Ceylon Tea Tour (10 Days)

About this experience

This ten-day tour follows Sri Lanka's tea story from the lowlands to the hill country and down to the south coast, travelling throughout in a private vehicle with an English-speaking chauffeur guide. It opens with a Colombo city tour, climbs to Kandy for the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, and reaches Nuwara Eliya's tea estates before a walk across Horton Plains National Park. From there the route heads south to Galle Fort, the Maritime Museum and the Lighthouse, finishing along the coast at Handunugoda Tea Factory, a turtle hatchery and a Madu River boat safari.

Along the way you taste Ceylon tea straight from source, from the Dilma and Embillian estates to the Virgin White Tea grown at Handunugoda, with fresh king coconuts to cool off between stops. Accommodation, meals and entrance fees are arranged separately, leaving you free to choose where you stay and eat; Lakpura's chauffeur guide handles the driving, routing and transfers throughout.

Your service advisor

Rupuni Senior Executive

Have questions about this service or want it arranged around your dates? Reach Rupuni directly — replies usually within a few hours during Sri Lanka business hours.

Email WhatsApp

What’s included

Included

Transport in a Private Vehicle, inclusive of all chauffeur accommodation.
Service of an English-Speaking Chauffeur Guide throughout the tour.
All prevailing taxes and service charges.

Not included

Hotel Accommodation and Meals.
Entrance fees to the respective sites.
Chauffeur Guide's Accommodation.
Expenses of personal nature.
Visa and Related Expenses.
Tips & Portages.

Tour route

Day-by-day waypoints across Sri Lanka. Each marker is where you spend the night; lines trace the daily drive.

Day-by-day itinerary

Download itinerary (PDF)

1 Colombo

Day 1 — Airport → Colombo

On arrival at Colombo International Airport you are met by a chauffeur guide and driven to Negombo to check in and rest, with an option to take in Colombo's landmarks.

Colombo City

See the capital's lights and landmarks, including the Old Lighthouse, the Old Parliament, Galle Face Hotel, Galle Face Green, Gangarama Temple and the National Museum, with time for the shops around Independence Square and the Race Course.

Gihanud2001 · CC0

2 Colombo

Day 2 — Colombo

After a relaxed morning, spend the day learning about Sri Lanka's tea industry close to the city.

Dilma Tea Factory

Take a guided tour of this Colombo-based factory to see how tea leaves are processed and packaged, a convenient option for learning about Ceylon tea without travelling to the hill country.

3 Kandy

Day 3 — Colombo → Pinnawala → Kandy

Check out and drive towards Kandy, stopping en route for a tea estate visit and the chance to spend time with elephants.

Embillian Tea Estate

Visit the Embilmeegama Tea Factory, a family business established in 1940, to see how authentic Ceylon tea is produced.

Millennium Elephant Foundation

This family-run organisation cares for domestic elephants across Sri Lanka, funding their medical treatment and welfare, and offers the Elephant Walk Experience as an ethical alternative to elephant riding.

4 Kandy

Day 4 — Kandy

Spend the day exploring the last royal capital of Sri Lanka on foot and visiting its most sacred site.

Kandy Town

Walk through the streets of Kandy, trying Sri Lankan street food, watching garland makers at work, visiting a Hindu temple and taking a short three-wheeler ride while hearing the history of the town.

A.Savin · FAL

Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic

This UNESCO World Heritage Site was built in the 16th century to house and protect the Buddha's sacred tooth relic, its passageways and halls decorated in red, cream and black alongside carved pillars and gilded statues.

A.Savin · FAL

5 Nuwara Eliya

Day 5 — Kandy → Nuwara Eliya

Check out and take the train from Peradeniya into the hill country, continuing by road to Nuwara Eliya for a tea factory visit and a tour of the town.

Peradeniya to Nuwara Eliya train journey

The train ride climbs through highland countryside past tea plantations and misty, picturesque villages, with your chauffeur meeting you at Nanu Oya station to continue to Nuwara Eliya.

Tea Factory Visit

Tour a tea estate and factory to learn about tea varieties and processing methods, tracing the industry back to the first tea planted at Peradeniya in 1824 and James Taylor's commercial plantation at Loolecondera from 1852.

