Sri Lanka, this small, jewel-shaped island country, has so much to see and do. Really, there are so many places to visit that you can be in Sri Lanka for three weeks and yet be travelling at the speed of lightning to cover all the places there are. But don’t worry; even if you don’t have that much time, I have provided multiple shorter Sri Lanka itineraries below. They are pretty fast-paced but you can cut down places in the middle or stretch a few days in some towns to slow it down.
If this is the first article you’re reading about Sri Lanka or you aren’t aware of what each place in Sri Lanka has to offer, then start with the 15 Most Incredible Places to Visit in Sri Lanka. After reading about the places and shortlisting your favourites, it’ll be easier to make your itinerary based on the suggestions given below.
Table of Contents
3-4 Week Sri Lanka Itinerary
Itinerary
Day 1: Land in Negombo | Explore Colombo
Day 2: Onward Jaffna by Train (6 hr)
Day 3: Explore Jaffna
Day 4: Onward Trincomalee by Taxi (5 hr)/Bus (6 hr)
Day 5: Explore Trincomalee
Day 6: Onward Anuradhapura (morning) by Taxi (2 hr)/ Bus (3 hr) | Explore Anuradhapura
Day 7: Onward Sigiriya by Bus (3 hr) / Taxi (1 hr 30 mins) | Climb Lion Rock in the Evening
Day 8: Day Trip to Polonnaruwa – Taxi & Tuk-tuk (1 hr each way)/ Bus (1.5 hr each way)
Day 9: Climb Pidurangala Rock at Sunrise | Onward Kandy (2.5 hr by car and 3.5 hr by bus) with a stop at Dambulla Cave
Day 10: Explore Kandy
Day 11: Onward Dalhousie by Train to Hatton then Tuk-tuk (4 hours)
Day 12: Early morning Adam’s Peak hike (start by 2:30-3AM) | Onward Nuwara Eliya – Tuk-tuk to Hatton (1.5 hr) then train to Nanu Oya (1.5 hr)
Day 13: Explore Nuwara Eliya
Day 14: Onward Ella via Scenic Train (2.5 hr) | Explore Ella– 9 Arches Bridge and Little Adam’s Peak
Day 15: Day trip to Haputale (Lipton’s Seat) – Tuk-tuk (1.5 hr each way) / Train + Tuk-tuk (2 hr each way)
Day 16: Ella Rock Hike in Morn | Onward Tissa (for Yala)– Bus (2.5 hr)/Taxi (2 hr)
Day 17: Morning Safari at Yala National Park | Onward Mirissa– Bus (4.5 hr)/Taxi (3.5 hr)
Day 18: Chill in Mirissa and surf at Weligama
Day 19: Onward Unawatuna (1 hr by Tuk-tuk): Explore Unawatuna
Day 20: Day Trip to Galle Fort and Hikkaduwa– 1 hour each way
Day 21: Back to Colombo by Train from Galle (2.5-3 hr)/ Negombo
Tips for Your Itinerary
1. This is an extremely fast-paced trip with only 1-2 nights at each location. If you want to travel only for three weeks but a little slower then this consider skipping Trincomalee. Jaffna is culturally different from the rest of Sri Lanka so I have added it to the itinerary. If it doesn’t interest you skip it to gain two more days. If you aren’t into long hours of hiking maybe skip Adam’s Peak (Sri Pada) as well. This would help save a few days.
2. If you want to travel for longer (say 4 weeks) or are a beach bum consider adding Arugam Bay (surfing paradise) after Day14 at Ella and Tangalle (less touristy and very chill beach) after Day18 at Yala to your Sri Lanka itinerary.
