Sigiriya, Kandy and the tea country in four nights
Sri Lanka highlights, 5 days is a private Sri Lanka tour by Majeste. It costs $534 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, Dec to Apr, it costs $525 to $647 per person for two, depending on the start date. It stops at Sigiriya (Dambulla and Habarana), Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, in that order. The longest drive is on day 5, from Nuwara Eliya to the airport, about 5 h. Nothing to pay now.
The shortest version of the classic loop: two nights at Sigiriya for the rock and an elephant safari, a night in Kandy for the Temple of the Tooth, and a night in Nuwara Eliya's tea country before the drive back. It fits a week's holiday with flights at each end. The last day is about 5 hours on the hill road to the airport, so it only works with an evening flight; the alternative is to add a sixth day on the coast. Expect an early start for the rock and a winding road up to Nuwara Eliya.
About 3 hours 45 minutes from the airport to Sigiriya. If you arrive in time, Pidurangala Rock takes about an hour to climb and looks across at Sigiriya at sunset. After a late flight it waits until tomorrow evening.
Climb Sigiriya Rock from the 07:00 counter opening; it takes 2 to 3 hours and is hot and crowded by 10:00. A village tour with a bullock cart, catamaran and rice-and-curry lunch fills the late morning. At 15:00 a private jeep goes to Minneriya, Kaudulla or Hurulu, whichever has the elephants that week.
Dambulla's five painted caves first (about 90 minutes), then the A9 to Kandy: 2 hours 45 minutes of driving, 4 to 5 hours door to door with a spice garden and lunch. In Kandy there is a walk round the lake, a Kandyan dance show at 17:00 and the 18:30 puja at the Temple of the Tooth, which is crowded and loud with drums.
Two hours in the Peradeniya botanical gardens, then the A5 up the Ramboda Pass to Nuwara Eliya, 2 hours 45 minutes of hairpins (motion sickness is common) with a stop at Ramboda Falls and a tea factory for the tour and tasting. Nuwara Eliya is about 1,900 m up and cold at night, so bring a jacket. A walk round Gregory Lake before dinner.
The road down through Hatton and Kitulgala to the airport is about 5 hours of driving, a long last day that only suits a flight after about 19:00. There is a lunch stop at Kitulgala, where 90 minutes of white-water rafting can be added. Horton Plains at dawn is possible as an extra but pushes the airport arrival into the evening.
| 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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| Per person for two | $469 | $534 | $637 | $815 |
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) | $522 | Lowest |
| November (shoulder season) | $534 | $12 more than the lowest |
| February (peak season) | $577 | $55 more than the lowest |
| Christmas and New Year | $607 | Highest, $85 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 | $864 | $864 | Car |
| 2 adults | $534 | $1,067 | Car |
| 3 adults | $523 | $1,568 | Van |
| 4 adults | $443 | $1,771 | Van |
| 6 adults | $409 | $2,454 | Large van |
| 8 adults | $390 | $3,116 | 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.
Day 5 is about 5 hours on a mountain road and needs an evening flight; days 1 and 3 are 3 to 4 hours each.
No. Nuwara Eliya to the airport is about 5 hours. Either add a sixth day with a night at Negombo or on the coast, or drop Nuwara Eliya and spend night 4 in Kandy, 3 hours 15 minutes from the airport. For either, use Change the route or add days beside the price: the planner prices that route before you book.
Not in this tour. The scenic section runs from Nanu Oya to Ella, which is further east than this loop goes. The 7-day classic includes it.
Shoulders and knees covered, shoes off at the door; white or light colours are usual at the Temple of the Tooth. Caves and dagobas have hot stone floors, so bring socks.
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.
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
3 days · Comfort hotels
Sigiriya (Dambulla and Habarana)
Sigiriya, Dambulla and an elephant safari in two nights
$348
per person for two, 3 days, comfort hotels, shoulder season, tickets included
3 days · Comfort hotels
Galle (with Unawatuna)
Galle Fort, a whale boat and a river safari
$338
per person for two, 3 days, comfort hotels, shoulder season, tickets included
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
$534per person, rounded up$1,067.35 total
for 2 adults, 5 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.
