Hill Country · The South · The West Coast
6-Day Sri Lanka Tea Country, Wildlife & Beach Escape
Kandy / Nuwara Eliya / Ella / Yala / Bentota
The shape
This one crosses the island rather than settling into it. Five nights, five bases, and no two of them alike - hills, tea, a train, a national park, then the coast. The point is the change, not the pause.
The Tooth Relic during the midday Thevava. A working tea factory in the hills above Ramboda. Four hours on the Nanu Oya line, which is the day rather than a transfer. Yala in the afternoon when the animals move, and the last night on the coast at Bentota.
It is the shortest route that takes in all four of the island’s climates - and the turtle hatchery at Ahungalla on the way to the last one, which is ours.
The Peacock Standard
Always included
- Private vehicle and chauffeur guide throughout
- Every property booked and confirmed
- Breakfast daily, dinner most nights
- Park and site entrances arranged in advance
- Airport meet-and-greet on arrival and departure
- Cold towels and chilled king coconut in the vehicle
- A number answered at any hour
What each day holds
Day by day
Day 1 · Kandy
Inland, past the elephants
Met at the airport and driven inland, stopping at Pinnawala where the herd is walked down to the river to bathe. Into Kandy by evening, with the lake and the town to walk if the flight has left you restless.
Day 2 · Nuwara Eliya
The relic, then the tea
The Temple of the Sacred Tooth at midday, during the Thevava ritual rather than around it, and the Hanuman temple above the town. Then the climb into tea country - Ramboda Falls on the way up, and a working factory where the leaves are still sorted by hand.
Day 3 · Ella
Four hours on the Nanu Oya line
A slow morning in Nuwara Eliya - Sita Amman, Gregory Lake, the colonial bungalows in the mist - then the train from Nanu Oya to Ella. Four hours through tea slopes with the doors open, and it is the day rather than a way of getting somewhere. First-class seats are limited and go months ahead; we book as early as we can and tell you honestly if we cannot.
Day 4 · Yala
Nine Arches, then the dry country
Nine Arches by tuk tuk first thing, and Ravana Falls on the road out. Then down out of the hills to Yala for the afternoon drive, when the light drops and the animals begin to move.
Day 5 · Bentota
The coast road, the river, the hatchery
West along the south coast to Galle Fort - the ramparts, the old town, the streets inside the walls. Then the Madu River by boat through the mangroves, and the sea turtle hatchery at Ahungalla, which we run. Bentota by evening.
Day 6 · Departure
North through Colombo if there is time for it, then the expressway to the airport.
2 hrs