Impressions of Sri Lanka (Mini 5-Day Tour)

Extend your Stay with our 5 Day Pre-Tour

Upgrade your Sri Lanka Winter Sun stay by adding our exclusive multi-stop Impressions of Sri Lanka tour before your Sri Lanka Winter Sun beach stay, available from just £749pp.

Enhance your long-stay holiday to Sri Lanka with a range of included and optional excursions to maximise your time away. For the traveller who wants to discover more of Sri Lanka, this is your chance to see the history and culture of this beautiful country with immersive excursions to Cave Temples, ancient ruins, a towering rock fortress and more.

Travel Options

Holiday Highlights

All transport, guides, porterage and hotels as detailed.
Includes an exploration of Dambulla, a Hiriwaduna Village Experience in Polonnaruwa and visits to Kandy (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and Nuwara Eliya, a world-renowned tea plantation.

*Please note additional (optional) excursions are available to book in resort.

Want to book?

To book this additional pre-tour, please give our friendly Contact Centre a call on the number below.

03332 342 010

Departures Filter dates by pickup

Please set your postcode to see local pickups

Swipe left and right

Oops! No dates have been found for this holiday.

Accommodation Close

Selected Hotels

JG4 rating

We will stay at a selection of hotels along this 5-day mini tour including:

Regenta Arie Lagoon, Negombo
Tropical Life Resort & Spa, Dambulla
Hotel Topaz, Kandy
Ashford Hotel, Nuwara Eliya

Hotel Rating

Accommodation in our JG4 category is of an even higher standard, typically offering a wide range of facilities and services. Bedrooms are designed to make your stay the most comfortable possible and the staff provide a service that reflects the detail and quality. You can also expect higher standards of food and beverages.

Impressions of Sri Lanka (Mini 5-Day Tour) Close

Itinerary

Day 1 Airport – Negombo

On arrival at the airport, we meet our guide and vehicle. We journey to Negombo and check into our hotel (Arie Lagoon) for our overnight stay.

Day 2 Negombo – Dambulla

After breakfast, we check out of the hotel and travel to Dambulla to explore the local surroundings. Our hotel for the next two nights is the 4-star Tropical Life Resort & Spa.

Optional Excursion – Dambulla Cave Temple*

We explore the city of Dambulla and the Dambulla Rock Temple, containing the most unique and exquisite cave paintings, along with 150 statues of Lord Buddha.

*Please note: Dambulla Caves have a fairly steep incline with steps.

Day 3 Hiriwaduna Village Experience – Polonnaruwa

After breakfast, we travel to Hiriwadunna village, wander the banana plantation and break to enjoy a cooling coconut drink. Afterwards, we take a tuk-tuk through the jungle and paddy fields to enjoy a typical Sri Lankan lunch. Next, we journey to Polonnaruwa to explore its 10th-century ruins, home to macaques. Guides trained by the American Smithsonian Research Institute explain the social behaviours of these amazing creatures.

Optional Excursion – Minneriya National Park* (evening)

We enjoy a two-hour Jeep Safari in the Minneriya National Park. Well-known for its large population of elephants, the park is part of an elephant corridor that connects Kaudulla and Wasgomuwa national parks. During certain times of the year, up to 200 elephants can be found here as they migrate between the various parks. Apart from elephants, the park is also home to other mammals such as Sambur, spotted deer, sloth bears and leopards. Visitors can also spot macaque and purple-faced languor monkeys. Birdwatchers will enjoy their time at Minneriya as the park is home to a vast number of birds, including endemic species like the Sri Lankan hanging parrot and the crimson-fronted barbet.

Before we return to our hotel for dinner and our overnight stay in Dambulla, we enjoy a Sundowner cocktail and have time to relax in the tranquil surroundings.

Day 4 Dambulla – Kandy

After breakfast, we check out of our hotel in Dambulla and travel to Kandy, a UNESCO World Heritage Site to enjoy a city tour.

We visit the Temple of the Tooth, the beautiful Peradeniya University campus which offers a breathtaking panoramic view of the town. We stay at Hotel Topaz Kandy for the night.

Optional Excursion – The Sigiriya Rock Fortress*

A UNESCO World Heritage Site and nearly 200 metres high, this stunning rock formation is one the most famous tourist asave & closettractions in Sri Lanka.

*Please note to reach the Sigiriya Rock fortress, you must be in good health with good mobility.

Day 5 Kandy – Nuwara Eliya

We travel to Nuwara Eliya and visit a world-renowned tea plantation. Our local guide is on hand to translate any questions we might have! Tonight's accommodation is at the Ashford Hotel.

Day 6 Nuwara Eliya – transfer to Tangerine Beach Hotel

After breakfast, we check out of our hotel and transfer south to the Tangerine Beach Hotel for the rest of our Sri Lanka Winter Sun long-stay holiday.

Helpful Information

Important information regarding visas

Visa requirements:

You will need an ETA (Electronic Travel Authorisation) for Sri Lanka.

To help make this process as smooth as possible, we have partnered up with The Travel Visa Company who are a leading provider of travel visa services in the UK, with over 25 years of experience in helping travellers navigate the complexities of international travel. They offer a comprehensive range of visa services for destinations globally and will be including the new ETIAS process for UK travellers when it goes live in 2025.

You can call them on 01270 904901 or contact them via their website. They will be able to tell how much they will charge and how quickly they can obtain it for you.

Alternatively, you can find out more information about visa requirements directly on the Sri Lankan government website.

Travel forms:

Online embarkation form: An online embarkation form is available, which will replace the paper embarkation card. Foreign nationals can complete the online form three days prior to arrival in Sri Lanka. The service is free of charge.