Planners online now, 7am to 10pm Sri Lanka time A Genuine Sri Lankans company · SLTDA licensed
A Sri Lankan leopard resting on the sand track in Yala National Park

Sri Lanka holidays, planned by people who live here

Sri Lanka, hotel to hotel. The drive between them is on us.

Hand-picked hotels from US$45 a night, a private driver from one to the next, and a planner on WhatsApp who builds the trip with you.

Usually answered within the hour Nothing to pay online Change anything before you travel
Private driver includedEvery drive between your hotels, at no charge
Our own partner hotelsOfficial partner rates, from US$45 a night
One planner, start to finishThe same person from first message to airport
Sri Lankan since around 1990The hotel brand of Genuine Sri Lankans, SLTDA licensed

Suggested routes

Ways to see the island. Each one is a starting point: we'll change the hotels, the pace and the stops to suit you.

See all routes

Suggested route 10 nights

Sri Lankan Essential

Sigiriya, Kandy, Ella, Yala and the south coast

Everything, without rushing. Two nights at every stop, so you unpack once and stay put for a day.

Price based on

  • 10 nights in partner hotels, 2 adults
  • Hotels from US$45 a night
  • Full board, and every drive between hotels included

Suggested route 10 nights

Hills and the south coast

Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Haputale and the south coast

For people who would rather go high and then go flat than tick off ancient cities. Four nights in the hills, four on the coast.

Price based on

  • 10 nights in partner hotels, 2 adults
  • Hotels from US$45 a night
  • Full board, and every drive between hotels included

Suggested route 10 nights

Ancient cities and Kandy

Anuradhapura, Sigiriya and Kandy

For people who want the ancient cities rather than the beaches. Anuradhapura and Mihintale first, then the rock and the cave temple.

Price based on

  • 10 nights in partner hotels, 2 adults
  • Hotels from US$45 a night
  • Full board, and every drive between hotels included

Or start from nothing

None of these quite right? We'll build the trip around you.

Most of what we send out is not one of the routes above. Tell us how long you have, what you want to see and what you'd rather skip, and a planner writes the itinerary from scratch — same partner hotels, same driver included, same one quote.

  • Any length, from a long weekend to three weeks
  • Start and finish wherever your flights do
  • Honeymoons, families, and trips built around one thing you came for
  • Nothing to pay while we work it out with you
Tell us what you have in mind

Or email contact@genuinesrilankans.com

Where to stay in Sri Lanka

Honest advice on each area, what it's good for and what it isn't, with the partner hotels we'd send our own family to.

See every area

Colombo

About 1 hr from the airport
Placeholder: guests with their driver, somewhere green

Sri Lanka with us is perfect for

Not coach tours or group trips. Your own driver, your own pace, and hotels chosen for the way you like to travel.

First visits

Set routes that cover the island without rushing, and a driver who knows every stop.

Honeymoons

Two nights at each stay, with a Bawa hotel or a beach finish added to the plan.

Families

Short drives, rooms that fit everyone, and a driver who's happy to stop whenever you need.

Slow travel

Fewer places, longer stays, and day trips from one base instead of packing every morning.

How booking works

Hotels we recommend

Every one visited by our team. Rates are partner rates, quoted for your dates.

See all hotels

Sigiriya & Dambulla

Heritance Kandalama

Built into a cliff above the tank by Geoffrey Bawa, and slowly being taken back by the jungle.

Partner rate on request Ask for our rate

Ella & the hills Star rating [to confirm]

98 Acres Resort & Spa

Chalets built on a working tea estate, looking straight across at Little Adam's Peak.

Partner rate on request Ask for our rate
Placeholder: Heritance Kandalama over the tank

Hotels by Geoffrey Bawa

Stay inside Sri Lanka's most famous architecture

We can put Heritance Kandalama, or another Bawa hotel, on any of our routes.

See Heritance Kandalama

Things to do along the way

Private experiences run by our own team, added to the same quote as your hotels.

See all experiences
Placeholder: climbers on the Sigiriya staircase at dawn

Sunrise at Sigiriya rock

Duration
Half day
When
All year
Run by
Genuine Sri Lankans
Add to my trip

Kandy to Ella by train

Duration
Half day
When
All year
Run by
Genuine Sri Lankans
Add to my trip
Spinner dolphins surfacing in the sea off Mirissa

Whale watching, Mirissa

Duration
Half day
When
November to April
Run by
Genuine Sri Lankans
Add to my trip
Placeholder: Pettah market, Colombo

Colombo in a day

Duration
Full day
When
All year
Run by
Genuine Sri Lankans
Add to my trip

Your trip starts with a message

Talk to a planner in Sri Lanka, however suits you best.

WhatsApp us

Send your dates and who's travelling. We'll reply with a plan and real prices.

Start a chat
Usually within the hour, 7am to 10pm

Email us

Prefer email? Tell us what you have in mind and we'll write back with a full plan.

travel@genuinesrilankans.com
Replied to the same day

Book a video call

Plan it face to face with a planner, and see the hotels and routes on screen together.

Choose a time
Next-day slots usually available
The planning team at Genuine Sri Lankans, answering from Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka travel guide

Straight answers from the people who plan these trips every day.

See all guides