About Ceylon Quay

Sri Lanka's quiet specialists in
private travel.

Ceylon Quay is a Sri Lankan-owned and operated tour company specialising in private, chauffeur-guided journeys through the island. For over twenty-five years we have been crafting bespoke trips for travellers who want to discover Sri Lanka carefully, attentively and on their own terms.

Who we are

A locally owned travel company that takes Sri Lanka seriously.

Sri Lanka is a remarkable island with extraordinary range — five UNESCO World Heritage sites, two coastlines under two different monsoons, hill country and tea estates, ancient royal cities, world-class wildlife, and one of the most beautiful train journeys on earth, all within a few hours' drive of each other. Our work is to make sense of that range for each traveller and translate it into a journey that feels effortless from beginning to end.

Every itinerary we offer is designed in-house by our own team, who drive these roads, and stay in the properties we recommend. Every traveller has a direct line to the team that planned their journey — before they arrive, while they are with us, and long after they have gone home.

What we offer is not just a tour. It is the accumulated knowledge of a dedicated team that has lived, driven and travelled this country for a quarter of a century, applied carefully to your time on the island.

25+ Years of expertise
11 Curated journeys
30+ Countries we host travellers from
5.0 Tripadvisor
What we offer

Private travel, end-to-end.

From the first enquiry to the airport drop-off, we handle every part of your Sri Lankan journey. Always private, always chauffeur-guided, always tailored.

Tailor-made

Bespoke private itineraries

Every Ceylon Quay journey is built privately, around your dates, your interests, your pace and your budget. From three-day getaways to three-week explorations, no two trips we plan are alike.

Curated

Hand-picked experiences

Cultural triangle and ancient cities. Hill country and tea estates. Wildlife safaris and rainforests. Beaches, surf, snorkel and dive. We blend the iconic with the lesser-known so each itinerary has range and depth.

Chauffeur-guided

Private vehicle, expert driver

Every guest gets a vehicle and a driver-guide for the duration of the trip. Comfortable cars and SUVs from a vetted fleet. English-speaking guides chosen for their knowledge and professionalism.

End-to-end

Everything handled

Airport transfers, accommodation across all categories, restaurant reservations, train and safari bookings, entry tickets, optional activities — coordinated as a single trip with one point of contact.

What we believe

Four ideas everything else flows from.

Local

We live here

Every guide, driver and route designer is Sri Lankan. We're not booking your trip from a London office — we're driving these roads ourselves.

Independent

Honest about hotels

We have no kickback deals. The properties we recommend are ones we'd send our own family to. The ones we don't recommend, we don't recommend.

Privately

Built around you

Every trip is designed for the people travelling. Your driver, your pace, your route. No rigid schedules, no compromise on what matters most to you.

Properly

Time, not just sights

Three rushed nights in Sigiriya isn't a cultural triangle trip. We build days that breathe — slower transit, longer at the places that matter.

Our story

Familiar with every road, every season, every region.

Sri Lanka landscape
The work of two and a half decades

We have been accommodating visitors to Sri Lanka since 1999, and have hosted travellers from many countries since then.

Over the years, we have driven every road, climbed every viewpoint, and stayed in nearly every property we recommend. That accumulated familiarity with the island is, more than anything else, what we offer our guests.

Travel here works best when it's planned with care. Days are paced rather than packed; the time between places is given as much consideration as the places themselves; the seasons, the regions, and the rhythm of the island all play a role in how an itinerary takes shape.

We still believe a good Sri Lankan journey rewards attention to detail more than scale, and we still build every itinerary one traveller at a time.

Credentials

Locally run, highly rated.

Sri Lankan-run Made with local expertise
Tripadvisor 5.0★ Consistently rated five stars by travellers
What we promise

A handful of things we will, and won't, do.

Stated plainly so you know exactly what to expect.