3. To know more on things to do in each of the mentioned places read 15 Incredible Places to Visit in Sri Lanka.
4. Read Accommodation, Restaurant and Transport Recommendations by clicking here.
2 Weeks Sri Lanka Itinerary
Itinerary
Day 1: Land in Negombo | Explore Colombo
Day 2: Onward Sigiriya by taxi (4.5 hr) or bus (5.5 hr) | Climb Lion’s Rock during sunset
Day 3: Day Trip to Anuradhapura – Taxi (1.5 hr each way)
Day 4: Day Trip to Polonnaruwa- Taxi & Tuk-tuk (1 hr each way) and Bus (1.5 hr each way)
Day 5: Climb Pidurangala Rock at Sunrise | Onward Kandy (2.5 hr by car and 3.5 hr by bus) with a stop at Dambulla Cave
Day 6: Explore Kandy– Ambuluwawa Tower, Botanical Garden, See Tooth Relic Temple after sunset walk by the lake
Day 7: Onward Nuwara Eliya by taxi (1.5 hr)/ train (4 hr) | Explore Nuwara Eliya– Tea tastings and waterfalls
Day 8: Explore Nuwara Eliya | World’s End by Tuk-tuk/taxi (1 hr each way)
Day 9: Onward Ella via Scenic Train (2.5hr) | Explore Ella– 9 Arches Bridge and Little Adam’s Peak
Day 10: Day trip to Haputale- Lipton’s Seat- Tuk-tuk (1.5 hr each way) / Train + Tuk-tuk (2 hr each way)
Day 11: Ella Rock Hike in Morn | Onward Tissa – Bus (2.5 hr)/Taxi (2 hr)
Day 12: Morning Safari at Yala National Park | Onward Unawatuna– Bus(5.5 hr)/ Taxi (4.5 hr)
Day 13: Chill in Unawatuna
Day 14: Explore Galle Fort | Onward Colombo by train from Galle (2.5-3 hr)/Negombo
Tips for Your Itinerary
1. If you want to slow it down, you can scrap either Anuradhapura or Polonnaruwa depending on what you like more. I would suggest going to Polonnaruwa as it is smaller and hence faster to see. You can also consider skipping an extra day at Nuwara Eliya. Then you can spend more time at the beaches in Unawatuna or add Mirissa as well to your Sri Lanka itinerary.
2. If you want to add Adam’s Peak to your itinerary then skip Nuwara Eliya. Instead, take a train from Kandy to Hatton and then a tuk-tuk to Dalhousie. After the night hike to Adam’s Peak move to Ella via the train from Hatton. You will be able to experience the Nuwara Eliya-Ella train scenery as well.
3. To know more on things to do in each of the mentioned places read 15 Incredible Places to Visit in Sri Lanka.
4. Read Accommodation, Restaurant and Transport Recommendations by clicking here.
10 Days Sri Lanka Itinerary
Itinerary
Day 1: Land in Negombo | Explore Colombo
Day 2: Onward Sigiriya by taxi (4.5 hr) or bus (5.5 hr)| Climb Lion’s Rock for sunset
Day 3: Day Trip to Polonnaruwa (Taxi or Tuk-tuk -1 hr each way) or Anuradhapura (Taxi -1.5 hr each way)
Day 4: Onward Kandy (2.5 hr by car and 3.5 hr bus) via Dambulla Cave | Walk by the lake during sunset and then visit the Tooth Relic Temple
Day 5: Onward Ella via Scenic Train in the morning (7 hr) | Explore Ella
Day 6: Explore Ella in the Day | Onward Tissa by Bus (2.5 hr)/Taxi (2 hr)
Day 7: Morning Safari at Yala National Park | Onward Unawatuna by Bus(5.5 hr)/ Taxi (4.5 hr)
Day 8: Day Trip to Mirissa- By Taxi/Tuk-tuk (1 hour each way)
Day 9: Explore Galle Fort | Chill in Unawatuna
Day 10: Onward Colombo by train from Galle (2.5-3 hr)/ Negombo
Tips for Your Itinerary
1. If you want to slow it down you could skip the day trip to the ancient cities of Polonnaruwa/Anuradhapura and/or Yala National Park. However, I would suggest keeping on at least one if not both of these.
2. If you’re intent on the whale watching tour head to Mirissa from Yala instead of Unawatuna. I have mentioned Unawatuna as your point of stay only because it gives easy access to the beaches of Mirissa and Hikkaduwa (turtles) plus it is close to Galle. But you can switch around the beaches of your choices based on your likings.
3. To know more on things to do in each of the mentioned places read 15 Incredible Places to Visit in Sri Lanka.
4. Read Accommodation, Restaurant and Transport Recommendations by clicking here.
1 Week Sri Lanka Itinerary
Itinerary
Day 1: Land in Negombo | Explore Colombo
Day 2: Onward Sigiriya by taxi (4.5 hr) or bus (5.5 hr)| Climb Lion’s Rock for sunset
Day 3: Onward Kandy (2.5 hr by car and 3.5 hr bus) via Dambulla Cave| Walk by the lake during sunset and then visit the Tooth Relic Temple
Day 4: Onward Ella via Scenic Train (7 hr) | Explore Ella
Day 5: Explore Ella
Day 6: Onward Unawatuna (5 hr by taxi) | Chill at the Beaches
Day 7: Explore Galle Fort | Onward Colombo by train from Galle (2.5-3 hr)/Negombo
Tips for Your Itinerary
1. If you’re intent on the whale watching tour head to Mirissa from Ella instead of Unawatuna. I have mentioned Unawatuna as your point of stay only because it gives easy access to the beaches of Mirissa/ Weligama and is close to Galle. But you can switch around the beaches of your choices based on your likings.
