Last updated on September 25th, 2023 at 01:32 pm

If you’re planning a trip to Sri Lanka, I highly recommend checking out my Sri Lanka itinerary for some inspiration.

Sri Lanka wasn’t on top of my travel list until last year. And no, it was not because Lonely Planet listed Sri Lanka as their top destination of 2019. A week before my trip to India, I was looking for a short and easy getaway from Mumbai with my parents.

Bali was the place in mind. But we ended up in Sri Lanka after realizing that it’s just a two-hour flight from Mumbai to Colombo. And boy, did this island exceeded my expectations!

This trip was excellent. From the excellent service of Sri Lankan Airlines to the warmth and hospitality of the Sri Lankan people. Not to mention the delicious food! I would definitely go back someday with Gaurav. In this blog post, we will share our recommended Sri Lanka itinerary for 7 days. This can be easily modified to make a 10-day itinerary if you have more time.

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Before we jump into the itinerary let’s discuss a few key things you’d need to plan this trip.

Transportation in Sri Lanka

Renting a Car

Another option would be to rent a car if you are comfortable driving on the other side of the road and explore Sri Lanka at your own pace. PRO TIP: Everyone follows the traffic rules very strictly in Sri Lanka, even in the villages. My parents who accompanied me from India were pleasantly surprised by their traffic discipline.

Trains

Trains will be your best bet for a cost-effective solution. However, for us taking the train meant checking out the country’s most famous route between Kandy to Ella. TIP: The train photos in Sri Lanka have become an Instagram rage and we will tell you where to get that shot below! But honestly, we wouldn’t recommend taking the train for distances over 4-5 hours unless you really are cash strapped. There are many pros & cons to taking the train and I will address that in another blog post.

Best Time to Visit Sri Lanka

Ideally, you want to avoid Monsoon season in Sri Lanka which can be anywhere from May – October. Hence November – April would be a great time to plan your trip here. We visited in January and it turned out to be a perfect time of the year with the weather not being extremely hot or humid.

Sri Lanka Itinerary – 7 days or 10 days

We only had 7 days for our Sri Lanka trip and given my love for mountains our itinerary was planned to cover most of the hill country and parts of the eastern coast. With a few extra days you can cover the ancient cities of Anuradhapura or the western coast of Trincomalee to make this a 10-day itinerary.

Below is a map that shows our 7-day itinerary. Click on the image to see this on Google Maps.

Day 1: Colombo Arrival

We landed in Colombo at night and decided to sleep in Negombo (where the international airport is located). If you happen to land in the morning then use this day to explore the capital city of Sri Lanka. We honestly skipped sightseeing in Colombo because I wanted to maximize our time in the countryside.

Day 2: Drive from Colombo to Sigiriya Rock & Dambulla Caves

This will be one of your most hectic days on the itinerary. Our Kangaroo cab arrived promptly before 7 am since the drive from Negombo to Sigiriya was going to be 5-6 hours. If you can leave earlier than that, it’s even better.

Once we reached Sigiriya, our driver dropped us near the ticket counter and went on to wait for us at the parking lot. TIP: Sigiriya is the Lion Rock Fortress and if you plan to hike it all the way to the top you need to set aside a good 3-4 hours.

After hiking Sigiriya, we drove to the nearby Dambulla Buddhist caves and monastery. We reached there just in time to watch the most peaceful sunset ever seen. We exited Dambulla caves from a different route that led us to the Golden Temple which is where our cab driver was waiting. From here we drove straight to Kandy to rest for the night.

Read more about the best things to do in Sri Lanka.

THINGS TO DO IN SIGIRIYA AND DAMBULLA

• Hike the Sigiriya Lion Rock: The tickets can be bought at the counter near the car park. TIP: SAARC country residents get discounted tickets in Sri Lanka when you show your passport. Give yourself at least 3-4 hours if you plan on doing the entire hike to the top of Sigiriya rock.
• Visit Dambulla Caves:  You just cannot miss the ancient Buddhist temple caves in Dambulla which were built thousands of years ago. Start your climb behind the ticket counter to the top of the mountain where the caves are located.
• Visit the Golden Buddha Temple: From the top of Dambulla mountain take a different route to come down. Instead of heading back the route of the ticket counter go left and hike downhill towards the path that says golden buddha and you will end up at the Golden Buddha statue & temple. We called our cab to pick us up here since he dropped us at Dambulla caves parking lot.

