Anuradhapura, three nights in Jaffna, Wilpattu
North and Jaffna, 6 days is a private Sri Lanka tour by Majeste. It costs $666 per person for two at shoulder-season rates (for the hotels on this route, April and 1 November to 20 December), with comfort hotels, entrance tickets and your own car and English-speaking driver included, and temple-run sites paid there. Prices checked 7 Nov 2026. In its best months, Feb to Mar, May to Sep, it costs $653 to $707 per person for two, depending on the start date. It stops at Anuradhapura, Jaffna, Wilpattu National Park, in that order. The longest drive is on day 5, from Jaffna to Wilpattu National Park, about 5 h. Nothing to pay now.
Six days for the Tamil north: a night at Anuradhapura on the way up, three nights in Jaffna for the kovils, the fort, the markets, the food and a ferry to Nainativu, then back through Wilpattu for a dawn safari before the airport. It is a driving-heavy itinerary: the A9 to Jaffna is about 4 hours each way from Anuradhapura, and day 5 to Wilpattu is about 5 hours. We treat flights to Jaffna as unavailable until an airline confirms one. Jaffna is very hot from April to August and wettest from October to December; August brings the Nallur festival.
A long first day of about 4 hours 15 minutes, broken at Yapahuwa's rock fortress. In the late afternoon the sacred city by car: Ruwanwelisaya at lamp-lighting, the Sri Maha Bodhi and the Samadhi Buddha, with socks for the hot stone.
Mihintale's 1,840 steps at 07:00 before the heat, then about 4 hours north on the flat A9 with a stop at the Elephant Pass memorial; there are police speed checks. Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil at the evening puja; men remove their shirts inside.
A guided half day: the Dutch fort, the rebuilt Public Library, the archaeological museum and the market, with Rio ice cream on the way. Dinner is Jaffna food: crab curry, dosai, palmyra sweets. Upscale hotels are few and the beaches are modest.
A full day over the causeways through Kayts to the Kurikadduwan jetty and by ferry to Nainativu for the Nagadeepa temple and the Nagapooshani Amman kovil, or to Delft for wild ponies, a Dutch fort and a baobab. Ferries fill on Poya days and the sea can be rough in windy months; we confirm the timetable the week before. Casuarina Beach on the way back.
An early look at Point Pedro and the Keerimalai springs, then the long drive south: about 5 hours via Anuradhapura towards Wilpattu. Simple, comfort and superior hotels here are in or near Anuradhapura, about an hour from the gate; the one lodge we name at the gate is the luxury choice. A quiet evening at your hotel.
A 06:00 private jeep drive of about 5 hours through the forest and villus; leopards and sloth bears are seen on some drives, not all. Then about 3 hours 45 minutes to the airport, for flights after about 18:00.
| Stop | Simple | Comfort (this tour) | Superior | Luxury |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anuradhapura1 night |
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| Jaffna3 nights |
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| Wilpattu National Park1 night |
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| Per person for two | $593 | $666 | $779 | $990 |
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) | $653 | Lowest |
| November (shoulder season) | $666 | $13 more than the lowest |
| February (peak season) | $707 | $54 more than the lowest |
| Christmas and New Year | $731 | Highest, $78 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 | $1,022 | $1,022 | Car |
| 2 adults | $666 | $1,331 | Car |
| 3 adults | $649 | $1,947 | Van |
| 4 adults | $564 | $2,256 | Van |
| 6 adults | $527 | $3,159 | Large van |
| 8 adults | $506 | $4,043 | 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.
Driving-heavy: about 4 hours 15 minutes on day 1, 4 hours on day 2 and 5 hours on day 5, plus a dawn safari and 3 hours 45 minutes on day 6.
Not that we can confirm. FitsAir's winter 2026/27 schedule lists no Jaffna flights. If an airline confirms one we will offer it and cut the day 5 drive.
It starts in August and runs for about 25 days. A travel listing gave 16 August to 12 September for 2026, and the 2027 dates are not yet announced. Hotels fill and the kovil is packed, which is either the reason to come or the reason to avoid it.
Yes. A second Wilpattu or Anuradhapura night splits day 5 and allows a full-day safari, which works much better at Wilpattu than a single drive.
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.
21 days · Comfort hotels
Negombo, Kalpitiya, Wilpattu National Park, Anuradhapura, Jaffna, Trincomalee (Nilaveli and Uppuveli), Sigiriya (Dambulla and Habarana), Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Ella, Yala (Tissamaharama and Kataragama), Galle (with Unawatuna)
Three weeks: Jaffna, Trincomalee and the classic loop
$2,411
per person for two, 21 days, comfort hotels, shoulder season, tickets included, Udawattakele forest ticket and temple-run sites paid there
7 days · Comfort hotels
Anuradhapura, Sigiriya (Dambulla and Habarana), Kandy
Five UNESCO-listed sites in six nights
$694
per person for two, 7 days, comfort hotels, shoulder season, tickets included, temple-run sites paid there
4 days · Comfort hotels
Anuradhapura, Sigiriya (Dambulla and Habarana)
Anuradhapura, Mihintale, Polonnaruwa and Sigiriya
$402
per person for two, 4 days, comfort hotels, shoulder season, tickets included, temple-run sites 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
$666per person, rounded up$1,331.03 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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