Sri Lanka Explorer
Sri Lanka Explorer
Sri Lanka Explorer
12 Days Starting in Negombo and ending in Colombo
Visiting: Negombo, Anuradhapura, Jaffna, Trincomalee, Dambulla, Kandy, Colombo
Tour operator:
Tour code:
HPSS
Guide Type:
Fully Guided
Group size:
1 - 12
Physical rating:
Low, Low
Age range:
15-99 years
Special diets catered:
Vegetarians
Tour operated in:
EnglishTrip Styles:
Interests:
Activities:
From:
$2130
$1810 (USD)
Operator discount: -$320
-15%
Tour Overview
Drive along the road in Sri Lanka and you can pass Hindu temples, Buddhist shrines, churches and mosques all on the same stretch. This fusion – found in the history, the culture, the Arabian, Indian and European-inspired food – makes Sri Lanka a delicious melting pot to explore. From laid-back Negombo venture through ancient Anuradhapura to the lesser explored north, the secrets and hidden places of Jaffna, and on to the beautiful coastline of Trincomalee. Discover the spiritual heart of the country in the temples of Kandy, and enjoy the natural world too, in a country that overflows with plants and wildlife. Spend time with locals keen to share their homes, food, and stories on an adventure that will leave you with many of your own to tell.
Highlights
Itinerary
Day 1: Negombo
Location: Negombo
Accommodation: Hotel
Ayu-bowan! Welcome to Sri Lanka. Your adventure begins in the town of Negombo, located close to the international airport. You can arrive at any time on Day 1 as there are no activities planned until the important welcome meeting at 5.30 pm. Those arriving early can get into the spirit of seaside Sri Lanka by observing the local fishing craft and perhaps feasting on fresh seafood. The beautiful surrounding countryside is best explored on a bicycle, which you can rent with help from the hotel reception.
Day 2: Anuradhapura
Location: Anuradhapura
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals Included: breaksfast
Travel north by private vehicle (approximately 4 hours) to Anuradhapura along the way visit the Negombo Fish Markets. The grand ruins of Anuradhapura point to its status as Sri Lanka’s ruling city for almost one and a half millennia. Take a guided cycling tour of the large number of archaeological sites – the stupas, citadel and monasteries – and stop by the Bodhi Tree Temple, the second-most sacred site in Sri Lanka.
Included Activities:
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Day 3: Jaffna
Location: Jaffna
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals Included: breaksfast
Travel north by train (approximately 4 hours) to the coastal Tamil town of Jaffna, inaccessible for years due to the civil war. Journey around the Jaffna Peninsula, taking in Point Pedro (Sri Lanka’s northernmost point), the healing waters of Keerimalai Spring, the ruined dagobas of Kantarodai, and Nilawari, a bottomless well where it’s said that the Hindu God, Rama, shot an arrow to get water.
Included Activities:
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Day 4: Jaffna
Location: Jaffna
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals Included: breaksfast, dinner
Today we have plenty of time to explore more of Jaffna. Visit Nagadipa Temple on Nainativu Island, the only major Buddhist site in the north of the country (where Buddha himself is said to have visited to settle a dispute between two local kings) and accessible by local ferry. Just by the jetty is also the Naga Pooshani Amman Kovil, a colourful Hindu Temple dedicated to Meenakshi. Back in Jaffna, tour the city including the beautiful library that has been lovingly restored after being detroyed in the war, and the Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil, an important local Hindu site. In the evening, visit a local home and learn to cook traditional Jaffna cuisine with a delicious dinner with cuisine delights from the area.
Included Activities:
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Day 5: Trincomalee
Location: Trincomalee
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals Included: breaksfast
Leave Jaffna today and travel to Trincomalee (approximately 4 hours). Discover the beach vibes of "Trinco", relax in the shade of a palm tree and try ‘toddy’ straight from its flowers. Trincomalee was one of the world’s finest deep-water harbours, attracting famous sailors like Marco Polo to its shores. There are no activities planned today, so there's plenty of time to relax around the pool or beach.
Day 6: Trincomalee
Location: Trincomalee
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals Included: breaksfast
Today, visit a local village and witness how local tappers extract toddy from Palmyrah and learn on how palmyrah leaves are weaved to make different items. Then join the local women and see how ‘Odiyal Kool’ are prepared and have a taste of this authentic tamil seafood soup. In the afternoon, enjoy a range of optional activities like visiting the colorful and intricate Pathirakali Amman Hindu temple, or climb aboard a boat for some whale and dolphin watching in the bay. Or just simply sit back, relax and enjoy the peaceful beach lifestyle.
