds, family adventures (for teens or younger kids) and a break that’s all about wellness. There’s also a holiday packed with boutique stays, an all-out luxury journey featuring only the best addresses in Sri Lanka, and a trip that’s made for wild things.

If you’re all about beach time

Prefer to stay put? We’ve got that covered too. Pick a base then the pace is yours – stake out a lounger for a fortnight, work your way through the spa menu or head into town to taste-test the local restaurants.

A few of our favourite pitch-up stays: Anantara Peace Haven Tangalle, a Thai-inspired hideaway on the south coast, and Cinnamon Bentota Beach, a Geoffrey Bawa masterpiece on one of Sri Lanka’s most spectacular stretches of sand. Fancy a little exploring? We can arrange a local guide to whisk you off for a day of sightseeing and have you back in time for sunset cocktails.

Map out your must-sees

Once you’ve got your holiday style in mind, it’s worth having an idea of the highlights you don’t want to miss. The island’s greatest hits come thick and fast: tackle the 1,200 steps of Sigiriya Rock Fortress for spellbinding sunrise views; roll through the Hill Country on the famous Ella train as tea fields blur past; or go on safari in Wilpattu or Yala, eyes peeled for leopards, elephants and the occasional monkey cameo.

There’s history and flavour too – wander ancient ruins in Polonnaruwa, join a spicy cooking class or get happily lost along the walls of Galle Fort, king coconut in hand. Touring brings the full line-up together, but even a laid-back beach holiday can include a few of these star turns.

How to get around

Getting from A to B is half the fun here. The most relaxed way to see Sri Lanka is with a private car and driver – your own local expert who knows every viewpoint, curry stop and hidden temple en route. You can mix things up with a scenic train ride through the Hill Country or a domestic flight to shave off travel time between coasts.

If you’re staying put in one place, we’ll arrange simple private transfers between the airport and your hotel, and day trips if you fancy exploring.

Uga Chena Huts

Sweet dreams 

With your sights set, it’s time to plan where you’ll rest your head between adventures. Whether you’re after grand resorts with all the bells and whistles, boutique gems full of character, or a bit of both, we’ll find you the perfect places to stay. We’ve built strong, long-standing relationships with hotel partners across Sri Lanka – like Jetwing, Cinnamon, and Uga Escapes – so we work closely with them to make sure you get the best offers and that our guests are always looked after.

Ceylon Tea Trails

Some of our go-to stays include Maniumpathy in Colombo’s Cinnamon Gardens district for its old-world elegance, and Water Garden Sigiriya, which gives you front-row views of the ancient rock fortress in the Cultural Triangle. Ceylon Tea Trails in the Hill Country is perfect for slow mornings with a cuppa straight from the source.

Down south, Haritha Villas + Spa and Tabula Rasa Resort & Spa bring intimate, design-led vibes. If a wildlife fix is on the cards, Uga Chena Huts or Cinnamon Wild Yala put you right at the edge of Yala National Park. 

Double up the fun

Who says that you need to stick to one country on one holiday? It would never be us. Look at a map and see how close the atolls of the Maldives are; it would be a shame to come all this way and not pop over (aka fly just an hour and a half) to yet another paradise. Or you could break up the journey in one of the United Arab Emirates where you’ll find gold-gilded masterpieces of architecture, balmy temps and shopping malls that seem to never end.

Time to start planning

Got a rough idea of what you want to see – or no clue where to start? Either way, that’s where we come in. When there are multiple pieces to the holiday pie, we’ll help you fit them together and make the planning a breeze.

Our travel experts have road-tested many of these routes and stays themselves; they’ve travelled the island, dipped into infinity pools overlooking rice paddies, watched mist roll across hilltop gardens and sipped tea on leafy verandas. They know exactly how to plan a journey that delivers from your first night to your last.