2. To know more on things to do in each of the mentioned places read 15 Incredible Places to Visit in Sri Lanka.
3. Read Accommodation, Restaurant and Transport Recommendations by clicking here.
Accommodation, Restaurant and Transport Recommendations
1. Accommodation
- Colombo: Drift BnB if you want a simple and clean place or Jetwing Colombo Seven for the infinity pool.
- Sigiriya: Sigiriya Village– Private spacious cottages in a village setting.
- Ella: Ella has plenty of great places to stay. Some are Hideout Ella Wood Cabins and New Cabin Ella and Chamodya Homestay. We stayed at the Ambiente Hotel. While the room itself was ultra basic, the sunrise and view from the room were spectacular.
2. Restaurants
- Ministry of Crab in Colombo– Make prior reservations and see prices here.
- Matey Hut in Ella– The most amazing and cheap Sri Lankan Food. We were completely stuffed in just LKR 200/person.
- Ceylon Curry House in Mirissa– Again, yum Sri Lankan Food. Stuffed at LKR 500/person.
3. Transport
- Trains – Trains in Sri Lanka are nearly always late; make plans with that in mind. Book your train tickets beforehand for longer rides like Colombo to Jaffna and Kandy to Ella as you would want to have a reserved seat for a 4+ hour journey. Currently, the best way to book tickets is at 12Go by clicking on the given links or directly below.
- Buses – Buses are a bit faster but quite rickety and mostly non-AC. Either book and board a private bus with AC (will cost a few hundred more and may take more time) or be prepared for the mugginess and heat. Remember that some towns do not have direct bus routes so you will have to change busses in midway cities.
- Tuk-tuk– It is possible to hire a self-drive tuk-tuk for the length of your Sri Lanka stay. Read details here.
- Car- Renting a car would give you the utmost freedom and significantly save you travel time, but at a price.
- Taxis- You can always hire taxis on spot. But if you want to avoid the last-minute haggling with multiple drivers book here. We booked taxis to save time whenever we weren’t taking trains. Since there were three of us, the cost was split and it really didn’t pinch our pockets.
- Day Trips– For day trips, I would recommend hiring tuk-tuks or taxis as they would be faster than buses and trains and help you maximize time spent exploring. However, if you want to travel real cheap then buses and trains would be the way to go.
- Prices- Rome2Rio is a great portal to check which modes of transport are available between cities and their approximate fares. However, I have noted that it isn’t accurate for busses in Sri Lanka so you’re better off checking Tripadvisor or Lonely Planet discussion forums.
Mode of Transport
- Sigiriya– Direct busses don’t go to Sigiriya from Anuradhapura/ Kandy; you will have to change at Dambulla.
- Polonnaruwa Day Trip– For a bus to Polonnaruwa from Sigiriya board one to and from Inamaluwa Junction near Sigiriya.
- Dalhousie (Adam’s Peak)- Direct buses and trains do not run to Dalhousie. So, board your bus/train to Hatton (2 hr 15 mins) and then hire another bus or tuk-tuk to Dalhousie (1.5 hr). However, direct busses to Dalhousie do run during Pilgrimage Season so check if they’re available before booking your transport to Hatton.
- Colombo to Hikkaduwa/Galle/Unawatuna/Mirissa/Weligama– Take the train for your journey between Colombo and Hikkaduwa/ Unawatuna (Station: Galle) /Mirissa (Station: Weligama). The sea-side train ride is epic. We got unreserved 2nd class tickets to Mirissa and sat at the doorway till a few seats cleared up after Galle. There wasn’t a better decision we could have made.
- Ella and Nuwara Eliya/Kandy– DO NOT MISS the scenic train journey between Ella and Nuwara Eliya/Kandy. Pre-book the train tickets as it sells out at least a month prior. If you don’t get tickets from Kandy to Ella/Nuwara book it the other way round and flip your entire itinerary around. We did exactly this and had a wonderful time! Also, remember that the most scenic bit of the ride is between Nuwara Eliya and Ella so you don’t necessarily have to do the entire ride from Kandy to Ella. However, if you’re skipping Nuwara Eliya altogether then go for it! Book your tickets below.
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Wrapping Up
I hope this article gives you a good idea of the route to take in Sri Lanka. You can obviously go at it the other way round as well if you want to hit the beaches first or if you’re able to get tickets on the scenic train only from Ella to Nuwara/Kandy. Though the Sri Lanka itineraries I have provided are pretty fast, you can always slow it down by cutting a few places or increasing the number of days of stay in Sri Lanka. Also, instead of seeing a bit of everything, you could opt to stick to the southern part of the country which has mainly beaches, or the central part of the country which comprises the cultural triangle and hills.
Do let us know what you think, how you skipped or added places and how this itinerary worked for you. You should also check out our Sri Lanka Travel Guide to plan your trip with ease.
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