Set off on a luxury Sri Lanka tour where jungle, mist, historic forts, and tropical beaches all have their moment — with your expert host, Crystal Hochman, leading the way. Over ten days, you’ll travel through the Cultural Triangle, Kandy, tea plantations, and Yala National Park, staying in historic bungalows, luxury palm-thatched hideaways, and plantation villas. Crystal is with you throughout, and the pace is thoughtful: enough time to climb to Sigiriya’s ancient fort, sip proper Ceylon, spot Sri Lankan leopards from a Jeep, and still be back for high tea and coconut cocktails on the beach.
• After arriving at Colombo International Airport, you’ll board a private plane to Sigiriya.
• On arrival, a private driver will meet you and take you to Water Garden Sigiriya, your luxurious home for the next two nights. The hotel has spectacular views of Lion’s Rock — the ancient rock fortress of Sigiriya.
• In the evening, unwind with a traditional Balinese massage followed by a welcome dinner.
• After breakfast at the hotel, set out on a full-day private guided tour of Sigiriya and Dambulla.
• Visit the Dambulla Cave Temple, a sacred pilgrimage site for over 22 centuries, and walk through its chambers filled with more than 150 Buddhist sculptures.
• Continue to Lion’s Rock and explore the remains of the ancient royal palace and fortress built at the summit of this towering stone monolith.
• Lunch and dinner will be arranged at restaurants recommended by your Art In Voyage hosts.
• Enjoy breakfast, then set off to Kandy.
• En route, stop at Ranweli Spice Garden for a one-hour privately guided spice tour followed by lunch.
• On arrival in Kandy, settle into your luxury hotel and take an optional stroll through the Peradeniya Botanical Gardens, then indulge in a high tea.
• In the afternoon, enjoy a private guided tour of the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic — considered Sri Lanka’s most sacred Buddhist site and home to the relic of the Buddha’s tooth.
• After breakfast in Kandy, board a train to Hatton, traveling along one of the world’s most scenic routes — a slow climb into the hills through Ceylon tea plantations, waterfalls, mist-filled valleys, and colorful villages.
• Arrive in Hatton and settle into your luxury accommodation at the Ceylon Tea Trails — Summerville Bungalow.
• Enjoy a tea planter’s picnic lunch, then head out on a privately guided walk and hike through the surrounding tea fields.
• Dinner is served at the property.
• Start the day with a Sri Lankan breakfast in your luxury bungalow.
• Head to the nearby Dunkeld Tea Factory for a private guided tour and a quintessential tea experience, from field to final brew.
• Back at the luxury bungalow, take part in an interactive hour-long private tea tasting before stepping into the kitchen for a hands-on Sri Lankan cooking class, followed by lunch.
• The afternoon is yours to spend as you like —walk around Castlereigh Reservoir, kayak, or visit the small but storied Warleigh Church.
• Dinner is served at the bungalow, where butler service and gourmet cuisine showcase the best of luxury hospitality in Sri Lanka.
• After breakfast at Summerville Bungalow, depart for Yala National Park in two luxury four-seater helicopters.
• Land on the helipad at Uga Chena Huts — your luxury palm-thatched hideaway for the next two nights. Set in the golden dunes and lush greenery, Uga Chena Huts has direct access to tropical beaches and wildlife.
• Walk to the pristine beach, where a traditional lunch will be served with sand between your toes.
• Enjoy a relaxed afternoon before dinner at the property.
• Start the day with breakfast at Uga Chena Huts before heading out on a private guided safari in Yala National Park.
• Travel in two Jeeps, each with a knowledgeable ranger, as you track elephants, crocodiles, buffalo — and, if luck holds, leopard (Yala is known for having one of the world’s highest leopard densities!).
• Return to a sunset picnic with complimentary drinks served in the wild, then ease into a quiet evening back at the luxury lodge.
• After breakfast, travel by private vehicle to Galle, breaking the journey for lunch on the secluded sands of Tangalle Beach.
• Sip from freshly picked coconuts and take in the sea views before continuing on to Amangalla (Aman Resorts), your luxury hotel in Galle and home for the next two nights.
• Once checked in, set out on a privately guided walking tour of Galle Fort — the best way to explore this star-shaped monument that tells the story of Sri Lanka’s Dutch, Portuguese, and British influences.
• Back at the hotel, enjoy optional spa treatments on request and a gourmet dinner paired with wines.
• After breakfast, choose how you’d like to spend your final full day in Sri Lanka: a cooking class or catamaran cruise.
• For the cooking class, your private chef will take you to local markets to pick out ingredients and spices, then guide you through preparing a traditional Sinhalese curry in clay pots under a thatched garden pavilion on a rice paddy island.
• If you opt for the coast, set out from Mirissa on a half-day catamaran cruise — cocktails and a picnic lunch included.
• Dinner is at leisure.
Your private transfer will take you back to Colombo Airport for your onward flight. But if you're not quite ready to leave, you're in good hands. Our travel experts can arrange a private extension or help you choose from our luxury tour collection — whether that means more time in Sri Lanka, hopping over to the Maldives, or venturing further afield.
Our day-to-day itinerary may, from time to time and prior to departure, need to be altered or slightly modified to address possible unforeseen logistical and weather challenges. In such rare instances, Art In Voyage guarantees delivery of the content of the itinerary yet, in a different order.
All listed retreats (hotels, villas, and barges) are, at times, subject to changes. In such rare instances, similar or higher standards will be upheld.
Travel insurance, once purchased, goes into effect upon payment of the premium. You have 15 days from that date to cancel it (providing no claims have been filed or initiated during that period). Beyond 15 days, it becomes non-refundable/non-changeable/non-transferrable.
In case of a cancelation at more than 90 days prior to departure, your deposit will be returned minus a $500 per person administrative fee.
In case of a cancelation within the penalty period: Find a replacement at least 30 days prior to departure and your journey will be fully refunded, minus a $500 per person administrative fee.