Nuwara Eliya Town

This hill town was the main holiday resort for the British in the 19th and early 20th centuries, with cottages, villas and mansions to walk past, a historic red-brick post office, Queen Victoria Park and the shores of Lake Gregory.

Abdul malik77 · CC BY-SA 4.0

6 Nuwara Eliya

Day 6 — Nuwara Eliya

Take a packed breakfast and spend the day trekking in a national park known for its highland grasslands and cloud forest.

Horton Plains National Park

Trek across the montane grasslands and cloud forest of Horton Plains in Ohiya, taking in the view from World's End and the spray of Baker's Falls, with a chance to spot endemic wildlife and learn about the park's archaeological finds.

Faslan at en.wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0

7 Galle

Day 7 — Nuwara Eliya → Galle

Check out and drive south to Galle, spending the later part of the day exploring its fortified old town.

Galle Fort

Explore one of the best-preserved fortifications in Asia, built up by the Portuguese and Dutch, visiting the Maritime Museum, the Galle National Museum and the lighthouse, and walking the cobblestoned streets with their Dutch names.

Rovin Shanila · CC BY-SA 4.0

8 Galle

Day 8 — Galle → Ahangama → Galle

After breakfast, head out to a tea factory known for a particularly rare and delicate tea before returning to Galle.

Handunugoda Tea Factory

Also known as the Virgin White Tea Factory, this estate produces tea plucked and processed without being touched by human hands, with a tasting session of tea and chocolate cake and the chance to buy tea leaves as a souvenir.

AI-generated image · not an actual photograph

9 Negombo

Day 9 — Galle → Negombo

Check out and travel to Negombo, breaking the journey on the southwestern coast for a turtle hatchery visit and a river boat trip.

Kosgoda Turtle Hatchery

Learn about the five endangered sea turtle species that nest on Sri Lanka's shores and how the hatchery's care programme protects nests and hatchlings, with the chance to see, touch and feed baby and injured turtles.

AI-generated image · not an actual photograph

Madu River Boat Ride

Cruise through the mangrove channels of the Madu River, spotting basking crocodiles and water monitors, visiting a small island where residents harvest cinnamon, trying a fish massage and watching waterbirds in their habitat.

SUPindia · CC BY-SA 4.0

10 Airport

Day 10 — Negombo → Airport

After a relaxed morning and breakfast, check out and transfer to the airport for your departure flight.

Please note

Public transportation nearby
Infant seats available

Not wheelchair accessible
Not stroller accessible
Not suitable for pets
Infants must not sit on laps
Not recommended for people with heart conditions
Entrance tickets are not included in the price.

Cancellation policy

More than 24 hours notice: full refund
Less than 24 hours notice: no refund

To cancel, reply to your booking confirmation email or message us on WhatsApp.

Frequently asked questions

Is this a private tour?

Yes. The tour is private to your group: your own air-conditioned vehicle and an English-speaking chauffeur guide for all 10 days, with no other travellers joining.

Where does the tour start and end?

Day 1 starts at Colombo airport (CMB) and day 10 ends at Colombo airport (CMB). Every stop in between is reached by road in the same vehicle, so there is no other transport to arrange.

Are hotels included?

The base price covers the vehicle and chauffeur guide. In the booking box you can add hotels for all 9 nights at Budget (3★), Standard (4★) or Luxury (5★ and boutique) level, on half board. Hotels we hold contracts with for your dates are named in the price; for any other night our team books a hotel of the same class after you pay.

What vehicle will we travel in?

It depends on your group: a car for 1–2 guests, a van for 3–5, a large van for 6–8 and a bus for 9–15. Choose the number of guests in the booking box and the price updates to match.

Are entrance fees included?

Not in the base price. Set Tickets to Included in the booking box to add the entrance fees and safari jeeps for the sights on this itinerary; the booking box lists exactly which ones are covered.

Can we have a national guide?

Yes. A chauffeur guide is always included, and you can add a government-licensed national guide who travels with you for the whole tour. Choose it under Guide in the booking box; the vehicle is sized for the extra seat.

Can we change the itinerary or the dates?

Yes. Every tour is private, so it can start on any date you choose. To change stops, add nights or combine it with another tour, write to us in the booking notes or plan your own trip at lakpura.com/plan-your-trip.