The 8 Full-Day Tours in Sri Lanka That Earn Their Price

1.Kandy Temples and Pinnawala Full-Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 144 reviews · 1 day · from $54Our pick

Travel in a small group of up to 10 with an English-speaking guide such as Aadhil, Dilip, or Susantha. See elephants at the Maha Oya River, visit Kandy’s Tooth Relic Temple and hilltop Buddha, and tour tea, spice, wood-carving, and jewelry workshops.

“The tour was amazing. Aadhil very professional guide also very good driver. I could Interact with the elephants, see the temple in Kandy and drink very nice tea in the tea Factory. Ponctuality to go and also on return to colombo everything on time. I relly enjoyed and recommend.”

Check availability →Read our full review

2.Sigiriya and Dambulla Private Full-Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 120 reviews · 1 day · from $66

Travel by private air-conditioned vehicle from Colombo, Kandy, Bentota, Kalutara, or Negombo to Dambulla, Sigiriya, a rural village, and Minneriya National Park. Drivers such as Dyan, Pawan, Tim, and Kavindu have been praised for flexibility, though entrance fees and the jeep safari cost extra.

“The best part of the trip were experiences. I like that the guide was nice and thoughtful when I was hungry, he stopped at a clean bakery, washrooms, was flexible.”

Check availability →Read our full review

3.Full-Day Colombo City Tour (Private Car)

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 112 reviews

Spend 8 to 10 hours exploring Colombo in a private car for up to three people. Visit Gangaramaya Temple, the National Museum, Pettah, the Lotus Tower, Galle Face, and more. Guides such as Rumi and Nipuna have earned praise for friendly, flexible service, but guide quality can vary.

“My friends and I ventured into Sri Lanka on a whim without a plan nor direction.  To our joy, we were greeted with warmth and people such as Rumi, who not only offered their expert advice but their unwavering care.  On our arrival we agreed to get to know the city of Colombo better and found a full day tour of the city through (tripadvisor?) As our luck will have it we were assigned Rumi as our guide, he seemed very patient, informative and friendly from the get go. I can say that Rumi gained our trust from the beginning, so well organized, knowledgeable, and attentive, and these are just…”

Check availability →Read our full review

4.Kandy, Pinnawala and Tea Factory Full-Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 99 reviews · 12 hours · from $55

Travel from Colombo or Negombo to Pinnawala and Kandy with an English-speaking guide such as Malintha, Tuan, or Priyantha. Feed elephants, visit the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, sample Ceylon tea, and tour spice, craft, batik, and gem stops.

“OUR driver was Katie was very friendly and easy communication with deaf people. he used gestured and write down. he took us to the beautiful Kandy and rode & fed elephant, tea factory and the most beautiful white temple. we recommend to use Kani again in the future.”

Check availability →Read our full review

5.Full-Day Private Tour to Sigiriya and Dambulla

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 30 reviews · from $83

Travel by private air-conditioned vehicle from Colombo to Sigiriya and Dambulla with an English-speaking driver-guide. Climb Sigiriya, explore the cave temples, and visit Ibbankatuwa. You get free time at Sigiriya, hotel pickup, bottled water, and a long but rewarding day.

“This tour is a must. Our tour guide was very funny and extremely helpful. He gave us as many new experiences as possible inc stopping at side stalls and trying different freshly made Sri Lankan food. Andrew and Cheryl from Melbourne”

Check availability →Read our full review

6.Kandy Full-Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 24 reviews · from $120

Travel from Colombo to Kandy in a private vehicle with hotel or port pickup. Visit the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, a spice garden, tea estate, gem showroom, Kandy Lake, and a rooftop restaurant. Guides such as Deshan and Chamika add local context.

“This day trip was excellent and Deshan was a wonderful guide, he took us to so many places and was very knowledgable. I would highly recommend this trip where you can see all the highlights of Kandy. I will surely use this company again as it was all so well organised and efficient.”

Check availability →Read our full review

7.Minneriya Elephant Safari wth Sigiriya & Dambulla Cave Temples Full Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 18 reviews · from $150Top rated

Start at 7 a.m. from Negombo for a private day with a driver-guide, Sigiriya Lion Rock, a Minneriya Jeep safari, and Dambulla Cave Temple. The day lasts 10 to 12 hours. Guide Tharaka is praised for clear planning, though safari Jeeps, park entry, temple fees, food, and drinks cost extra.

“Our Tour guide Mr tharaka very good and knowledgeable. Highly recommended ver approachable and organised”

Check availability →Read our full review

8.Bentota Full-Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 7 reviews · 10 hours · from $65

Travel from Avengard Hotels in an air-conditioned vehicle with an English-speaking driver. Cruise the Madu Ganga mangroves, visit Kothduwa Temple and Kosgoda Sea Turtle Conservation, then walk through Geoffrey Bawa’s Lunuganga estate. Bring cash for the garden fee and local tips.

“We thoroughly enjoyed this trip. We were picked up promptly by our own driver. He was very knowledgeable and accommodating throughout the day. It was a perfect way to explore the sights of Bentota.”

Check availability →Read our full review