16 Day Sri Lanka and Maldives Tour Package

Sri Lanka is the rising star of Asia, and for good reason!

Our handpicked 12-day itinerary has been carefully selected to show you the best of this green and the luscious gem of the Indian Ocean. Head up to the misty mountain tops to hike the hill country and explore tea plantations before traveling down to the sun-drenched beaches and national parks where we’ll search for wild elephants. Spot dolphins, visit ancient temples, play cricket on the beach and have the adventure of a lifetime. The smells of spices, tea, and traditional foods will bring your senses alive as you adventure through this island nation.

16 Day Sri Lanka and Maldives Tour Package Gallery

16 Day Sri Lanka and Maldives Tour Package - Tour itinerary - 16 Days

Welcome to Sri Lanka
Day 1: Welcome to Sri Lanka

Arrive on day one and be greeted at the airport by your tour guide, who will load your luggage into a tuk tuk as you ride through the tree lined and sunbaked streets of Negombo to your first hotel. Today is your day, explore the canals, the lagoons or get your base tan on the beach, for in the evening we meet as a group and hit the town for your welcome dinner and drinks.

Accommodation: Twin Share with ensuite
Included Activity – Welcome dinner
Optional Activities – N/A
Physical Rating – Low

Meals: Dinner
Sigiriya
Day 2: Sigiriya

Fill up on a delicious breakfast in the hotel before we hop on a private bus to start our journey to Sigiriya. On the way we will stop off to explore the magnificent Dambulla Caves, history and religion bounce off every painted wall and stone Buddha statue, leaving you with an unrivalled sense of spirituality. Then we’ll continue on to check into our stunning hotel in Sigiriya, the jewel of the Cultural Triangle. We will finish our epic day with a sunset climb to the quiet Buddhist monastery of Pidurangala, to get an open and unobstructed shot of what it is we’ll be climbing in the morning!

 Accommodation: Twin Share with en- suite & Balcony

Included Activities – Dambulla Cave Temple Guided Tour
Optional Activities – N/A
Physical Rating – Low – Moderate

Meals: Breakfast
Sigiriya Rock
Day 3: Sigiriya Rock

An early wake-up time today as we put on our hiking shoes, grab our camera and head out to climb the incredible Sigiriya Rock. Protruding proudly out of the earth, ruins of a grand palace provide evidence all around the grounds of a once violent and noble Sri Lankan history. View the ancient wall paintings, the sanskript marked mirror wall, and the huge stone lion paws guarding the ascent to the summit. The views from the top are unrivaled as you travel through time examining the ruins. This afternoon you have the option to go on an extra safari in Minneriya national park, where elephants patrol the land (please note, this safari is included during whale watching off-season). To fill those hungry bellies, we stop by a local family for lunch who will prepare a traditional feast for us before taking a well-deserved rest on a lounger in the afternoon sun.

Accommodation: Twin Share with en- suite & Balcony

Included Activities – Sigiriya Rock Climb, Pidurangala Monastery
Optional Activities – Extra Safari/Massage
Physical Rating – High

Meals: Breakfast
Kandy
Day 4: Kandy

Today we say goodbye to Sigiriya and embark on our travels down south towards Sri Lanka’s second-largest city, Kandy. We will stop at a spice garden on the way to learn about where our favourite spices come from and have a cooking class where we’ll learn the secret to a perfect Sri Lankan curry! Here, our local chef will teach you how to make dhal and chicken curry as well as fried cashew coconut sambal and poppadoms. Then we’ll continue our drive to Kandy, check in to our next accommodation and take in the sights and sounds of this bustling city with a Tuk Tuk tour!

Accommodation: Dorm Share w/ Shared Bathroom
Included Activities – Cooking class, spice garden visit & Kandy Tuk Tuk Tour
Optional Activities – N/A
Physical Rating – Low

Meals: Breakfast, lunch
Temple of Tooth and Train into the Mountains
Day 5: Temple of Tooth and Train into the Mountains

Eat your breakfast overlooking the hills of Kandy before we head into town to visit the sacred Temple of the Tooth. This is a religious shrine that is said to house the tooth of Buddha himself. We then jump on the bus and travel through the mountainous region of the hill country. The hills are ablaze with small green tea plants which Sri Lanka is famous for. We stop by a functioning tea factory to learn how the tea is processed and ends up in your cup at home, whilst actually learning how 7 different types of tea are made all from the same plant! A trip to Sri Lanka is not complete without experiencing life on the train and the journey from Nuwara Eliya to Ella is dubbed as the best journey in the world. 180-degree views of tea plantations, waterfalls, lakes, and local villages pass on by as your train traverses the tracks cut into the mountainside. Try the sweet milk tea on board, converse with friendly locals and take pictures to make you the envy of all your friends back home. After we check into our hotel, we’ll head into Ella for dinner and drinks in everyone’s favourite mountainous town.

 Accommodation: Twin Share w/ En-suite

Included Activities – Temple of the Tooth, Tea Estate Visit, Train Journey
Optional Activities – N/A
Physical Rating – Low

Meals: Breakfast
Free day in Ella
Day 6: Free day in Ella

Today is yours to do as you please. Ella plays host to some of the best Ayurveda massage parlors in Sri Lanka. A thousand-year-old technique that removes any aches or pains you may have, or simply as an excellent way to relax. Your tour guide will let you know what other activities you can do in the area.

