For golfers bitten by the travel bug, this itinerary offers selected locations around the golfing hotspots in Sri Lanka, which are surrounded by natural beauty…
This itinerary has been carefully designed to give you a taste of the exciting, endless possibilities and can be tailored to suit your exact preferences.
Drive Time – Approximately 55 Minutes
Accommodation – Galle Face Hotel
Meal Basis – Bed and Breakfast
Arrive in Sri Lanka in the style you deserve, greeted by your chauffeur guide and transferred directly to Galle Face Hotel; an iconic landmark situated in the heart of Colombo along the seafront and facing the infamous Galle Face Green!
Sri Lanka’s modern commercial capital, Colombo combines colonial and contemporary architecture along its bustling streets, from the English-style cricket green, to the grand Independence Hall, to sunset views from the Galle Face Hotel terrace. No longer just the sprawling city you have to endure on your way to the beaches, it has become a worthy destination in its own right and makes an excellent start – or finish – to your Sri Lankan adventures.
Accommodation – Galle Face Hotel
Meal Basis – Bed and Breakfast
Set out for your first day of Sri Lankan golfing on the island’s oldest green – The Royal Colombo Golf Club. Measuring 6560-yards from the championship tees the course is not long by modern day standards and offers a classic English parkland feel with ambience to match! The Clubhouse facilities are good with everything you could need for your enjoyment before or after your rounds.
To beat off the heat of your morning exploits, why not relish a mildly hot cup of tea in an all-inclusive tea tour experience at the hotel? Take a sneak-peak into the secret recipes of tea making, refresh your knowledge on various flavors of tea, enjoy a blind tea tasting competition to test your pallet and end the evening with a high tea festooned with delicious food and desserts! You can also take part in a street food sampling tour if you wish.
Drive Time – Approximately 4 ½ hour drive
Accommodation – Clingendael
Meal Basis – Bed and Breakfast
Set off from coastal Colombo to the lush green Hill capital of Kandy for your next golfing adventure! En route you will visit the Millennium Elephant Foundation (MEF) a family run non-government organization dedicated to improving the welfare of domestic elephants. Spend a few hours with an elephant expert and animal rights activist who will give you the unique opportunity to meet, walk with, and bathe the elephants!
Become acquainted with the city of Kandy; follow the sound of the drums to pay a visit to the Temple of the Tooth. Join the Buddhists who dressed in all white, offer puja while catching a glimpse of the great sacred tooth relic of the Buddha. The Tooth Relic chamber would be opened during puja times where flowers and other offerings are being made while drummers at the lower hall continue their drumming performance. Pick a flower from the flower market in the city square and offer it to the Temple of the tooth along with a lit oil lamp for good fortune and peace.
Retreat to your lavish boutique hotel located high in the rolling hills and in the tranquility of the Victoria Golf and Country Resort. Distinguished by unparalleled privacy, colonial luxury and spectacular vistas of the Knuckles Mountains and beyond, the next two days of your stay will be ushered with best of both worlds: an intimate environment with bespoke service!
Accommodation – Clingendael
Meal Basis – Bed and Breakfast
Kick start your tee time today on one of the world’s most beautiful courses – The Victoria Golf & Country Resort. Designed by the esteemed golf architects Donald Steele & Co., the course makes the most of its prestigious location next to the Victoria reservoir and stunning natural scenery. Aesthetically pleasing with an abundance of flowering shrubbery, palm-tree lined fairways and white sand bunkers blend seamlessly together to offer a challenging course that will test the very of best golfers. During your game over this 18-hole course, don’t be surprised if just two or three white egrets swoop across the landscape of the Knuckles mountain range broken by the placid Victoria reservoir!
In the evening perhaps you could embark on a small hike to the Bahirawakanda Buddha Statue located atop of the Bahirawa Kanda hill which can be seen from the entire city of Kandy that sprawls out before it! It is best to visit at sunset, when the city is bathed in a golden glow as the sun drops behind the mountains in the distance.
End the day by unwinding at the Royal Bar over tales of golf and a malt of whisky or cool draught beer!
Drive Time – Approximately 3 ½ hour ride
Accommodation – Heritance Tea Factory
Meal Basis – Bed and Breakfast
Your golfing escapade will continue further south into the verdant green hills of Sri Lanka’s most beautiful and magical region – the Hill Country – to the Colonial city of Nuwara Eliya. The cool air, magnificent waterfalls, thriving tea culture and the enchanting allure of these hills has to be seen to believe!
A ride by local train is the way to see this country best and is a highlight of any Sri Lankan visit. ‘Clicketty-clack’ through dark tunnels on winding tracks, past tea bushes trimmed by regular picking that look like green sculptures stretching up and down the misty hills as far as the eye can see. While on board you will encounter food vendors with their offerings of “short eats” and local musicians who will serenade you for a few rupees. Don’t forget to try some street food in the train which is mostly freshly cut pineapple slices or deep fried vades!
As you descend from the footsteps of the train, be met by views of the stunning tea estates and if you’re lucky, you’ll see the tea pluckers’ expertly harvesting tea leaves in the fields. For the ultimate holiday souvenir, how about taking home a packet of tea that you picked yourself? Deck out in local attire – saree for the ladies, sarong for the gentlemen – take a walk with the professional tea pluckers to the organic tea fields where you will be shown to pluck leaves. You’ll find that it takes a bit of practice to make sure the leaves end up in your basket rather than on the floor!
