Northern Sri Lanka tour including Jaffna

Today you will be transferred to Kandy, located in the lower hill region, surrounded by lush hills and amazing scenery.

Visit Kandy and the Peradeniya Botanical Gardens. Early this evening your driver will take you to visit the famous Temple of The Sacred Tooth.

Transfer north to Sigiriya, travelling via the impressive caves in Dambulla. Dating back to the 1st century BC, the site consists of five temples; carved into the rock within a hill looming over Dambulla. Walking up the steps to the top of the hill, you can enjoy the views of the surrounding plains before exploring these beautiful temples. Spend the night in Sigiriya, located in Sri Lanka's cultural triangle.

Explore the iconic Sigiriya Rock Fortress and the nearby ancient city of Polonnaruwa today with your chauffeur-guide. Polonnaruwa is still a devout holy city so you can mix with brightly robed Buddhist monks and pilgrims dressed in white bringing beautiful floral offerings.

Travel onward to Anuradhapura for the next two nights. Passing rice paddies and farms, this is a great route to spot some local wildlife. The evening is free to relax.

Spend the morning exploring Wilpattu National Park. Travel by jeep to hopefully see wild elephants, the local birdlife among many other species of animals. In the afternoon you will visit the ancient sites which dot the towns of Anuradhapura and Mihintale.

This morning, after breakfast, you will drive up to the very north of the country to Jaffna — a stunning place that has a turbulent history and strong Tamil influence; it's a unique place to visit in Sri Lanka.

Today you will be able to start your tour of the Jaffna area with your guide. You are likely to be the only tourists around so you will certainly get to see the Sri Lankan way of life.

Another day to continue your explorations of Jaffna. Today you may want to visit one of the neighbouring islands or go up to the top of the peninsula to the coast.

Travel southeast today to reach the harbour city of Trincomalee. Explore the history or relax on the beautiful beaches.

You can spend the day at leisure exploring or just relaxing on the beach. In summer, you can take a boat trip to see whales and dolphins.

Take a domestic flight back to Colombo today. If flights connect, you may be able to fly out internationally on the same day, otherwise, stop in Colombo for one night. Spend the evening relaxing or exploring one of Colombo's markets.

Travel to the international airport for your onward flight. Your return flight will arrive the same day.