Included Activities:
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Day 7: Dambulla
Location: Dambulla
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals Included: breaksfast
Drive from Trincomalee towards Dambulla (approximately 2 hours), your base to explore the colourful Anuradhapura district of Sri Lanka. Visit the Dambulla Cave Temple. This wondrous UNESCO Heritage-listed site is the largest and best preserved cave temple complex in Sri Lanka, many of which are full of colourful, large statues and paintings related to Gautama Buddha and his life. After returning to Dambulla, there’s the option of going elephant, sambar deer and leopard watching on a safari in the evergreen scrublands of Minneriya National Park.
Included Activities:
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Day 8: Dambulla
Location: Dambulla
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals Included: breaksfast
Today visit Sigiriya's Lion Rock, an ancient carved-rock fortress that rises dramatically above the surrounding plains. Then enjoy a wildlife safari at Minneriya National Park, home to Sri Lankan elephants and Sri Lankan sloth bears, and also claimed to be the best National Park in the world to witness elephants in large herds in their natural habitat, especially in the dry season from July to October. Return to Dambulla for the night and enjoy some free time in the evening.
Included Activities:
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Day 9: Kandy
Location: Kandy
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals Included: breaksfast
Leave Dambulla and head onwards to Kandy (approximately 3.5 hours), the last capital of Sri Lanka’s ancient kings era. As you continue on, a stop in at a spice garden might yield scents of cinnamon, pepper, cardamom, clove, nutmeg, vanilla and more as you learn the secrets of cultivating these palate pleasers. After arriving in Kandy, visit a Kandayan dance show to experience the colourful traditional costumes and evocative performances live in action.
Included Activities:
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Day 10: Kandy
Location: Kandy
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals Included: breaksfast
Start the day off in Kandy with a visit to the Giragama Tea Factory for an insight into local production techniques, then head to the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic. This golden roofed temple is home to Sri Lanka’s most important Buddhist relic – a tooth of the Buddha. Afterwards, enjoy the rest of the day with free exploration of the city. Perhaps take a walk around the beautiful lake in the centre of town, explore the local Buddhist temple or while away the afternoon amongst the trees and flowers of the Royal Palace Park.
Included Activities:
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Day 11: Colombo
Location: Colombo
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals Included: breaksfast
Drive on towards Colombo today, the nation's capital. Stop by some of the city's main sights on a bus tour including Independence Square, Parliament, and past the National Museum, finishing with a shopping opportunity for a good cause at the Barefoot Fair trade Store. Here you can find a collection of handicrafts from around the country and support small cottage industries. If you are lucky enough to be in Colombo on a Saturday, visit Good Market, a local market full of stalls showcasing social enterprises and responsible businesses. Tonight there's an optional final group dinner to celebrate your journey together.
Included Activities:
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Day 12: Colombo
Location: Colombo
There are no activities planned for day 12 and you are able to depart the hotel at any time. Check out time from the hotel is 12 noon. If you are departing later, you can arrange luggage storage at the hotel. Additional accommodation is available through your booking agent at the time of booking your trip.
What's Included
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Colombo - City Tour
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Anuradhapura - Bodhi Tree Temple
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Anuradhapura - World Heritage Site of ancient kingdom ruins
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Jaffna - Nagadeepa Temple
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Jaffna - Jaffna Peninsula tour
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Anuradhapura - Bike tour
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Dambulla - Cave Temples
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Jaffna - Cooking class & family visit
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Sigiriya - Lion Rock
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Jaffna - Jaffna Library
What's Not Included
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Tipping and Gratuities
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International Travel
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Airport Transfers at Destination
Accommodation
- OCCASIONAL ALTERNATIVE ACCOMMODATION
- The style of accommodation indicated in the day-to-day itinerary is a guideline. On rare occasions, alternative arrangements may need to be made due to the lack of availability of rooms in our usual accommodation. A similar standard of accommodation will be used in these instances.
- TWIN SHARE / MULTI SHARE BASIS
- Accommodation on this trip is on a twin/multishare basis. Please note there may be times where facilities will be shared rather than ensuite and rare occasions when you share a room with passengers travelling on a different Intrepid trip than your own.
- CHECK-IN TIME
- Throughout the trip we request that our hotels prepare rooms in time for our arrival, especially if we're arriving prior to normal check-in time. However this isn't always possible which means we won't be able to check-in immediately on arrival at some hotels. Instead, we can store our luggage and explore our new destination.
- PRE/POST TRIP ACCOMMODATION
- If you've purchased pre-trip or post-trip accommodation (subject to availability), you may be required to change rooms from your trip accommodation for these extra nights.
- AIR CONDITIONING
- All hotels on this trip have fans, but not all will have air conditioning.
