Sri Lanka Group Tour Packages

A group trip to Sri Lanka works because the island is compact. You can stand on a tea-estate hillside in Nuwara Eliya in the morning and watch a leopard cross a track in Yala two days later, without anyone in the group spending more than a few hours in the vehicle. Our Sri Lanka group tour packages are built for exactly that: small, fixed-departure groups travelling together through Kandy, Sigiriya, Ella, the hill country and the south coast, with a private vehicle, a driver-guide and a fixed per-person price. Prices start at Rs 49,000 per person on twin sharing, and every itinerary below can be customised for your own group. If you want the full country picture first, read the Sri Lanka travel guide, or compare the wider range on the Sri Lanka tour packages hub.

Compare our Sri Lanka group packages

Here are the group departures on this page right now, cheapest first. Every one runs on twin sharing, is fully customisable, and can start from your home city.

How big are the groups on a Sri Lanka group tour?

Our Sri Lanka group departures are kept small on purpose. Most fixed departures run with a maximum of around 18 travellers, and several of the shorter routes go out with 10 to 12. That size matters more than it sounds. A group of 15 fits one coach and one guide, so the whole group moves together through the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic in Kandy or onto the Kandy to Ella train without splitting into shifts. On a group of 40 you queue twice for everything and the quiet moments disappear.

• A small group suits you if you want to meet other travellers but still get a window seat on the Ella train and a front-row spot at a Yala safari jeep.

• It also suits you if you are travelling solo or as a couple and want company, shared costs and a guide, without organising the logistics yourself.

• Prefer your own group? your family or friends want the whole trip to themselves. We can run any of these itineraries as a private group departure for just your party.

Fixed departures and how to join

You can join a Sri Lanka group tour in three ways. Join a fixed departure and travel with a set small group on set dates, which is the easiest option for solo travellers and couples. Book a private group departure for your own family, friends or office group, on dates you pick. Or customise any itinerary on this page: change the number of nights, swap a beach day for a safari, add Trincomalee or Jaffna, or upgrade the hotels. Tell our agents your group size and the month you want to travel, and they will confirm the next available departure and a locked per-person price.

Sri Lanka group tour cost from India

A week-long Sri Lanka group trip from India usually lands between Rs 65,000 and Rs 95,000 per person all-in, depending on your departure city, the season and the hotel tier. Here is roughly where that money goes, per person, for a 6 to 7 night trip on twin sharing.

The 9 Days Sri Lanka with Airfare package bundles the return flight into the per-person price, so there is one number to budget against. Group travel also trims the per-head cost of the vehicle, driver-guide and some entry fees, because the group splits them.

Sample 7-day Sri Lanka group itinerary

This is the classic group route most of our travellers take. It threads the cultural triangle, the hill country and the south coast into one loop, and it is the template behind the packages in the table above.

• Day 1, arrive Colombo. Land at Bandaranaike airport near Colombo, meet the group and the driver-guide, and transfer to your first hotel. An easy first evening by the coast.

• Day 2, Colombo to Sigiriya. Drive north to the cultural triangle. Climb Sigiriya rock fortress in the cooler late afternoon, and visit the Dambulla cave temples on the way.

• Day 3, Sigiriya to Kandy. Stop at the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage, then on to Kandy for the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic and an evening Kandyan dance show.

• Day 4, Kandy to Nuwara Eliya. Take the Kandy to Nuwara Eliya leg of the famous hill-country train through the tea estates, then tour a working tea factory in the cool of the highlands.

• Day 5, Nuwara Eliya to Ella and Yala. Continue to Ella for the Nine Arch Bridge and Little Adam's Peak, then drop down to the dry zone near Yala.

• Day 6, Yala to the south coast. Early leopard safari in Yala National Park, then west along the coast. Whale watching off Mirissa in season, and the ramparts of Galle Fort at sunset.

• Day 7, Bentota to Colombo. A Madu River boat safari and beach time at Bentota, then transfer back to Colombo for your flight home.

Shorter 5 and 6 night packages trim the far south; the 11-day trip adds more coast and wildlife time. For a deeper route guide, see the Sri Lanka travel guide.

