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View all Kandy toursCeylon: 9-Day Budget Hill Country & Tropical Beach Honeymoon in Kandy
9-day trip from Kandy visiting Bandaranaike International Airport — Meet & Greet, Negombo Lagoon & Dutch Canal and St. Mary's Church. Operated by Lanka Travel Gateway (Pvt) Ltd.
Highlights
- Immerse yourself in the rich culture of Kandy and its' heritage
Ceylon: 9-Day Budget Hill Country & Tropical Beach Honeymoon: Key Facts
| Price | From $2419 per person |
|---|---|
| Duration | 9 days |
| Group size | Up to 2 people |
| Tour type | Guided Tour |
| Booking | Direct with the local operator — no OTA markup |
Choose from 1 available option
Ceylon: 9-Day Budget Hill Country & Tropical Beach Honeymoon
Full description
A 9-day trip out of Kandy taking in Bandaranaike International Airport — Meet & Greet, Negombo Lagoon & Dutch Canal, St. Mary's Church and Sunset on Negombo Beach. There are 38 stops in all.
The running order is Bandaranaike International Airport — Meet & Greet, then Negombo Lagoon & Dutch Canal, then St. Mary's Church, then Sunset on Negombo Beach, then Scenic Drive to Pinnawala, and on from there.
The price covers visit to the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, Walk around Kandy Lake, Traditional Sri Lankan cultural dance performance and Visit to tea plantations. It does not cover meals, Personal expenses and Travel insurance, so budget for those separately.
Tour Itinerary
The schedule below is a suggested plan and can be adjusted to suit your preferences.
Bandaranaike International Airport — Meet & Greet
Your English-speaking chauffeur guide is waiting in the arrivals hall with a name board. After a warm Sri Lankan welcome, settle into your private air-conditioned vehicle — your ride for the whole journey — and receive a short briefing on the days ahead.
Transfer to Negombo & Hotel Check-in
A short, easy drive brings you to Negombo, a laid-back fishing town just north of the airport and the perfect first stop after a long flight. Check in at your beachfront hotel, freshen up and step straight out onto the sand.
Negombo Lagoon & Dutch Canal
Wander along the old Dutch-built canal to the lagoon, where wooden outrigger canoes with patched sails drift in with the day's catch. It is one of the most atmospheric working waterfronts in the country, especially in the golden light of late afternoon.
St. Mary's Church
Step inside one of Sri Lanka's grandest churches, its high ceiling covered in vivid painted biblical scenes. Negombo's strong Catholic heritage has earned it the nickname "Little Rome," and this soaring century-old landmark is its centrepiece.
Sunset on Negombo Beach
End your first day with your feet in the sand as the sun sinks into the Indian Ocean. Take a slow walk along the wide golden shoreline, or settle at a beachfront table for fresh grilled seafood and your first Ceylon sunset
Scenic Drive to Pinnawala
Leave the coast after breakfast and head into the interior, passing coconut plantations, roadside fruit stalls and rural villages. Your guide points out daily Sri Lankan life along the way — a relaxed, scenic introduction to the countryside
Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage
Meet the herd at one of Sri Lanka's best-known elephant sanctuaries, home to rescued and orphaned elephants of all ages. If timings allow, follow them down to the Maha Oya river for their bathing session, where dozens of elephants splash together in the shallows.
Drive to Kandy Through the Hill Foothills
Continue climbing gently toward Kandy, with the landscape turning greener and hillier at every bend. An optional stop at a Matale spice garden lets you see cinnamon, cardamom and vanilla growing, and learn how they are used in Ayurvedic remedies and Sri Lankan cooking.
Kandy Lake Walk & Old Town Market
Stroll the lakeside promenade built by Kandy's last king in 1807, with monitor lizards basking on the wall and the temple reflected in the water. Continue into the old town to browse the covered market's spice stalls, batik shops and handicraft vendors.
Traditional Kandyan Cultural Dance Show
Take your seat for an hour of thundering drums, spinning masked dancers and acrobatic Kandyan routines in full ceremonial costume — an art form protected for centuries under royal patronage. The performance closes with a dramatic fire-walking finale.
Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic — Evening Pooja - Optional
Visit the most venerated Buddhist shrine in Sri Lanka, which enshrines a tooth relic of the Buddha. Arrive for the evening pooja, when drummers and horn players fill the courtyard and the inner chamber doors are opened to reveal the golden casket.
Royal Botanical Gardens, Peradeniya (Optional)
Begin with a walk through 60 hectares of former royal pleasure gardens: an avenue of towering royal palms, a giant Javan fig tree spreading over a whole lawn, and one of Asia's finest orchid houses.
Ambuluwawa Biodiversity Complex & Tower
Turn off at Gampola and climb to Ambuluwawa, a conservation hill topped by one of the most striking structures in Sri Lanka — a slender white tower wrapped in a spiralling external staircase that narrows as it rises. The site sits at 1,087 metres with mountain forest on every side. Climb the outer spiral for a breathtaking 360-degree panorama over the Kandy hills, the Mahaweli valley and the tea ranges ahead — an unforgettable stop, and a favourite for honeymoon photographs.
Ramboda Falls Viewpoint
Back on the mountain highway, pull over for Ramboda Falls, a tall cascade dropping in stages through thick green forest right beside the road. A quick stop, and one of the best photo spots on the ascent.
Ceylon Tea Plantation & Factory Tour
Walk into a working tea estate among the neat green terraces, then follow the leaf through the factory — withering, rolling, oxidising, drying and grading — before a tasting of freshly made Ceylon tea with plantation views. Learn why this hill country produces some of the finest tea in the world.
Arrival in Nuwara Eliya — "Little England"
Roll into a town of red post boxes, Tudor-style bungalows, clipped hedges and a colonial racecourse, all sitting at 1,900 metres in crisp mountain air. Check in and take a short orientation walk through the old town centre.
Gregory Lake at Dusk
Finish the day beside Nuwara Eliya's landmark lake, created under British governor Sir William Gregory in 1873. Walk the landscaped promenade as evening mist rolls down over the surrounding hills — a quiet, romantic close to the day.
Horton Plains & World's End (Optional early start)
For early risers, a pre-dawn drive to Horton Plains National Park and a 9 km loop walk across misty highland grassland to World's End — a sheer escarpment dropping almost 900 metres, with Baker's Falls on the return leg. Best before 10:00 am, before the cloud closes in.
Victoria Park
Wander a beautifully kept Victorian-era park of flowerbeds, lawns and mature trees in the middle of town — a favourite spot for birdwatchers and a lovely, easy morning stroll.
Hill Country Scenic Train (Optional)
Swap part of the drive for the Nanu Oya–Ella railway, regularly ranked among the world's most beautiful train journeys. Hang out of an open doorway as the carriages wind past tea pickers, waterfalls and cloud-filled valleys, while your vehicle meets you at the station.
Drive Through Tea Estates & Highland Villages
The road unwinds through plantation country, pine forest and small estate villages, with vast valley views opening up at every turn. Your guide stops wherever the light is good — this stretch is all about the scenery.
Ravana Falls
Stand at the foot of a broad 25-metre cascade that tumbles down the rock face right beside the road, named after the legendary king Ravana. In wetter months it spreads across the entire cliff — a dramatic roadside spectacle.
Ella Gap Viewpoint
Look out through the natural cleft in the mountains where the highlands fall away to the southern plains. On a clear day the view stretches all the way to the coast, more than 70 km distant.
Ella Village — Free Evening
Check in and explore Ella's single relaxed main street, lined with cafés, juice bars and craft shops. Evenings here are cool and low-key — perfect for a quiet dinner with a mountain view from your hotel terrace.
Little Adam's Peak Hike
An easy, rewarding 45-minute climb on a clear path through tea fields and jungle to a 1,141-metre summit. From the top you get a full 360-degree panorama over Ella Gap, the surrounding tea estates and the ranges beyond — spectacular at sunrise.
