These are the 67 activities we can add to a trip, from $4 to $250 per person for two. A few have no price from us, and those cards say why.
Each price shows who it is for. "Activity only" means your car and driver are priced with your trip. Prices last checked 7 November 2026.
Showing 67 activities
Yala (Tissamaharama and Kataragama) · about 5 hours
A private jeep picks you up at about 05:30 and drives Block 1 until mid-morning. Leopards are seen on some drives, not all; elephants, buffalo, crocodiles and many birds are more reliable. The gate queue is long in peak months and the tracks are dusty.
$81
per person for two, activity only
Yala (Tissamaharama and Kataragama) · about 4 hours
Pickup at about 14:00, in the park until it closes at 18:00. The afternoon is hotter than the morning, but animals come to the waterholes in the last two hours of light. Leopards are seen on some drives, not all.
$81
per person for two, activity only
Yala (Tissamaharama and Kataragama) · about 12 hours
In the park from opening to closing, with a packed lunch eaten at a designated spot. A full day gives more time to look for a leopard, but it is long, hot and bumpy, and the middle of the day is quiet. Suited to people who want wildlife above comfort.
$121
per person for two, activity only
Udawalawe National Park · about 4 hours
Open grassland around a reservoir, so elephants are easier to see here than in Yala, often in family groups. Leopards are rarely seen. Morning (06:00) or afternoon (15:00) drives; the afternoon is hotter.
$76
per person for two, activity only
Wilpattu National Park · about 5 hours
A large park of forest and natural lakes (villus) rather than open plains. Fewer jeeps than Yala, but animals are harder to spot in the trees. Leopards and sloth bears are seen on some drives, not all.
$79
per person for two, activity only
Sigiriya (Dambulla and Habarana) · about 3.5 hours
An afternoon drive to see wild elephants on the reservoir grassland near Habarana. In the dry season herds gather on the lake bed; the rest of the year you see smaller groups. Herds move with water levels, so your driver chooses Minneriya, Kaudulla or Hurulu on the day.
$74
per person for two, activity only
Yala (Tissamaharama and Kataragama) · about 4 hours
A wetland park of lagoons and salt pans south of Tissamaharama, known for water birds and migrants rather than big animals. Flamingos are present in some years, not every year. Crocodiles and elephants are also seen; it is quieter than Yala.
$61
per person for two, activity only
Arugam Bay · about 5 hours
The east-coast park next to Yala, reached from Arugam Bay or Panama. Known for nesting water birds, with elephants, crocodiles and occasional leopards. Far fewer jeeps than Yala, and a longer drive to the gate.
$69
per person for two, activity only
Polonnaruwa · about 4 hours
A little-visited park between Polonnaruwa and the Knuckles foothills, with elephants, sloth bears and many birds. You may have the tracks to yourself. The access roads are rough and it is a long drive from Kandy.
$54
per person for two, activity only
Gal Oya National Park · about 3 hours
A boat trip on the Senanayake Samudraya reservoir inside Gal Oya National Park, where elephants sometimes swim between islands. The park is remote and the boats are small. Elephants are seen on some trips, not all.
$60
per person for two, activity only
Nuwara Eliya · about 5 hours
A 9 km loop across high grassland to the World's End cliff and Baker's Falls, on foot. Leave Nuwara Eliya at about 05:30: the view from the cliff usually clouds over by mid-morning. It is cold at dawn and no jeep is needed: a car reaches the gate.
$36
per person for two, activity only
Yala (Tissamaharama and Kataragama) · add-on
An English-speaking naturalist rides in your jeep and explains what you see: tracks, calls, birds, behaviour. Worth it for birders and first-time safari-goers. The naturalist does not change your odds of a leopard.
$13
per person for two, activity only
Sigiriya (Dambulla and Habarana) · about 1.5 hours
A short walk after dark through scrub forest on private land near Sigiriya with a local guide, looking for the slender loris, a small nocturnal primate. Also owls, civets and frogs. Lorises are seen on some walks, not all.
$22
per person for two, activity only
Mirissa (with Weligama) · about 5 hours
A shared boat leaves Mirissa harbour at 06:30 to look for blue whales, sperm whales and dolphins off the south coast. Trips last four to five hours, sometimes longer. Whales are seen on some trips, not all, and the open-ocean swell makes seasickness common.