Top places and best things to do on a Sri Lanka group tour

Small groups cover more of the island than most people expect in a week. These are the stops the group spends real time at, not just drives past.

Kandy. The cultural heart of the hills, set on a plateau around a lake. The group visits the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, catches an evening Kandyan dance show, and usually stops at the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage on the way in.

Nuwara Eliya. Sri Lanka's tea capital, cool enough for a jacket in the evening. The highlight is the hill-country train ride in, plus a tea-factory tour, the colonial town and Gregory Lake.

Ella. A backpacker-turned-everyone favourite in the hills. The Nine Arch Bridge, Little Adam's Peak and Ravana Falls are all within easy reach, and the train in is the most photographed journey in the country.

Yala. Sri Lanka's best big-cat park and home to one of the densest leopard populations anywhere. An early-morning group jeep safari is the standard way in, with elephants, crocodiles and sloth bears along the way.

Mirissa and Galle. The south coast pairs whale watching off Mirissa (blue and sperm whales in season) with the Dutch-built ramparts of Galle Fort, a walkable UNESCO old town best at sunset.

Bentota. The group's wind-down. A Madu River mangrove boat safari in the morning, then water sports and beach time at this south-west resort town.

Colombo. The capital and arrival point. Colonial buildings, the National Museum, Gangaramaya Temple and Galle Face Green make an easy half-day at the start or end of the trip.

Best time for a Sri Lanka group trip

Sri Lanka has two monsoons, so the best month depends on which coast your group is chasing. For the west coast, south coast and hill country (which is where most group routes go), travel December to March for dry, sunny days. For the east coast around Trincomalee, late April to September is the dry window. December to March is peak for groups, so book fixed departures early. Full month-by-month detail is on the Sri Lanka travel guide.

How to reach Sri Lanka from India

Nearly every group flies in. Bandaranaike International Airport (CMB), about 35 km north of Colombo, is the main gateway. Direct flights run from Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kochi and Kolkata, and the Chennai to Colombo hop is barely 1.5 hours. On the 9 Days with Airfare package the return flight is already included; on the others you can add flights from your city.

By sea. Sri Lanka is an island, so cruises call at Colombo Port and other harbours, but there is no regular passenger ferry from India at the moment. For a group, flying is faster and cheaper.

What's included and what's not

ETA and entry notes for Indian travellers

Indian passport holders need a Sri Lanka ETA (Electronic Travel Authorization) before flying. Apply online at the official portal, eta.gov.lk, a few days ahead; approval is usually quick. Carry a passport valid for at least six months, a return ticket and proof of funds. The tourist ETA fee is around US$50 at the time of writing, and ETA fees have changed more than once, so confirm the current amount on the official site before you pay. Your group coordinator can help the whole group apply together.

Why book your Sri Lanka group tour with TravelTriangle

TravelTriangle has helped 40 Lac+ travellers plan trips since 2011, and your Sri Lanka group tour is handled by verified local agents, not a call centre. You deal only with the top 10% of agents, each selected after a 23-step assessment. Payment is released to the agent only after you have received your booking vouchers, so your money is protected until the trip is confirmed. On the ground you get 24x7 assistance from local travel experts, and every itinerary stays fully customisable up to departure.

"For a group, the one thing I tell travellers is to lock the Yala safari for the first morning slot, not the afternoon, the light and the leopard sightings are far better," says our Sri Lanka desk coordinator.

Prices and inclusions on this page are checked by our Sri Lanka desk against live agent inventory before you book. Reviewed by our Sri Lanka travel desk.

What our travellers say

Vinay Kumar, Bengaluru (5-day trip). "Booking with agent Travco was smooth and they were accommodating in selecting hotels based on our choice. The cab and guide were very helpful and knowledgeable."

Rohit Mehta, Mumbai (7-day trip). "Our recent trip to Sri Lanka was truly one of the most memorable vacations we have ever had. Every part of the journey was thoughtfully planned."

Ready to travel together? Pick a departure from the table above, or tell our agents your group size and month and they will build a Sri Lanka group tour around you. Compare the full range on the Sri Lanka tour packages hub.

Edited by TravelTriangle.