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10 days · 9 nights · private
Ten days, and the island stops feeling like a checklist
Everything the week gives you, plus Polonnaruwa, two nights on the coast instead of one, and enough slack in the schedule that you can sit still when you want to. Same private car, same driver-guide, start to finish.
One price agreed before you book. Nothing is charged on this website.
Day by day
Ten days is the point at which Sri Lanka stops being a route and starts being a trip. All of it is movable — the extra days are yours to spend where you want them.
Day
1
Land, and go no further than Negombo
Negombo is twenty minutes from the airport and on the sea, which makes it the sensible place to spend the first night. No long drive after a long flight. Eat fish, sleep.
Day
2
Sigiriya and Dambulla
North into the Cultural Triangle. The rock in the morning — frescoes, mirror wall, the climb through the lion’s paws — and the cave temples at Dambulla afterwards, five caves of Buddhas and painted ceilings.
Day
3
Polonnaruwa, then a village afternoon
The medieval capital, best seen on a bicycle: ruins, stupas and stone Buddhas spread across a few flat kilometres. Then a village, a ride through the paddy, and lunch cooked over a fire.
Day
4
Spices, and into Kandy
A spice garden on the way, then Kandy and the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, which is a living pilgrimage site rather than a monument. A Kandyan dance performance in the evening if you want it.
Day
5
Tea country, and the train to Ella
Up into the hills. A working tea factory, then the train — the stretch to Ella that everyone photographs and nobody regrets. It is slow, and that is the point.
Day
6
Ella
Nine Arches Bridge, Little Adam’s Peak if the legs are willing, waterfalls, cold beer, cool air. A deliberately empty day.
Day
7
Down to Yala
Out of the hills to the park for an afternoon game drive. Leopards, elephants, sloth bears, crocodiles, birds. Never guaranteed, but Yala gives you a genuine chance.
Day
8
The coast, properly
Mirissa or Weligama, and nothing on the schedule. Swim, eat, watch the fishing boats come in. This is the day the ten-day trip buys you that the seven-day one cannot.
Day
9
Galle Fort
A Dutch fort with a town still living inside it — ramparts, churches, warehouses turned into shops, and the sea on three sides. Best walked in the late afternoon.
Day
10
Back to Colombo, or straight to the airport
Depending on your flight, a slow drive back with time for whatever you did not get to. Then home.
Length
10 days, 9 nights
Start and end
Colombo, or the airport
Transport
Private air-conditioned car with driver-guide
Hotels
Not included
Meals
Not included
Effort
Easy to moderate
Best months
December to April, west and south
Temples
Shoulders and knees covered
Included
- +Airport pickup and drop-off
- +Private air-conditioned vehicle with driver-guide throughout
- +Tea plantation and factory visit
- +Bottled water throughout
- +All government taxes and service charges
Not included
- –Entrance fees at sites and attractions, paid directly and priced by nationality
- –Yala park entry and the safari jeep
- –Hotels and all meals
- –Travel insurance
- –Personal spending and tips
- –Optional activities not in the itinerary
Who it suits
People who would rather see slightly less and actually remember it. The three extra days over the week go into Polonnaruwa, a second night on the coast and a genuinely empty day — not into more driving.
Couples, families and small groups. If ten days is more than you have, the 7-day highlights route covers the essentials. If you have longer, the 14-day journey adds Anuradhapura and Mihintale, whale watching from Mirissa and several more days on the coast.
Ask for a date
Send us your dates and your numbers. You get back a full itinerary and one price covering everything listed above, before you commit to anything.
Or WhatsApp +94 77 086 0671.
Questions
What does it cost?
The vehicle and driver-guide are $500 for the whole trip in a Kei car, and that steps up with the vehicle: $600 in a sedan, $700 in an SUV, $800 in a van, $900 in a bus. On top of that it is $10 per person per day, which is $100 each over ten days. So one person in a Kei car is $600, two sharing a Kei car is $700 or $350 each, and four in a sedan is $1000 or $250 each. The final figure depends on group size and any changes you make, so ask and we will price the actual trip.
Can I change the itinerary?
All of it. Extra nights anywhere, a different start point, activities swapped in or out. The order is built around geography, not preference, so that part we would argue for.
Is ten days enough for Sri Lanka?
More than enough for the Cultural Triangle, the hills, a safari and the south coast at a civilised pace. It is not enough for the north and east as well — that is what the 14-day route is for.
Does it work for couples and families?
Both. The pace is unhurried and there are two proper rest days built in, which matters with children and matters more than people expect without them.
What exactly is included?
Airport transfers, a private air-conditioned car with driver-guide throughout, the tea factory visit, and water. Hotels and meals are not included. Site entry fees and the Yala jeep sit outside that too, and we quote them separately.