Tea and time

Seven days: Kandy, Nuwara Eliya and a last night by the sea

Length: 7 days, 6 nights
Pace: Barely moves
Bases: 4
Best months: Dec to Apr
From: $1,315$1,155· $165/day
Save $160 · 12%Ends today, 31 October

per person, twin share, excluding international flights.

Early-booking rate12% off every tier on this trip when the booking is confirmed by 31 October. Applies to new bookings only, on the tier you choose, and holds once a deposit is paid.

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

February and March are the clearest months up here. The southwest monsoon brings afternoon cloud to the western slopes from May, and October to November is the wettest stretch of the year in the hills. This trip barely moves and most of what it asks of you is a verandah, so wet months cost you long views rather than the holiday: they are also the greenest, quietest and cheapest, and the tea does not mind the rain.

October — mixed, worth a conversation

It is October now, and this route reads mixed this month.

Prime
Good
Mixed
Out of season

The shape of it

Colombo and the westHill countryWest and south coast

4 bases, 3 changes of hotel. The longest stay is 2 nights in Kandy.

Negombo
1 night, day 1
Kandy
2 nights, days 2 to 3
Nuwara Eliya
2 nights, days 4 to 5
Wadduwa
1 night, day 6
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

Day1
Travel day · timing to be confirmed
Day 1: Negombo, arrival
Pick-up and drop to hotel, leisure.
- Negombo, arrival
Meals
Dinner
Pace
Barely moves

Stop 2 · Hill country

Kandy

Days 2–3 · 2 nights

Day2
Travel day · timing to be confirmed
Day 2: Negombo → Kandy
Spice garden, cultural show, temple.
- Spice garden
- Cultural show
- Temple
Meals
Breakfast, Dinner
Pace
Gentle
Day3
Day 3: Kandy, same hotel
Morning Peradeniya botanical, full Kandy city tour + shopping, evening leisure.
- Morning Peradeniya botanical
- Full Kandy city tour + shopping
Meals
Breakfast, Dinner
Pace
Barely moves
Transfer
No intercity drive planned

Stop 3 · Hill country

Nuwara Eliya

Days 4–5 · 2 nights

Day4
Travel day · timing to be confirmed
Day 4: Kandy → Nuwara Eliya
Tea factory full programme, Nuwara Eliya city tour, evening relax.
- Tea factory full programme
- Nuwara Eliya city tour
Meals
Breakfast, Dinner
Pace
Barely moves
Day5
Day 5: Nuwara Eliya
Morning Horton Plains excursion, evening relax.
- Morning Horton Plains excursion
Meals
Breakfast, Dinner
Pace
Gentle
Transfer
No intercity drive planned

Stop 4 · West and south coast

Wadduwa

Days 6–7 · 1 night

Day6
Travel day · timing to be confirmed
Day 6: Nuwara Eliya → Wadduwa
Morning leisure, evening beach.
- Nuwara Eliya → Wadduwa
Meals
Breakfast, Dinner
Pace
Gentle
Day7
Travel day · timing to be confirmed
Day 7: Wadduwa → airport
Wadduwa → airport.
- Wadduwa → airport
Meals
Breakfast
Pace
Gentle

What it costs

One route, three levels of hotel. The itinerary does not change.

Comfort

Save 12%

$1,315

$1,155

Save $160

$165 a day · single supplement $395

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

Save 12%

$2,070

$1,820

Save $250

$260 a day · single supplement $690

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

Save 12%

$3,100

$2,730

Save $370

$390 a day · single supplement $1,230

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. The early-booking rate holds until 31 October. Applies to new bookings only, on the tier you choose, and holds once a deposit is paid.

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.

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
Horton Plains National Park
$30
In the price
Yes, we cover it

Entrance fees for Tea and time
Site	Fee	Included
Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic	$12	Yes, we cover it
Peradeniya botanical gardens	$10	Yes, we cover it
Kandyan dance performance	$10	Yes, we cover it
Tea factory tour and tasting	$8	Yes, we cover it
Horton Plains National Park	$30	Yes, we cover it