$60
per person for two, activity only
Trincomalee (Nilaveli and Uppuveli) · about 3 hours
Small boats leave Nilaveli or Trincomalee early in the morning to look for blue and sperm whales and spinner dolphins. Trips are shorter than at Mirissa because the deep water is closer. Sightings vary a lot by day and are not guaranteed.
$60
per person for two, activity only
Kalpitiya · about 3 hours
Outboard dinghies launch from the beach at dawn to find spinner dolphin pods off the Kalpitiya peninsula, sometimes in the hundreds. The ride is wet and bouncy. Dolphins are seen on some mornings, not all, and whales occasionally; neither is guaranteed.
$94
per person for two, activity only
Kitulgala · about 2 hours
About 5 km of grade 2 to 3 rapids on the Kelani at Kitulgala, with a guide in each raft. Rafts are usually shared with other guests. You get wet and the water level depends on recent rain and dam releases upstream.
$30
per person for two, activity only
Kitulgala · about 3 hours
Walking, sliding and jumping down a forest stream with a guide, with a short abseil in some sections. Expect leeches in wet months and slippery rock. Jumps are optional; you can climb round them.
$30
per person for two, activity only
Kitulgala · about 5 hours
Both activities in one morning: rafting first, then a canyoning descent. It is a full and tiring half day. A sensible way to break the Colombo to Kandy or Nuwara Eliya drive if you like being wet.
$57
per person for two, activity only
Mirissa (with Weligama) · about 1.5 hours
Weligama's long sandy bay has slow, forgiving waves that suit beginners. Lessons run early morning or late afternoon when the wind is lighter. The bay is busy in high season.
$25
per person for two, activity only
Arugam Bay · about 1.5 hours
A private session with a local coach on the beginner beach break, not the main point. Arugam Bay is a surf town with a short season, and it is very quiet outside it. Waves are stronger here than at Weligama.
$29
per person for two, activity only
Trincomalee (Nilaveli and Uppuveli) · about 4 hours
Two guided dives from Nilaveli for certified divers, on reefs and small wrecks in 10 to 25 m. Visibility is best in the calm east-coast months. Bring your certification card; the centre will ask for it.
$95
per person for two, activity only
Trincomalee (Nilaveli and Uppuveli) · about 3 hours
A first dive for people with no certification: a pool or shallow-water briefing, then one guided dive to about 12 m. It does not give you a licence. Clear water and no current make Nilaveli an easy place to try.
$75
per person for two, activity only
Hikkaduwa · about 4 hours
Two guided dives on the reefs and wrecks off Hikkaduwa, the main west-coast dive town. Visibility is lower than on the east coast and depends on the swell. Centres here run from about November to April.
$89
per person for two, activity only
Trincomalee (Nilaveli and Uppuveli) · about 3 hours
A short boat ride from Nilaveli beach to a small island national park with shallow coral and reef fish, with turtles and black-tip reef sharks close to shore on some mornings, not all. Go early: by late morning the water is crowded and the coral is easily damaged.
$59
per person for two, activity only
Hikkaduwa · about 2 hours
Snorkelling from the beach or a small boat over the coral reef in Hikkaduwa's marine sanctuary, where turtles are seen close to shore on some mornings, not all. The reef has suffered from bleaching and boat traffic, so expect patches of dead coral among the fish.
$25
per person for two, activity only
Kalpitiya · about 1 hour
One hour of private tuition on the flat Kalpitiya lagoon with an instructor, billed on time on the water. Most people need 9 to 12 hours to ride on their own. Wind is reliable in two seasons and absent between them.
$74
per person for two, activity only
Negombo · about 2 hours
A guided paddle through the mangrove channels of Negombo lagoon, past fishing stakes and water birds. Easy and flat; a good first or last morning near the airport. Early starts avoid the heat.
$23
per person for two, activity only
Bentota (Beruwala, Kalutara and Ahungalla) · about 2 hours
A two-hour motorboat trip through the mangrove islands of the Madu River (Madu Ganga) wetland at Balapitiya, with a stop at a cinnamon island to see peeling and a temple island. Boats are private to your party. The stretch near the jetty is busy with other boats.
$30
per person for two, activity only
Mirissa (with Weligama) · about 3 hours
Three hours on a shared sailing catamaran out of Mirissa harbour in the late afternoon, with a swim stop and sunset at sea. Dolphins are sometimes seen, not promised. The boat is shared with other guests.
