01
Negombo · 1 night
Arrive, and stop.
A quiet room by the lagoon, a long sleep, nothing planned.
We meet you at arrivals, whatever the hour.
About twenty minutes from the airport.
A journey through Sri Lanka
Tea and Tide
Five regions. Thirteen nights. Tea country to the sea.
13Nights on this route
5Regions
Jan to AprBest months
1Party. Yours alone.
A signature route. Your dates, length and pace are yours.
The route
Five regions, in the order the island suggests.
The route follows the land, so you travel less and see more. Shorter journeys drop a region rather than rush one.
02
Cultural triangle · 3 nights
Ancient kingdoms, early.
Sigiriya at seven, before the heat and the crowds. Polonnaruwa by bicycle. The painted caves of Dambulla.
In the late afternoon, wild elephants at Minneriya, or at Kaudulla or Hurulu, wherever the herds are that week.
From Negombo, about four hours by road.
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03
Hill country · 4 nights
Tea country at first light.
A night in Kandy for the Temple of the Tooth. Two in a bungalow among the tea. Then the slow train to Ella, and a last night high in the hills.
Your seats are reserved. Your bags go ahead by road.
Kandy is about three hours from Sigiriya. The train takes two to three hours.
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04
Yala · 2 nights
Leopards, if they choose.
A lodge at the edge of the park. Drives at dawn and in the late afternoon. The forest loud after dark.
Sightings are likely in Yala. They are never promised.
From Ella, about two and a half hours by road.
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05
South coast · 3 nights
The coast, unhurried.
A courtyard house near the beach. Mornings with nothing in them. One thing a day, if that.
On the way home, a morning inside the walls of Galle Fort, then the expressway to the airport.
From Yala, about two hours. Galle to the airport, about two and a half.
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A day on the route
Tea, then the train.
A day from the middle of the journey, to show its pace.
Illustrative. Your days are designed around you.-
06:00
Early on the estate
Walk the rows with the estate guide as the pickers begin. Tea is poured in the field.
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08:00
Breakfast on the verandah
Hoppers, eggs, fruit. Nobody is in a hurry.
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08:45
To Nanu Oya
Fifteen minutes by car. Your seats are reserved, your bags travel by road.
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09:20
The train to Ella
Two to three hours through tea and cloud forest. Open doors, if you want them.
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12:30
Lunch in Ella
Rice and curry at a family kitchen, chosen in advance. A table in the shade.
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16:00
Little Adam’s Peak
An easy path to a wide view. Or the verandah, if you would rather.
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19:30
Dinner at the stay
The guide leaves you to it. Your driver is on call. The evening is yours.
Who is travelling
The same route, shaped around who is coming.
Here is what usually changes.
As a couple
Slower, quieter, more time alone.
- A tea bungalow with only a few rooms, and dinner set on the lawn.
- Sigiriya as it opens, then the rest of the morning to yourselves.
- Fewer guided hours, and more time between them.
- A last afternoon on an empty stretch of sand, with nothing booked after.
With friends
Room to be together, and room to split up.
- A whole bungalow or villa for the group, so the evenings stay in one place.
- A second car, so the group can divide for a day and meet again for dinner.
- A cookery afternoon with a family in the hills.
- Polonnaruwa by bicycle, together, at your own speed.
With family
Shorter legs, longer breaks, and things children remember.
- Drives kept short and broken with stops. Child seats in every car.
- Connecting rooms, and stays with a pool.
- A naturalist in Yala who knows how to talk to children.
- Afternoons kept free, for sleep or the pool.
On your own
Your own pace, and company when you want it.
- The same guide throughout, good company on the road and quiet when you want it.
- A seat at a family table in the hills, for a home-cooked dinner.
- A window seat on the train to Ella, with your bags already at the next stay.
- Your driver on call each evening, and a named contact a message away.
What we look after
Trains, permits and every early start, looked after.
01
Stays
Four and five star hotels and boutique stays, each one we would choose ourselves.
02
One guide
The same guide for the whole route, chosen for how they speak and what they know.
03
Transfers and tickets
A private car and driver. Rail seats, park permits and entry tickets arranged before you land.
04
Timing
We set the hour for every site and meal, so queues and crowds mostly pass you by.
05
Someone to call
A named contact in Sri Lanka and one at Truvela, throughout your journey.
06
Changes
If the weather turns or your mood does, we change the day with you.
Begin
Built once, around you.
Tell us when you would like to go and who is coming. We take it from there. Your proposal is free, with no obligation.
Or write to hello@truvelatravel.com