Tours and Day Trips from Unawatuna 2026: Where to Go, Prices and Transfers

Galle

10 minutes

Whales

≈1 hour

Planning

From $65

Unawatuna is a convenient base in the south: Galle Fort is 10–15 minutes away, and Mirissa's whales are about an hour's drive. The driver picks you up from your hotel, the guide speaks English, and tickets are included.

All Tours and Day Trips
Tours and Day Trips from Unawatuna 2026: Where to Go, Prices and Transfers — photo 1

At a Glance

Transfer
From your hotel in Unawatuna
Guide
English-speaking
Tickets
Included
Season
November to April
Children aged 6–12
−50%
Under 6
Free

Plan your trip from Unawatuna

Choose a day and our travel advisor will confirm your place in the group and the time the car will collect you.

Nearby Unawatuna: Easy Half-Day Trips

Galle Fort
Galle Fort

🏰 Old Dutch fort, lighthouse and cafe-lined streets — 10–15 minutes from Unawatuna. Our Galle and river safari tour adds a turtle farm and a boat trip on the Bentota River to the fort visit.

World Peace Pagoda

🙏 The white Japanese World Peace Pagoda on Rumassala hill, right above Unawatuna. A trail nearby leads down to Jungle Beach, making it a good short morning trip.

World Peace Pagoda
Whale Watching in Mirissa
Whale Watching in Mirissa

🐋 The boat leaves Mirissa harbour early in the morning and spends 3–4 hours at sea. Whales are around from November to April. A car will pick you up in Unawatuna while it is still dark.

Tours and Day Trips from Unawatuna

Galle and River Safari
Galle and River Safari
Galle and River Safari
Galle and River Safari
Galle and River Safari

Galle and River Safari

Day trip
The closest trip from Unawatuna: Galle Fort and lighthouse, just 10–15 minutes away. Then the moonstone mine, tsunami memorial, turtle farm and a boat ride on the Bentota River.
Included:
Transfer
English-speaking guide
Entrance tickets
70 USD
5
15 reviews
Whale Watching
Whale Watching
Whale Watching
Whale Watching
Whale Watching

Whale Watching

Day trip
About an hour to Mirissa harbour, with departure before sunrise. Out at sea for 3–5 hours to see whales and dolphins, with sandwiches and seasickness tablets on board.
Included:
Transfer
Tickets
Sandwiches on board
Seasickness tablets
90 USD
5
8 reviews
Yala National Park Jeep Safari
Yala National Park Jeep Safari
Yala National Park Jeep Safari
Yala National Park Jeep Safari
Yala National Park Jeep Safari

Yala National Park Jeep Safari

Day trip
About 3 hours from Unawatuna to the park. Open-top jeep with an experienced driver and a chance to spot leopards, elephants and crocodiles.
Included:
Transfer
Jeep with driver
Entrance tickets
90 USD
5
15 reviews
Ella and Udawalawe Elephant Orphanage
Ella and Udawalawe Elephant Orphanage
Ella and Udawalawe Elephant Orphanage
Ella and Udawalawe Elephant Orphanage
Ella and Udawalawe Elephant Orphanage

Ella and Udawalawe Elephant Orphanage

Day trip
The most affordable mountain trip, $65: Little Adam's Peak, Ravana Falls, the Nine Arches Bridge and the train. On the way back, the Udawalawe elephant orphanage.
Included:
Transfer
Entrance tickets
English-speaking guide
65 USD
5
27 reviews
Ella and Diyaluma Falls
Ella and Diyaluma Falls
Ella and Diyaluma Falls
Ella and Diyaluma Falls
Ella and Diyaluma Falls

Ella and Diyaluma Falls

Day trip
For water lovers: after Ella and the Nine Arches Bridge, swim in the natural pools of Diyaluma Falls. Lunch and an English-speaking guide are included.
Included:
Transfer
English-speaking guide
Entrance tickets
Lunch
90 USD
5
8 reviews
Heart of Sri Lanka
Heart of Sri Lanka
Heart of Sri Lanka
Heart of Sri Lanka
Heart of Sri Lanka

Heart of Sri Lanka

Two-day trip
Mountains without the night-time rush: two days with hotel, breakfast and dinner. Ella, Sigiriya or Pidurangala, Dambulla, a tea factory and Ambuluwawa Tower.
Included:
Transfer
Entrance tickets
Breakfast
Dinner
English-speaking guide
Hotel stay
135 USD
5
20 reviews
Kandy Tour
Kandy Tour
Kandy Tour
Kandy Tour
Kandy Tour

