North Sri Lanka Explorer: Ruins, Reefs and Islands

Fly from wherever you are to Sri Lanka. From the UK the best option is overnight with Sri Lankan Airlines.

We will be waiting to greet you on your arrival in Colombo. Meet your chauffeur guide who will be with you for your entire trip in Sri Lanka. Your first stop is a 45-minute drive up the coast to the town of Chilaw where you can freshen up and relax after your journey. You'll spend the night here.

This morning drive 1.5 hours further north to Kalpitiya, a beautiful spot on a small peninsula between the Indian Ocean and a large lagoon. Check into your hotel and enjoy your choice of activities – you can go for a boat ride to spot dolphins and the occasional whale, snorkel or scuba dive on the country’s largest coral reef, do some kite surfing or just relax by the pool. You'll be staying in Kalpitiya for the next two nights.

Leave early in the morning (with a packed breakfast from the hotel) for a day trip to Wilpattu National Park. You'll first take a boat trip across the lagoon before enjoying a game drive in an open-top jeep. You can spot a huge range of wildlife here – and this is one of the best places in Sri Lanka for leopard sightings.

From Kalpitiya it's a 5-hour drive to Jaffna, the main city in the north of Sri Lanka. Jaffna was mostly off-limits to tourists during the war, but is now a fascinating place to visit with its Tamil culture, temples and forts. You probably won’t see any other tourists around here. We suggest staying in the fabulous Fox Resorts Jaffna.

Head out to explore the area today, starting with a ferry ride to Delft – a large mostly deserted island home to wild horses left behind by the Dutch, and an old fort. Continue by ferry to Nagadeepa and back to your hotel.

Spend today exploring Jaffna, including the Jaffna Fort (built by the Dutch), European churches and Hindu temples.

Today’s drive from Jaffna to Trincomalee on the north East coast will take about 4 hours. Once you’ve arrived and checked into your hotel, head out to explore the town to see the hot springs, Trincomalee harbour and Koneswaram temple.

Enjoy today at your leisure. You can also head out to Pigeon Island for some snorkelling and whale watching.

Drive 1.5 hours to Habarana, in the heart of the Cultural Triangle, and check into your hotel. Now, we are assuming that if you're planning to visit North Sri Lanka, then you may have already been to some of the main sites in the Cultural Triangle. So on this trip why not explore some of the lesser known spots? Just as interesting, but far less crowded. We have suggested a few such places for the next couple of days.

Today head out today to see the giant carved Buddha statues at Reswehara and Avukana. The latter is the best-preserved ancient statue in Sri Lanka.

Today’s drive to Negombo will take under 5 hours, but break it up with a stop at the ancient monastery in the forest at Ritigala. Make sure you do this early as wild elephants make it unsafe later in the day. At Negombo check in to your hotel for your final evening by the seaside.

We will drop you at the airport for your return flight home.