Best of Sri Lanka

Touch down in Colombo and transfer to your Stays with Stories hotel, the Galle Face Hotel, a landmark with a rich colonial past and a storied guest list that includes royalty and world leaders. After settling in, join your Travel Director and fellow travelers for a welcome dinner featuring Sri Lankan-style hoppers, a type of bowl-shaped pancakes made from rice flour, an opportunity to toast to the journey ahead.

Walk through Colombo’s colonial streets, bustling markets and peaceful temples like Pettah and Gangarama Temple, uncovering the layers of Sri Lanka’s capital. The afternoon is yours, you can relax at the hotel, explore more of the city or join an Optional Experience to sample Sri Lanka’s street food or discover the architectural legacy of Geoffrey Bawa. As evening falls, you could choose to see Colombo illuminated from the top of the Lotus Tower on another Optional Experience.

Leaving Colombo behind, you'll travel towards Sigiriya, watching the landscape shift from city streets to rolling countryside. Stop in Kurunegala to see the hilltop Buddha statue that looks out over the town. You'll have time to slow down and tuck into traditional Sri Lankan flavors at a local restaurant, with views stretching over lush paddy fields. Arriving at your hotel in Sigiriya, unwind or join an Optional Experience on a game drive in Minneriya National Park, home to Sri Lanka’s Asian elephants.

Sigiriya Rock Fortress rises above the jungle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Sri Lanka’s most iconic landmarks. You'll have the option to climb past ancient frescoes and through the lion’s paws before reaching the summit, where you're rewarded with panoramic views. The afternoon is yours to relax at the hotel or explore at your own pace. Later, step into Sri Lanka’s past at Polonnaruwa, walking through the Royal Palace complex, the Quadrangle and the Gal Vihara Buddhas, carved from a single granite slab. After a day of ancient cities and lost kingdoms, you’ll be ready to unwind back at the hotel.

High above the plains, the Dambulla Cave Temple has been a place of worship for over 2,000 years. Walk through its rock-hewn chambers, where over 150 Buddha statues and centuries-old murals fill the sacred space. From here, visit a mountaintop farm with views of the Aluvihare Mountains, where a guided walk through gardens of pepper, papaya and cocoa ends with a traditional lunch. Arriving in Kandy, visit the revered Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, said to house a sacred fragment of the Buddha. Walk through its richly decorated halls, soaking in the spiritual atmosphere. As the evening unfolds, take your seat for a Kandyan Cultural Dance Performance, where drumming, fire acts and acrobatic dancers bring Sri Lanka’s traditions to life.

Journey into Sri Lanka’s hill country aboard the train from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya, where rolling tea plantations and misty peaks showcase the country’s natural beauty. Arriving in the heart of tea country, visit a working tea estate and factory to see the craft behind Ceylon’s finest export and enjoy a freshly brewed cup. Later, explore Nuwara Eliya, a town rich in colonial charm. Walk past the Tudor-style post office, unwind by Gregory Lake and soak in the atmosphere of the Grand Hotel and Hill Club, reminders of a bygone era.

Travel from Nuwara Eliya to Tissamaharama, winding down from the highlands to Sri Lanka’s southern plains. Along the way, Dive into Culture with a stop at a traditional buffalo curd farm, where you’ll see the process firsthand and enjoy a treacle-topped serving. Arriving in Tissamaharama, check in to your hotel and spend the rest of the day at leisure, relaxing or exploring at your own pace.