Classic Sri Lanka
The standard first-time loop: culture and hills for three nights, then two nights on the coast before flying home. No drive longer than four hours.
Day by day
Arrive and head to the hills
Land at Bandaranaike International Airport (CMB), Colombo, by late morning after the connecting flight. Your driver-guide meets you and you drive straight to Kandy (115 km, about 3.5 hours) with a stop at Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage on the way for the midday bathing session. Check in by evening and rest.
Temple of the Tooth and cultural show
Morning visit to the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic (shoulders and knees covered, shoes off); the Royal Botanical Garden at Peradeniya in the afternoon for its avenue of giant bamboo and orchid house. Evening Kandyan cultural dance show at 5 pm followed by the temple's evening puja if timings allow.
Into tea country
Leave after breakfast for Nuwara Eliya (80 km, about 3 hours on a winding hill road), stopping at a working tea factory for a tour and tasting. Afternoon at Gregory Lake for a boat ride or a walk; the town itself, with its colonial-era post office and cottages, feels distinctly cooler and greener than the plains.
Down to the coast
Descend from the hills to Bentota (150 km, about 5 hours, the longest drive of the trip) through tea estates and waterfalls. Check into a beach resort by late afternoon; an early-evening visit to the Kosgoda turtle hatchery nearby for the release of hatchlings is a good stop en route if timing allows.
Beach and Galle Fort
A relaxed morning at the resort — pool or beach — followed by a half-day trip to Galle Fort (30 km, 45 minutes): the ramparts, the lighthouse, the old Dutch church and the boutique streets inside the fort walls. Return to Bentota for a last evening by the sea.
Fly home
Drive to Colombo airport (140 km, about 2.5 hours); a short city stop in Colombo (Gangaramaya Temple or Galle Face Green) is possible if your flight is in the evening. Fly out via your connecting city back to Ahmedabad.
What's included
- Return Ahmedabad–Colombo flights (one-stop)
- ETA visa processing
- 5 nights in inspected 3★/4★ hotels
- Private AC vehicle with English/Hindi-speaking driver-guide for the whole trip
- Daily breakfast and veg dinner
- Pinnawala entry, temple and cultural show tickets
Not included
- Lunches on sightseeing days
- Yala safari and turtle hatchery entry fee
- Travel insurance
- Sri Lanka departure and airport taxes not already in the airfare
Indicative cost
Per person, twin sharing
Per person, twin sharing
Per person on twin sharing, indicative for 2026, including flights from Ahmedabad, visa fee, hotels and the private vehicle. December and April (Sinhala New Year) run 20–30% higher.