Where to Stay: Stay the night in Sigiriya or Dambulla for a 10-day in Sri Lanka itinerary. For 7 days in Sri Lanka itinerary, drive to Kandy for overnight accommodation as we did. We booked the Sevana City Hotel in Kandy due to its proximity to the train station.

TIP: To make this a 10-day itinerary head to the cultural triangle (Anuradhapura & Polonnaruwa ancient city) after Sigiriya. You can easily spend a day or two here.

Day 3: Explore Kandy

Whether you reach Kandy on the night of day 2 or the morning of day 3 take some time to visit the highlights of this gorgeous city in a day. The Buddha tooth relic temple in Kandy is something you cannot miss. TIP: If you are not a Sri Lankan resident you will have to buy an entrance ticket to go inside the tooth relic temple.

You must wear appropriate clothing that covers your shoulders and knees in order to enter the Buddha tooth relic temple. Surprisingly my mother, who’s been to more temples than any of us, forgot to carry a scarf to cover her shoulders. She was obviously denied entry at the main gates of the temple so we came up with a brilliant plan B.  We asked one of the flower vendors that surround the temple gates to let us borrow a piece of cloth or a scarf and in return we would buy flowers for the temple from their stall. In barely any time we were handed the flowers and the scarf which tells me this must a common tourist ask!

THINGS TO SEE IN KANDY

• Buddha Tooth Relic Temple
• Kandy Lake (It’s right behind the tooth relic temple)
• Royal Botanic Gardens

Where to stay in Kandy: We booked the Sevana City Hotel in Kandy due to its proximity to the train station. You can choose to stay closer to the Buddha Temple to be in the heart of the city.

Day 4: Kandy to Nuwara Eliya train ride

We took an early morning train from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya so we can get a whole day to explore the hill country. Our train reservation was for a second class unreserved seating which we booked the same morning at Kandy Railway Station. These unreserved train tickets are easily available for purchase on the day of travel. But if you prefer advance booking then first class tickets are available to reserve online. TIP: The first class coach is air-conditioned and so the windows and doors do not open if you want to take “that” train shot.

We have written the pros and cons of taking this train in another blog post.

Transportation in Nuwara Eliya: Once you reach Nuwara Eliya train station there are tuk-tuks and cabs waiting outside the station. If you walk further uphill to the main road you might find even more options. We took a tuk-tuk from the station to our Bed & Breakfast which was located in the middle of a tea plantation.

THINGS TO SEE IN NUWARA ELIYA

1. Sita Amman Temple: The first stop in Nuwara Eliya was the place that convinced my mother to join me on this trip to Sri Lanka. Remember I told you about the significance of Sri Lanka in Hindu mythology? Well, Nuwara Eliya, in particular, happens to have a special place in the story. The location where Sita Amman temple stands today was what is known as “Ashoka Vatika” in the Hindu epic Ramayana. “Ashoka Vatika” was the place where Sita, the wife of Lord Ram was held captive by Ravana, the king of Lanka.

2. Nuwara Eliya Post Office: Nuwara Eliya is nicknamed “Little England” and you’ll get it as soon as you step outside the station. Tea plantations fill the rolling hills of Nuwara Eliya but the best-kept memory from the British colonization days is Nuwara Eliya Post Office in the main town center. Enjoy a nice dinner in the town, although I thought the options to dine were very limited here.

3. Tea Plantation Tour: Nuwara Eliya is synonymous with tea so taking a tour of the plantation and tea making process is a top activity here. A tour of Pedro tea plantation or the Heritance tea factory is quite popular.

4. Lake Gregory: If you are looking for something relaxing (which is pretty much what this town is for) then head to Lake Gregory and stroll around the beautiful lake.

TIP: To make this a 10-day Sri Lanka itinerary add a hike to the World’s End trail in Horton Plains National Park. Or just take another day to relax in the peaceful setting of this hill country.

Where to stay in Nuwara Eliya: There are plenty of gorgeous BnB’s in Nuwara Eliya and we stayed at The Tea Garden BnB which is located in the heart of tea plantations. The manager of our BnB gave us a free tour of the plantations that surrounded our bungalow. His mother was a tea leaf picker so he knew a lot about the tea making process. The Heritance Tea Factory is another option if you want a little indulgence.

