Hills to Ocean
Ten days from the Cultural Triangle to the southern sea
- Length
- 10 days, 9 nights
- Pace
- Steady
- Bases
- 6
- Best months
- Feb to Mar
- From
- $1,550 · $155/day
per person, twin share, excluding international flights.
IndicativeThese prices are modelled from market rates and have not been costed yet. We will quote a real figure when you enquire.
When this trip works
Two things have to agree here and they only fully agree twice a year. The south coast is dry and swimmable December to April and rough from May. The dry-zone parks are at their best February to July, and in December and January they are still coming out of the northeast monsoon. February and March are where both sit. January, April and December are workable rather than ideal, and in the southern monsoon we would rebuild this around the east.
October — out of season
It is October now, and this route reads out of season this month.
- Prime
- Good
- Mixed
- Out of season
The shape of it
Colombo and the westCultural TriangleHill countryThe southeastern parksWest and south coast
6 bases, 5 changes of hotel. The longest stay is 2 nights in Sigiriya / Dambulla / Habarana.
Negombo
1 night, day 1
Sigiriya / Dambulla / Habarana
2 nights, days 2 to 3
Kandy
2 nights, days 4 to 5
Ella
1 night, day 6
Yala
1 night, day 7
Mirissa
2 nights, days 8 to 9
Fly home
Day by day
Breakfast, lunch and dinner, where they are included that day.
Stop 1 · Colombo and the west
Negombo
Day 1 · 1 night
Travel day · timing to be confirmed
Day 1: Arrival, overnight Negombo
Arrival, overnight Negombo.
- Arrival, overnight Negombo
- Meals
- Dinner
- Pace
- Barely moves
Stop 2 · Cultural Triangle
Sigiriya / Dambulla / Habarana
Days 2–3 · 2 nights
Travel day · timing to be confirmed
Day 2: Negombo → Sigiriya/Dambulla/Habarana
Fish market + dry fish, lagoon boat ride, evening leisure.
- Fish market + dry fish
- Lagoon boat ride
If you want moreMinneriya park
- Meals
- Breakfast, Dinner
- Pace
- Steady
Day 3: Dambulla → Polonnaruwa → Dambulla
Morning Sigiriya Rock, Giritale bicycle ride, Polonnaruwa city tour by car (full site), evening leisure.
- Morning Sigiriya Rock
- Giritale bicycle ride
- Polonnaruwa city tour by car (full site)
- Meals
- Breakfast, Dinner
- Pace
- Full days
- Transfer
- No intercity drive planned
Stop 3 · Hill country
Kandy
Days 4–5 · 2 nights
Travel day · timing to be confirmed
Day 4: Dambulla → Kandy
Dambulla cave, spice garden Matale, cultural show, Temple of the Tooth.
- Dambulla cave
- Spice garden Matale
- Cultural show
- Temple of the Tooth
- Meals
- Breakfast, Dinner
- Pace
- Gentle
Day 5: Kandy
Botanical garden, Kandy city tour + all-inclusive shopping, evening leisure.
- Botanical garden
- Kandy city tour + all-inclusive shopping
- Meals
- Breakfast, Dinner
- Pace
- Gentle
- Transfer
- No intercity drive planned
Stop 4 · Hill country
Ella
Day 6 · 1 night
Travel day · timing to be confirmed
Day 6: Kandy → Nanu Oya → Ella
Tea factory & plantation visit, Nuwara Eliya city tour, Nanu Oya-Ella train ride (note: if the train is delayed, cancelled or overbooked, no substitute is provided), Ella night life.
- Tea factory & plantation visit
- Nuwara Eliya city tour
- Nanu Oya-Ella train ride
- Ella night life
- Meals
- Breakfast
- Pace
- Steady
Stop 5 · The southeastern parks
Yala
Day 7 · 1 night
Travel day · timing to be confirmed
Day 7: Ella → Yala
Little Adam's Peak, Nine Arch Bridge, Ravana waterfall, evening Yala safari.
- Little Adam's Peak
- Nine Arch Bridge
- Ravana waterfall
- Evening Yala safari
- Meals
- Breakfast, Dinner
- Pace
- Steady
Stop 6 · West and south coast
Mirissa
Days 8–10 · 2 nights
Travel day · timing to be confirmed
Day 8: Yala → Galle → Mirissa
Galle city tour, beach leisure.