$97
per person for two, activity only
Mirissa (with Weligama) · about 4 hours
A morning on a local boat trolling for tuna, wahoo and mahi-mahi beyond the reef. Catches vary and some trips return empty. The boat is small and the swell can be big.
$180
per person for two, activity only
Negombo · about 3 hours
An evening on Negombo lagoon with a local fisherman, trying hand lines and nets the way the lagoon is fished every day, then watching the sun set over the water. Relaxed and easy; the catch is small and often nothing.
$40
per person for two, activity only
Sigiriya (Dambulla and Habarana) · about 4 hours
A one-hour dawn flight in a shared basket over the lakes and forest of the Cultural Triangle, with Sigiriya rock in view on most flights depending on the wind. Pickup is about 05:00 and the whole thing takes four hours door to door. Flights are cancelled in bad weather, which happens on some mornings. The operator lists a weather refund.
$250
per person for two, activity only
Ella · about 1 hour
A two-wire zipline above the tea on the slopes of Little Adam's Peak, about half an hour on site including the harnessing. The ride itself is under a minute. Queues build in the middle of the day in high season.
$30
per person for two, activity only
Hatton (Adam's Peak and tea country) · about 7 hours
A guided night climb of about 5,500 steps from Nallathanniya to reach the summit shrine for sunrise, then the walk back down. In pilgrimage season the steps are lit and lined with tea stalls, and busy on full-moon nights. It is strenuous and your legs will hurt the next day.
$75
per person for two, activity only
Kandy · about 8 hours
A full day in the Knuckles conservation forest north-east of Kandy with a guide: cloud forest, grassland ridges and village paths. Weather changes quickly and leeches are normal in wet months. The drive from Kandy is about two hours each way on a winding road.
$80
per person for two, activity only
Ella · about 4 hours
A four-hour return walk along the railway line and up through tea and eucalyptus to the top of Ella Rock, with a view down the Ella Gap. The path is unsigned and locals often misdirect walkers, which is why a guide helps. Start early; it is hot and hazy by 10:00.
$30
per person for two, activity only
Ella · about 3 hours
An easy guided walk up Little Adam's Peak (about an hour each way on a good path) and on through tea to the Nine Arch Bridge, timed for a train crossing. Both spots are crowded by mid-morning in high season. A good first walk in Ella.
$35
per person for two, activity only
Ella · about 6 hours
A drive of about an hour from Ella, then a steep climb to the natural pools above the top of Diyaluma Falls, where you can swim. The rock is slippery and the drop is unfenced, so follow the guide. The pools are busy at weekends.
$55
per person for two, vehicle included
Hatton (Adam's Peak and tea country) · about 6 hours
One stage of the 300 km, 22-stage Pekoe Trail through tea estates, villages and forest, walked with a local guide. A stage takes four to seven hours. Some stages close after landslides; we check the trail's alert page before every departure.
$90
per person for two, activity only
Sinharaja Forest Reserve (Deniyaya and Kudawa) · about 4 hours
A half-day walk in the lowland rainforest with a Forest Department guide, who is compulsory. Expect endemic birds in mixed feeding flocks, frogs, lizards and leeches, especially after rain. Big animals are rarely seen; this is a forest for small things.
$19
per person for two, activity only
Negombo · about 3 hours
An early boat trip with a naturalist through the Muthurajawela wetland between the airport and Negombo, for kingfishers, herons, bee-eaters, water monitors and the occasional crocodile. A good use of a first or last morning. Bird numbers are highest with the winter migrants.
$60
per person for two, activity only
Ella · about 3 hours
Cook a rice-and-curry meal of five or six dishes in a family kitchen in Ella, from grating coconut to tempering spices, then eat what you made. Classes are small and mostly vegetarian unless you ask. Allow three hours.
$30
per person for two, activity only
Kandy · about 3 hours
A hands-on class in a Kandy home: a short market visit if you start early, then four or five curries, sambol and rice. You eat together afterwards. Kandy classes list at lower prices than those on the coast.
$25
per person for two, activity only
Galle (with Unawatuna) · about 3 hours
A class inside Galle Fort with a southern menu: fish or jackfruit curry, coconut sambol, dhal and hoppers if you ask. You eat on the host's veranda afterwards. Prices in the Fort are higher than in Kandy.
