Sri Lanka works extremely well for a corporate incentive or retreat. The possibilities depend on the size of the group, the duration of the trip, and your interests. Getting around efficiently and comfortably is one of the most important considerations. Sri Lanka looks small on the map however it does take while to get from place to place. Linking the center north of Sri Lanka, and the Cultural Triangle or Kandy to the south takes 5 hours or so by road, but is a short 45 minute flight by air. Linking the center-north to the south is important to give your group a good overview of Sri Lanka, however this only really works if you have at least 4 nights in total in Sri Lanka. If you have less than 4 nights you may need to choose between the center-north or the south as the main area your group will be focusing on. That said, we have – in the past – had groups that based themselves in the south where optional excursions were organized by air on a given day to the sites in the Cultural Triangle and Kandy. With a bit of creativity the possibilities are endless.

There are various types of aircraft we can use to transfer your group around the island. We have 24 seater helicopters and 45 seater planes. Helicopters are more versatile and can land anywhere. To have your group land at the hotel itself is amazing. Our 45 seater aircraft can only land on certain domestic airports equipped to handle such aircraft. The possibilities and the constraints need to be factored in when planning a trip.

There are fantastic hotels for incentives and corporate retreats in Sri Lanka. In the Cultural Triangle, Sri Lanka’s ancient heart, hotels like Cinnamon Lodge or the Kandalama are very well equipped to handle large groups. Ulagalla Resort and Vil Uyana are ideal for smaller high end groups. There are 4 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the Cultural Triangle, all archaeological sites in addition to various national parks and wildlife sanctuaries. There is plenty to do. Not all incentives pass through Kandy – Kandy is Sri Lanka’s spiritual heart so to speak, home to the Temple of the Tooth, one of the most sacred pilgrimage sites for Buddhists in the world. In Kandy the best hotels for incentives are Cinnamon Citadel, Mahawelli Reach, Amaya Hills and Earls Regency, all well equipped to handle groups. We tend to recommend using Kandy as a base to explore the Tea Country rather than have a group travel all the way to Nuwara Eliya. In any case Nuwara Eliya’s hotels work well for incentives too. Good options are St Andrews, The Grand or the Tea Factory Hotel. In the south two of our favorite hotels for incentives are the Lighthouse in Galle and the Vivanta by TAJ in Bentota. There are many other options as well. At the high end of the market Amangalla is fabulous. We always recommend a night in Colombo. Colombo is the bustling capital of Sri Lanka and there is plenty to see and do. There is very good shopping and great restaurants.

We hope you find this brief overview useful. For more information don’t hesitate to contact us.