Accommodation: Twin Share w/en- suite
Included Activities – N/A
Optional Activities – Ella Gap Hike, Massage, cooking classes
Physical Rating – N/A

Meals: Breakfast
Safari Time
Day 7: Safari Time

Today we will rise early to explore some of the hidden gems of Ella, such as the 9 Arch Bridge and Little Adam’s Peak. Afterwards we will continue our way down South and check into our epic campsite, just 45 minutes away from the stunning Uda Walawe National Park! Our hosts will greet us with welcome drinks and a delicious Sri Lankan buffet lunch. After we’ve eaten we jump into jeeps and go on safari, searching the wilderness for herds of elephants, buffalo, crocodiles, monkeys, eagles, hawks, peacocks, mongoose and if you’re lucky, leopards. Truly a once in a lifetime experience, your day in the national park will be a tough one to beat. After driving around the park, we’ll head back to camp where our hosts will have a BBQ dinner waiting for us, the best way to end an amazing day.

 

Accommodation: Sweet Glamping spot with a pool & BBQ dinner
Included Activities – Guided Ella Hikes, elephant safari
Optional Activities – N/A
Physical Rating – Moderate

Meals: Breakfast , lunch and dinner
Beach time
Day 8: Beach time

Take the morning to chill out by our campsite pool and just enjoy your surroundings – monkeys, elephants and peacocks roam the fields around the campsite, so be sure to be on the lookout. After breakfast we’ll drive to the South West Coast, arriving at the stunning beachside town of Mirissa. A place where the world-class waves hit the sand, where turtles inhabit the water, and where the beer is ice cold. After a week in the hill country, this is exactly what you need.

Accommodation: Twin Share w/en- suite
Included Activities – N/A
Optional Activities – Surfing, massage
Physical Rating – Low

Meals: Breakfast
Whale Watching
Day 9: Whale Watching

Today we wake up early and head to the beautiful golden sand beach. We jump on board one of THE best boats in the area to view the largest animals in the world. Watch as blue whales, jump, swim and dive around you and be blown away by their size. After a morning on the boat, we head back to relax for a while before heading to our second spectacular beach destination; Hikkaduwa! 

Accommodation: Twin Share en-suite & balcony
Included Activities – Whale Watching* & Galle Visit
Optional Activities – N/A
Physical Rating – Low*Blue Whale watching is a season activity

Meals: Breakfast
Bike through rice paddie fields
Day 10: Bike through rice paddie fields

After breakfast by the beach, we start our bike ride through some beautiful local villages and rice fields, stopping to drink a fresh king coconut in a secluded tropical garden & even to a dog care clinic to those that would like to visit. Afterward, we’ll give you some time to take photos of the area or to buy souvenirs from one of the many boutique and unique stores. The perfect place to write a postcard and send it home with tales of your incredible time over the past 11 days. Then we’ll drive down to the stunning Galle Fort, a city encased in walls, where Dutch, Portugese and British Colonial buildings still stand proud. The cobbled streets lead to the sea, where crazy Sri Lankan locals swan dive into the ocean.

 

Accommodation: Twin Share with en- suite
Included Activities – Bike trip through local rice fields and a visit to a local school
Optional Activities – Massage
Physical Rating – Moderate

Meals: Breakfast
Turtle Sanctuary
Day 11: Turtle Sanctuary

After your breakfast, we will pack up our things for the 2 hour drive along the coast to the bustling capital city of Colombo. On the way we stop off at small turtle sanctuary, where baby turtles learn to take that first swim and injured adults are rehabilitated back into the wild. Across the road we’ll view the humbling 2004 Tsunami Memorial, where you can listen to survival tales and view pictures of the event. We then arrive into Colombo and check into our boutique hostel, you’ll have some free time to visit the national museum or art gallery close by, or take a tuk tuk and run around the manic streets of the Pattah Markets for some final souvenir shopping. We’ll then meet together in the evening for a final dinner together before saying our goodbye!

 

Accommodation: Dorm share w/ shared bathroom
Included Activities – Tsunami Memorial and Turtle Sanctuary
Optional Activities – Colombo Market Tour
Physical Rating – Low

Meals: Breakfast
Get ready for the Maldives
Day 12: Get ready for the Maldives

Time to say our final goodbyes with the friends you have just made over the course of an incredible 12 days. For some of you, this means continuing your holiday on the phenomenal beaches of the Maldives with our add-on package, for others, its either back home or to continue your travels. Whatever your next destination may be, we hope we have educated you on a country that provides so much, that possesses incredible variation in exploration and we hope we have inspired you to explore more.

Accommodation: N/A
Included Activities – N/A
Optional Activities – 5 Day Maldives Add-on Package!

Meals: Breakfast
Maldives Add on
Day 13-16: Maldives Add on

DAY 1 – ARRIVE AT MALE

Arrive at Male airport and jump on a speedboat transfer to Maafushi ready to check in to your beach resort.

DAY 2 – UNDERWATER DAY

The Maldives is home to an abundance of underwater life, and today is the day to explore it! Manta rays, sharks, even a few wrecks – you name it, you can find it in the Maldives.

DAY 3 – UNWIND AT A SIGNATURE EXCLUSIVE MALDIVIAN RESORT

Today we recharge those batteries and unwind, visiting a signature exclusive Maldivian resort. Take in the soft sandy beaches and translucent clear lagoons enclosed by house reefs that are inhabited by a variety of marine flora and fauna and everything else you would expect on a tropical holiday.

DAY 4 – FREE DAY!

Today is a free day to do anything you like. Want to scuba dive some of the best sites in the world? Grab a jet ski or paddle board? Or maybe just relax on the beach with a cocktail in hand. Spend your last full day in the Maldives doing whatever you like!

*All extra activities at own cost

DAY 5 – SAY GOODBYE TO PARADISE

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Join our 12 day Sri Lanka group adventure tour plus the 5 days add- on to the Maldives. We aim to provide ethical, transformational travel experiences for adventurous individuals. The perfect tour to Sri Lanks for adventure-seekers, backpackers, or anyone looking to experience some of the most beautiful and culturally rich travel destinations in the world.