Sustainable Tour (10 Days)

About this experience

This ten-day tour moves slowly through the hill country and south of Sri Lanka, built around the island's living crafts, agriculture and food traditions rather than a checklist of sights. From Kandy you visit a village brassworks and a string of Central Highlands temples, then head into Kotmale and Nuwara Eliya to see toddy tapping, jaggery making and tea manufacture close up, before dropping down through Ella's farms and hiking trails to the wildlife of Udawalawe and the coast at Galle and Bentota.

Travel is by private air-conditioned vehicle with a chauffeur guide throughout, and the pace allows time to talk with local artisans, farmers and tea workers rather than just watching from a distance. Along the way there is a vegetable farm visit and cooking demonstration in Ella, a safari in Udawalawe National Park, and a walk through Galle's old Dutch fort before the tour ends at the coast and back to the airport.

It suits travellers who want a hands-on, culturally grounded route through the hill country and south, with hiking, cycling and craft and food experiences built into the days rather than left as options.

Your service advisor

Ashan Executive

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

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What’s included

Included

Arrival pickup and drop-off.
Transport in an air-conditioned vehicle.
Service of an English-speaking chauffeur guide.

Not included

Hotel Accomodation & Meals
Any expenses of personal nature.
Cost of Beverages
International / Domestic Airfare.

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 Kandy

Day 1 — Airport → Kandy

On arrival at Colombo International Airport you are met by a Lakpura chauffeur guide, handed a hygiene pack, and driven to Kandy.

Kandy

Transfer to Kandy, check in to the hotel and stay overnight.

A.Savin · FAL

2 Kandy

Day 2 — Kandy → Pilimathalawa → Kandy

A day trip from Kandy into the Central Highlands to see local brasswork and three historic temples linked by a short rural path.

Pilimathalawa brass works

Visit a local village house in Pilimathalawa to see traditional brass work being made.

Embekke, Lankathilake and Gadaladeniya temples

A path of about 7 kilometres links these three temples south-west of Kandy, passing fertile rice fields and small towns with colourful houses. Along the way there are chances to talk to locals and stop for tea at roadside stalls.

3 Kandy

Day 3 — Kandy → Kotmale → Kandy

A day trip from Kandy to Kotmale to see two traditional rural trades: palm toddy tapping and jaggery making.

Toddy tapping

See how toddy, an alcoholic beverage made from the sap of palms such as coconut, palmyra and date, is tapped. The tapper uses a rope ladder tied with coconut husks to reach the tree, then cuts the unopened palm flower buds to collect the sap.

Jaggery manufacturing

Watch jaggery, a traditional non-centrifugal cane sugar, being made by crushing sugarcane for juice, filtering and boiling it down, then cooling and solidifying it into blocks ranging from golden to dark brown.

4 Nuwara Eliya

Day 4 — Kandy → Nuwara Eliya

The drive to Nuwara Eliya includes a stop at Ramboda Falls, with time afterwards to explore the former British hill-station town.

Ramboda Falls

Ramboda Ella is the 11th highest waterfall in Sri Lanka, made up of three sections. The middle section is visible from the A5 highway near the bridge, while the top section requires a climb up a path just before the bridge for a fuller view.

A.Savin · FAL

Nuwara Eliya city tour

An optional walk through the former British hill-station, built as a holiday town in the 19th and early 20th centuries, taking in its cottages, villas and the old red-brick post office, with time to relax at Queen Victoria Park or Lake Gregory.

Abdul malik77 · CC BY-SA 4.0

5 Nuwara Eliya

Day 5 — Nuwara Eliya

A day in Nuwara Eliya centred on a working tea factory.

Tea factory visit

See tea pickers working the rows on the mountainside, then take a guided tour of the factory covering fermentation, rolling, drying, cutting, sieving and grading. The visit ends with a tea tasting and an explanation of why Ceylon tea is rated so highly.

6 Ella

Day 6 — Nuwara Eliya → Ella

The journey continues to Ella, where the afternoon is given over to farming and food.

Vegetable farm visit

Visit a vegetable farm in Ella to see how crops are cultivated and harvested.

Cooking demonstration

Join a cooking demonstration combining modern and traditional methods, with all ingredients provided, covering a Sri Lankan meal or sweetmeat preparation.

7 Ella

Day 7 — Ella

A day of cycling and walking through the countryside around Ella.

Adventure cycling

Cycle through grassy plains, past streams and waterfalls, and on to the Demodara Nine Arch Bridge through paddy fields, small tea plantations and spice plots.

Little Adam's Peak

Hike up Little Adam's Peak for views over the surrounding countryside, timed for sunrise or sunset.

AI-generated image · not an actual photograph

8 Udawalawe

Day 8 — Ella → Udawalawe

Travel to Udawalawe for an afternoon safari in the national park.

Udawalawe National Park safari

A three-hour safari through the marshes, forests and grasslands of a park established as a wildlife sanctuary in the 1970s. Sri Lankan elephants and water birds are the main draw, alongside other mammals, reptiles, amphibians and butterflies.

AntanO · CC BY-SA 4.0

9 Bentota

Day 9 — Udawalawe → Galle → Bentota

The route to the beach at Bentota runs via Galle, with a stop to explore its fortified old town.

Galle Fort city tour

Explore the fort built up by the Portuguese and Dutch, one of the best-preserved fortifications in Asia, including the Maritime Museum, Galle National Museum and lighthouse, and a walk through its cobblestoned streets.

Rovin Shanila · CC BY-SA 4.0

10 BIA

Day 10 — Galle → BIA

Transfer from the south coast to the airport for departure.

Departure

Drive to the airport to conclude the tour.

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
Hats & comfortable walking shoes are recommended
A maximum of 8 people per booking
Depending on the road traffic conditions allocated time will differ.
Experience
A walk, between the paws of a giant historic lion fortress
A chance to learn to cook Sri Lankan food
A taste of authentic Sri Lankan food and traditions
A chance to elephants, deer, monkeys, crocodiles and many other wildlife on an exclusive safari

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 BIA. 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.