Kandy Tour

Day trip
About 4 hours to Kandy, the island's cultural capital. Elephants on the river, Ambuluwawa Tower, the Royal Garden and the Temple of the Tooth, finishing with tea straight from the plantation.
Included:
Transfer
English-speaking guide
Entrance tickets
150 USD
5
10 reviews
Sigiriya in 1 Day
Sigiriya in 1 Day
Sigiriya in 1 Day
Sigiriya in 1 Day
Sigiriya in 1 Day

Sigiriya in 1 Day

Day trip
Lion Rock or Pidurangala, your choice, Dambulla cave temple, a Hindu temple, the botanical garden and a tea factory. The drive is long, about 4–5 hours one way.
Included:
Transfer
English-speaking guide
Entrance tickets
120 USD
5
7 reviews

How hotel pickup from Unawatuna works

Meeting point

At your hotel

Guide

English-speaking

Children 6–12

−50%

🚐 Our travel advisor will confirm your pickup time the day before: for Yala, Ella and Sigiriya, before dawn; for Galle and whale watching, in the morning. 🎫 Tickets and guide are included. Children aged 6–12 pay 50%, and children under 6 go free.

How hotel pickup from Unawatuna works — photo 1

Away from the sea: a day trip with an early start

Jeep safari in Yala
Jeep safari in Yala

🐆 About 3 hours' drive. Leopards, elephants, crocodiles. Blocks 1 and 2 are closed from 14 September 2026 to 15 October 2026, and the other zones are open.

Jeep safari — $90
Ella and elephants
Ella and elephants

⛰ The most affordable long-distance trip. Little Adam's Peak, Ravana Falls, Nine Arch Bridge and elephants in Udawalawe.

Ella and Udawalawe — $65
Ella and Yala in one day
Ella and Yala in one day

🚙 Mountains and jungle in one trip: a morning in Ella, then jeep safari in Yala after lunch. A long but full day.

Ella and safari — $125
Heart of Sri Lanka
Heart of Sri Lanka

🛏 If you don't want to spend the whole day on the road, choose 2 days with an overnight stay: Ella, Nuwara Eliya and Sigiriya at an easy pace.

2 days — $135
Book a tour with an experienced driver — photo 1

Book a tour with an experienced driver

Route

Custom

Pickup

whenever suits you

In the car

just you

For a more relaxed trip, a car with a driver is the best choice. It picks you up from your hotel in Unawatuna and can stop at the World Peace Pagoda, Galle Fort or a tea plantation. You decide where to go and when.

Car with driver

Tips for staying in Unawatuna

Packed lunch from your hotel

Packed lunch from your hotel

🍱 For long routes, you leave before sunrise. Ask your hotel for a packed lunch the evening before. Many hotels in Unawatuna can prepare breakfast to take with you.

Galle in the afternoon

Galle in the afternoon

🌇 It's nicer to visit Galle Fort after 15:00. It's cooler, and the sunset over the fort walls is the best view of the day.

Whales: in season

Whales: in season

🐋 Whale watching from Mirissa runs from November to April. In summer the sea is rough, and trips are often cancelled.

Bring rupees

Bring rupees

💵 For coconuts, tips for your guide and souvenirs, you'll need small rupee notes. For more practical tips, read our Unawatuna guide.

Skip the tuk-tuk to Yala

Skip the tuk-tuk to Yala

🛺 Yala is about 3 hours away. By tuk-tuk the journey is long and hot. Our group tours already include a comfortable transfer.

Footwear for the hills

Footwear for the hills

👟 For Ella and Sigiriya you'll need sneakers for the trails and steps. Leave your flip-flops for the beach in Unawatuna.

Pack a sweater for the hills

Pack a sweater for the hills

🧥 In Ella and Nuwara Eliya it's noticeably cooler than on the coast. Bring a sweater, even in the heat.

Book early

Book early

📅 In peak season, spaces on popular trips sell out within 1–2 days. Chat with our travel advisor as soon as you have your dates.

