Sri Lanka Tour Schedule 2026–2027
Season
2026–2027
Guide
English-speaking
Planning
from $65
Find out when group tours in Sri Lanka run: Ella and elephants, Yala, Sigiriya, Golden Circle, Galle, whale watching and deep-sea fishing. Hotel pickup and an English-speaking guide. Check available seats with our travel advisor before booking.
Tour schedule by day of the week
Monday
🐘 Ella + Udawalawe. Daily: whale watching and deep-sea fishing. Golden Circle runs with 10 or more guests.
Tuesday
🦁 Ella + Yala, Ella + Sigiriya (2 days), Golden Circle, Yala safari. Daily: whale watching and deep-sea fishing.
Wednesday
🐋 Whale watching and deep-sea fishing. Golden Circle runs with 10 or more guests.
Thursday
⚠️ Other group tours are temporarily not running. From 15 October, Ella + Yala runs on Thursdays. Daily: whale watching and fishing.
Friday
🐘 Ella + Udawalawe. Daily: whale watching and deep-sea fishing. Golden Circle runs with 10 or more guests.
Saturday
🏯 Ella + Yala, Ella + Sigiriya (2 days), Golden Circle, Yala safari. Daily: whale watching and deep-sea fishing.
Sunday
🏰 Fort Galle + river safari. Daily: whale watching and sea fishing.
Tours in the schedule: itineraries and prices
Ella and Udawalawe elephant sanctuary
Ella and Yala Jeep Safari
Ella, Sigiriya and Elephants Combo Tour
Sri Lanka Golden Circle
Yala National Park Jeep Safari
Whale watching
Deep-sea fishing
Galle and river safari
What's included: hotel transfer, guide and tickets
Transfer
Included
Children 6–12
−50%
Under 6
Free
🚐 We pick you up from your hotel on the coast and bring you back. No need to find a taxi or agree on a price with a driver. Your travel advisor will confirm the pickup time for your hotel.
🎫 On group tours, entrance tickets to the sights are already included, and the guide speaks English. Children aged 6–12 get −50%, and under 6 travel free.
Before you book: what to know
Early pickups are normal
🌙 Tours to Sigiriya, Ella and Pidurangala start before dawn so you beat the heat and the crowds. Ask your hotel for a packed breakfast to take on the road.
Season matters
🐋 Whale watching runs November to April. In Yala National Park, blocks 1 and 2 are closed from 14 September to 15 October 2026 due to drought, while the other zones remain open. Your travel advisor will tell you what is open on your dates.
Travelling with kids, stress-free
👶 Children aged 6–12 get 50% off, and children under 6 travel free. Little ones enjoy the elephants, turtles and Galle most; Little Adam’s Peak and Sigiriya are best left for older kids.
Temple dress code
🙏 At temples, cover your shoulders and knees, and remove your shoes at the entrance. Bring a light scarf and socks, as the stone gets hot during the day.
Where we go: every tour stop on one map
Before you book: what to know
Thursday: no group tours
⚠️ Group tours are temporarily not running on Thursdays. The exception is Ella + Yala, which runs on Thursdays from 15 October.
Golden Circle on other days
🏯 The Golden Circle runs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays with a group of 10 or more guests.
Whales and fishing: every day
🐋 Whale watching trips from Unawatuna, Weligama and Mirissa, plus sea fishing, run daily, except on stormy days.
Confirm your seats in advance
📅 Before you book, chat with us. Our travel advisor will confirm your seats and hotel pickup time.
Sri Lanka entrance tickets in 2026: how much they cost
🏛 Ancient cities: Sigiriya, Dambulla, Polonnaruwa, Anuradhapura
Sigiriya Rock: $35 for foreign visitors (SAARC countries: $20).
Dambulla Cave Temple: 3,000 rupees.
Polonnaruwa and Anuradhapura: $30 each.
🐆 National parks: Yala, Udawalawe, Minneriya, Horton Plains
Yala and Minneriya: $25, Udawalawe: $15, Horton Plains: $25 entry.
The jeep with driver is paid separately. In our Yala safari, the jeep and tickets are already included.
🙏 Temples and gardens: Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, Peradeniya
Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic in Kandy: 2,000 rupees.
Peradeniya Botanical Garden: about 3,540 rupees.
🎫 Do I need to buy tickets myself?
On Big Travel group tours, entrance tickets are included in the price, so you don't need to pay on site. Entry prices are current for 2026 and may change on site, so please check with your travel advisor.
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Guest reviews
Overall Rating
75 reviews
Ekaterina
19.09.2025
We got back yesterday from a two-day tour with an overnight stay at Elephant Bay hotel and the climb to Sigiriya (choose exactly this rock for the climb). It was AMAZING!!!! WONDERFUL!!! Best tour!!! Our guide Denis (Dinesh) was simply brilliant. He kept us laughing the whole way, told us the history of Sri Lanka, answered all our questions, shared lots of interesting facts and helped us with photos and videos! All the stops on the tour were chosen very well, and everything felt heartfelt! A special thank you to our driver Shalinda, who drove us safely and with style! Emotions for a whole year, maybe for a lifetime! Those two days felt like we had travelled for a week through different countries, with different climates, nature and architecture, all in one place on a small island, Sri Lanka.
