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Diverse Cuisine

Sample delicious Sri Lankan food

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Beautiful Beaches

Clear, turquoise water meets warm, golden sand

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Rich Culture

A mix of cultures and beliefs call Sri Lanka home

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Epic Wildlife

Spot leopards, elephants and turtles

Golden beaches, ancient temples and laid-back safari

The island nation of Sri Lanka might be small, but beyond its Indian Ocean-lapped shores you’ll find a country of startling beauty and genuine warmth.

Cinnamon and spices brought traders to Ceylon from around the world – first the Portuguese, followed by the Dutch, who fortified the ports of Colombo and Galle, before the British arrived for the tea. This history has lent Sri Lanka a diverse culture, reflected in the country’s cuisine and architecture.

It is home to hundreds of miles of palm-lined beaches, rolling hills of verdant tea plantations punctuated with nimble-fingered pickers, millennia-old temples sat alongside faded colonial mansions, and ancient forests where herds of elephants roam.

Hindu and Buddhist kingdoms date back thousands of years, gloriously preserved at UNESCO World Heritage Sites such as Kandy, Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa, the area between which is known as the Cultural Triangle.

It is an island with swathes of wilderness and some fine safari, whether it’s leopard spotting in Yala National Park, or encountering herds of elephant, surviving here in a higher density than anywhere else in Asia, in remote parks such as Gal Oya. Birders will be in their element with over 400 different types of birds to spot, while whales and dolphins populate the island’s warm coastal waters, and five of the world’s seven turtle species come to nest in Sri Lankan sand.

Highlights

Explore UNESCO World Heritage Sites, such as Kandy, Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa

Spot wild elephants, leopard and all the other wildlife Sri Lanka has to offer on safari

Enjoy exciting Sri Lankan food, infamous for its rich spices

Climb Sigiriya, one of Sri Lanka’s seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Relax on the palm-covered beaches of Arugam Bay

For any real foodie, Sri Lanka should be top of your bucket list! Imagine picking fresh ingredients from the markets in Galle before cooking a delicious Sri Lankan meal with a local chef. Or enjoying an exhilarating hike through the scenic Tea Country, then being rewarded at the end with a freshly brewed pot of fragrant Sri Lankan tea.

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Rachel O'Leary

Senior Travel Designer

Luxury accommodation in Sri Lanka

There are many incredible places to stay in Sri Lanka. Here are some of our favourites, handpicked by our travel designers:

Why book with Jacada?

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Personalised design

We’ll plan your trip around your specific interests, tastes and preferences, providing helpful tips and honest advice based on first-hand knowledge of the destination.

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Authentic experiences

Our expert guides and brilliant travel concierges are hand-picked to provide a genuine experience, bringing your destination to life with care and passion.

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Responsible travel

Our luxury trips are designed with responsible travel principles that prioritise travel experiences that are both good for you and good for the planet.

Ready to plan your adventure?

Whatever you want from your Sri Lanka tour, our team of expert travel designers are ready to help.

Where to go

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Colombo

Hot and busy, recent years have seen Colombo gradually transform from a place visitors could not avoid to a fascinating destination well worth exploring.

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Cultural Triangle

Kandy, Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa were the three great Sinhalese capitals, and together they form the area known as the Cultural Triangle.

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Galle

Galle is a stunningly atmospheric town at the southern edge of Sri Lanka with fascinating history evident at every turn through its eclectic assemblage of architecture.

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Gal Oya National Park

Gal Oya National Park is something of a hidden gem, one of Sri Lanka’s least visited national parks due to its remoteness and dearth of accommodation, yet it is a place of beautiful landscapes home to vibrant wildlife.

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Kandy

A world of ancient kings, ornate temples, lush gardens and vibrant traditions – Kandy is the second largest city in Sri Lanka and its cultural capital.

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Koggala Lake

A short way east along the coast from Galle Fort, Koggala is a small town fronted by one of the longest beaches in Sri Lanka and backed by a large lake.

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Tangalle

A meandering stretch of rugged cliffs and beautiful sandy bays on Sri Lanka’s southern coast, all protected by a vast enclosing reef, you’ll find a collection of the island’s best beaches and a small collection of blissful resorts west of Tangalle.

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Tea Country

Dotted across lush ranked fields, women quickly but meticulously harvest leaves by hand, baskets slung across their backs. Stretching across the island’s midsection, this is Sri Lanka’s tea country and quite possibly the origin of your favourite morning cuppa.

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Yala National Park

Occupying the south-eastern corner of the island, the vast Yala National Park is Sri Lanka’s second largest national park and also its most popular.

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When to visit

Sri Lanka‘s tropical climate means the country sees warmth and sunshine throughout the year. The north and east of the island make up the dry zone, while the western slopes of the central highlands are the wettest part of Sri Lanka.

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Wildlife

May - October

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Beach Break

November - March

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Warm Weather

Year Round

When is the Best Time to Visit Sri Lanka?

When is the Best Time to Visit Sri Lanka?

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Plan your trip to Sri Lanka

Whatever you want from your adventure in Sri Lanka, our team of expert travel designers are ready to help.

Plan with peace of mind

When you book a trip in today’s world there’s a lot to think about. But with the right advice and expert planning, you can do it with confidence.

If you book to travel with us but your plans are impacted by circumstances you can’t control, we’ll change your reservation or cancel your booking for a full credit towards future travel.

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