Sri Lanka is small. Like, you-can-drive-across-it-in-a-few-hours small. And somehow it fits in world-class surf, wild elephant safaris, 2,000-year-old ruins, cloud-covered tea estates, and beaches that would be the headline act in a less overachieving country. It's a lot. In the best possible way.
The surf situ
Weligama and Mirissa on the south coast are where most people start. Long, forgiving waves, loads of surf schools, cold Arrack on the beach at sunset. The kind of place where you book three nights and leave two weeks later without fully understanding how that happened.
Arugam Bay on the east coast is a completely different conversation. A world-class right-hand point break that serious surfers already know about, open May to October. If you surf, it's already on your list. If you don't surf yet, this is a very good place to start.
The wildlife situ
Yala National Park has one of the highest concentrations of leopards on earth. You're more likely to spot one there than almost anywhere else in the world. That sentence doesn't get less good the more times you read it.
Udawalawe is the elephant park: herds of 50 or more wandering open grassland with nothing blocking the view. And whale watching off Mirissa between December and April puts humpback and blue whales on the table. Sri Lanka genuinely delivers on wildlife in a way that surprises people who weren't expecting it to be the main event.
The history situ
The Cultural Triangle in the centre covers Sigiriya (a 5th century rock fortress with ancient frescoes halfway up the climb), Dambulla Cave Temple, Polonnaruwa, and Anuradhapura. Any one of those is half a day of properly absorbing history. Then there's the train from Kandy to Ella through the tea estates, which is one of the great rail journeys in the world. Not marketing copy. It really is.
Sri Lanka tours and packages
Small country, enormous variety, and the route matters a lot or you'll spend half your time backtracking. We put together Sri Lanka packages that make geographic sense and land you in the right places at the right time of year.
Sri Lanka works brilliantly as a standalone trip or as part of a bigger South East Asia itinerary. Pairs naturally with Bali, works well alongside Thailand. See everything at the Asia tours hub, grab a deal on the Asia deals page, or contact us to start planning.
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