Sofia
11.09.2025
I'm thrilled with the Heart of Sri Lanka tour! It was a beautifully organised trip! We saw an incredible number of sights and felt the atmosphere of an amazing country. A special thank you for helping us with the most important moment of our trip: a marriage proposal at the top of Sigiriya! Help choosing the perfect moment and place among the wonders of the world made this day truly unforgettable. A special mention goes to the night at Mountain Heavens hotel. In the morning, stepping out onto the balcony and seeing elephants walking by was wonderful! The main thing that made the trip perfect was our guide Yasir, the soul of the tour :) He told us about every sight with great charm, knew the best angles for photos and anticipated our wishes. His care, attentiveness and great sense of humour created a truly friendly and comfortable atmosphere. We felt completely safe and as if we were travelling with an old friend. Thank you to Yasir and the whole team! We will definitely recommend you to our friends!
Lisa
02.09.2025
Sharing our impressions on the way home from the wonderful two-day Heart of Sri Lanka tour! Other reviews already say everything about the tour itself, so we'd like to describe the impressions we got thanks to our guide Yasir and driver Usama. A few words about the road: the car was comfortable and new, the air conditioning saved us the whole way, and the driver, despite the winding roads, followed all the traffic rules like a European driver. But a special thank you goes to Yasir. He helped us with every little question along the way. He is very caring and attentive. When someone tried to sell us something expensive, he took us to another place where the same thing cost less. At the tea factory during the tasting, they wanted to give us just one type of tea. Yasir stood up for us, and in the end we got to try all the varieties. On the way he showed us many inexpensive places where we could get tasty food and fruit. Yasir also turned out to be a very interesting person. We chatted for both days about the culture of his country and compared it with ours. His English is excellent, he is a deeply knowledgeable and well-read person, and he speaks several languages. He even gets our memes :) To our surprise, Yasir varied our programme. At the end of the second day we managed to visit a village where we were shown traditional customs and lifestyle, and we were fed traditional food and sweets. We even got to break a coconut 🥥 And it would be a sin not to mention that Yasir is a professional photographer. In fact, you can see his photos in this message. We are now nearly at our villa to rest after such an eventful and emotional programme. Many thanks to the organisers, Yasir, Usama and the local people of Sri Lanka!
Vlad
09.08.2025
We are simply thrilled with the SAFARI YALA + ELLA day tour! It was an incredible adventure that left a lot of vivid memories. We especially want to mention our guide Ishar. He was simply wonderful! Ishar is a true professional. He speaks English excellently and has deep knowledge of the history, culture and nature of Sri Lanka. Thanks to him, the tour was not just sightseeing but an exciting journey into the world of this amazing country. The safari in Yala National Park impressed me the most. Four hours flew by in a moment! We saw a huge number of wild animals: majestic elephants, a leopard (it was truly incredible!), deer, buffaloes, monkeys, crocodiles, monitor lizards and many beautiful birds. Ishar and the safari driver skilfully found the most interesting spots and told us about the animals' habits, which made the safari even more exciting. Ravana Falls, Little Adam's Peak, the Nine Arch Bridge, the train ride and the tea plantation were all wonderful, but the Yala safari was the real highlight of the tour. I highly recommend this tour to anyone who wants to see the real Sri Lanka and have unforgettable experiences. And be sure to ask for Ishar as your guide (by the way, he is from Belarus)! You won't regret it. Thank you for a wonderful day!
Yulia
05.07.2025
We've just returned from the 🗿Galle Fort + 🛶 River Safari tour! It was wonderful! I recommend it to everyone! Of course, a lot of the tour depends on the guide. Ours was beyond praise! His name is Mano. He speaks English very well, knows the history of Sri Lanka brilliantly, answers all questions, makes subtle jokes at just the right moments and takes professional photos. In short, we are very happy with both the organisation of the tour and how it was run! A special thank you to the driver too! The tour itself is fire! 🔥🔥🔥 We liked absolutely everything!!! THANK YOU!
Alyona
21.06.2025
Hello! We chose a one-day tour to Kandy. The excursion was very interesting and full, and it was led by a professional English-speaking guide, Denish. Denish is a very friendly, knowledgeable and conscientious guide with a great sense of humour. If you want to take unforgettable trips and learn a lot about Sri Lanka, we are sure you should contact this company! It will definitely not be boring.
Reham
16.06.2025
Hello, I had an amazing 3-day tour in Sri Lanka, thanks to our fantastic tour guide and driver. Our tour guide Mr Deshan was incredibly knowledgeable, kind, and caring. He did everything to make sure every part of the trip was enjoyable, informative, and perfectly organized. The driver Mr Jagath was equally wonderful, always punctual, professional, and made us feel comfortable throughout the journey. Together, they made this trip truly unforgettable. I highly recommend them to anyone visiting Sri Lanka. You'll be in great hands.
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Questions about the Sri Lanka tour schedule
Ella + Udawalawe: Mondays and Fridays. Ella + Yala, Ella + Sigiriya, the Golden Circle and the Yala safari: Tuesdays and Saturdays. Galle Fort + river safari: Sundays. Whale watching and deep-sea fishing run daily.
On Thursdays, group tours are temporarily unavailable. From 15 October, only Ella + Yala runs on Thursdays, plus daily whale watching and fishing trips.
Yes, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, if the group has 10 or more guests. If you need a different day, book a private tour.
Whale watching: Unawatuna, Weligama, Mirissa. Deep-sea fishing: Hikkaduwa, Galle, Unawatuna, Koggala, Weligama, Mirissa and Matara.
Day tours are from $65 to $125 per person, Ella + Sigiriya for 2 days is $140, and the Golden Circle for 3 days is $280. Deep-sea fishing is from $350 per boat.
Chat with us and tell us the date, your hotel and the number of guests. We will confirm available places and the hotel pickup time before you book.