$38
per person for two, activity only
Sigiriya (Dambulla and Habarana) · about 3 hours
A bullock-cart ride, a catamaran crossing of the Hiriwadunna tank, a walk through chena farmland and a rice-and-curry lunch cooked over a wood fire. It is set up for visitors and several groups do it each morning, but the food is good and the lake is quiet. Three hours.
$35
per person for two, activity only
Polonnaruwa · about 4 hours
The ruins of Polonnaruwa are spread over several flat kilometres, so a bicycle is the easiest way between them. Start early; it is hot and shadeless by late morning. Monkeys around the Quadrangle will take food from bags.
$13
per person for two, activity only
Anuradhapura · about 4 hours
The sacred city covers a huge area of dagobas, tanks and monasteries, and cycling is the only practical way to see it without a car. Flat, but hot and long; start at opening. Shoes come off at every shrine, so wear ones that slip off.
$23
per person for two, activity only
Galle (with Unawatuna) · about 3 hours
A guided half-day ride on quiet lanes through paddy fields, cinnamon gardens and village roads inland from Galle and Unawatuna. Mostly flat with short climbs. Early morning is cooler and the roads are emptier.
$25
per person for two, activity only
Galle (with Unawatuna) · about 2 hours
A two-hour walk inside the Dutch fort with a heritage interpreter: ramparts, the Dutch Reformed Church, the old hospital, the lighthouse and the lanes between. The fort itself is free to enter. Late afternoon is cooler and ends at the ramparts for sunset.
$45
per person for two, activity only
Colombo · about 3.5 hours
Three to four hours in a tuk-tuk with a driver through Pettah market, the Fort, Galle Face and a temple or two, with a few street snacks on the way. Traffic is heavy and the air is hot; mornings are easier than afternoons.
$25
per person for two, activity only
Colombo · about 3 hours
An evening eating your way round Colombo by tuk-tuk: kottu, hoppers, short eats, isso vadai on Galle Face and a sweet to finish, with a local guide. Expect eight to ten tastings, enough for dinner. Tell us about allergies in advance.
$36
per person for two, activity only
Kandy · about 1 hour
An hour of Kandyan and low-country dance and drumming at one of the halls near the lake, ending with fire-walking. Shows start at about 17:00 and are aimed at visitors; the halls are full and the seating is basic. It fits before an evening visit to the Temple of the Tooth.
$7
per person for two, activity only
Ella · about 1.5 hours
A guided walk through a working factory to see withering, rolling, fermenting and firing, followed by a tasting. The Uva Halpewatte factory above Ella is the one we price; factories near Nuwara Eliya (Pedro, Damro Labookellie) offer similar tours, some free. Machines run on weekdays; Sundays and poya days are often quiet.
$10
per person for two, activity only
Galle (with Unawatuna) · about 1.5 hours
A low-country estate near Ahangama known for its hand-picked 'virgin white tea', with a walk through the bushes, the small factory and a tasting on the planter's veranda. It is a short detour from the coast road. The shop is part of the visit.
$4
per person for two, activity only
Ella · about 2.5 hours
Pluck leaf with estate workers for an hour, then hand-roll and fire your own small batch the traditional way and take it home. Mornings are cooler and the pluckers are in the field. It is a demonstration for visitors, not a day's work.
$30
per person for two, activity only
Bentota (Beruwala, Kalutara and Ahungalla) · about 3 hours
Ambalangoda is where the painted wooden masks used in southern dance and healing rituals are made. In this workshop you carve and paint a small mask of your own with a craftsman, and see the museum collection. The carving is slow and the paint takes time to dry, so allow three hours.
$120
per person for two, activity only
Galle (with Unawatuna) · about 3 hours
Wax-resist dyeing on cotton with a local batik maker: draw, wax, dye and boil out a small piece to take home. Three hours, mostly sitting. Good for a rainy afternoon on the coast.
$60
per person for two, activity only
Jaffna · about 9 hours
A long day by causeway and public ferry to Nainativu, with its Hindu temple and Buddhist shrine, and on to Delft island for the Dutch fort, baobab and wild ponies. Ferries are crowded and run to their own timetable, and there is little shade or food on Delft. Rewarding, but not a comfortable day.