  • We answer enquiries within 24 hours, usually faster.
  • We do not pass you to a third-party agency once you arrive.
  • We do not take you to gem shops, batik factories or souvenir warehouses.
  • We do not pad itineraries. If a half-day works better than a full day, we'll say so.
  • If something goes wrong, you call us and we fix it.
From travellers

★ 5.0 on Tripadvisor — 100% would recommend

Annie B
Custom · ★★★★★
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Nimal was our guide for the majority of our 2 weeke trip around Sri Lanka. He drove us all over including Sigiriya, Kandy, Ella, Udawalawe, Ahangama and Galle. Nimal always went above and beyond to enrich our experience - there’s a side of Sri Lanka we wouldn’t have seen without …See more

Pioneer29488634680
Couples Tour · ★★★★★
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What a wonderful country is Sri Lanka and made even better by our fantastic driver/guide Mr. Nimal Perera. Nimal's smile is engaging and he is a constant delight to be with. Many experiences were enhanced by Nimal's choice of excellent local guides. We could not have been in bett …See more

Mariett O
Friends Trip · ★★★★★
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We had an excellent and amazing experience. I highly recommend Mr Nimal, he was the best and he help us a lot to see and experience more things that we have already planned. He made this difficult trip successful and enjoyable. Thank you for everything and hope to see you again � …See more

Dhwani
India · 6-day Couples Tour · ★★★★★
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We had the pleasure of having Mr. Nimal as our driver and guide for 6 days during our trip to Sri Lanka. He was responsible, had a warm smile and a courteous nature throughout our trip. As it was just me and my husband travelling he took care of us just like his family and made s …See more

Paul B
United Kingdom · 1-week Couples Tour · ★★★★★
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We were lucky to have Nimal drive us around for a week. We planned our itinerary and booked our own hotels. All went to plan apart from one night when "Booking.com" overbooked our hotel — Nimal and a great guy from the hotel found us another room and dropped us there, no proble …See more

Adrián D
Honeymoon Trip · ★★★★★
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We went to Sri Lanka for our honeymoon, and having Nimal with us was a gift. He drove us through the whole country and helped us visit and discover some amazing places. Flexible, smiley and kind — a great choice!

Jürgen
Germany · 12-day Couples Tour · ★★★★★
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We were traveling with Nimal for 12 days. We could always rely on him. He always gave good advice and showed us places we had not planned. All around, a recommended address.

Meghana G
10-day Solo Tour · ★★★★★
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I came to Sri Lanka on a solo trip for 10 days in mid-January 2025. Mr. Nimal has been such an amazing chauffeur, tour guide and friend. He made me feel safe all along, given that I am a solo female traveler. He has such a pleasant and calm personality and always goes through the …See more

Saurabh_A21
Kuwait · Family Trip · ★★★★★
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I have been to Sri Lanka four times. This trip I was traveling with my daughter alone — Mr. Nimal showed us some places we had never explored before. He was always on time with a smiling face and explained the history of Sri Lanka and many such places. My 10-year-old daughter lik …See more

Helena K
Couples Tour · ★★★★★
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Nimal was terrific. He was always smiling, punctual and had lots of fantastic advice and suggestions. He made our time in Sri Lanka extremely enjoyable.

Kerri M
2-week Couples Tour · ★★★★★
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We have just returned from an amazing trip to Sri Lanka for two weeks! Our driver Nimal made our trip relaxing and easy. He was polite, always had a smile on his face and punctual. We had our own itinerary but Nimal was able to suggest many other beautiful places of interest to g …See more

Connector62989052057
Couples Tour · ★★★★★
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Nimal is a very kind and considerate driver. He was flexible with our needs — I am a bird lover, and he suggested some great places for me to watch birds. Nimal is an assertive driver, which is needed in Sri Lanka. We felt safe with him.

FrequentFlier309909
Couples Tour · ★★★★★
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Nimal's tour through Sri Lanka was wonderful. His commitment to safe driving ensured a smooth and enjoyable journey, allowing us to soak in the country's beauty without worry. His kind heart shone through in every interaction, from suggesting local delicacies to sharing insightfu …See more

Prakriti KC Pant
Nepal · 8-day Couples Tour · ★★★★★
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Our 8-day journey in Sri Lanka was made truly memorable thanks to the outstanding service provided by Nimal — from the warm garland welcome at the airport to his continuous friendliness throughout the trip. Nimal exceeded our expectations. His guided tours were not just informati …See more

Manoj K
India · 8-day Tour · ★★★★★
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We had a great time in Sri Lanka thanks to Mr. Nimal Perera. He was an excellent guide, companion and motorist to travel with. When we planned our tour to Sri Lanka, we had our apprehension on how we would cover all the locations within 8 days — and to top it, we started off with …See more

We'd love to plan something for you.

No deposit to enquire. We reply within 24 hours. The first draft itinerary is on us.