For couples who want a compact honeymoon or who fly on to the Maldives afterwards – nine days in Sri Lanka plus five nights in the Maldives make exactly two weeks. Little driving, two nights in most places and a private dinner on the beach to finish.
Itinerary
Airport pick-up and drive to a lodge near Sigiriya for two nights.
Your guide meets you in the arrivals hall with cold king coconuts and drives you to the Cultural Triangle – about three and a half hours with breaks. In the afternoon you check in to a lodge between jungle and lakes for two nights; dinner comes with the sound of crickets.
Climb Sigiriya before the crowds, then a free day for the pool or a couples’ massage.
Before sunrise we are at the gate of Sigiriya and climb past the frescoes and lion paws to the palace plateau, with the jungle below often still in mist. The rest of the day is yours – pool, an Ayurveda massage for two, or a hot-air balloon ride on request.
Dambulla and a spice garden on the way, the evening ceremony in Kandy.
On the way to the hills we stop at the golden temple of Dambulla and a spice garden. In Kandy, the last royal capital, you visit the Temple of the Tooth during the evening ceremony with drums, lotus flowers and incense.
Drive to Nanu Oya and take the hill-country train on reserved seats.
Your driver takes you through the tea hills to Nanu Oya, where you board the train on reserved seats. For about three hours it winds through tunnels and past tea estates and waterfalls down to Ella. Your luggage goes by car.
Nine Arches Bridge, a free afternoon and sunset on Little Adam’s Peak.
In the morning you watch the blue train cross the Nine Arches Bridge. The afternoon is free for a café, a massage or a cooking class. Late in the day you walk up Little Adam’s Peak and wait for the sunset over the Ella Gap.
Via the Ravana Falls down to Tangalle for three nights on the beach.
We drive down from the hills, stopping at the Ravana Falls, as tea estates give way to paddies and palms. In about three hours we reach Tangalle, one of the quietest beach towns on the island, for three nights.
A free day on the beach, optional rock temple or mangrove boat trip.
A whole day without a plan – swim in the calm bays or read in the shade. If you like, take a tuk-tuk to the Mulkirigala rock temple or a boat into the mangroves. Your guide is a phone call away.
Optional morning in Galle Fort, then a private candle-lit dinner on the beach.
If you like, spend the morning in Galle Fort among its lanes, merchants’ houses and lighthouse. In the evening a private table for two is set on the sand, with lanterns, fresh fish and the sound of the waves.
Drive to Colombo airport – home, or a short flight on to the Maldives.
After a last breakfast by the sea your driver takes you to Colombo airport, about three hours away. Many couples fly on to the Maldives from here – a little over an hour to Malé – and we can book the resort for you as well.
What our guests say
“He really knows everything about the area and is an amazing guide, I can recommend him 100%!!”
“We had a super guide and saw all the highlights of the country.”
“Nice accommodations out of the normal tourist areas. Great trip and great host.”
Hotels on this route
If a hotel is fully booked on your dates, we will of course book an equivalent alternative and let you know in advance.
Included
Not included
Questions about Time for Two
Yes. Nine days in Sri Lanka plus five nights in the Maldives make exactly two weeks; we can book the resort and the flight to Malé for you.
December to April, when the Cultural Triangle, the hills and the south coast are dry – the Maldives are at their best then too.
No, it depends on the weather and is booked separately – we are happy to reserve it for you.
Planned and guided personally – by people who live in Sri Lanka.
Many large tour operators plan your trip from an office in Europe and leave the running of it to a contracted local agency. We work differently: our founder Philipp Müller lives in Sri Lanka, speaks fluent Sinhala and leads our team on the ground himself.
Philipp MüllerFounder & your personal trip planner · offices in Sri Lanka and Germany- A German companyTrimowa UG (haftungsbeschränkt), Saarbrücken, Germany · HRB 110999 – with our own branch in Kandy
- German package travel lawYour tour is a package holiday under German law – with clear rights if anything changes or goes wrong
- No depositYou only pay at the end of your trip. Until then your card is simply kept on file, encrypted with Stripe
- Reachable day and nightOur team in Sri Lanka, by phone and WhatsApp – also in an emergency
