Short Escape · 5 days / 4 nights
Kandy in Bloom
A quiet celebration of Kandy's gardens, rituals, kitchens and tea country.
A refined Kandy and hill-country short escape
This is a short journey with the confidence to stay focused. Kandy is approached not as a single temple stop, but as a living hill capital shaped by ritual, botany, craft and food. Two nights at Mountbatten Bungalow create space for the city and its green margins to breathe.
A guided garden, an evening of worship and a small cultural centre with a home-style table reveal different registers of the highlands. The return to Colombo includes tea at source, giving a five-day traveller a vivid sense of landscape without the strain of reaching the deeper hill country.
At a glance
- Route
- Colombo · Kandy · Colombo
- Best window
- January-April and July-September; Kandy remains rewarding year-round with rain-aware timing
- Ideal for
- Couples, friends and repeat regional travellers drawn to gardens, living culture and tea
- Pace
- Gentle and centred, with two nights at one hill-country bungalow
Highlights
- Two nights at Mountbatten Bungalow
- Kandy at evening worship
- Peradeniya with a garden guide
- Hosted hill-country lunch
- Leaf-to-cup tea encounter
Your itinerary
1
Colombo, lightly held
Receive a private airport welcome and transfer to Cinnamon Grand Colombo. No fixed excursion is planned after the flight. When arrival is before mid-afternoon, a one-hour hosted walk along the seafront and through a nearby historic quarter can be added without charge, subject to energy and weather. The evening remains free.
Stay · Cinnamon Grand Colombo
Meals · Dinner at the hotel, subject to arrival time
2
Climb towards Kandy
Travel to Kandy in approximately 3.5-4 hours with a comfort stop. Settle into Mountbatten Bungalow and keep the middle of the day quiet. In the late afternoon, walk beside Kandy Lake with a cultural host before entering the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic for evening observances. The visit is paced respectfully around worship rather than staged as a performance.
Stay · Mountbatten Bungalow
Meals · Breakfast and dinner at the hotel
3
A garden and a table in the hills
Begin at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Peradeniya with a knowledgeable guide, tracing palms, orchids, medicinal plants and the garden's layered history. After a short rest, continue to a carefully selected cultural centre or heritage home such as Suriyakantha, subject to availability, for a hosted visit and Sri Lankan cooking demonstration with lunch. Return to the bungalow by late afternoon; the evening is unscheduled.
Stay · Mountbatten Bungalow
Meals · Breakfast, hosted lunch and dinner at the hotel
4
Tea at source, city at ease
Check out after breakfast and visit a working tea garden and factory on the western approach to Kandy, subject to the production calendar. Walk a manageable section of the fields, follow the leaf-to-cup process and finish with a guided tasting. Continue to Colombo in approximately 3.5-4.5 hours with lunch en route. Check in for a relaxed final evening.
Stay · Cinnamon Grand Colombo
Meals · Breakfast and dinner at the hotel
5
Departure
Private transfer to Bandaranaike International Airport takes approximately 45-90 minutes, traffic dependent. For flights after 8:00 pm, retain the room or add a compact Colombo specialist programme; neither is assumed in the base price.
Stay · Departure
Meals · Breakfast at the hotel or packed breakfast, subject to departure time
Hotels are recommended or indicative stays, subject to availability and confirmed alternatives.
Recommended stays
| Destination | Nights | Recommended stay |
|---|---|---|
| Colombo | 1 | Cinnamon Grand Colombo |
| Kandy | 2 | Mountbatten Bungalow - Thema Collection |
| Colombo | 1 | Cinnamon Grand Colombo |
What’s included
- ✓ Meet-and-assist at Bandaranaike International Airport and private airport transfers matched to confirmed flights.
- ✓ Private air-conditioned vehicle throughout, with an English-speaking chauffeur-guide; vehicle size is matched to guests and luggage.
- ✓ Accommodation at the named Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts and Thema Collection properties, or confirmed same-brand alternatives, on half board: breakfast and dinner at the hotel on each overnight stay, except where the itinerary states full-board retreat or wilderness meals, or a hosted dinner replacement.
- ✓ The core excursions and experiences listed in the included schedule, with standard entrance fees, local guiding and operating charges unless a choice is expressly stated.
- ✓ Ceylon by Design journey briefing, on-ground reconfirmation, 24-hour contact and a suitable weather-aware alternative for outdoor activities.
- ✓ Current local taxes and service charges used in the planning basis; every component remains subject to live supplier confirmation.
- ✓ Standard entrance, guiding and the hosted Day 3 lunch are included.
- ✓ The tea visit is subject to the factory's production calendar; an estate-and-tasting alternative operates when machinery is idle.
Not included
- – International or domestic air tickets, ETA or visa charges, passports, travel insurance and personal medical costs.
- – Meals and drinks not expressly stated, minibar, room service and special private dining unless added to the final quote.
- – Optional excursions, experience upgrades and supplements shown separately in this package.
- – Tips, porterage beyond the normal hotel service, laundry, spa treatments, shopping and other personal expenses.
- – Early check-in, late checkout, day-use rooms and additional accommodation required by flight times.
- – Peak-season or festive supplements, compulsory meals, supplier minimum stays and costs caused by exceptional closures or material itinerary changes.
Optional enhancements
Available on request. We price each enhancement with your final quotation.
Private botanist at Royal Botanic Gardens
Day 3 morning
Small private Kandyan cultural presentation
Day 2 or Day 3 evening
Colombo design and market circuit
Day 4 late afternoon or Day 5 before a late flight
