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Plan

The Colonial Coast

9 nights · Galle · Mirissa · Kataragama · from £4,640 pp

Overview

Galle Fort’s seventeenth-century ramparts, a chef’s table in a 1690 Dutch warehouse, blue-whale season off Mirissa, and a private dawn at the Kataragama pilgrim road.

9 nights
Duration
320 km
Coastline
Nov–Apr
Whales
Dec · Jan · Feb
Best months

Day by day

  1. Day 1

    Arrive Colombo

    A night in the capital with a curated walk through Pettah and the colonial quarter.

  2. Day 2

    Bentota

    Down the coast to a Geoffrey Bawa landmark where the river meets the sea.

  3. Days 3–5

    Galle Fort

    Three nights within the ramparts — the Dutch streets, the lighthouse, and a chef’s table dinner.

  4. Days 6–7

    Mirissa

    Blue-whale watching at dawn and quiet beach afternoons on the deep south.

  5. Day 8

    Yala & Kataragama

    An afternoon safari and a private dawn at the great pilgrim shrine.

  6. Day 9

    Tangalle

    A final slow day on a headland villa with the ocean to yourself.

  7. Day 10

    Departure

    Coastal transfer back to Colombo for your flight.

The route
  1. Colombo→
  2. Bentota→
  3. Galle Fort→
  4. Mirissa→
  5. Tangalle→
  6. Yala→
  7. Kataragama

Best time to travel

December–April, the dry season on the south coast and peak blue-whale window.

Highlights
  • Galle Fort’s 17th-century ramparts
  • Blue-whale watching off Mirissa
  • Chef’s table in a 1690 Dutch warehouse
  • A private dawn on the Kataragama pilgrim road
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