An 8-day, 6-night New Year tour of Sri Lanka following the Mahavamsa chronicle: six UNESCO sites, the tea-country train and Tamil Tiger war sites, led by Khun Pap.
Trip highlights
- New Year tour: Sri Lanka Mahavamsa, The Great Chronicle of Sri Lanka
- Travel to the pearl of the Indian Ocean from an angle you have never seen
- Follow the Mahavamsa chronicle and its ties with Thai history through all 6 cultural World Heritage sites
- Ride the train through tea plantations, one of the most beautiful rail lines in the world
- A close look at Eelam, a country that never existed, and the story of the fallen Tamil Tiger rebellion
- 27 December 2026 to 3 January 2027, with Khun Pap, author of the book Phayak Thamil Sin Chat, lecturing in person
Highlight places
Led by historiansEvery trip travels with an expert history lecturer who brings each site to life in plain language.
Off the beaten pathCentral Asia, the Middle East, the Himalayas — places most tour companies never go.
Private groups, no rushingRight-sized groups and unhurried time at the places that matter most.
Beyond ordinary travelEvery tour is designed by writers and professional travellers to create experiences that reflect who you are — for travellers who want more than an ordinary holiday.
About this tour
Sri Lanka: The Mahavamsa is an 8-day, 6-night New Year tour (27 December 2026 to 3 January 2027) built around the Mahavamsa, the ancient chronicle of Sri Lanka. It visits all six UNESCO cultural sites listed in the program: Galle Fort, Kandy, Dambulla Cave Temple, Polonnaruwa, Sigiriya and Anuradhapura.
Beyond the ancient capitals, the route includes the scenic Ella to Nanu Oya train through tea country and a day in the north on the history of the Sri Lankan civil war, with Kilinochchi, Elephant Pass, the Monument of Victory and Mullaitivu Beach, the last battlefield of the war.
The tour is led by Khun Pap, owner of The Wild Chronicles page and author of the book Phayak Thamil Sin Chat, who researched the sites himself. Travel is with SriLankan Airlines and the price includes the Sri Lanka visa.
Day-by-day itinerary
Day 1Bangkok – Colombo – Galle
Meet at 05:00 at Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK), 4th floor, and check in at the SriLankan Airlines counter. Fly at 08:10 on UL403 with lunch on board, arriving at Bandaranaike Airport (CMB) at 10:10.
- Borella Kanatte Cemetery: Colombo's old cemetery with separate sections for every religion and ethnic group.
- Gangaramaya Temple: founded in the late 19th century, blending Sri Lankan, Thai, Indian and Chinese architecture.
- Drive about 4 hours to Galle, a historic port city in the south.
Day 2Galle Fort – Ella
Galle Fort, begun by the Portuguese in 1588 and expanded by the Dutch in the 17th century with granite and coral and 14 bastions, is a living World Heritage city where people still live.
- Dutch Reformed Church: the present building was completed in 1755.
- The Historic Colonial Quarter: more than 400 years of Portuguese, Dutch and British traces.
- Drive about 6 hours to Ella.
Day 3Tea-Country Train, Ella – Nanu Oya – Kandy
Ride the train from Ella to Nanu Oya, about 2 hours 50 minutes and 64 km, through Ceylon tea plantations and up into the Central Highlands at 2,000-2,500 metres, praised as one of the most beautiful rail journeys in the world.
- Continue about 4 hours to Kandy, a World Heritage city.
- Pay respects at the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic (Sri Dalada Maligawa), which enshrines the Buddha's tooth, with daily ceremonies.
Day 4Dambulla Caves – Polonnaruwa – Sigiriya
- Dambulla Cave Temple, about 2.5 hours away: the largest and best-preserved cave-temple complex on the island, more than 2,000 years old, with over 150 Buddha images and murals of the Buddha's life.
- Polonnaruwa, a World Heritage site and former capital of the 11th-13th centuries, with its old palace, temples, stupas and ancient reservoirs, about 2 hours further.
- Drive about 2 hours to Sigiriya, near the famous World Heritage rock fortress.
Day 5Sigiriya Rock – Sacred Bodhi Tree – Anuradhapura
Climb Sigiriya Rock Fortress, a rock more than 200 metres high with about 1,020 steps, dating to King Kassapa in the 5th century AD. Pass the giant lion paws, the celestial maiden frescoes, and reach the hilltop palace and pools.
- Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi: a cutting from the Bodh Gaya tree, brought by Sanghamitta, daughter of Emperor Ashoka.
- Ruwanwelisaya: the great stupa built by King Dutugemunu in the 2nd century BC, 103 metres high.
- Anuradhapura: Sri Lanka's first ancient capital, flourishing from about the 4th century BC, a World Heritage site.
Day 6The North: Following the Tamil Tiger Civil War
- Kilinochchi War Memorial, about 3 hours from Anuradhapura, built after government forces retook the town from the Tamil Tigers.
- Elephant Pass: a strategic chokepoint on the road to Jaffna.
- Hasalaka Gamini War Memorial: honouring a soldier who sacrificed himself in 1991, with the wreck of the rebels' armoured bulldozer.
- The War Monument and the Monument of Victory, built after the war ended in 2009.
- Mullaitivu Beach: the final battleground of the war, with information the lecturer gathered on the ground himself.
- Drive back to Anuradhapura, about 3 hours.
Day 7Anuradhapura – Colombo – Flight Home
Drive about 7 hours to Colombo and enjoy free shopping at ODEL, Sri Lanka's leading fashion and lifestyle department store.
- 19:00: head to Bandaranaike Airport, about 1 hour 30 minutes; check in at 21:00.
- 01:15 the next day: fly to Bangkok on UL402, about 3 hours 35 minutes.
Day 8Arrival in Bangkok
Arrive safely at Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) at 06:20.
Included
- Round-trip international economy flights as specified in the program
- Baggage allowance on international economy flights, checked and carry-on, under airline conditions
- Transport and sightseeing with an experienced driver
- Accommodation as specified, two guests per room
- Entrance fees as specified in the program
- Meals as specified in the program
- Experienced local English-speaking guide
- Experienced Thai lecturer and tour leader
- Sri Lanka entry visa, arranged by the company
- Travel accident insurance (subject to the policy terms)
Not included
- Business Class upgrade for the round-trip international flights and any additional costs of upgrading
- Extra baggage weight or other costs beyond the airline's standard conditions
- Single room supplement (if you wish to stay alone): 13,500 baht per person
- Personal expenses such as telephone, internet, laundry, minibar, special meals or extra drinks outside the program, passport fees, excess baggage, seat reservations, medical costs, personal portable oxygen cans, and lost luggage or valuables
- Tips for the tour leader, local guide and driver (recommended standard 90 USD per person)
- 7% VAT, 3% withholding tax and other taxes if a tax invoice is requested
- Fuel surcharges, airport taxes and other costs if the airline or related bodies raise prices
About this tour
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Sri Lanka: The Mahavamsa, The Great Chronicle of Sri Lanka
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