The Most Spectacular Festival in Sri Lanka - Esala Perahera

10 days from £5,280 for 2023 per person

• Kandy
• Sigiriya
• Trincomalee
• Colombo

The Esala Perahera is one of the oldest and most extraordinary festivals in the world and it takes place every year in July/August in the old royal capital of Kandy. Snaking their way around Kandy Lake and the Temple of the Tooth thousands of dancers, drummers, whip-crackers and fire-eaters parade through the city accompanied by close to 100 caparisoned elephants the largest of which carries the sacred tooth relic taken from Buddha’s funeral pyre almost 2500 years ago. 

After your time in Kandy, explore the Cultural Triangle visiting Polonnaruwa, the Dambulla Cave Temples and the dramatic sky citadel of Sigiriya. After an action-packed few days, a couple of days relaxing is well deserved, so travel to the East Coast and stay in wonderful Trincomalee. Before your departure, your last night will be spent in Colombo, a bubbling and colourful city which is full of life.

This luxury holiday is purely a suggested itinerary; it can be booked as it is or used as a starting point for creating your perfect tailor-made tour of Sri Lanka. If you would like to see similar trips, take a look at our collection of Festival and Party itineraries, as well as our Active and Family-Friendly holidays.

My favourite thing is to go where I've never been.
Diane Arbus