Sri Lanka Tours in October 2026

Our trip Sri Lankan Highlights was in September 2025. We learnt so much about Sri Lanka and its lovely people. There was a good mix of culture and wildlife - we saw lots of elephants, bats, jackal, monkeys, birds, crocodiles, reptiles. Our guide Mahen with co-pilot and driver kept us safe and entertained for the whole trip.

Fantastic trip to Sri Lanka, we saw and learnt so much from our wonderful tour leader Mimi. A full on tour with so much packed in, plus extras suggested by our guide. Hotels all very good, clean with excellent food choices. We visited so many Buddhist and Hindu temples, for our daily blessings, each one, quite different from the other in size and material used to form them. We saw beautiful caves filled with statues and wall paintings. We climbed Sigiriya or Lion rock before breakfast, and were so pleased that the whole group made it to the top. We went on three safaris seeing elephants, deer, buffalo, many species of birds and even saw the elusive leopard. We visited many different workshops displaying local crafts, and the production of them, and even had a blissful Ayurvedic massage one afternoon. All in all a great tour, with like minded people, and we would thoroughly recommend it The cruise around the beautiful islands and the turquoise atolls of the Maldives was much needed to unwind from the fast pace of Sri Lanka. No Wi-Fi meant time to fully relax, read and rewind. The cabins were small but had sufficient places to unpack and put things away, and the en-suite compact but adequate. Visited different reefs twice a day to snorkel around and the crew and tour leader Suja were always there to point out the different flora and fauna. They even dived down with our cameras to make sure we got some amazing photos, and also not being a strong swimmer myself, they made sure I was always safe and supported. The food was excellent with the chef producing three delicious meals a day plus snacks and drinks. We moored up at night near sandbars and deserted islands where we watched the sunset with a nice gin and tonic. We visited a couple of inhabited islands, and were invited to a drumming performance and ended up dancing quite enthusiastically. We snorkelled with sharks before breakfast and with turtles before lunch, not many people can say that. We booked this holiday to celebrate our Golden Wedding, and both tours surprised us with very special celebrations, which we shall hold in our memories forever and to share it with the lovely people we met, now friends, made it even more special.

Varied itinerary. Something for everyone. Great group. Travel days broken up with interesting stops. Few early starts to avoid the crowds and heat. Safaris great experiences, with the drivers making every effort to spot a variety of birds and wildlife. George our guide kept us entertained with his local knowledge and humour. Accomodation clean, comfortable and most had a pool. Definitely recommend this trip.

My trip to Sri Lanka was truly magical. Not only did we see over 100 elephants while on safari, but we also spent three hours gazing out of a train window at the misty tea hills of Nuwara Eliya. This trip was the perfect mix of sightseeing and activities - we travelled by boat, tuk-tuk, train, 4x4, and even on foot during a hike up Sigiriya! I travelled in September, so we had quite a bit of rain in Kandy, but it only added to the lush, tropical scenery, which was absolutely beautiful. Sri Lanka should be experienced by everyone!

Our guide, Mimi, was amazing. He was extremely knowledgeable, engaging & ensured that the whole holiday ran as smoothly as possible. The itinerary was a great mix of culture, scenery & delicious food - I could not have expected more I will definitely travel with Explore in the future & am excited as to where to go next ....

Thank you to all concerned for a great trip Food and beer prices need doubling as service charge 10% and VAT 18%. Night under canvas listening to animal noises ruined by local very loud party until 2am Lion Rock. the walk into the rock itself is not easy as very uneven ground and lots of steps. definitely need walking poles if at all unsure on balance. Grand Hotel, Nuwara Eliya. Lots of staff but very slow service in bars and restaurants. 2 nights in Galle with own time to explore old town would have been much preferred to 2 nights at Bentota. Jeep ride around Colombo started well, but monsoon rain meant that we were all drenched, and commentary stopped. street food was just picked up from 3 men standing in side street. I had images of a street food market. the food itself in a cardboard box was just rice with a small amount of chicken, and a sweet sauce and chilli sauce, finally eaten in our hotel room. A sad end to a great trip