Day 5: Nuwara Eliya to Ella Train Ride

The next day we took an early morning train from Nuwara Eliya to Ella (our second train ride in Sri Lanka). As much as I loved our train ride from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya, the ride to Ella was one of the worst experiences of our trip partly because this has become a very popular tourist route. The entire 3-4 hours of this train ride was cramped up with not even a tiny space to move around.

THINGS TO SEE IN ELLA

• Take the scenic train again from Nuwara Eliya to Ella or just rent a car and drive to Ella.
• Hike little Adam’s peak – That is if your legs are not killing after Sigiriya hike. My senior citizen parents would’ve disowned me if I took them on another hike so we ended up skipping this hike.
• Nine Arch bridge (Demodara bridge) – There are multiple ways to reach the bridge, hiking from Ella station is one of them or taking a tuk-tuk to the closest spot of the bridge is another. Our tuk-tuk dropped us on top of the hill above the bridge and told us that hiking down to the bridge would be our best bet. Another unexpected hike for my parents but I love them for their adventurous spirits. TIP: Take some time to explore the tea plantations near the bridge and don’t forget to check the timings of the train if you want that iconic train passing through the bridge shot!
• Ravana Waterfalls – Don’t just watch the falls from the road but walk in to see the glorious waterfall in its entirety. We saw a bunch of tourists jumping in the pool in front of the waterfall although I am not sure if swimming was really allowed here or not. TIP: Look to the other side of the waterfall from the street and you’ll see Little Adam’s Peak.
• Ravana Caves – Next to Ravana Falls is the caves if you are interested in anther hike.
• Enjoy a relaxing evening in Ella town center which is catered towards the western tourists. You’ll find plenty of cafes with great lunch and some with live music in the evening.

TIP: If you have an extra day or two here then drive to Lipton’s Seat or Duhinda Falls.

Where to stay in Ella: Ella is becoming a major tourist attraction and with the increase in tourism local BnB’s are popping up quickly but they still have some work to do on their service standards, in my opinion. I really wanted to stay in a place with beautiful views. There are plenty of those BnB’s in Ella but they will be a short distance from the main town center. We stayed at La Montagna, but another great place with amazing views to stay is Ravana Heights.

Day 6: Ella to Galle Drive

We hired a local cab service in Ella to drive us to Galle. This drive is roughly 4-5 hours if you take the highways but with local roads as detours, it can be 6 plus hours. TIP: Do not trust Google Maps or the drive time mentioned there since the Sri Lankan local highways are nothing but 2 lane byways.

Our driver decided to ignore my Google Map recommendation and take us through a local road passing by Udawalawe National Park because he said the highways had heavy traffic due to an accident. In a way, we lucked out because this route runs parallel to the boundary lines of the National Park and we saw several elephants along our ride even though a safari wasn’t in our original itinerary.

THINGS TO SEE IN GALLE

• Galle Fort & Lighthouse – Galle was a fortified dutch colony which you’ll see as you walk through the colonial quarters of the city. It’s a nice walk around the perimeter of the fort until you reach the lighthouse.
• Gem shopping in Galle – Sri Lanka is famous for its precious gems and you’ll find lines of these gem shops in the Galle fortified city quarters. Even if you don’t want to splurge take a peek inside these shops to check out the amazing collection. I ended up walking out with a beautiful sapphire ring for only 60USD.
• Unawatuna Beach – Take a tuk-tuk from Galle to Unawatuna Beach or Jungle Beach. Unawatuna has many beach restaurants to chill in the evening and watch a beautiful sunset.

Where to Stay in Galle: We chose to stay within the Galle quarters at Sirene Galle Fort but our room required climbing very narrow stairs.

For a luxurious beach vacation, you should consider a beach resort in Unawatuna or Mirissa area if you want to unwind and relax on the last leg of your trip.

TIP: To make this a 10-day Sri Lanka itinerary add another day in Mirissa and go on a whale-watching tour or take a surf lesson on the east coast.

Day 7: Explore Galle in the Morning Then Head to the Airport

Depending on your flight timings you can either take the morning to explore the Galle colonial quarters or head straight to the airport. One of the only major multi-lane highways in Sri Lanka is between Galle and Colombo with a total travel time of 2.5 hours.

We hope this detailed 7 – 10 day Sri Lanka itinerary will help you plan your awesome trip to this island. Don’t forget to pin or share this with friends and family who might be interested in visiting SL.

Happy Traveling!