Sri Lanka: Spices and Sacred Rituals

Pedal through tumbling tea plantations, watch elephants trundle through the jungle bush and sleep in feather soft beds in beautifully dressed colonial homes. Sri Lanka is a land of a thousand stories — and has been for centuries. This 7D6N journey invites you to unravel the country that compelled merchants, sailors and adventurers to fall in love with its warm and vibrant shores. Stay in historic bliss in colonial Colombo, become a Ceylon tea connoisseur in the highlands, seek exotic animals in the wonder of Yala National Park, and find your own divine calling as you amble through temples and ride tuk-tuks along the way.

This journey outline is by no means fixed. As the traveller takes centre stage in our planning – from the type of lodging to daily activities – your journey will be crafted to suit you.

Day by Day Highlights

Day 1
Colombo (13m) – Kotugoda (6m)

Ayubowan, and welcome to Sri Lanka!

On arrival to Colombo, you’ll be met by your private chauffeur and transferred to your hotel — a quaint, traditional manor house that was built during the Dutch East Indies period. You have the rest of the day to yourself to rest and relax, or you can indulge in light activities like crocket, a cooking demonstration with local resident chefs or classic English boardgames in the Game Room.

For dinner, enjoy exquisite Asian fusion cuisine at the in-house restaurant with a view of the 200-year-old tropical gardens.

Day 2
Kotugoda (6m) – Dick Oya(161m)

After breakfast, proceed to the hill country of Hatton. Check in at a beautiful tea planter’s bungalow and spend the rest of the day at leisure.

This is the ideal setting for trekking and biking against a symphony of natural landscapes from mountains and lakes through to winding roads and waterfalls.

The Ceylon Tea Trails are the world’s first tea bungalow resorts, perched at an altitude of 1,250m in Sri Lanka’s panoramic Ceylon tea region, which borders the World Heritage Central Highlands. The properties are all about the time-honoured planters’ traditions: Roaring fires and the comfort of a single malt whisky while the mists roll in or a stiff gin and tonic after a long day’s walk in the tea gardens, accompanied by the spicy flavours of Sri Lankan nibbles to stimulate the appetite.

Day 3
Dick Oya (161m)

Your day begins with the tradition of Bed Tea served by your Butler, who will also draw your bath. The cream tea is to die for!

Spend the morning seeing how Ceylon tea is made and learn the art of becoming a discerning tea taster. Visit the nearby Warleigh Church built in 1878 by early British planters. Perhaps embark and enjoy another walk/trek or bicycle ride through the tea plantations.

At mid-day, take a break under the shade of a tree or the shelter of a makeshift hut for lunch and a rest – flanked by the vistas of the rolling tea fields that start from the glassy Castlereagh Lake and creep up on to jagged mountaintops.

Day 4
Dick Oya (161m) – Yala (7m)

After breakfast this morning proceed to the south for some wild-life! Check in at your boutique private bungalow which invites you to get off the beaten track and relax amongst nature – where bird-call and the rustle of wind in the trees replaces the shrill noise of the city.

Be surrounded by distant chants from the village temple and be awed by a sky full of stars at night. You can take a stroll in the gardens and observe squirrels, birds, and small animals in their natural setting and if you’re lucky a visiting peacock

Be met by your in house ranger to go on an afternoon game drive at the Yala National Park.

Yala National Park is Sri Lanka’s most famous National Park and with good reason it is home to an amazing range of wildlife. Its magnificent sights of majestic elephants, fine-feathered peacocks, great black bears and agile leopards that steal away into the shadows of the thick foliage are unparalleled to any of the national parks in the country.

Day 5
Yala (7m) – Galle (6m)

Proceed to Galle this morning along the south coastal line and later in the afternoon discover the faces of Galle together with a charismatic guide from the town.

There are places that capture the imagination of travelers and Galle is one them. The walls that enclosure the fort have kept the inner city intact from years of turmoil and conquest Galle is a synthesis of the history of Sri Lanka. In a way the walls have also kept the city protected from outside but also from the inside creating a unique atmosphere of a place lost in time.

Taking the time to sample tea with a gentleman who pours a magical cup, enjoying a chat with a passionate local amateur historian, or buying some samosas from a smiling lad on a bicycle cart. Galle reveals itself in its full depth once you pull the veil and find its true treasure, which will be incommensurably more rewarding that the restored hotel you will be staying at, its people.

Day 6
Galle (6m)

This morning head away from the crowds on a spiritual journey outside of Galle. Embark on a short tuk-tuk drive on little back roads through the lush and green paddy fields, where there are no tourists to be found but a few villagers harvesting the crops or having a chat with their neighbor while sipping on some toddy freshly extracted from a nearby palm tree.

Once on site, climb the stairs to get to the Yatagala Temple – which means “under the rocks” as the Buddhist statues lay under the huge stones piled up on each other, don’t forget to look up!

Receive the blessing from the devoted monks while being are lulled by the sound of the Pali chants.

In the evening settle down for a special pool side Dinner under the stars at the property.

Day 7
Galle (6m) – Airport

Sadly, it’s time to leave this paradise isle.

Proceed to the Airport 3 hours prior to your international flight

Stop for your last Thambili on the way to the airport!

Navatha Hamavemu!

Let’s plan your perfect escape. To start the conversation, contact us via our interactive form or drop us an email at [email protected].

Practical Information

Locations covered

Colombo, Hatton, Dick Oya, Yala and Galle.

Recommended months to travel

December (23°C-27°C) to Mid April (27°C-30°C).

Altitude range

Maximum 161m.

Level of difficulty

Easy to Moderate. No difficult hikes involved.

Indicative price

From US$3,200/person for 2 people on a private basis, including double-sharing rooms. Excludes flights.

As we’ll customise your journey based on your preferences and needs, please note that this indicative price is just a rough estimate. Prices can fluctuate depending on season, type of accommodation and activities/experiences chosen (private vs. shared) etc.

This journey outline is by no means conclusive. It is just a guideline and can be tailored according to your comfort level, interests and preferences for every detail from accommodation to activities.