Sri Lanka Packages from Dubai
Sri Lanka is four and a half hours from Dubai and fits more into ten days than almost anywhere: ancient cities, tea country, leopard safari and a colonial fort on the coast. The best trips are driven, not flown, with a private driver-guide and the right bungalow at each stop.
These are the shapes we book. For the hotels, tables and routes, read our Sri Lanka little black book.
The Sri Lanka packages we actually sell
South Coast
- Private driver-guide
- Galle Fort and south-coast beach hotel
- Breakfast daily
- Whale watching from Mirissa in season
The Classic Loop
- Cultural triangle, tea country and coast
- Sigiriya at dawn, train through the hills
- Yala safari with private jeep
- Boutique hotels and tea bungalows
Private Estates
- Staffed villas and tea estates
- Seaplane or helicopter legs
- Private naturalist on safari
- Dedicated host throughout
Tell us how long you have. We will build the loop around the month.
Plan this journey with your free conciergeSample itinerary — the ten-night classic loop
Day 1 · Morning flight from Dubai, met at Colombo and driven north to the cultural triangle.
Day 2 · Sigiriya at dawn, Dambulla cave temples in the afternoon.
Day 3 · Polonnaruwa by bicycle, or a village cooking lesson.
Day 4–5 · Drive up into tea country. Planter's bungalow, estate walk, the hill train to Ella.
Day 6–7 · Down to Yala. Two game drives for leopard, sloth bear and elephant.
Day 8–9 · South coast — Galle Fort's ramparts at sunset, a beach day, whales off Mirissa in season.
Day 10 · Drive to Colombo, flight to Dubai.
What's included — and what isn't
Included
- Return flights, Dubai–Colombo
- Private air-conditioned car and driver-guide
- Hotels and bungalows as specified
- Breakfast daily, plus meals where stated
- Site entries and safaris specified per tier
- Your concierge, before and during
Not included
- Travel authorisation fee
- Premium wine lists
- Activities beyond those specified
- Travel insurance
- Gratuities
- Upgrades — seaplane, helicopter, villas
How the island fits together
The cultural triangle — Sigiriya, Dambulla, Polonnaruwa — is the ancient north. Two nights is the right amount.
Tea country around Nuwara Eliya and Ella is cool, green and slow. The planters' bungalows, each with a handful of staffed rooms, are the best stays on the island.
The south and south-west coast — Galle, Weligama, Tangalle — is beaches, the fort, and whales in season. It makes the easiest finish before the flight home.
When to go from the UAE
December to April is the classic window: the west and south coasts are dry, tea country is clear, and Yala is open.
May to September the south-west monsoon arrives, and the east coast (Trincomalee, Pasikudah) becomes the beach to choose instead.
Yala usually closes for part of September and October, so we route safari via Wilpattu or Udawalawe in those weeks.
Questions we get asked
How much is a Sri Lanka package from Dubai?
From around AED 5,900 per person twin-share for seven nights on the south coast with flights and a private driver-guide. The classic ten-night loop starts near AED 12,400, and a private-estate trip starts near AED 24,000.
How long is the flight from Dubai to Sri Lanka?
About four and a half hours direct to Colombo. Sri Lanka is an hour and a half ahead of the UAE.
Is ten days enough for Sri Lanka?
Ten days covers the classic loop of the cultural triangle, tea country, a safari and the south coast without rushing. Seven days is better spent on one or two regions than on the whole island.
Do UAE residents need a visa for Sri Lanka?
Most visitors need an electronic travel authorisation, applied for online before travel. It depends on nationality, and we check it for every traveller.
When can you see leopards in Yala?
Year-round when the park is open, with the best sightings in the dry months of February to July. The park usually closes for part of September and October.
Sri Lanka rewards a good driver-guide and the right bungalow. We know both.
Plan my Sri Lanka journey