Become a Sarisarian
July – August · Esala Perahera

Ten nights of drummers and elephants in Kandy.

Kandy. Rooms along the route fill early, so plan ahead.

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November – April · the south

Stilt fishermen, fort walls and long beaches.

Galle, Mirissa, Tangalle. Sun-soaked from November to April, and whale season off Mirissa.

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All year · the wild

Golden roads at dawn, and a leopard watching you.

Yala, Wilpattu. Leave before sunrise in a private jeep, with a tracker who reads the paw prints in the sand.

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All year · the cultural triangle

The Lion Rock, with a guide who grew up here.

Sigiriya, Dambulla, Polonnaruwa. Your guide builds the days around what you like, and you see every price first.

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May – October · the east coast

Warm seas and quiet bays on the east coast.

Trincomalee, Nilaveli, Arugam Bay. Sun-soaked from May to October, with calm, clear water.

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Ayubowan · welcome to Sri Lanka

For ten days, you are Sri Lankan.

Arrive as a traveller. Live as a Sri Lankan. Leave as family. Eat what we eat, go where we go, and meet the people who live it.

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All year · the ancient cities

Two thousand years of stone and silence.

Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa. Go at first light, with a guide who turns ruins into a story.

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December – March · hill country

Waterfalls, cool mornings and endless tea.

Ella, Nuwara Eliya, Haputale. Clear skies from December to March, and the train through the tea.

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Jul – AugKandy Perahera
Nov – AprSouth coast
All yearThe wild
All yearCultural triangle
May – OctEast coast
AyubowanWelcome
All yearAncient cities
Dec – MarHill country
01 / 08

01 The thread

One guide. Six people you would never have found.

A bird guide in Sinharaja does not own the lodge, or cook the rice and curry, or drive the tuk-tuk. Nearby, someone does each of those things. Sarisara weaves them into one continuous thread — and pays every one of them directly.

Golden Buddha statues in the Dambulla cave temple
The Dambulla caves, before the buses arriveTour Guide · National
The Temple of the Tooth beside Kandy lake, seen from above
A room with a view of Kandy lakeHotelier
The Sigiriya frescoes
The Sigiriya frescoes, read properlyLocal Expert
An elephant walking through a lotus lake below Sigiriya rock
An elephant walk below Sigiriya rockActivity Provider
Green paddy fields from above
Two nights in a village by the paddy fieldsHome Stay
Blue water lilies at the Kandy flower market

Nil Manel · the blue water lily

Our colours are not ours. They are the country’s.

Violet and gold, sold in armfuls outside the temple in Kandy every morning of the year.

03 Trending

What travellers are asking for this week.

Real trips, experiences and stays, built and run by the partners on Sarisara. Every price is the partner’s own.

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04 Make it yours

Everything is already on Sarisara. Your guide just drags it in.

The stays, the experiences, the photos and the prices for your dates are all here. You ask in the chat. Your guide changes the trip while you watch, and the price follows.

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RP
Ravi PereraYour guide · National Guide
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Your trip · 2 adults

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Service charge (10%)USD 0
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Now

05 Right now

What November looks like across the island.

Sri Lanka has two monsoons that arrive at opposite ends of the island at opposite times of year. It means there is always somewhere that is perfect. Pick a month to see it.

South coast Surf season

South coast

Showers fade, the sea calms and the south-coast surf season begins; whales return late in the month.

LivelySurf at Weligama and Hiriketiya, whales Cultural triangle Green season

Cultural triangle

Green season — showers, paddy planting, quiet ruins.

Quieter — more space for youPolonnaruwa by bicycle, Ritigala Hill country Green season

Hill country

Green season — rain on the Uva side, clearing late in the month.

Quieter — more space for youTea tastings, Nuwara Eliya

Green season now: Kandy & central, East coast, West coast, North, Yala & the wild south-east, Wilpattu & the north-west. Green season — showers and full rivers.

06 The network

7 businesses. Not one of them ours.

Sarisara owns no hotels, no vehicles and no guides. Every one of these is an independent, licensed business that sets its own prices and is paid directly — and the number goes up every week.

Illustration of a Sri Lankan tour guide showing travellers Sigiriya rock 0 Tour GuidesThey build your days
Illustration of a Sri Lankan driver taking suitcases out of a clean car as travellers arrive at a hill-country hotel 0 Tour DriversEvery kilometre
Illustration of travellers and their guide served king coconuts by the pool at a Sri Lankan boutique villa 0 HoteliersLicensed properties
Illustration of a Sri Lankan home stay couple teaching travellers to cook and scrape coconut 0 Home StaysSLTDA-registered
Illustration of a guide showing travellers a herd of Sri Lankan elephants from a safari jeep 0 Activity ProvidersSafaris and climbs
Illustration of a Sri Lankan mask carver teaching a traveller 0 Local ExpertsThe unfindable
Illustration of a young Sri Lankan Discoverer showing a Sarisara team member a hidden waterfall 0 DiscoverersThey find hidden places
Become a Sarisarian See every way to join Sarisara Lanka. Find your place

Every one checkedEach partner is a licensed Sri Lankan business, and someone from the Sarisara team checks every licence.

The Sarisara Journal

From the Journal

News, places and stories from the island.

See the Journal

Mirissa when the whale season begins

From November to April, boats leave Mirissa harbour at first light to meet blue whales, sperm whales and spinner dolphins. When to go, why the whales come so close, and the rules every boat must follow.

By Sarisara · 6 Nov 2026 · 4 min

Read the story