Adventure tours | Active small group holidays | Encounters Travel Adventure tours | Active small group holidays | Encounters Travel
Your passport to adventure
PHONE: +44 203 725 8921
For help and expert advice:
+44 203 725 8921
Sri Lanka
Filter By Reset Search

Preferences

This Month's Promotions

All Tours

On Sale

Hide Price On Request


Destinations

Egypt & Middle East

Africa

Indian Subcontinent

Asia

Southeast Asia

South America

Europe

Oceania


Tour Types

Small Group

Shoestring

City Break

Private

Family

Overland


Price Range


Duration


Group Departure Dates

1 Tours | From R28050 p/p

-14%
Image Map

Duration:

13 Days

Country(ies):

Sri Lanka

Tour Type:

Shoestring

Group size:

Min: 4 | Max: 20

Meals:

B- 11, L - 2, D - 0

Highlights:

Colombo, Negombo, & Dambulla, Sigiriya, Knuckles, Kandy, Kitulgala, Ella, Unawatuna, Galle


   Deal

R28050(p/p)

R32730

Sri Lanka Tours

The island of Sri Lanka is often referred to as the jewel of the Indian Ocean and rightly so. Its palm-fringed sandy beaches, clear tropical waters, diverse cultural history and friendly people make it an excellent choice of holiday destinations. Its small size makes it easy to get around, and there is a wealth of cultural, sightseeing and activity-based option available to allow many varied and interesting itineraries.

Sri Lanka is a primarily Buddhist country, and wherever you travel you will find imposing large statues and beautiful temples. The cave temples at Dambulla and nearby rock fortress of Sigiriya are particularly impressive. There are also some huge seated and reclining Buddha statues throughout the country and it is well worth a slight detour to visit one or more of these.

Other cultural highlights include the ancient capitals of Pollonaruwa and Anuradhapura, both World Heritage Sites. Situated in the north of the country, they are full of ruined palaces, temples and other historic buildings and are easy to combine with Sigirya and time in the central hill country. Also close to Pollonaruwa is Minneriya National Park. During the dry season of June to September, the huge central tank (artificial lake) built in the 3rd century, is a fabulous place to observe elephants coming to bathe and graze, as well as huge flocks of birds.

The capital of Sri Lanka's hill country is Kandy, which is also an important religious centre for the Sinhalese and home to the Temple of the Tooth which holds a relic of the Lord Buddha. A scenic city, Kandy is well connected with Colombo and is a good stop en-route further north, or into the hill-country. This central region of the country is home to beautiful rolling hills and countryside and most of Sri Lanka's famous tea estates are found here. There are some fabulous accommodation options in these estates, and you can travel through the region on a spectacular train journey that snakes through the hills from Kandy to Ella. You can break this journey to see the colonial town of Nuwara Eliya, climb the pilgrimage mountain of Adam's Peak, and walk to World's End, a sheer precipice in the Horton Plains National Park.

The south of the country holds several other wildlife viewing opportunities, including Yalla and Wallawe National Parks where you can take jeep safaris to view wild elephants, crocodiles, myriad birdlife and if you're lucky, spot a leopard. Sri Lanka is a great place for elephant lovers, and at Pinnewalla Elephant Orphanage, and the Millenium Elephant Foundation on the road between Colombo and Kandy, you can get very close to the animals, ride on them, and even bathe with them.

The southern coasts hold some of Sri Lanka's most beautiful beaches, with a wide range of accommodation options from lovely small boutique properties to modern hotels. Snorkelling and scuba-diving is good, though some months of the year the waters get rather cloudy. You may also see turtles while you're swimming, and can visit several hatcheries where young turtles are returned to the wild.
Also in the south is the old colonial city of Galle, held by the Dutch, Portugese and British over the years. Galle still has some Dutch buildings, and an impressive fort, now a World Heritage Site.

TOUR REVIEWS

Encounters Travel did such a superb job in organizing this tour. I had never heard of them before going on the Maldives Magic tour, however now I will recommend them to friends/family and use them for my future planned trips.
Our tour is what made the trip that much more memorable. Rather than being plopped at a westernized resort, we were able to get a taste of how the locals live, eat and entertain themselves. We stayed in quaint guesthouses on the islands amongst the locals, ate authentic Maldivian cuisine (one day even with a Maldivian family who made us breakfast), and viewed a traditional dance/singing performance which was absolutely delightful. This was a trip of a lifetime that I will never forget.

My experience with Encounters was excellent from start to finish. The Tour Guide, Sheriff, was the most passionate, enthusiastic and professional guide I have ever had on a tour and his love for Egypt really made me enjoy my time so much more.

I have dealt with Anthony Horrobin on a number of occasions and it is like talking to an old friend on the phone. Anthony is super-efficient and will always go the extra mile to create the perfect trip.

This is our first travel through Encounters Travel and so far the arrangement is working very well. Our travel is not until April 2017 so I am more than hopeful all will continue to run as smoothly as it has so far.

The trip was excellent and very well run, we have no complaints it was exactly as we expected.The guide was knowledgable and courteous, it ran on time and accommodation was fine.We have no complaints and have now booked again to go to India.
The trip was as above and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, all destinations were as expected and lived up to our expectations.We went with the idea of visiting Turkey and especially Gallipoli which achieved our goals.The historical part of thetrip was very well done and memmorable.

ratings

VIDEO FEATURE

Our video features bring our tours to life in a way the no photo can, you'll feel like you're on the tour.

POSTS FROM OUR BLOG

Need some travel inspiration or looking for some handy travel tips? Our blog provides excellent insight into our travel destinations - from tour updates to country guides, packing lists to little known things to do, you'll find it all in our travel blog.

https://ucarecdn.com/a9343fad-36e3-4125-8af8-38176c0262d1/ By: Danniell Saunders 2012-06-20 16:00:00

Backpack vs Suitcase….

In Egypt

If you have an opinion on this, it will usually be a strong one.

Read Blog 0 Comments
https://ucarecdn.com/a9343fad-36e3-4125-8af8-38176c0262d1/ By: Danniell Saunders 2012-05-21 16:00:00

8 products for less stressful travelling

In Egypt

The most experienced travel gurus know that the key to smart travelling is efficiency. Packing lightweight, compact items that help you navigate your travel experience is best.

Read Blog 0 Comments