Nine Arches Bridge
Follow a jungle path and railway track to the most photographed viaduct in Sri Lanka: nine stone arches curving 30 metres above a forested gorge, built without a single piece of steel. Time your visit for a passing train crossing the arches overhead.
Ravana Cave & Local Tea Factory (Optional)
For the curious, a steep set of steps climbs to Ravana Cave, tied to the Ramayana legend and to prehistoric human remains found inside. A small working tea factory nearby offers a closer, quieter look at production than the big estates.
Free Afternoon in Ella
The rest of the day is yours. Take a tuk-tuk to a viewpoint, tackle the longer Ella Rock trail, browse the village market, or simply do very little in a café overlooking the valley.
Highland to Lowland Scenic Drive
Watch the island change character through the windscreen: cool tea terraces give way to paddy fields, rubber estates, rivers and finally coconut palms. A long but genuinely beautiful drive, with photo stops and refreshment breaks along the way.
Arrival in Mirissa & Hotel Check-in
Reach the south coast and check in at your beachfront hotel. Step straight onto the sand — warm ocean, swaying palms and one of the prettiest bays in Sri Lanka right on your doorstep.
Coconut Tree Hill
Walk up to Mirissa's famous headland, where a dense grove of coconut palms crowns a green bluff jutting into the ocean. It is the most photographed spot on the south coast and a favourite for honeymoon photos.
Parrot Rock Viewpoint
Wade across the shallows and climb the short flight of steps to the rocky outcrop in the middle of Mirissa Bay. From the top you get the whole crescent of beach in one sweep — best in the hour before sunset.
Morning at Leisure on Mirissa Beach
Sleep in, swim, and enjoy a slow breakfast by the ocean. The calm morning water in Mirissa Bay is ideal for a relaxed start, or for optional snorkelling and surf lessons on the beach. Duration: 2 hours · Admission: Free
Weligama Stilt Fishermen
A short drive along the coast brings you to Weligama Bay and the famous stilt fishermen, perched on single wooden poles above the breaking surf — a uniquely Sri Lankan fishing tradition and an iconic photograph.
Mirissa Sunset Cruise (Optional excursion)
The highlight of the trip. Glide out across the calm Indian Ocean as the sun drops toward the horizon and the sky turns through orange, pink and violet, with the palm-fringed coastline glowing behind you. Feel the sea breeze, watch for dolphins and marine life alongside the boat, and enjoy an unforgettable romantic close to the day.
Breakfast & Check-out
Enjoy one last breakfast beside the sea and a final walk on Mirissa Beach before loading up for the journey north
Southern Coastal Highway Drive
Travel north with the Indian Ocean beside you almost the entire way, past fishing villages, palm groves, temples and long stretches of empty golden beach. A relaxed and scenic final drive.
Bentota Turtle Hatchery (Optional)
Visit a small conservation hatchery protecting five endangered sea turtle species. See newly hatched turtles in the tanks, learn how eggs are rescued from the beaches, and — depending on timing — help release hatchlings into the surf.
Madu River Boat Safari
Cruise through a protected mangrove wetland of 64 islands, gliding under low mangrove tunnels and past a tiny island temple, with monitor lizards, kingfishers and cinnamon plantations along the way.
Transfer to Bandaranaike International Airport
Your chauffeur guide delivers you to the airport in good time for check-in, closing the loop on nine days of temples, tea fields, mountain trails and tropical sunsets. Ayubowan — until next time.
Includes
- Visit to the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic
- Walk around Kandy Lake
- Traditional Sri Lankan cultural dance performance
- Visit to tea plantations
- Visit to Nine Arches Bridge
- Hike to Little Adam's Peak
- Sunset cruise in Mirissa
Excludes
- Meals
- Personal expenses
- Travel insurance
Important information
Meeting point
The operator confirms the exact meeting point and time once your booking is confirmed, and you will have it well before the day. If you would rather know before you book, message us on WhatsApp and we will ask them for you.
Know before you go
- Free cancellation available up to 24 hours before the activity starts