Sri Lanka Hill Country Break

Kandy, waterfalls and tea estates in Nuwara Eliya, then Colombo, with breakfast and dinner.

Your route

1. 1 Kandy 1 night
2. 2 Nuwara Eliya 2 nights
3. 3 Colombo 1 night

1. Day 1 Kandy

   Pinnawala, spice garden, Temple of the Tooth.

   Welcome to Sri Lanka. Indian travellers must apply online for an ETA before flying. Your chauffeur-guide meets you at Colombo airport and drives to Kandy, about three and a half hours. On the way, stop at the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage and a spice garden. In the evening, visit the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, the most important Buddhist shrine in Sri Lanka, during the puja. An optional Kandyan cultural show is available. Dinner at the hotel. Overnight in Kandy.

2. Day 2 Nuwara Eliya

   Ramboda Falls and a tea factory.

   After breakfast, drive up into the hill country towards Nuwara Eliya, about three hours, on a winding road through tea estates. Stop at Ramboda Falls, one of the tallest waterfalls in the country, and the nearby Sri Bhaktha Hanuman Temple. Visit a tea factory to see how Ceylon tea is made, with a tasting. Arrive in Nuwara Eliya, a cool hill town at about 1,900 metres. Dinner at the hotel. The road is winding, so motion sickness tablets help. Overnight in Nuwara Eliya.

3. Day 3 Nuwara Eliya

   Seetha Amman temple, Little England.

   Explore Nuwara Eliya, called Little England for its colonial bungalows, rose gardens, golf course and red-brick post office. Visit the Seetha Amman Temple at Seetha Eliya, believed to be the site of Ashok Vatika from the Ramayana. Walk around Gregory Lake or take a boat ride, and visit Victoria Park. In the evening, enjoy a warm dinner, as nights here are cool. Nuwara Eliya grows strawberries and vegetables, and its markets are lovely to browse. Carry a warm jacket for the evenings. Overnight in Nuwara Eliya.

4. Day 4 Colombo

   Drive to Colombo, city tour.

   Drive down from the hills to Colombo, about five hours. In the afternoon, enjoy a short city tour: Independence Square, the old Dutch Church of Wolvendaal, Galle Face Green by the ocean and the colonial buildings of the Fort area. Shop for tea, spices and gems, and enjoy dinner at your hotel or a seafood restaurant. The drive descends through tea estates and waterfalls to the warm coastal plains. Colombo's seafront at Galle Face Green is lively in the evening, with food stalls and kites flying over the sea. Overnight in Colombo.

5. Day 5 Colombo

   Departure.

   After breakfast, check out of your hotel. Depending on your flight time, shop for Ceylon tea, spices and handloom textiles in Colombo. Our chauffeur-guide transfers you to Bandaranaike International Airport, about one hour from the city. Please reach three hours before departure. Bandaranaike International Airport is in Katunayake, north of the city, so leave early to allow for traffic. Keep your ETA approval handy for check-in. Your Ramayana journey through Sri Lanka ends here, with the blessings of the sacred sites where the epic is believed to have unfolded.

What's included

Good to know