Sigiriya, Kandy, the hill train and two Yala safaris
Classic Sri Lanka, 7 days is a private Sri Lanka tour by Majeste. It costs $866 per person for two at shoulder-season rates (for the hotels on this route, 21 to 30 April and 1 November to 20 December), with comfort hotels, entrance tickets and your own car and English-speaking driver included. Prices checked 7 Nov 2026. In its best months, Jan to Apr, it costs $850 to $977 per person for two, depending on the start date. It stops at Sigiriya (Dambulla and Habarana), Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Ella, Yala (Tissamaharama and Kataragama), in that order. The longest drive is on day 7, from Yala to the airport, about 4 h 15 min. Nothing to pay now.
A first-trip loop: Sigiriya and Dambulla, Kandy, the tea country, the train to Ella and two safaris in Yala, back to the airport by expressway. Six nights, one hotel region a day, with no transfer over about 4 hours 15 minutes. It is a full week with early starts on three days and a long drive on the last. The south coast is not included; the 8-day version adds a beach night at Mirissa.
Your driver meets you in arrivals and drives about 3 hours 45 minutes to Sigiriya. With a morning arrival there is time to climb Pidurangala Rock, about an hour, for the sunset view of Sigiriya. After a late flight it moves to tomorrow.
At the rock for the 07:00 counter opening: the climb is about 1,200 steps and 2 to 3 hours, and it is hot and crowded after 09:00. Late morning a village tour by bullock cart and catamaran with a home-cooked lunch. At 15:00 a private jeep for Minneriya, Kaudulla or Hurulu, chosen on the day; the big herds gather from July to October. Polonnaruwa can replace the village tour, but with the safari that makes a 12-hour day.
Dambulla's painted caves (about 90 minutes), then 2 hours 45 minutes of driving to Kandy with a spice garden stop at Matale. Kandy's lake walk in the late afternoon, the dance show at 17:00 and the 18:30 puja at the Temple of the Tooth, which is crowded and noisy with drums.
Two hours in the Peradeniya botanical gardens, then the A5 over the Ramboda Pass, 2 hours 45 minutes of hairpins with a stop at a tea factory for the tour and tasting. Nuwara Eliya sits at about 1,900 m; nights are about 10 °C and the town itself is scruffy. A walk round Gregory Lake before dinner.
A free morning, or Horton Plains at dawn as an extra. The 12:30 to 13:00 train from Nanu Oya to Ella takes about 2 hours 30 minutes through the tea and tunnels; your driver carries the luggage and meets you at Ella. Trains run late and are crowded, and a window seat is not promised. The Nine Arch Bridge in the late afternoon, when a train is due.
Little Adam's Peak at sunrise, an easy hour, before the main street wakes up. Drive 2 hours 15 minutes to Tissamaharama. At 14:30 a private jeep for Yala Block 1: leopards are seen on some drives, not all, and jeeps bunch up at sightings.
A 05:30 start for a second Yala drive, about 3 hours, then about 4 hours 15 minutes by the Southern Expressway to the airport. This suits flights from about 16:00. If you prefer a night by the sea first, take the 8-day version.
| Stop | Simple | Comfort (this tour) | Superior | Luxury |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sigiriya (Dambulla and Habarana)2 nights |
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| Kandy1 night |
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| Nuwara Eliya1 night |
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| Ella1 night |
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| Yala (Tissamaharama and Kataragama)1 night |
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| Per person for two | $761 | $866 | $1,044 | $1,352 |
Hotels are named as examples of the standard you will get. If a named hotel is full we book one of the same standard in the same area and tell you which. Bed and breakfast unless the itinerary says otherwise.
| When | Per person | Compared |
|---|---|---|
| June (low season) | $847 | Lowest |
| November (shoulder season) | $866 | $19 more than the lowest |
| February (peak season) | $934 | $87 more than the lowest |
| Christmas and New Year | $1,017 | Highest, $170 more than the lowest |
Priced for a start date in each period. Your dates may fall across two seasons, so check them in the price box. Some stops here cost more in their own busy weeks, such as mid-July to August. The Christmas and New Year price includes our estimate of any compulsory gala dinner on 24 or 31 December.
| Group | Per person | Total | Vehicle |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 adult | $1,424 | $1,424 | Car |
| 2 adults | $866 | $1,731 | Car |
| 3 adults | $827 | $2,478 | Van |
| 4 adults | $697 | $2,785 | Van |
| 6 adults | $635 | $3,809 | Large van |
| 8 adults | $622 | $4,973 | Large van |
Two adults share each room, and an odd adult has a single room at 80% of the double rate. We pick the smallest vehicle that seats the group in comfort. Per-person figures are rounded up to the dollar.
Early starts on days 2, 6 and 7; the last day is about 4 hours 15 minutes of driving after a dawn safari.
It is a full week with a new hotel most nights. If you want two nights in a row somewhere, the 10-day grand tour slows the same loop down.
Yala's main blocks usually close for several weeks in September and October (14 September to 15 October in 2026). On those dates we tell you before the trip, offer Block 5, Udawalawe or Bundala instead, and show any price difference. You decide.
Not at the moment. The line between Kandy and Nanu Oya was closed when status pages were last checked on 4 November 2026, so the train runs from Nanu Oya to Ella only.
Your English-speaking driver drives and handles tickets and logistics. A site guide at Sigiriya or the Temple of the Tooth can be hired on the day, for a fee paid to the guide.
Majeste's Classic Sri Lanka 7-day tour is USD 866 per person for two in 3-star hotels, shoulder season, with car, driver, tickets and safaris. 7 Nov 2026.
Seven days covers Sigiriya, Kandy, the tea country, the Ella train and a Yala safari. USD 866 per person for two on Majeste's Classic tour, 7 Nov 2026.
A car with an English-speaking driver costs USD 75 a day (van USD 99) with Majeste, fuel, tolls and 150 km a day included. Rates as of 7 Nov 2026.
No: at the 4 Nov 2026 check the Kandy to Ella train was not running end to end. Nanu Oya to Ella runs. Fares, classes, booking and the road options.
8 days · Comfort hotels
Sigiriya (Dambulla and Habarana), Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Ella, Yala (Tissamaharama and Kataragama), Mirissa (with Weligama)
The classic loop with a night on the south coast
$1,010
per person for two, 8 days, comfort hotels, shoulder season, tickets included
5 days · Comfort hotels
Sigiriya (Dambulla and Habarana), Kandy, Nuwara Eliya
Sigiriya, Kandy and the tea country in four nights
$534
per person for two, 5 days, comfort hotels, shoulder season, tickets included
9 days · Superior hotels
Sigiriya (Dambulla and Habarana), Kandy, Hatton (Adam's Peak and tea country), Nuwara Eliya, Ella, Yala (Tissamaharama and Kataragama), Tangalle (Rekawa and Hiriketiya)
Rock, tea bungalow, train, safari, beach
$1,268
per person for two, 9 days, superior hotels, shoulder season, tickets included, one activity paid there
Fees last checked 7 Nov 2026. Hotel rates last checked 7 Nov 2026. Transport rates last checked 7 Nov 2026. Activity prices last checked 7 Nov 2026. Rupee fees converted at LKR 332.5 to USD 1 (XE mid-market rate, 6 Nov 2026).
Where the figures come from
More about our photos on the credits page.
Example for 2, no date chosen
$866per person, rounded up$1,731.07 total
for 2 adults, 7 days, comfort hotels, car, shoulder season
Nothing to pay now. You pay your driver in cash when the trip starts. Plans change? Cancel free up to 24 hours before pickup. Replies within 30 minutes, 07:00 to 21:00 Sri Lanka time.
