Sri Lanka wildlife holiday
A great value private tour to see Sri Lanka’s wildlife – whales, dolphins and elephants are almost guaranteed – with some key cultural sights, too.
Colombo Galle boat trips to see dolphins and whales lake boat trip guided tour of Dutch fort Uda Walawe National Park safari guided climb of Sigiriya optional: Dambulla cave complex Anuradhapura Kalpitiya Peninsula wildlife spotting
Price
£2257 including UK flights
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More info
This private tour usually costs from £1,707 pp excl flights and from £2,257 pp including flights from the UK.
Offers
Save £50pp on private tours in November 2025. Save £100pp on private tours in May or June 2026.
Description of Sri Lanka wildlife holiday
Discover the wild side of Sri Lanka on a private adventure packed with unforgettable wildlife encounters. From majestic elephants roaming freely to blue whales surfacing off the southern coast and playful spinner dolphins off the western coast, this trip offers incredible experiences and great value. Run by an independent UK ATOL-protected specialist operator with our own people on the ground in Sri Lanka.
Begin with an overnight flight from the UK (or pickup in Colombo) and travel south of Galle. You will take a boat trip from nearby Mirisssa in search of whales and dolphins — one of the few places on Earth where blue whales can be seen year-round.
Next, you’ll be driven inland to Uda Walawe National Park, where you’ll enjoy a safari among elephant herds and visit the Elephant Transit Home, where orphaned calves are cared for and released back into the wild. Continue to Minneriya, famous for its seasonal gatherings of large elephant herds.
Along the way, explore Sri Lanka’s cultural treasures: climb the iconic Sigiriya “Lion Rock”, wander through ancient Anuradhapura, and marvel at the sacred Bodhi tree.
Round off your adventure in off-the-beaten-track Kalpitiya, where you can see hundreds of playful spinner dolphins as well as have a boat trip on the fringes of Wilpattu National Park, Sri Lanka’s largest wildlife reserve.
This itinerary can be customised. You can even add more national park action at Yala National Park and nearby Bundala (perfect for bird lovers). Just make an enquiry. We work 7 days a week.
Photos used with thanks to travellers G Baxter & F Barrington
Itinerary
| Day 1: | Fly from the UK to Colombo with a choice of airports including London, Birmingham, Manchester, Newcastle, Edinburgh and Glasgow. |
| Day 2: | You'll be met at Colombo airport and whisked away to Galle on the south west coast. Time to settle in and enjoy the pool. |
| Day 3: | Boat trip for a chance to see dolphins and whales. Blue whales live in this area all year around. Then it's time to relax. Later on, you'll have a boat trip on a lake, perfectly timed so you can interact with local culture before catching the beautiful birds (not literally catching of course). |
| Day 4 | This morning, a personally-guided visit around the historic Dutch fort of Galle. We recommend exploring on your steam afterwards (your driver will wait for you) but you can head to a beach or back to your accommodation as you wish. |
| Day 5: | Pack up and head to Uda Walawe national park, a great place for elephants. Today you'll visit the Elephant Transit home, an initiative for orphan elephants, before settling in at your hotel. |
| Day 6: | Full day safari in Uda Walawe park, arguably the best park to see elephants most of the year. |
| Day 7: | Pack up and move on to Sigiriya where you'll be staying where wild elephants sometimes pass. Recover from your journey by settling in and enjoying the pool. |
| Day 8: | A break from the wildlife with some classical sightseeing. Explore Sigiriya rock fortress with our local guide, we recommend an early start to climb the rock, worth it for the spectacular views. |
| Day 9: | A half-day safari at Minneriya National Park, famous for herds of elephants. You also have the option to visit the spectacular Dambulla cave complex, and/or a reforestation project we like to support, where slow loris can be spotted by torchlight. |
| Day 10: | This morning, you'll pack up and head to the UNESCO site of Anuradhapura, home to temples and a sacred tree. It's said to be the oldest recorded tree in the word. Then it's onwards. The Kalpitiya penisula is off the tourist trail and the island you're staying on certainly is, but it was much more inhabited during the times of Dutch rule, a fact which even many in Sri Lanka didn't realise. Relax in your room, spot the birds in the garden, have a swim in the pool (watch out for the monkeys!) or walk along the beach. |
