Seasonal favourite
Salt & Season: The East Coast Awakening
8 days · 7 nights · From US$1,590 per person
Arugam Bay's season is May–Sep almost exactly. This is the journey the season is built around.
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Tours & packages
Every tour below is a starting point — we adapt routes, hotels and pacing to you. Prices are indicative per person and confirmed in your personal quote.
Now in Sri Lanka
May – September
The southwest monsoon crosses the island and the east comes into its own. Warm eastern water, surf, and the dry zone at its driest — while the south and west coasts sit this one out.
Seasonal favourite
8 days · 7 nights · From US$1,590 per person
Arugam Bay's season is May–Sep almost exactly. This is the journey the season is built around.
View journeySeasonal favourite
9 days · 8 nights · From US$1,950 per person
While the southwest sits under the monsoon, the North is dry — Wilpattu travels well Feb–Oct, and the Nallur festival falls in July or August.
View journeyThe east coast on a shorter frame, inside the same window.
The gathering builds through August and into October.
Sigiriya is in its driest months, and Kandy's Esala Perahera falls in July or August.
Suited to the earlier part of this window, to July, before Yala's Sep–Oct closure.
The dry zone is at its driest Jan–Sep.
Hill country holds until September.
Elephants here are reliable through the year.
Esala Perahera falls in July or August.
Best suited to the earlier part of this window, to July.
Conditions can vary from year to year — these are recommendations, not guarantees. Tell us your dates and we'll say honestly what to expect.
Journeys across Sri Lanka
Two monsoons and a mountain range mean the island is never doing one thing at once. Choose a region to see the journeys that go there — or keep scrolling for the full collection.
Region 1 of 7
Rock fortresses, cave temples and the ruins of three ancient capitals.
Multi-day journeys
Day tours
Safaris
By region
01
Rock fortresses, cave temples and the ruins of three ancient capitals.
Sigiriya · Dambulla · Polonnaruwa · Anuradhapura · Habarana
Sri Maha Bodhi at dusk, tended by hand since the third century BC · Mihintale's 1,840 steps before the stone warms · Polonnaruwa by bicycle, finishing at the colossi of Gal Vihara
Sunrise climb of Sigiriya Rock Fortress · Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, Kandy · First-class seats on the Kandy–Ella railway
Anuradhapura & Polonnaruwa ancient cities · Sigiriya and the Cultural Triangle · Tea-estate stay in Nuwara Eliya
Sigiriya Rock Fortress climb · Dambulla cave temple complex · Traditional Sri Lankan lunch stop
Asia's largest elephant gathering (Aug–Oct) · Private jeep with viewing roof · Combines perfectly with Sigiriya
02
Tea terraces, cloud forest and the slow blue train through the highlands.
Kandy · Ella · Nuwara Eliya · Haputale · Horton Plains
Sri Maha Bodhi at dusk, tended by hand since the third century BC · Mihintale's 1,840 steps before the stone warms · Polonnaruwa by bicycle, finishing at the colossi of Gal Vihara
Colonial planters' bungalows, staffed as they always were · Horton Plains at first light — Baker's Falls, then World's End before nine · Lipton's Seat at sunrise, above the Dambatenne estate
Sunrise climb of Sigiriya Rock Fortress · Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, Kandy · First-class seats on the Kandy–Ella railway
Anuradhapura & Polonnaruwa ancient cities · Sigiriya and the Cultural Triangle · Tea-estate stay in Nuwara Eliya
Private tea-factory tour & tasting · Horton Plains & World's End (optional) · Kandy–Ella railway in reserved seats
Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic · Royal Botanical Gardens, Peradeniya · Kandy Lake & city viewpoint
Nine Arch Bridge train crossing · Little Adam's Peak sunrise hike · Rawana waterfall
03
Dutch ramparts, whale-rich water and long mornings on warm sand.
Lunuganga — Geoffrey Bawa's country estate, the birthplace of tropical modernism · Galle Fort ramparts at sunset, and the lanes behind them at breakfast · A cook's morning: market, coconut scraper, seven curries
Sunrise climb of Sigiriya Rock Fortress · Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, Kandy · First-class seats on the Kandy–Ella railway
Anuradhapura & Polonnaruwa ancient cities · Sigiriya and the Cultural Triangle · Tea-estate stay in Nuwara Eliya
Yala, Udawalawe & Bundala parks · Elephant Transit Home visit · Whale watching in Mirissa (Nov–Apr)
Galle Fort ramparts walk · Koggala stilt fishermen · Sea turtle hatchery visit
04
Leopard country — scrub, lagoons and dawn game drives.
Yala · Udawalawe · Tissamaharama · Bundala
Wilpattu — the oldest and largest park, and the fewest jeeps · The Gathering at Minneriya or Kaudulla, July to September · Udawalawe, where elephants are effectively guaranteed year-round
Sunrise climb of Sigiriya Rock Fortress · Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, Kandy · First-class seats on the Kandy–Ella railway
Anuradhapura & Polonnaruwa ancient cities · Sigiriya and the Cultural Triangle · Tea-estate stay in Nuwara Eliya
Yala, Udawalawe & Bundala parks · Elephant Transit Home visit · Whale watching in Mirissa (Nov–Apr)
Private jeep — never shared · Experienced tracker-driver · Park permits arranged
05
Surf season in reverse, glassy bays and a quieter island.
Arugam Bay · Trincomalee · Pasikuda · Batticaloa
Koneswaram temple on Swami Rock, above a thousand-foot drop to the sea · Pigeon Island's reef, a short boat ride off Nilaveli · Pasikuda — wade a hundred metres and still stand up
Board-friendly vehicle all week · Dawn transfers to the day's best break · Kumana National Park safari
06
The island's front door — markets, coastal rail and colonial streets.
Colombo · Negombo · Bentota · Kalpitiya
Private tea-factory tour & tasting · Horton Plains & World's End (optional) · Kandy–Ella railway in reserved seats
07
Palmyra palms, island causeways and a culture distinctly its own.
Jaffna · Mannar · Delft · Wilpattu
No set journey covers this region yet. Ask us what's possible.
Plan a The North tripBuild your own journey
Five short questions — all of them optional — and we'll route the trip around your answers. Nothing below is a booking; it simply gives your enquiry a head start.
Pick the one thing you'd be sorry to miss. We'll build the rest around it.
Every step is optional
Begin the journey
Most of our journeys are tailor-made from scratch. Tell us your dates and interests and we'll design a route that's yours alone.