Included Activities
- Anuradhapura - Bodhi Tree Temple
- Anuradhapura - Ancient site
- Anuradhapura - Bike tour
- Jaffna - Jaffna Peninsula tour
- Jaffna - Nagadeepa Temple
- Jaffna - Cooking class & family visit
- Jaffna - Jaffna Library
- Dambulla - Cave Temples
- Sigiriya - Lion Rock
- Wasgamuwa National Park - Project Orange Elephant visit
- Kandy - Spice garden visit
- Kandy - Cultural performance
- Kandy - Temple of the Tooth
- Kandy - Tea Factory Visit
- Colombo - City Tour
Transport
- MOTORCYCLES:
- Your travel insurance policy is unlikely to cover you when riding a motorcycle. We do not include or offer motorcycle activities on any of our trips in Sri Lanka.
- TAXIS:
- Use the taxi services from within the arrivals terminal at the airport or taxi services arranged through your booking agent. If you have a local SIM card, ride-sharing services, such as Uber, are available in major cities.
Important Information
- 1. A single supplement is available if you’d prefer not to share a room on this trip. The single supplement applies to all nights of your trip and is subject to availability. Please speak to your booking agent for further information.
- 2. The Perahera Festival is a 10 day period of evening processions to honour the Sacred Tooth, which is enshrined at Kandy's Temple of the Tooth. Each night features thousands of perfomers, including dancers, drummers, and a parade of more than 50 decorated elephants. Due to Intrepid's stance on elephant cruelty we do not visit the Perahera Festival and cannot purchase tickets on your behalf.
- 3. Please provide your full name exactly as per passport at the time of booking for train tickets. Fees may apply for amendments to details within 45 days of departure, and in some cases you will be required to cover the cost of issuing new tickets.
- 4. Train tickets are in very high demand. We always try our best to secure tickets, but on the rare occasion that we cannot book them, you will continue your journey by private vehicle.
Check out our Q&As
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Are international flights included in this tour?
No
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Are children permitted to take part in the tour?
Yes if aged 15+ and accompanied by an adult
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Are the local guides on the tour English speaking?
Yes
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Are all the relevant entry visa’s included in the price of the tour?
No
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Are airport transfers included in this tour?
No
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Are all entrance fees included in the price?
Yes, except optional activities
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Is this trip right for you
Jaffna has opened up to tourism after being off-limits to visitors for the past 30 years, meaning it is quieter, less developed and services and accommodation are not yet quite up to the same standard as the rest of the country.
Though its equatorial position means fairly constant year-round temperatures, the summer months in Sri Lanka are very hot with short, sharp monsoons in the south-west of the country. Be sure to use adequate sun protection and drink plenty of water. -
What policies are in place for Covid-19?
Please contact us for latest COVID-19 policies
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How long has the tour company been trading?
Intrepid Travel has been taking travellers around the world for over 30 years
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Will the accommodation included meet local health and safety regulations?
Yes
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What Ethical Travel credentials does the tour company have?
Since 2002, The Intrepid Foundation has supported over 130 organisations across the world. We’re creating positive impact through the joy of travel, community and connection.
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Do you operate a “single share” option and how does it work?
Over 50% of traveller travel solo with Intrepid. You can choose to share a room with another solo travelle of the same sex for no additional charge, or choose to pay a single supplement if you’d like your own room. Please request this when booking, and we will secure you a single supplement wherever possible. Please note, if you are booking a last-minute trip, it may be harder for us to secure a single room
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Dec 28, 2025 - Jan 08, 2026Book with Confidence
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Free Date Changes
Intrepid Travel allows you to make 10 free date changes, as long as the change is made at least 56 days before the start of the tour.
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Transfer as credit to Future Tours
Intrepid Travel allows you to transfer existing payments to a future tour to avoid cancellation fees if you can't travel and inform intrepid travel, 56 days before departure.
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Low Deposit
Intrepid Travel requires a minimum deposit of 400 USD per person or the full booking value, whichever is less, with the final balance not due until 56 days before departure.
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Cancellation Policy
We don't charge a cancellation fee, here is a summary of intrepid travel charges.
Up to 56 days before tour starts: Forfeit 100% of deposit.
At 55 days before tour starts: Forfeit 30% of booking price.
At 30 days before tour starts: Forfeit 60% of booking price.
At 14 days before tour starts: Forfeit 100% of booking price.
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COVID Protection
Trips from 1 January 2023 onwards
From 1 January 2023, Intrepid will no longer require travellers to provide proof of vaccination against COVID-19.
However, we continue to strongly recommend that all travellers and leaders get vaccinated to protect themselves and other Specific proof of testing or vaccination may still be required by your destination or airline. Please ensure you check travel and entry requirements carefully.
This policy excludes all Polar trips and select adventure cruises, where testing and vaccination remains a requirement. Please refer to the Essential Trip Information of your chosen tour for more details. -
Terms and Conditions