Private journeys · Sri Lanka

Journeys that stay with you.

Small places, long lunches, wild coastlines and thoughtful stays—built around the way you actually like to travel.

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Welcome to Sri Lanka

Your journey, made personal.

Welcome to SAY Tours. We combine genuine local knowledge with personal service to shape a Sri Lankan journey around your pace, interests and dreams.

About SAY Tours ↓
A family watching wildlife in Sri Lanka
Guests on a lagoon boat in Sri Lanka
Guests with their Sri Lankan chauffeur-guide

Made for you

Flexible private trips designed around what matters to you.

Truly local

A private chauffeur, trusted insight and places beyond the guidebooks.

Clear & reliable

Thoughtful stays, dependable partners and payment on arrival.

About SAY Tours

Our
story.

Ayubowan
Yaluva

Good day, friends

Ayubowan Yaluva means something close to “good day, friends.” The Foundation created this platform to share Sri Lanka’s beauty and encourage tourism that benefits its people.

Many communities still face limited opportunities and access to basic necessities. Thoughtful tourism can support local work, create income and help families build a more hopeful future.

Local livelihoodsResponsible travelA warmer welcome

Destinations

One island.
Many moods.

Ancient cities, wild national parks, sacred temples and palm-fringed beaches—all on one remarkable island.

Explore the island
Tourist map of Sri Lanka showing roads, national parks, heritage sites and activities

Made around you

Your Sri Lanka, connected beautifully.

Private chauffeur Tailor-made route Local support

SAY Tours designs private round tours around your dates, interests and preferred pace. We connect the island's ancient cities, tea country, wildlife parks and coast in one seamless route, with a private chauffeur-guide and time to explore rather than rush.

01

Experiences along the way

Choose the moments that matter to you—from temple visits, village walks and scenic train journeys to safaris, food experiences, surfing and quiet beach days. We balance planned highlights with room for spontaneous stops.

02

Hotels chosen for each stop

We match every stage of the route with carefully selected hotels, from characterful boutique stays and tea bungalows to wildlife lodges and coastal retreats. Style, comfort and budget can all be tailored.

Plan your round tour ↗

In your words

Journeys, told by you.

Real moments and honest reflections from travellers who discovered Sri Lanka with us.

Traveller story
“In late July / early August, we took a family tour of Sri Lanka with our three young daughters. What a fantastic country with so much variety. We had Sahan as our driver. Super friendly, flexible, and speaks really excellent English, which is just really nice and certainly not average in Sri Lanka 🙂 During our trip, he gave us many good tips, arranged the excursions well, and also helped us out wonderfully when we wanted to make some last-minute adjustments. In the car, he told us a lot about the country, the culture, and the history, and he also knows a great deal about the nature in Sri Lanka! Truly fantastic. By the way, Sahan is a real star at finding good restaurants; we ate incredibly well in the restaurants he recommended. We had booked some of our own accommodations and some through Jan. Unfortunately, we had some bad luck with Jan's bookings, but we were able to resolve everything well there, and Jan was flexible and very fair about it! We would book through Jan again in a heartbeat and definitely recommend Sahan. Our daughter still asks if Sahan wants to join in for a game of Uno again.”

Jeff & Familie

A traveller's story

5 out of 5

“In late July / early August, we took a family tour of Sri Lanka with our three young daughters. What a fantastic country with so much variety. We had Sahan as our driver. Super friendly, flexible, and speaks really excellent English, which is just really nice and certainly not average in Sri Lanka 🙂 During our trip, he gave us many good tips, arranged the excursions well, and also helped us out wonderfully when we wanted to make some last-minute adjustments. In the car, he told us a lot about the country, the culture, and the history, and he also knows a great deal about the nature in Sri Lanka! Truly fantastic. By the way, Sahan is a real star at finding good restaurants; we ate incredibly well in the restaurants he recommended. We had booked some of our own accommodations and some through Jan. Unfortunately, we had some bad luck with Jan's bookings, but we were able to resolve everything well there, and Jan was flexible and very fair about it! We would book through Jan again in a heartbeat and definitely recommend Sahan. Our daughter still asks if Sahan wants to join in for a game of Uno again.”
Jeff & Familie
Traveller story
“Based on our itinerary, Jan put together a great travel itinerary, which we also discussed – very pleasantly – via Teams. The accommodations selected by Jan were fine, except for one. That was somewhat resolved with new rooms. We had a dedicated driver/guide, Sahaan, for 3 weeks; fantastic! He spoke good English, was punctual, drove very safely, and had so much to tell us along the way. He also sensed when we sometimes wanted to take things a little easier, which was very nice. To Sahaan: you were an absolute added value to our trip with your smile, patience, and stories of Sri Lanka culture, Niamai!!! We had a fantastic trip; a beautiful country with very friendly people!”

