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From $ 4,780 per person

Sri Lanka East Coast Tour

Sri Lanka
13 days (12 nights)
An immersive introduction to the adventurous East Coast of Sri Lanka. You’ll be exploring ancient citadels, delving into Theravada Buddhist heritage, snorkelling pristine coral reefs, tracking leopards and swimming elephants in the wilderness and revelling in Silk Road cuisine.

This sample itinerary shows how you can combine discovering historical and cultural heritage with pristine tropical beaches and wildlife-rich national parks within a two-week trip.

Inspired? Tell us what you most want to see or do, and we’ll design a bespoke itinerary built around your own highlights.

You’ll be met by your private driver at Colombo airport who’ll take you to your hotel. The drive is a fabulous introduction to the island, passing coconut plantations and rice paddies with glimpses of water buffalo, egrets and clusters of colourful tuk-tuks.
Entering through giant rock-carved lion’s paws you’ll spend time exploring the 5th century fortress citadel of Sigiriya today. Pristine gardens adorn symmetrically stepped terraces, winding stone pathways link ancient carved stairways, and ornate pools surround walls bedecked with frescoes.
See
  • Guided tour of Sigiriya
The first ancient capital of Sri Lanka, the beating heart of Sinhalese civilization and the spiritual centre for Theravada Buddhism, Anuradhapura is an immense site, both in importance and size. Your private guide will take you off-the-beaten track, following serene paths among its temples and ponds.
See
  • Guided tour of Anuradhapura
Today you’re driving to the tranquil coastal village of Passikudah. Powder-white sands, crystalline waters and kaleidoscopic coral reefs make this one of Sri Lanka’s best kept secrets. You have the chance to relax and explore here for a couple of days.
Split your swims between the hotel’s stunning infinity pool and some of Sri Lanka’s calmest coastal waters. You could snorkel or scuba-dive the pristine reefs, walk the crescent of the bay or indulge in a treatment at the underground spa.
From one picture-perfect beach to another, today you’re heading to Arugam Bay, a laid-back town that blends bohemian surf culture with traditional heritage. Renowned for its consistent swells, it attracts a globe-trotting surf crowd but is also a wildlife hub with wild elephants frequenting its shores.
Soak into the serenity of your hotel, which has been built to reflect the local architecture, with handcrafted cabanas scattered across its palm-strewn grounds. Indulge in the exceptional food, head out for a surf or simply relax by the oceanfront pool.
You’re leaving the turquoise seas behind you today, driving past coconut groves, rice paddies, rural villages and wandering elephants. This evening you’ll have a guided night walk through Gal Oya with a naturalist guide, seeking everything from owls to pangolin.
See
  • Jungle night walk
Start the day with a boat safari, drifting across the serene waters to spot the unique swimming elephants, dozing crocodiles and a huge variety of birdlife. Then you’re taking a guided safari cycle ride among water buffalo, deer and mongoose.
See
  • Boat safari, cycle ride with a naturalist
You’ll drive to Yala National Park today, famed for its beautifully diverse ecosystems of dense forests, grasslands and wetlands. Your evening jeep safari will track the park’s plentiful leopards, elephants, sloth bears, deer and monkeys together with multitudes of birds.
See
  • Evening jeep safari
Another chance to explore the wealth of biodiversity in the park today with a morning safari drive. You’ll criss-cross the park, passing Buddhist ruins and the Sithulpawwa Rock Temple while tracking, spotting and observing the vast range of wildlife.
See
  • Morning jeep safari
This morning you’re heading to Galle Dutch Fort where your local guide will bring the cultural heritage alive with a focus on the Silk Road influenced street food. As you wander the narrow streets, you’ll taste everything from Sinhalese sweets to hot hoppers.
See
  • Guided tour of Galle Dutch Fort, gastronomic street food tour, Meeran Jumma Mosque visit, Galle Services Club
You’ll be driven to Bandaranaike airport in Colombo this morning for your flight home. A last journey along Sri Lanka’s scenic southwestern coastline past lush landscapes, historic towns and tropical ocean views.

Does this sound like the ideal adventure for you?