| Day 11: | Up early for a boat trip to see dolphins, watch the spinner dolphins go! Jumping up in the air, they are a delight. You may also be lucky enough to see whales who migrate through this area. |
| Day 12: | Boat trip through the islands and lagoon. Moving from migratory whales to migratory people! The fishermen camping around are full of useful information, like the best times and places to see elephants crossing the water. You'll head on through the edges of Wilpattu forest reserve and national park. |
| Day 13: | Free day to relax, float around the beautiful pool and spot wildlife. It's also possible to arrange activities locally, including more wildlife watching. |
| Day 14: | Pack up. Depending on flight timings, you may have time to stop in a village to buy some last minute souvenirs (locally-produced batik) if you wish before you head to the airport for your flight home. |
Price information
£2257 including UK flights
Convert currency:
This private tour usually costs from £1,707 pp excl flights and from £2,257 pp including flights from the UK.
Departure information
This trip can be tailor made throughout the year to suit your requirements
Travel guides
Sri Lanka has peacocks, leopards and elephants, but it has something even bigger, too: the blue whale.
With whales in every corner of the ocean, and so many species, how do you begin to plan a trip?
Reviews
3 Reviews of Sri Lanka wildlife holiday
4.5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed on 29 Oct 2025 by Diane Rowe
Excellent - from collection at the airport to drop off at the end Read full reviewReviewed on 06 Feb 2018 by Tania Mills
The highlight was seeing a leopard walk by, less than 10 meters away at Yala National Park. Our holiday exceeded our expectations. Due to the knowledge of our guide we saw so many species of animals and birds, giving my husband many opportunities to practice his photography. Read full reviewReviewed on 29 Jan 2017 by Eleni Josephides
Safari at Uda Walawe National Park was the most memorable moment. Read full reviewResponsible Travel
As the pioneers of responsible tourism, we've screened this (and every) holiday so that you can travel knowing we've worked to maximise the benefits of your holiday to local people and places, and minimise any negative impacts.
Planet
Wildlife - This trip includes national wildlife parks including Uda Walawe, notable for its herds of wild elephants as well as Elephant Transit Home, an initiative by the Sri Lanka wildlife department to introduced orphaned baby elephants into a wild herd.The trip includes a different way of spotting animals in Wilpattu national park, by boating through the lagoon rather than driving around in a jeep.
Forests - This trip supports a reforestation project, the Popham arboretum in Dambulla. Not only can you find native species growing in the wild, it provides a model for reforestation in other countries.
Accommodation - We use accommodation from refurbished existing buildings where possible. Whilst this particular itinerary also uses luxury accommodation which has been built recently, they have both been built to high environmental standards. One is located in a dry area and it has invested in a state of the art filtration system of sea water and reuse.
Energy - as well as the water, the same hotel uses solar heating, in fact providing the hottest showers we've ever had in Sri Lanka!
People
We work with and support a wide range of local people. When we say local, we mean local, not just companies or people from the big city.We know the people we work with personally. We are always on the look out for local initiatives that will improve the experiences of our customers, and support people, particularly those who do not work in the tourism industry.
The hotel in the final part of this itinerary is in an area which has not benefitted from tourism and is pioneering it, providing employment opportunities for people in this area. This has an extra benefit as it is an area where women would go to the Middle East to work as domestic servants. By giving them opportunities and paying them well, they can have good jobs and training, but best of all go home to their families every night.
Whilst we have a 'trade over aid' approach, we do donate as well. This is often something personal e.g. buying English-language books for very local guides. However, as a company we support 'Project Colombo' an initiative to provide children living in rural areas with computer equipment and know how, as well as registered charities.
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