The Grand Tour
Sixteen days. Every corner of the island. The trip you will talk about for the rest of your life.
A private way through Sri Lanka
Some journeys are holidays. The Grand Tour is something else. Sixteen days from the ancient kingdoms of the north to the Tamil cultural heartland of Jaffna, from the leopard country of Yala to the colonial grace of Galle, from the mist-wrapped tea estates of the hill country to the quiet beaches of the east coast. The complete Sri Lanka, not a highlights reel but the whole story.
This is the journey for the traveller who has been waiting for the right time, saving it for a milestone, or simply decided that the island deserves more than two weeks allows for any shorter itinerary. The Grand Tour goes to parts of Sri Lanka that most visitors, and most operators, never reach. The north. The east. The places that fell off the tourist trail during three decades of conflict and have only recently come back.
Your guide is with you for every day of it. Your vehicle takes you everywhere. And the itinerary, as always, is a framework, yours to shape each morning around whatever the day calls for.
- Length
- 16 days
- Nights
- 15
- Travel
- Private — your own guide & vehicle
What you’ll remember
- Walk the ancient capital of Anuradhapura at first light, the oldest city in Sri Lanka and one of the great archaeological sites of the ancient world, largely to yourself before the day-trippers arrive
- Climb Sigiriya at dawn and understand, from the top of a 200-metre granite monolith, how a fifth-century king saw his kingdom
- Drive to Jaffna, the Tamil north that few organised operators include, and find a Sri Lanka that is completely different in language, food, religion, architecture, and feeling from anything in the south
- Ride the most scenic railway in Asia from the hill country through the clouds, the landscape dropping away in every direction as the train finds its way down to the plains
- Track leopards at dawn in Yala, spend an afternoon watching two hundred elephants gather at Minneriya, and wake before dawn for blue whales off Mirissa, three of the great wildlife experiences of the Indian Ocean region in a single journey
- Walk the ramparts of Galle Fort as the sun sets over the Indian Ocean and understand why the Dutch, the Portuguese, and the British all wanted this particular piece of coastline
- Reach the east coast. Trincomalee, one of the finest natural harbours in Asia, and Arugam Bay, one of the world's great surf beaches, places that most Sri Lanka visitors never see
- End the journey knowing you have actually seen the island, all of it, not just the circuit that every other operator runs
Where this takes you
The island, in order
- Stop 01Colombo
- Stop 02
Cultural Triangle
- Stop 03Anuradhapura
- Stop 04Sigiriya
- Stop 05Polonnaruwa
- Stop 06Dambulla
- Stop 07Kandy
- Stop 08Nuwara Eliya
- Stop 09Ella
- Stop 10Yala
- Stop 11Galle
- Stop 12Mirissa
- Stop 13
South Coast
- Stop 14Trincomalee
- Stop 15Jaffna
- Stop 16
East Coast
The order and pace are a starting point — we’ll shape the exact route with you on your planning call.
The route, step by step
- Day 01
Day 1. Arrival & Colombo
Land in Colombo where your guide for all sixteen days is waiting; an evening to settle in, with the waterfront and restaurants if you have energy.
- Day 02
Day 2. North to the Ancient Kingdoms
Drive north into the dry zone to the Cultural Triangle, arriving by afternoon at a lodge on the edge of the ancient plain.
- Day 03
Day 3. Anuradhapura, the First Kingdom
A full unhurried morning at Anuradhapura, dagobas, the Bodhi tree, royal pleasure gardens, and ancient irrigation systems, with the afternoon free.
- Day 04
Day 4. Sigiriya & Polonnaruwa
Early climb of Sigiriya, frescoes, mirror wall, summit view, then an afternoon at Polonnaruwa, the second ancient capital with the island's finest Buddhist sculpture.
- Day 05
Day 5. Dambulla & the Road to Kandy
Morning at the Dambulla cave temples, then the drive south to Kandy with an evening visit to the Temple of the Tooth Relic if timing allows.
- Day 06
Day 6. Kandy at Your Pace
A free day in Kandy. Peradeniya Botanical Gardens, the city market, an optional evening cultural show, or simply the lake road.
- Day 07
Day 7. Into the Hill Country
Drive from Kandy into the tea country with a working tea factory visit, reaching the colonial hill station of Nuwara Eliya by afternoon.
- Day 08
Day 8. Ella & the Train
The famous hill country train through waterfalls, viaducts, and the Ella Gap, arriving in the south by late afternoon.
- Day 09
Day 9. Yala, Leopard Country
Pre-dawn safari in Yala National Park, leopards, elephants, sloth bears, crocodiles, with an optional afternoon game drive.
- Day 10
Day 10. The South Coast & Galle Fort
Drive west along the coast to Galle Fort, walking the ramparts of the 400-year-old colonial fortification as the light changes; the afternoon is yours.
- Day 11
Day 11. South Coast, Unscheduled
A free day, beach, pool, massage, or seasonal whale watching off Mirissa.
- Day 12
Day 12. North to the East Coast
A longer driving day to Trincomalee, one of Asia's finest natural deep-water harbours, with a Hindu temple complex on a headland above the ocean.
- Day 13
Day 13. Trincomalee & the East
Morning exploring Trincomalee. Koneswaram Temple on Swami Rock, the colonial fort, the beaches, with a genuinely free afternoon.
- Day 14
Day 14. The Road to Jaffna
Drive north to Jaffna, the Tamil cultural heartland. Hindu temples, Dutch colonial architecture, and a cuisine built around seafood and palmyrah.
- Day 15
Day 15. Jaffna, the North
A day in Jaffna, the fort, Nallur Kovil, the lagoon islands, and the local food market, with your guide's cultural knowledge at its most valuable.
- Day 16
Day 16. Return & Departure
The long drive south to Colombo airport, having crossed the island end to end.
What’s included
Included
- A private driver-guide for your whole journey
- Private air-conditioned vehicle & fuel
- All accommodation, to your chosen tier
- Daily breakfast
- Every airport and internal transfer
- Entrance fees for the sights on your itinerary
- Bottled water on the road
- A real person on call, around the clock
Not included
- International flights
- Sri Lanka visa (ETA)
- Travel insurance
- Lunches & dinners, unless noted
- Personal spending & gratuities
- Optional and add-on activities
Your tailored quote confirms exactly what’s included — ask us to fold anything on the right into your trip.
Who this journey suits
Serious Sri Lanka enthusiasts · milestone travellers, retirement, significant birthdays, anniversaries · second or third-time visitors who have done the circuit and want the full island · those with the time to do it properly
The Grand Tour
From NZD $6,000pp, land only. Tell us your dates and we’ll shape the trip around you.