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What our travellers say

If Red Dot ever ceased to exist and I wanted to return to Sri Lanka I would probably go somewhere else instead. They were, in every way shape and form, impeccable. From Samanthie who created the itinerary to Wicky who drove us here, there and everywhere I cannot imagine anybody doing it better. Impeccable. I need say no more except it doesn’t get any better.
Stuart (March 2025) United Kingdom Read the whole review here Tripadvisor
We chose this company as we wanted our money to benefit the people of Sri Lanka rather than international companies. Their work supports smaller businesses, projects and communities as well as the environment
Jessica E (August 2025) London, UK Read the whole review here Feefo
Our 11th visit to this magical Island with always something new to discover and see. This time we made it up north to Jaffna, via Mannar Island, after beginning in the tea country and acclimatising to the heat, after leaving a very cold UK in January. We had total confidence that RedDot would organise everything to perfection, having used them many times before
Roy L (March 2025) United Kingdom Read the whole review here Feefo
We had a fantastic holiday. The itinerary and choice of hotels was spot on, and seamlessly organised.
Charlotte (August 2024) United Kingdom Read the whole review here Tripadvisor
Exceptional tour of Sri Lanka with Dami. We cannot recommend Dami at Red dot tours highly enough. As our guide over 9 days he made sure that our trip to Sri Lanka was unforgettable- always going above & beyond to impart his knowledge, show us things off the beaten track, looking after us, getting us to try many local delicacies & making us laugh .. a LOT. Cannot imagine anyone doing a better job- if we could take him with us on every holiday we would!
Sarah (July 2025) United Kingdom Read the whole review here Feefo
Dulmini did a great job listening to our wishes and arranged an itinerary that was very busy but met all our needs. Sisira, our guide, was outstanding, providing us with great local knowledge and suggesting other activities on our travels. He was a great driver on the busy Sri Lankan roads, was always punctual but above all added colour to the whole trip.
Malcolm (April 2024) United Kingdom Read the whole review here Tripadvisor
I cannot recommend Red Dot Tours more highly. Thank you so much to Samanthie for her patience with me and all her hard work at putting together the perfect itinerary for my family. I had done a lot of research before I contacted Red Dot and Samanthie created a tour that fitted in all the activities we wanted to do and secured the hotels I told her we would like to stay in (not easy to do in high season).
Nina (July 2025) United Kingdom Read the whole review here Tripadvisor
Wow what can I say, from start to finish we have had a wonderful holiday with Red Dot Tours. Dulmini was so helpful in putting an itinerary together for us as a family of 6 and catering to all of our needs. We have ticked off so many of Sri Lanka’s beautiful sights during our trip. Dulmini and Dhanu were a great help to us while we were out on our travels too.
Anupa (July 2025) United Kingdom Read the whole review here TripAdvisor
We spent 13 days on a Bawa tour with wonderful driver and guide Manjula, including Kandalama Heritance, The Kandy House, The Last House, Jetwing Yala, Jetwing Lighthouse and Club Villa hotels. We are 3 friends, one of them in the wheelchair. Dulmini Ekanayake from Red Dot Tours was very helpful and very patient and found solutions to all our special demands.
Rene (March 2025) United Kingdom Read the whole review here Tripadvisor
The itinerary was absolutely perfect and the hotels wonderful, especially Thotalagala, The Warden’s House and 41 Lighthouse Street. Our driver, Indika, was a delight-charming, knowledgeable, considerate and always punctual; he showed us more of this amazing country than we could have hoped for!
Karen - United Kingdom Read the whole review here Tripadvisor
Wanted to take a moment to thank RedDot Tours, and specifically Jayandi for helping book a wonderful family vacation for my family and I. First time for my family and Jayandi took care of every detail, was so courteous and professional, and genuinely cared about our experience in SL. I would also like to mention Pradeep, our kind and understanding guide/chauffeur who took such good care of us while we were out and about. I cannot recommend RedDot enough!
Bob (November 2024) United States Read the whole review here Tripadvisor
We used Red Dot for the first time for our holiday in Sri Lanka. Dulmini put together such a wonderful experience for us, creating an itinerary she drew up after many discussions about what we like and also gave us suggestions for excursions and activities. It was totally bespoke and we were able to make changes throughout this process.
Gill (March 2025) Kent, United Kingdom Read the whole review here Tripadvisor
This is an excellent tour company. They planned our Sri Lankan holiday from start to finish. The trip was initially planned for 2022 but due to Covid and other issues we didn’t manage to undertake the trip until this year. Throughout all this time we had the same travel advisor Lahiru who responded quickly to my emails and rearranged and adjusted our holiday each year!
Anne (January 2025) United Kingdom Read the whole review here Tripadvisor
As a group of 8 we have had the most fabulous tour of Sri Lanka organised by Dulmini from RedDot who totally understood my brief of "some" culture, agriculture, nature, trekking and relaxation. The hotels chosen were a wonderful mixture of homestay, tented and pure luxury (Ceylon Tea Trails). The experiences to local villages, trekking the Pekoe Trail and climbing Pidurangala were memorable and our wonderful guide, Ananda, was so informative and knowledgeable and adapted to our needs admirable (not easy with a group of 8)
Anna (February 2025) United Kingdom Read the whole review here Tripadvisor
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