Karin and René Laurens, Leo Lagrand and Monique vd Brink

A traveller's story

5 out of 5

“Based on our itinerary, Jan put together a great travel itinerary, which we also discussed – very pleasantly – via Teams. The accommodations selected by Jan were fine, except for one. That was somewhat resolved with new rooms. We had a dedicated driver/guide, Sahaan, for 3 weeks; fantastic! He spoke good English, was punctual, drove very safely, and had so much to tell us along the way. He also sensed when we sometimes wanted to take things a little easier, which was very nice. To Sahaan: you were an absolute added value to our trip with your smile, patience, and stories of Sri Lanka culture, Niamai!!! We had a fantastic trip; a beautiful country with very friendly people!”
Karin and René Laurens, Leo Lagrand and Monique vd Brink
Traveller story
“The emphasis of our program was on diversity: nature, culture, and history. Say Tours and Jan provided excellent assistance in putting together a suitable program based on that starting point. Apart from a mediocre breakfast at Hotel Edge in Ella, all the accommodations we selected were perfectly fine. Sometimes a bizarrely large room, other times a bit smaller. But if it is clean and everything is there, we are fine with that; after all, we are not in Sri Lanka to hang out in a hotel room. Driver Maxi, who was assigned to us, was a perfect choice. He sensed exactly what our wishes were. He was a good driver, but above all, he stood up for 'his' tourists. He was always on time, knew a lot about his country, and had a great sense of humor. Consequently, we regularly went out to dinner with him, which was incredibly enjoyable every time. Jan's planning and Maxi's execution ensured that we had a fantastic trip. Did nothing go wrong then? Actually, nothing shocking. The biggest disappointment of this trip was the taxi from Schiphol home: it was 40 minutes late… That wouldn’t happen to us with Maxi, because he was always ready before the agreed time! Thanks Say Tours, thanks Jan and thanks Maxi!”

Gerard & Mirjam

A traveller's story

5 out of 5

“The emphasis of our program was on diversity: nature, culture, and history. Say Tours and Jan provided excellent assistance in putting together a suitable program based on that starting point. Apart from a mediocre breakfast at Hotel Edge in Ella, all the accommodations we selected were perfectly fine. Sometimes a bizarrely large room, other times a bit smaller. But if it is clean and everything is there, we are fine with that; after all, we are not in Sri Lanka to hang out in a hotel room. Driver Maxi, who was assigned to us, was a perfect choice. He sensed exactly what our wishes were. He was a good driver, but above all, he stood up for 'his' tourists. He was always on time, knew a lot about his country, and had a great sense of humor. Consequently, we regularly went out to dinner with him, which was incredibly enjoyable every time. Jan's planning and Maxi's execution ensured that we had a fantastic trip. Did nothing go wrong then? Actually, nothing shocking. The biggest disappointment of this trip was the taxi from Schiphol home: it was 40 minutes late… That wouldn’t happen to us with Maxi, because he was always ready before the agreed time! Thanks Say Tours, thanks Jan and thanks Maxi!”
Gerard & Mirjam

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See every story

On the ground

Notes from somewhere else.

Food, people, architecture and small discoveries—stories from across the island to inspire a more thoughtful journey.

View all articles →
Food & culture•Wild coast•Architecture•Tea country•Slow travel•Small hotels•

Choose your adventure

Your next chapter starts here.

Tell us what interests you and we will shape the route, stays and experiences with you. Every detail and cost is agreed personally before arrangements are made.

Let's get planning →

jan.kerkhofs@live.nl · Kochchikade, Sri Lanka