Welcome to Nuwara Eliya, the colonial town also called Little England! Retire for the night to your ‘withering loft’, high in the mountains of Nuwara Eliya.
Accommodation – Heritance Tea Factory
Meal Basis – Bed and Breakfast
Spend a well-deserved day by embarking on your golfing adventures at the picturesque Nuwara Eliya Golf Club; one of the oldest golf clubs in Asia. Despite being situated just a stone’s throw from the town, the club still maintains an air of exclusivity, yet a desirable apartness, so that when one enters its gates one is transported to a world that has been left behind by the march of history. The tradition is evident with its’ colonial style clubhouse sitting proudly overlooking the first tee, second and eighteenth greens. Towering trees line the fairways, creating intimate holes and narrow landing areas are a challenging test for all levels of golfers!
We suggest you break for late lunch at the colonial member’s only Hill Club or for a scrumptious high-tea rendezvous at the iconic Grand Hotel; before returning for an afternoon game.
A free afternoon here gives you a perfect opportunity to play another round of golf or enjoy a breathtaking visit to the Moon Plains; a 30 minute mini Jeep Safari through green fields full of cattle, deer, wild boar and picturesque vistas from the top of the plains where you can sit and enjoy a quick snack! Alternatively a visit to the prestigious Ambewela Dairy Farm will have you relinquish devouring to a fresh glass of milk and some cheese!
Drive Time – Approximately 5 hour drive
Accommodation – Shangri-La’s Hambantota Golf Resort and Spa
Meal Basis – Bed and Breakfast
Today you can truly soak up the beauty of this magical place by visiting the spectacular Hakgala Botanical Gardens en route to the south of the island.
Now you may be ready to explore the island’s sun and surf. You’ve waited long enough! Today you will descend the hills and head to the pristine Southern Coast of the island! En route break your journey at the charming town of Ella to admire the scenic Ella Gap, the cascading mystical Ravana Ella waterfalls and the iconic Demodara Nine Arch Bridge.
Retire for the night to your stunning Golf Resort located along the ancient Spice Route in a city steeped in rich history, natural beauty and Asia’s fascinating nature and wildlife sanctuaries!
Accommodation – Shangri-La’s Hambantota Golf Resort and Spa
Meal Basis – Bed and Breakfast
The last stop for your golf sojourn will be discovering Shangri-La’s Golf and Country Club; the island’s first all-purpose golf resort set within incredible surroundings of a coconut plantation and the Indian Ocean. Designed by world-renowned golf architect, Rodney Wright, the 18-hole golf course spreads across a sapphire quarry, lakes and sand dunes that offer distinctive challenges for both beginners and seasoned players, a wonderful sanctuary for local wildlife and the creation of a harmonious marriage between course and nature – The perfect location to enjoy the most relaxing of golf holidays!
Spend your day perfecting for a memorable golfing experience with spectacular views of the Indian Ocean!
Relish an eventful evening with a visit to the unique Artisan Village which gives you an opportunity to explore and interact with local artists and craftsmen. The Village is a space dedicated to supporting and preserving the treasures of the artisan communities, and comes alive with regular traditional dance and music performances at twilight!
Drive Time – Approximately 3 hour drive both ways
Accommodation – Shangri-La’s Hambantota Golf Resort and Spa
Meal Basis – Bed and Breakfast
If you haven’t gotten your fill of wildlife, experience a wildlife adventure this morning in the jungles of Yala. Yala is Sri Lanka’s most famous national park and best explored in a jeep. Forming an area of scrub, light forest, grassy plains and brackish lagoons, it’s very rich in wildlife and you’re virtually certain to encounter elephants, crocodiles, buffaloes, deer, hares, peacocks and monkeys. There are many indigenous bird species to pique the interest of the bird watching enthusiasts. If lucky you might also see the elusive leopards and relaxed sloth bears!
With some good luck you will witness all these creatures and more over an early morning jeep safari (6.30am – 9.30am) accompanied by a naturalist guide.
Back at your golf resort, stretch back with a drink in your hand, your feet in the pool and watch the sunset over the coconut trees and marvel at its rich pinks and ambers while you relax and recollect your golf games in the past days.
Drive Time – Approximately 4 hours
On the way to the airport you can stop at the legendary Galle fort if time permits. Though it will be difficult to say goodbye, all good things come to an end. Your chauffeur guide will return you by way of a scenic drive to the international airport for your departing flight and a safe journey home.
Learn more about the luxurious properties available for your trip.
One of the oldest hotels East of the Suez, the Galle Face Hotel was established in 1864. Over the years, the hotel has housed royalty and celebrity.
Clingendael, Sri Lanka’s top luxury (golf) boutique hotel, unspoiled by time, is located in the heart of Sri Lanka, in the Kandyan hills, on a Golf Course.
The luxury resort spans 53 hectares, making it the largest resort in Sri Lanka, and boasts 300 spacious rooms, including 21 suites, all surrounded by stunning tropical gardens.
