Sri Lanka · 1-DAY TOURS
Good 1-day tours run on gate times and reserved seats, and the best go early. Below: 15 of them, what each includes and how they differ.
Review of the Colombo to Sigiriya and Dambulla day trip, with temple visits, Lion Rock, village options, safari, costs, and practical tips.
“Chattu was an excellent guide, we learnt a lot about Sri Lanka during the trip plus he was really funny. Throughly enjoyed all the activities and would recommend. Best regards Lucius”
Review of the Kandy to Nuwara Eliya day trip, with tea estates, waterfalls, temples, costs, transport tips, and honest advice.
“Suranjith was our guide. He was excellent guide and very cooperative. Even offered us a King Coconut on the house. Highly recommended.”
Review of Aaliya Tours’ private Kandy day trip to Sigiriya and Dambulla, with practical advice on timing, costs, guides, temples, and optional stops.
“This was a great day out, helped by a really knowledgeable and enthusiastic guide Mr. Irfan. The trip is a long day but there's lots to see and do, we left 8am and returned around 8pm so don't plan anything after. Mr Irfan talked about various as we drove past which was very interesting, and also offered a few extra stops with things to do, in addition to slowing down so we could take pictures. He seemed really proud to be able to show off the country. Although the driving may seem a bit crazy in Sri Lanka Mr Irfan was a good driver and kept us safe on the…”
Review of a packed Ella day trip from Sri Lanka’s south coast, with temples, waterfalls, tea, train views, hikes, and optional ziplining.
“It was a perfect and long day, but absolutely worth it!! We had a perfect guide and driver, Yasith, very safe drinving on tough mountain roads, always smiling and peacefull. We had a lot of activities, recomand the tea plantation! 100% recomand Yasith!”
Review of the Colombo to Kandy day trip, with Pinnawala elephants, Temple of the Tooth, botanical gardens, tea tasting, costs, and tips.
“Imesh was extremely friendly & informative at every opportunity. He was proactive & accommodating & made the trip a great success. The driver was also excellent during a long trip!”
Review of a private Sigiriya, Dambulla, and Minneriya safari day trip from Colombo, with costs, timing, transport, and practical booking advice.
“An amaizng day, would highly recommend! Our driver was very friendly and everything was as described on the page.”
Review of Colombo’s Sigiriya and Dambulla day trip, including costs, long travel times, steep climbs, guides, safari options, and practical tips.
“A wonderful trip to Dambula and Sigeria with my daughter. Aeron our guide is a wonderful person and very helping. Perfect”
Review of the Southern Sri Lanka day trip from Colombo or Negombo, with Galle Fort, Madu River, turtles, beaches, and practical booking advice.
“Cons - No response from your operator. Had to call multiple times to get the driver details. Driver came a bit late but that was still acceptable. Later on his suggestion we went to a different turtle hatchery center (Ahungalla Sea Turtles Conservation Project) which was a complete scam. Paid 6000 lkr for 5 mins of tour. Not even provided with proper tickets and guide was just repeating the same information. Although it said ngo but didn't felt so. Very less number of turtles. Their store was super expensive. Pros- with infant couldn't see many places but had a comfortable ride”
Review of Yala's private safari with transport, park fees, four-hour jeep drive, lunch, and practical advice on value and wildlife sightings.
“We booked Yala National Park. Driver picked us up prompt at 4-30am. Good drive to meeting point to pick up Safari Jeep. Lovely clean vehicle. Nice A/C. Driven to park in Jeep. Excellent guide. Very knowledgable. Park experience (4 hours) was exceptional. Saw loads. Meal provided at Red Restaurant after park was SUPERB. All in all - a magical day which three of us enjoyed. Highly recommend this trip. You will not be disappointed. 10/10. Thank you to all the team.”
Review of the Colombo to Kandy day trip, with elephants, the Temple of the Tooth, tea, crafts, costs, tips, and honest drawbacks.
“Amazing trip. Driver priyantha was very informative and helpful too.”
Review of Sri Lanka’s 3-day Sigiriya, Kandy and Ella tour, with temple visits, train views, Little Adam’s Peak and an elephant safari.
“We booked the 3-day tour and it was truly an unforgettable experience thanks to our amazing guide Chathu. he was extremely kind and attentive. He explained everything in detail and shared a lot of knowledge about Sri Lanka. The tour itself was fantastic! in three days we were able to see and experience so much of the Country. From cultural sights to landscapes, it was the perfect mix. Everything was perfectly organized, and thanks to Chathu we learned so much more than we could have on our own. I hope you are lucky and get him as your guide :)”
Review of a private Sigiriya and Dambulla day trip from Colombo, with transport, lunch, entry fees, hiking advice, and honest drawbacks.
“Our driver was very friendly and accommodating there is no tour guide on this trip. Bring something to cover your knees, if you're a guy, or bring a pair of pants for the cave temples. The buffet meal was okay we suggested to our driver that a different restaurant be considered in the future. Definitely recommend this tour, the sites were great, but be prepared to spend a lot of time on the road.”
Review of the Ella day trip from Sri Lanka’s south coast, covering tea, waterfalls, train views, ziplining, Little Adam’s Peak, and costs.
“It was so much fun just all over, going to the nine arch bridge, the water fall, Little Adams Peak and everything. The guide(Ravi) was also wery good and seemed to know his way around all the plases”
Review of the 14-hour Ella day trip from Sri Lanka’s south coast, with tea fields, waterfalls, train views, zipline, and Little Adam’s Peak.
“We had an amazing day with our guide and driver Shane! We were a couple and with us was one more very nice lady. I really loved our little group and we had a lot of laughs! From the Spice garden, to the tea factory and the beautiful Ella Rock and the mountains there was so much to see and everything was amazing. We wanted to cover all the typical tourist attractions to not miss out on it - and it was a full success!😆 It was really nice to always have a private car to go back to and switch between walking/hiking and driving on the road. Book this…”
Review of a private Sigiriya and Dambulla day trip from Colombo, with Pidurangala, lunch, village stops, costs, timing, and practical advice.
“This was a great way to see Sigiriya Rock if you are staying in Colombo. My driver Ajantha also took me to a fantastic local restaurant for lunch, where the food was so yummy and the proprietors very kind. Just note that the included lunch iRead more”
Pick a park, a coast or a kitchen.
