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Discovering Sanctuary (11 Days)

An eleven-day route through Kandy, the ancient cities, Jaffna and Trincomalee, pairing heritage sites with time on the east coast.

Discovering Sanctuary (11 Days) - group of travelers seated inside a tour van, smiling at camera Discovering Sanctuary (11 Days) - couple standing on stairs between ancient stone elephants Discovering Sanctuary (11 Days) - couple sitting among ancient stone pillars in jungle ruins Discovering Sanctuary (11 Days) - tourists photographing large ancient brick dome structure Discovering Sanctuary (11 Days) - two visitors posing in front of colorful Hindu temple tower Discovering Sanctuary (11 Days) - group of travelers posing on high viewpoint overlooking city and river

About this experience

This eleven-day tour links the hill capital of Kandy with the ancient kingdoms of the dry zone, the Jaffna peninsula in the north, and the beaches of Trincomalee on the east coast. Travel is by private vehicle with a chauffeur guide throughout, moving steadily from the cultural heartland through the great archaeological cities before finishing with several days by the sea.

Highlights include the Temple of the Tooth Relic and Royal Botanical Gardens in Kandy, the cave temples of Dambulla, the rock fortress of Sigiriya, an elephant safari at Minneriya National Park, and the ruined cities of Polonnaruwa and Anuradhapura. The route continues north to Jaffna for its island temples before heading to Trincomalee, where the pace slows for snorkelling at Pigeon Island and time on the coast.

The itinerary suits travellers who want a thorough look at Sri Lanka's ancient architecture and religious sites balanced against a genuine stretch of coastal relaxation at the end of the trip.

Rupuni
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.

What’s included

Included

  • Transport in a Private Vehicle, Fuel, Parking & Highway tolls.
  • Service of English-Speaking Chauffeur Guide.
  • All prevailing taxes and service charges.

Not included

  • Hotel Accommodation and Meals.
  • Entrance fees to the respective sites.
  • 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 Airport > Kandy

Day 1 — Airport > Kandy

The day is given over to a cultural introduction after arrival in Kandy.

Kandy Cultural Show

An hour-long show of traditional Sri Lankan art forms, including fire dancers, sword dancers and Kandyan dancers performing to drumming.

Arian Zwegers · CC BY 2.0
2 Kandy

Day 2 — Kandy

A day spent at two of Kandy's principal sites, one botanical and one sacred.

Royal Botanical Gardens, Peradeniya

Gardens established in the early 19th century holding over 4000 species of plants, including orchids, spices and medicinal plants, with avenues of rare trees, a cannonball tree and a suspension bridge.

Bernard Gagnon · CC BY-SA 3.0
Temple of the Tooth Relic

A UNESCO World Heritage Site built in the 16th century to house and protect Lord Buddha's sacred tooth, with painted halls, carved pillars and golden statues.

A.Savin · FAL
3 Kandy > Matale > Dambulla > Sigiriya

Day 3 — Kandy > Matale > Dambulla > Sigiriya

The drive to Sigiriya takes in a spice garden near Matale and the cave temples of Dambulla.

Euphoria Spice and Herbal Garden

A spice garden near Matale, the spice capital of Sri Lanka, with a guided spice tour explaining the island's spices, herbs and their use in Ayurveda.

Golden Temple of Dambulla

Cave temples dating to the 1st century BC with murals depicting the life of Buddha and hundreds of Buddha figurines across five main caves, including the Cave of the Divine King and the Cave of the Great King, plus a giant golden Buddha statue outside the complex.

Lankapic · CC BY 2.5
4 Sigiriya > Minneriya > Sigiriya

Day 4 — Sigiriya > Minneriya > Sigiriya

The day combines a climb of the Sigiriya rock fortress with a safari at Minneriya National Park.

Sigiriya Rock Fortress

A 5th century AD rock fortress built by King Kasyapa, entered through a lion-paw gateway, with ancient murals, terraced gardens, working cisterns and tunnels leading to the former palace.

Wrobell · CC BY-SA 3.0
Minneriya National Park safari

A safari through the park, known for the Great Elephant Gathering of over 150 elephants in the dry season between May and October, alongside other mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians.

Stuart Pinkney · CC BY 2.0
5 Sigiriya > Polonnaruwa > Anuradhapura

Day 5 — Sigiriya > Polonnaruwa > Anuradhapura

The day covers two of Sri Lanka's former capitals, Polonnaruwa and Anuradhapura.

Polonnaruwa

The ruins of Sri Lanka's second ancient capital, flourishing from the 10th to 13th century AD, including Gal Vihara, Vatadage, the lotus bath, Lankathilaka Temple and the statue of King Parakramabahu.

Bernard Gagnon · CC BY-SA 3.0
Anuradhapura

The ruined city that served as capital for over a millennium until the 10th century AD, with pagodas, monastic buildings and ponds, including Jetavanarama, the Sri Maha Bodhi and the Abhayagiri Monastery.

Thisaru Tharuka · CC BY-SA 4.0
6 Anuradhapura > Jaffna

Day 6 — Anuradhapura > Jaffna

The route north takes in two island sites linked to the Naga people and early Buddhist history.

Nagadeepa Purana Viharaya

One of sixteen of the holiest Buddhist sites in Sri Lanka, believed to be where Buddha stopped during his second visit to the island, with its own distinct architecture and history.

derivative work: Taprobanus (talk) NainathivuNahaVihara.JPG: Regunathan Umapathy · Public domain
Nayinathivu

A historic island north of Jaffna, also known as Nagadeepa or Manipallavam, linked to the Naga people who worshipped the snake, with evidence at the Nainativu Nagapooshani Amman Temple.

7 Jaffna > Trincomalee

Day 7 — Jaffna > Trincomalee

The journey to Trincomalee includes an ancient temple and the town's colonial-era fort.

Ancient temple shrine

A temple praised by Indian poet-saints, with murals describing its history, a cave shrine dating to 1580 BC, a main temple developed in 400 BC, and a giant statue of King Ravana.

Fort of Trincomalee

A fort originally built by the Portuguese in 1624 CE, with stones remaining from the former Koneswaram temple and the history of Fort Frederick, later dismantled and rebuilt by the Dutch.

Kondephy · CC BY-SA 4.0
8 Trincomalee

Day 8 — Trincomalee

A day exploring the marine park off the Trincomalee coast.

Pigeon Island National Park

A park made up of a smaller and larger pigeon island surrounded by coral reef, home to breeding rock pigeons and a variety of coral and marine life.

AntanO · CC BY-SA 4.0
9 Trincomalee

Day 9 — Trincomalee

A free day on the coast at Trincomalee.

Trincomalee coast

Time to enjoy the golden sand, palm trees and clear blue sea of the coastline.

10 Trincomalee > Colombo

Day 10 — Trincomalee > Colombo

The tour returns to Colombo for a look at the capital's landmarks and shopping areas.

Colombo city sights

A visit to the capital's landmarks, including the Old Lighthouse, the Old Parliament, Galle Face Hotel, Galle Face Green, Gangarama Temple and the National Museum, along with Independence Square, the Race Course and boutique shops.

Gihanud2001 · CC0
11 Colombo > Airport

Day 11 — Colombo > Airport

After breakfast, check out and transfer to the airport for departure.

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 11 days, with no other travellers joining.

Where does the tour start and end?

Day 1 starts at Colombo airport (CMB) and day 11 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 10 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.

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