Sri Lanka Holiday Packages from Abu Dhabi and Dubai

Sri Lanka is one of the better-value trips from the UAE: the flight is about four and a half hours, hotels cost less than in the Maldives or Europe, and a private driver for the whole trip is affordable even for two people. The price depends mostly on the number of nights, the hotel grade and the month. The table shows starting prices per person, sharing a double room, with return flights from Abu Dhabi and a private car and driver.

Families and groups of four or more pay less per person for the car, because one driver and vehicle covers everyone; we move you into a van for larger groups. Shared tours, where you join other travellers on a coach, cost a little less again but run on fixed times. For most UAE travellers we recommend the private driver: the roads are slow, and being able to stop for a tea factory, a fruit stall or a prayer break makes the days easier.

Entry tickets are usually paid on the day.

Prices rise over Christmas and New Year, Sinhala and Tamil New Year in April, and the UAE school holidays. Dates in May, June or September often cost less if you plan the beach part on the right coast. Check our cheapest tour packages this month if your dates are open.

1. 01

   Day 1: Arrive, drive to Sigiriya (about 4 hours)

   Your driver meets you at the airport. Stop on the way at the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage or a spice garden, then check in near Sigiriya. Evening at the hotel pool.

2. 02

   Day 2: Sigiriya and Dambulla

   Climb Sigiriya Rock early, before the heat: the Lion's Paws gate, the frescoes and the palace ruins on the summit. In the afternoon, see the painted cave temples at Dambulla. For a quieter view of the rock, climb nearby Pidurangala at sunset.

3. 03

   Day 3: To Kandy (about 2.5 to 3 hours)

   Drive south to Kandy, the last royal capital. Walk around Kandy Lake, then the evening ceremony at the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic and a Kandyan dance show.

4. 04

   Day 4: Peradeniya and the hill-country train

   Your driver takes the luggage by road and meets you at Ella.

5. 05

   Day 5: Ella

   Walk to Little Adam's Peak for the view across the valley to Ella Rock, then the Nine Arches Bridge as a train crosses, and Ravana Falls on the road south. Cooler air and quiet evenings.

6. 06

   Day 6: To the south coast (about 4 to 5 hours)

   Drive down to the coast, with an optional afternoon jeep safari in Yala or Udawalawe on the way for elephants and, in Yala, a chance of leopards. Check in at Galle, Mirissa or Bentota.

7. 07

   Day 7: Galle and the beach

   Walk the walls of Galle Fort, a Dutch-era town that is now a World Heritage Site, with cafes and craft shops inside. The afternoon is free on the beach, or take a river cruise or visit a turtle hatchery.

8. 08

   Day 8: Fly home (about 2.5 hours to the airport)

   The southern expressway makes the run back to Katunayake straightforward. Allow time for traffic around Colombo.

• 01

  Colombo

  The capital and the start or end of most trips. Gangaramaya Temple, the Seema Malaka pavilion on Beira Lake, Independence Square and Galle Face Green at sunset. Shopping at One Galle Face, Crescat Boulevard, ODEL and Barefoot. One night is usually enough.

• 02

  Kandy

  A lakeside hill city and the cultural centre. The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, the 147-acre Peradeniya gardens, a gem museum and Kandyan dancing. A good base for two nights, with Pinnawala on the drive in.

• 03

  Nuwara Eliya and Ella

  The tea country, around 1,800 m in Nuwara Eliya, with cool nights all year. Nuwara Eliya has colonial bungalows, Gregory Lake and strawberry farms; Ella has the Nine Arches Bridge and easy hikes. Pick one for short trips.

• 04

  Bentota, Galle and Mirissa

  The south-west and south coast. Bentota for resorts, river cruises and water sports; Galle for the old fort town; Mirissa for whale watching in season and a quieter beach. Dry from December to April.

Swap Ella for Nuwara Eliya if you prefer colonial hotels, Gregory Lake and a tea factory tour to hiking. Add a night in Colombo at the end for shopping at One Galle Face and the Barefoot gallery shop. For ten nights, add Trincomalee or Pasikudah on the east coast between May and September, when that side is dry.

• Peak dates: Sinhala and Tamil New Year in mid-April, the UAE summer and winter school holidays, Eid, Christmas and New Year
• Low-cost fares often exclude checked baggage and meals, so compare the full price
• Packages often beat the separate flight price because the fare is bundled with the hotel
• Morning departures from the UAE land in Colombo in the afternoon, so day 1 is a drive, not a lost day

Send us your dates on WhatsApp and we will quote the lowest fare we can find that day, on its own or inside a package. For other routes, see our flight tickets from Abu Dhabi page.

Sri Lanka has two monsoons that hit opposite sides of the island at different times, so there is a dry coast in almost every month. From December to April, the driest areas are the hill country and the coasts to the west and south. The east coast is driest from May to September. October and November bring rain across most of the island.

For the UAE summer holidays, plan the hill country, the cultural triangle and the east coast at Trincomalee, Pasikudah or Arugam Bay. For the winter break and National Day, plan the classic loop with Galle, Mirissa or Bentota. If you want a Southeast Asian beach in the same months as a wet Sri Lankan coast, compare our Thailand tour package from UAE.