The classic loop with room to breathe
Grand tour of Sri Lanka, 10 days is a private Sri Lanka tour by Majeste. It costs $1,230 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 $1,203 to $1,403 per person for two, depending on the start date. It stops at Sigiriya (Dambulla and Habarana), Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Ella, Yala (Tissamaharama and Kataragama), Galle (with Unawatuna), in that order. The longest drive is on day 1, from the airport to Sigiriya, about 3 h 45 min. Nothing to pay now.
The same loop as the 7-day classic with three extra nights where they help most: a third night at Sigiriya for Polonnaruwa, a second in Ella, and a last night in Galle so the final drive is only 2 hours 15 minutes. Horton Plains at dawn is included before the train. Nine nights, five of them in pairs, with no drive over about 3 hours 45 minutes. It is the length we would choose for a first visit.
About 3 hours 45 minutes from the airport to Sigiriya. Pidurangala Rock at sunset if you arrive in time; otherwise it waits for another evening, since you have three here.
Sigiriya Rock at the 07:00 counter opening, 2 to 3 hours, then a village tour with bullock cart, catamaran and lunch. At 15:00 a private jeep to Minneriya, Kaudulla or Hurulu, chosen by where the elephants are that week.
Leave at 07:00 for Polonnaruwa, 1 hour 25 minutes each way, and cycle the flat ruins for 3 to 4 hours: the museum, the Royal Palace, the Quadrangle and the Gal Vihara Buddhas. It is hot and exposed and shoes come off at the shrines. The afternoon is free by the pool, or add Ritigala's forest monastery.
Dambulla's painted caves, then 2 hours 45 minutes of driving to Kandy with a spice garden stop. The dance show at 17:00 and the Temple of the Tooth puja at 18:30, crowded and loud with drums.
Two hours in the Peradeniya gardens, then 2 hours 45 minutes of hairpins to Nuwara Eliya with a tea factory tour and tasting. An early night: tomorrow starts at 05:00 and it will be cold.
A 05:00 start for the 9 km Horton Plains loop to World's End; cloud usually closes in by 09:00, and outside January to April the view is often hidden. Then the 12:30 to 13:00 train from Nanu Oya to Ella, about 2 hours 30 minutes, with the luggage going by car. 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.
Little Adam's Peak at sunrise, the Nine Arch Bridge before 09:00 when it is still quiet, and Ravana Falls by the road. The afternoon is free: a zip-line, a cooking class, or nothing. Ella's main street is crowded and commercial; the hotel will be up a lane with steps.
About 2 hours 15 minutes to Tissamaharama. A 14:30 private jeep safari in Yala Block 1: leopards are seen on some drives, not all, and the park is dusty and busy at sightings. Kataragama's evening puja is 25 minutes away if you have the energy.
A 05:30 Yala drive of about 3 hours, then 2 hours 45 minutes by expressway to Galle. In the late afternoon a heritage interpreter walks you round the fort, ending on the ramparts at sunset.
A free morning in the fort or at Unawatuna beach, 15 minutes away. The airport is about 2 hours 15 minutes by expressway, so a mid-afternoon flight works.
| Stop | Simple | Comfort (this tour) | Superior | Luxury |
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| Sigiriya (Dambulla and Habarana)3 nights |
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| Kandy1 night |
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| Nuwara Eliya1 night |
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| Ella2 nights |
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| Yala (Tissamaharama and Kataragama)1 night |
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| Galle (with Unawatuna)1 night |
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| Per person for two | $1,068 | $1,230 | $1,505 | $1,980 |
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) | $1,200 | Lowest |
| November (shoulder season) | $1,230 | $30 more than the lowest |
| February (peak season) | $1,335 | $135 more than the lowest |
| Christmas and New Year | $1,443 | Highest, $243 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 | $2,000 | $2,000 | Car |
| 2 adults | $1,230 | $2,459 | Car |
| 3 adults | $1,193 | $3,578 | Van |
| 4 adults | $1,010 | $4,037 | Van |
| 6 adults | $929 | $5,572 | Large van |
| 8 adults | $901 | $7,208 | 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.
No drive over about 3 hours 45 minutes; early starts on days 2, 3, 6, 7 and 9.
Galle is 2 hours 15 minutes from the airport and has Unawatuna's beach next door, so you get a short last drive and a swim. Mirissa or Tangalle can replace it for a longer beach stay.
Yes, from November to April: a 06:00 boat from Mirissa on day 10, which then needs an evening flight. Outside those months the boats mostly stop.
From January to April, usually yes: the view from World's End is clear early and gone by 09:00. From May to December the plain is often in cloud; we tell you and you can swap it for a lie-in.
The main blocks usually close for several weeks in September and October. If part of your plan cannot go ahead, we offer another date or a substitute and show any price difference. You decide whether to take it. For the safari that is Yala's Block 5, Udawalawe or Bundala.
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: the centre, hills and a park; ten adds Polonnaruwa and Horton Plains; fourteen, the whole island. USD 828 to 1,709 each for two, Nov 2026.
Ten days adds Polonnaruwa, Horton Plains and two nights each in Kandy and Ella. About USD 1,174 per person for two with Majeste, as of 7 November 2026.
January to March is driest on the west and south coasts, in the hills and the Cultural Triangle; May to September suits the east. Checked 7 Nov 2026.
10 days · Comfort hotels
Sigiriya (Dambulla and Habarana), Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Ella, Udawalawe National Park, Hikkaduwa
Pool hotels, bicycles, elephants and a shallow sea
$1,053
per person for two, 10 days, comfort hotels, shoulder season, tickets included
10 days · Luxury hotels
Colombo, Sigiriya (Dambulla and Habarana), Kandy, Hatton (Adam's Peak and tea country), Ella, Yala (Tissamaharama and Kataragama), Galle (with Unawatuna)
Heritage hotel, tea bungalow, park lodge, fort boutique
$2,006
per person for two, 10 days, luxury hotels, shoulder season, tickets included
10 days · Simple hotels
Negombo, Sigiriya (Dambulla and Habarana), Kandy, Ella, Yala (Tissamaharama and Kataragama), Mirissa (with Weligama)
Guesthouses and homestays, the same island
$804
per person for two, 10 days, simple hotels, shoulder season, tickets included, Udawattakele forest ticket 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
$1,230per person, rounded up$2,458.53 total
for 2 adults, 10 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.
