Four parks, Horton Plains, six drives
Wildlife Sri Lanka, 8 days is a private Sri Lanka tour by Majeste. It costs $1,102 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, Feb to Aug, it costs $1,082 to $1,170 per person for two, depending on the start date. It stops at Wilpattu National Park, Sigiriya (Dambulla and Habarana), Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Udawalawe National Park, Yala (Tissamaharama and Kataragama), in that order. The longest drive is on day 6, from Nuwara Eliya to Udawalawe National Park, about 4 h 15 min. Nothing to pay now.
Six safari drives in four national parks: two at Wilpattu for leopards and sloth bears in the forest, one at Minneriya or Kaudulla for elephants, one at Udawalawe, two in Yala, plus the Horton Plains walk for sambar and endemic birds. The itinerary is wildlife first, so there are two long days: Horton Plains to Udawalawe (about 4 hours 15 minutes after a 3-hour walk) and the final dawn safari followed by 4 hours 15 minutes to the airport. Sightings are never guaranteed; the number of drives is what shifts the odds. Avoid mid-September to mid-October (Yala closure) and November to January (Wilpattu floods).
About 3 hours 45 minutes north to Wilpattu's Hunuwilagama gate. 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 private jeep drive from early afternoon until dusk, through forest and the villus. The park is big and the trees are thick; leopards and bears are seen on some drives, not all.
A second drive from 06:00, when the light is good and the park is quietest, back by late morning. Sloth bears are seen most from May to September. The afternoon is free at your hotel; a longer full-day drive with a packed lunch can replace both and is more rewarding here, though tiring.
About 2 hours 30 minutes via Anuradhapura to the Sigiriya and Habarana area. At 15:00 a private jeep to Minneriya, Kaudulla or Hurulu, chosen on the day; the Gathering peaks in August and September, and herds are small from November to May.
Sigiriya Rock at the 07:00 counter opening, 2 to 3 hours, or a second elephant drive at Kaudulla or Hurulu instead. Then 2 hours 45 minutes to Kandy and the 18:30 puja at the Temple of the Tooth.
About 2 hours 45 minutes over the Ramboda Pass. Victoria Park in Nuwara Eliya holds migrant birds in winter, including pied thrush and Kashmir flycatcher. Early to bed: tomorrow starts at 05:00 and dawn on the plains can be 5 °C.
Horton Plains from first light: sambar near the entrance, the 9 km loop to World's End, and endemics such as the Sri Lanka whistling thrush if you are lucky. Then the long drive down via Haputale to Udawalawe, about 4 hours 15 minutes, accepted because it keeps both parks in. Feeding time at the Elephant Transit Home in the late afternoon.
A 06:00 Udawalawe drive: elephants are usually seen across the open scrub, plus raptors and water birds. Drive 1 hour 40 minutes to Tissamaharama for a 14:30 safari in Yala Block 1, where leopards are seen on some drives, not all, and jeeps bunch at sightings.
A 05:30 Yala drive of about 3 hours, or Bundala for water birds and flamingos from September to March. Then about 4 hours 15 minutes by expressway to the airport, for flights after about 16:00. In season, add a night at Mirissa for a whale boat.
| Stop | Simple | Comfort (this tour) | Superior | Luxury |
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| Wilpattu National Park2 nights |
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| Sigiriya (Dambulla and Habarana)1 night |
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| Kandy1 night |
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| Nuwara Eliya1 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 | $989 | $1,102 | $1,294 | $1,596 |
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) | $1,082 | Lowest |
| November (shoulder season) | $1,102 | $20 more than the lowest |
| February (peak season) | $1,170 | $88 more than the lowest |
| Christmas and New Year | $1,258 | Highest, $176 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 | $1,857 | $1,857 | Car |
| 2 adults | $1,102 | $2,203 | Car |
| 3 adults | $1,009 | $3,025 | Van |
| 4 adults | $843 | $3,371 | Van |
| 6 adults | $751 | $4,505 | Large van |
| 8 adults | $756 | $6,048 | 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.
Wildlife first: day 6 is about 4 hours 15 minutes of driving after a 3-hour walk, and day 8 is 4 hours 15 minutes after a dawn safari. Six early starts.
Leopards are seen on some drives, not all, in Yala's Block 1 and at Wilpattu, where sightings are less dense. No sighting is guaranteed, and we do not quote sighting rates.
A naturalist guide can be added to any drive for a flat fee per jeep. It helps most at Wilpattu and Horton Plains, where the animals are harder to find and the birds matter.
Yala's main blocks usually close for several weeks in September and October, and Wilpattu can flood and close from November to January. February to April and June to August are the safer windows.
Yes, with two extra nights near Deniyaya after Udawalawe. Expect rain most days and leeches; the reward is endemic birds and mixed flocks.
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
Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Ella, Udawalawe National Park, Yala (Tissamaharama and Kataragama)
Kandy, Horton Plains, the train, two parks
$744
per person for two, 6 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
14 days · Comfort hotels
Negombo, Wilpattu National Park, Anuradhapura, Sigiriya (Dambulla and Habarana), Kandy, Hatton (Adam's Peak and tea country), Nuwara Eliya, Ella, Udawalawe National Park, Yala (Tissamaharama and Kataragama), Galle (with Unawatuna)
The full loop: four parks, rafting, a tea bungalow
$1,716
per person for two, 14 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
$1,102per person, rounded up$2,203.07 total
for 2 adults, 8 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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