$130
per person for two, vehicle included
Jaffna · about 5 hours
Half a day with a local guide: Nallur Kovil at puja time, the rebuilt Public Library, the Dutch fort, the market and a Jaffna lunch. The town is hot and flat and the sights are spread out, so the morning needs a vehicle between them. Men remove shirts to enter Nallur.
$46
per person for two, activity only
Galle (with Unawatuna) · about 0.5 hours
The men on poles in the surf at Koggala and Ahangama are a paid demonstration for photographs, not working fishermen; the practice mostly died out after the 2004 tsunami. We stop if you want the picture and tell you what it is. You pay the men directly.
No charge from us. You pay the men directly: they ask about LKR 1,000 per group to photograph, sometimes up to LKR 3,000; agree it before you shoot.
Tangalle (Rekawa and Hiriketiya) · about 3 hours
A night watch on Rekawa beach run by the Turtle Conservation Project: you wait at the visitor centre from 20:30 and are walked to a nesting turtle only if one comes ashore. On some nights none do. Red torches only, no flash, no touching, and no hatchlings on request.
No charge from us. The project charges an admission fee at the visitor centre; the amount is not published. You pay there, not to us.
Bentota (Beruwala, Kalutara and Ahungalla) · about 2 hours
A two-hour session at an Ayurveda centre: a short consultation, herbal oil massage, steam bath and a head treatment. Ayurveda is a traditional wellness system; we do not describe it as a cure for any medical condition. Prices vary a great deal, from about USD 10 at a small local centre to USD 100 or more at a resort.
$120
per person for two, activity only
Mirissa (with Weligama) · about 4 hours
A day pass at a beach retreat between Dickwella and Tangalle: one yoga class in the open-air shala, a meal, the bathhouse and the pool. Classes are mixed level. Not a retreat stay, just a day.
$48
per person for two, activity only
Nuwara Eliya · about 4.5 hours
Eighteen holes on an 1889 course in the middle of town at 1,900 m, with narrow fairways and cold mornings. Visitors need a tee time and a handicap certificate. Clubs can be hired.
$80
per person for two, activity only
Kandy · about 5 hours
Eighteen holes beside the Victoria reservoir about 45 minutes east of Kandy, on a hilly course with long views. A caddie and a ball spotter are compulsory and charged separately from the green fee. Hot by late morning; book an early tee time.
$95
per person for two, activity only
Nuwara Eliya · about 2.5 hours
A scenic section of the Main Line: about 2 hours 30 minutes from Nanu Oya (the station for Nuwara Eliya) through tea and tunnels to Ella. Our tours use the train at about 12:30 to 13:00, and we confirm the time when we book. Reserved seats go on sale 30 days before travel and in high season can sell out within hours. We buy yours the day sales open, or as soon as you book if that is later. No class or window seat is promised. Trains are crowded and run late.
$15
per person for two, activity only
Some of these are on sale elsewhere in Sri Lanka. We leave them out, and here is why.
It is against the law. A Department of Wildlife Conservation assistant director said so on record in May 2024, and Sri Lanka's 2026 whale-watching criteria list it as strictly prohibited. Boats still offer it, so please do not book it elsewhere.
We found no source saying rides are banned in Sri Lanka. We leave them out for the animals' welfare: ABTA's guidelines class tourist contact with elephants without a barrier as unacceptable.
These fall under the same ABTA guideline, which also lists elephant shows and performances as unacceptable.
Hatcheries have been documented keeping hatchlings in cement tanks for weeks, handling them with bare hands and releasing them at midday. For turtles in the wild, see the night watch at Rekawa beach.
ABTA lists animals used for begging, and photo opportunities where the animal cannot move away, as unacceptable.
This means roadside elephants, monkeys, fish and turtles on beaches. ABTA lists human-initiated contact with, or feeding of, wild animals as unacceptable.
Madu River boats often stop at them. We do not.
This is our own rule, not a legal one. Children are not an attraction, and these visits carry a child-protection risk.
We add these to a trip only when you ask, with the warning below.
A captive herd with chained animals and scheduled shows. We include it only if you ask. It is in none of our tours or day tours. To see orphaned calves being prepared for release, go to the Elephant Transit Home at Udawalawe, which is viewing only.
Where the figures come from
Nothing to pay now. You pay in cash when the trip starts: to your driver when the booking includes our vehicle, otherwise to the person we name with the meeting point. No deposit, no card details online.