Where we go from Unawatuna: destinations on the map

Unawatuna and Surroundings

Unawatuna and Surroundings — photo 3
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Guest reviews

Overall Rating

5.0

75 reviews

Ekaterina

19.09.2025

We came 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 entertained the whole way, told us the history of Sri Lanka, answered all our questions, shared lots of interesting facts and helped with photos and videos! All the stops were chosen very thoughtfully, and everything felt heartfelt! Special thanks to our driver Shalinda, who drove carefully but with a bit of speed! Emotions for a year ahead, maybe for a lifetime! These two days felt like we had travelled for a week through different countries, with different climates, nature and architecture, and all of it in one place on a small island, Sri Lanka.

Sofia

11.09.2025

Delighted with the Heart of Sri Lanka tour! It was a beautifully organized journey! We saw an incredible number of sights and immersed ourselves in the atmosphere of an amazing country. Special thanks for helping us organize the main event 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 part was the night at Mountain Heavens hotel. In the morning, stepping out onto the balcony and seeing elephants wandering around was wonderful! What made the trip perfect was our guide Yasir, the soul of the trip :) He shared every sight with great charm. He knows 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, 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!

Liza

02.09.2025

Sharing our impressions on the way home from the wonderful two-day “Heart of Sri Lanka” tour! Other reviews already say a lot about the tour itself, so we'd like to describe the experience we had 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 mountain roads, followed every rule of the road, like a European driver. But a special thank you to Yasir. Throughout the trip he helped us with every question, even the smallest ones. He is very attentive and caring. When they 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 planned to give us only 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 delicious food and fruit. Yasir also turned out to be a very interesting person. For two days we chatted about his country's culture and compared it with ours. His English is excellent. He is a deeply educated man and a polyglot too. He even gets our memes ;) To our surprise, Yasir varied the program. At the end of the second day we visited a village where we were shown traditional village life and customs, and we were served traditional food and sweets. We even got to crack a coconut 🥥 And we must mention that Yasir is a professional photographer. The photos in this message are his. We're now driving back to our villa to rest after such an intense and emotional program. Many thanks to the organizers, Yasir, Usama and the local people of Sri Lanka!

Vlad

09.08.2025

We are absolutely delighted with the one-day SAFARI YALA + ELLA tour! It was an incredible adventure that left a lot of vivid impressions. We especially want to mention our guide Ishar. He was simply wonderful! Ishar is a true professional. He not only speaks English excellently, but also 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 most of all. Four hours flew by in an instant! We saw a huge number of wild animals: majestic elephants, a leopard (it was simply incredible!), deer, buffalo, monkeys, crocodiles, monitor lizards and many beautiful birds. Ishar and the safari driver skillfully found the most interesting spots and told us about the animals' habits, making the safari even more thrilling. Ravana Falls, Adam's Peak, the Nine Arch Bridge, the train ride and the tea plantation were all lovely, 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's from Belarus)! You won't regret it. Thank you for a wonderful day!

Yulia

05.07.2025

Just back from the Galle Fort + River Safari tour! It was wonderful! I recommend it to everyone! Of course, a lot depends on the guide. Ours was beyond praise! His name is MANO. He speaks English excellently, knows the history of Sri Lanka very well, answers all questions, jokes very subtly and at just the right moments, and takes professional photos. In short, we're very happy with both the organization of the tour and how it was run! Many thanks to the driver too! The tour itself is fire! 🔥🔥🔥 We liked absolutely everything!!! THANK YOU!

Alyona

21.06.2025

Hello! We chose the one-day Kandy tour. It 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 humor. We're sure that if you want an unforgettable trip and lots of knowledge and impressions of Sri Lanka, you should definitely get in touch with this company! You won't be bored for a moment

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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Frequently asked questions about tours from Unawatuna

Do you pick up from hotels in Unawatuna for tours?

Yes. Transfer from your hotel and back is included in the price of group tours. We'll confirm pickup times the evening before.

How long does it take to get from Unawatuna to Yala?

About 3 hours one way. Jeep safari with transfer: $90.

Can you visit Ella from Unawatuna in one day?

Yes, but it's an early start and about 4–4.5 hours of driving one way. More comfortable: the two-day “Heart of Sri Lanka” tour for $135.

Where can I see whales near Unawatuna?

In Mirissa, about an hour's drive. Season: November to April. Price: $90 with transfer.

What can I see near Unawatuna in half a day?

Galle Fort (10–15 minutes), the Peace Pagoda on Rumassala hill and Jungle Beach.

How much do tours from Unawatuna cost?

Group tours: from $65 to $150 per day. 2–3-day tours: from $135 to $280. Children aged 6–12: 50% off.

How do I book?

Chat with us using the button on this page. Tell us your dates, hotel and number of guests.