- Galle city tour
- Meals
- Breakfast, Dinner
- Pace
- Steady
Day 9: Mirissa
Morning whale watching, evening leisure.
- Morning whale watching
- Meals
- Breakfast, Dinner
- Pace
- Gentle
- Transfer
- No intercity drive planned
Travel day · timing to be confirmed
Day 10: Mirissa → airport
Mirissa → airport.
- Mirissa → airport
- Meals
- Breakfast
- Pace
- Barely moves
What it costs
One route, three levels of hotel. The itinerary does not change.
Comfort
$1,550
$155 a day · single supplement $525
Well-run three-star hotels and family-owned guesthouses, chosen for location and the people who run them rather than the star rating.
- Private air-conditioned vehicle and driver-guide throughout
- Daily breakfast
- All transfers and road tolls
- 24-hour local support line
Boutique
$2,350
$235 a day · single supplement $895
Small boutique hotels, tea-estate bungalows and design-led beach houses. Twelve rooms rather than a hundred.
- Everything in Comfort
- Breakfast and one further meal daily
- Park fees and site entrances as itemised
- A trip designer on WhatsApp for the duration
Luxury
$3,450
$345 a day · single supplement $1,555
The best rooms on the island: colonial bungalows, private villas and lodges with their own naturalists.
- Everything in Boutique
- All meals, and a private chef where the property allows
- Private guiding at every site rather than shared
- Airport fast-track on arrival and departure
per person, twin share, excluding international flights.
Entrance fees, itemised
Site fees in Sri Lanka are high and rising: Sigiriya alone is thirty-five dollars. Most operators bury them in the exclusions. Here is the whole list, with what we cover and what we do not.
Entrance fees for Hills to Ocean
Sigiriya rock fortress
$35
- In the price
- Yes, we cover it
Dambulla cave temples
$10
- In the price
- Yes, we cover it
Polonnaruwa ancient city
$25
- In the price
- Yes, we cover it
Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic
$12
- In the price
- Yes, we cover it
Peradeniya botanical gardens
$10
- In the price
- Yes, we cover it
Kandyan dance performance
$10
- In the price
- Yes, we cover it
Tea factory tour and tasting
$8
- In the price
- Yes, we cover it
Yala National Park and jeep
$45
- In the price
- Yes, we cover it
Whale watching boat, MirissaSeasonal and weather-dependent.
$45
- In the price
- Yes, we cover it
Galle FortA living town; there is no ticket.
Free
- In the price
- Yes, we cover it
Minneriya or Kaudulla and jeepOptional.
$40
- In the price
- No, paid on the day
- Covered by us
- $200
- If you do the optional ones
- $40
Who this is for
- First visitors with ten days who want culture, hills and coast in one trip
- Couples who want a route that ends slowly rather than at a ruin
And who it is not
- Travellers coming between May and September, when the south coast is rough and wet; ask us for the eastern version instead
Included
- Private vehicle and driver-guide throughout
- Nine nights accommodation
- Daily breakfast and eight dinners
- Nanu Oya to Ella train
- Yala game drive (day 7)
- Whale watching at Mirissa (day 9)
- All entrance fees marked included above
Not included
- International flights
- Travel insurance
- Visa or ETA
- Most lunches
Make it yours
This is a starting shape, not a fixed departure. The changes people ask for most:
- Swap Mirissa for Tangalle if you want a quieter beach with fewer restaurants
If this one is close but not right
The full island
Fourteen days, and a proper safari in the middle
- Length
- 14 days
- Pace
- Steady
- Bases
- 9 bases
From $2,170 · $155/day
Indicative, not yet costed
The long way round
Twelve days from Wilpattu through the old capitals and the hills to Galle
- Length
- 12 days
- Pace
- Steady
- Bases
- 8 bases
From $1,860 · $155/day
Indicative, not yet costed
The short loop
Seven days through the Cultural Triangle and the hill country
- Length
- 7 days
- Pace
- Steady
- Bases
- 4 bases
From $1,085 · $155/day
Indicative, not yet costed