Kandy, Horton Plains, the train, two parks
Hills and wildlife, 6 days is a private Sri Lanka tour by Majeste. It costs $744 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, Jul to Aug, it costs $728 to $831 per person for two, depending on the start date. It stops at Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Ella, Udawalawe National Park, Yala (Tissamaharama and Kataragama), in that order. The longest drive is on day 6, from Yala to the airport, about 4 h 15 min. Nothing to pay now.
A six-day loop that skips the Cultural Triangle and spends its time in the hills and the parks: Kandy, Nuwara Eliya with a dawn walk at Horton Plains, the train to Ella, then Udawalawe for elephants and Yala for a chance of leopards. Two national park safaris and the Elephant Transit Home are included. The last day is a dawn safari followed by about 4 hours 15 minutes to the airport. Yala's main blocks usually close for several weeks in September and October; in a closure we offer Udawalawe and Bundala instead, show any price difference, and you decide.
About 3 hours 15 minutes from the airport to Kandy on the A1; the Kadugannawa climb is slow. In the evening a Kandyan dance show at 17:00 and the 18:30 puja at the Temple of the Tooth. Kandy's centre is congested, so the hotel is often up a hill outside it.
Two hours in the Peradeniya botanical gardens, then the Ramboda Pass to Nuwara Eliya, 2 hours 45 minutes of winding road, with a tea factory tour and tasting on the way. Early to bed: tomorrow starts at 05:00 and the night will be about 10 °C.
Leave at 05:00 for Horton Plains and the 9 km loop to World's End and Baker's Falls, about 3 hours on foot; cloud usually hides the view after 09:00, and outside January to April it is often hidden all morning. Back to Nanu Oya for the 12:30 to 13:00 train to Ella, about 2 hours 30 minutes through the tea; the car takes your luggage. 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 (an easy hour) and the Nine Arch Bridge before the crowds arrive at 09:00. Leave by 13:00 for Udawalawe, about 2 hours 15 minutes down the A23; the road is prone to rockfalls in heavy rain. A 15:30 jeep safari of about 3 hours: elephants are usually seen here, though sightings are not guaranteed.
Watch the orphaned calves being fed at the Elephant Transit Home from the viewing platform (no contact; feeding times are set by the Department and we confirm them). Drive 1 hour 40 minutes to Tissamaharama for a 14:30 safari in Yala's Block 1. Leopards are seen on some drives, not all, and Block 1 has jeep jams at sightings.
A 05:30 start for a second Yala drive of about 3 hours, when the light is good and the cats are moving. Then about 4 hours 15 minutes by expressway to the airport, so this works for flights after about 16:00. Or stay on: Mirissa is 2 hours 15 minutes away.
| Stop | Simple | Comfort (this tour) | Superior | Luxury |
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| Kandy1 night |
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| Nuwara Eliya1 night |
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| Ella1 night |
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| Udawalawe National Park1 night |
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| Yala (Tissamaharama and Kataragama)1 night |
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| Per person for two | $658 | $744 | $901 | $1,160 |
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) | $728 | Lowest |
| November (shoulder season) | $744 | $16 more than the lowest |
| February (peak season) | $798 | $70 more than the lowest |
| Christmas and New Year | $831 | Highest, $103 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 | $1,245 | $1,245 | Car |
| 2 adults | $744 | $1,487 | Car |
| 3 adults | $698 | $2,093 | Van |
| 4 adults | $584 | $2,336 | Van |
| 6 adults | $527 | $3,158 | Large van |
| 8 adults | $519 | $4,146 | 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.
Two 05:00 to 05:30 starts (days 3 and 6); the last day is about 4 hours 15 minutes of driving after a dawn safari.
The main blocks closed from 14 September to 15 October in 2026 and usually close for part of those months. 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 second day of safaris that is Udawalawe and Bundala, or Yala's Block 5.
Maybe. Leopards are seen on some drives, not all, and nobody can promise one. Elephants are usually seen at Udawalawe. Sightings are not guaranteed.
It is 9 km on a mostly level path with some rocky steps, 3 to 3.5 hours. The start is cold, about 5 °C, and the plain is hot by 10:00. Plastic bottles and wrappers are confiscated at the gate.
Yala for leopards, Udawalawe for elephants, Wilpattu for quiet, Minneriya for the Gathering. Safari for two: USD 146.86 to 160.86 with Majeste, Nov 2026.
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.
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.
6 days · Comfort hotels
Hatton (Adam's Peak and tea country), Nuwara Eliya, Ella, Kandy
Estate bungalow, factories, Pekoe Trail, the hill train
$601
per person for two, 6 days, comfort hotels, shoulder season, tickets included
8 days · Comfort hotels
Wilpattu National Park, Sigiriya (Dambulla and Habarana), Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Udawalawe National Park, Yala (Tissamaharama and Kataragama)
Four parks, Horton Plains, six drives
$1,102
per person for two, 8 days, comfort hotels, shoulder season, tickets included
12 days · Comfort hotels
Negombo, Wilpattu National Park, Anuradhapura, Sigiriya (Dambulla and Habarana), Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Ella, Yala (Tissamaharama and Kataragama), Tangalle (Rekawa and Hiriketiya)
Three parks, two ancient cities, the hills and a beach
$1,368
per person for two, 12 days, comfort hotels, shoulder season, tickets included, temple-run sites and 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
$744per person, rounded up$1,487.26 total
for 2 adults, 6 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.
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