Culture, tea country, the scenic train, safari and the south coast
A week is tight for Sri Lanka, but it is enough if the route does not double back. This one runs straight down the spine of the island and finishes on the coast.
It keeps the five things European travellers ask for most — heritage, tea country, the train, a safari and the southern beaches — and leaves out the rest rather than compressing everything into half-days.
If you have ten days rather than seven, the same route with two nights in more places is a materially better trip. We will say so.
Day 01
Sigiriya
Collected at the airport or in Colombo and driven north. The Dambulla cave temple in the afternoon, and a traditional Sri Lankan dinner.
Hotel, Sigiriya
Day 02
Kandy
Sigiriya Rock Fortress early, a spice garden on the way south, then Kandy: the city, the Temple of the Tooth, and a cultural dance show.
Hotel, Kandy
Day 03
Nuwara Eliya
A scenic mountain drive with waterfall stops, a working tea plantation and factory, and the town itself in the late afternoon.
Hotel, Nuwara Eliya
Day 04
Ella
The hill-country railway, then the Nine Arch Bridge and Ella town. Sunset from the ridge.
Hotel, Ella
Day 05
Yala
Little Adam’s Peak and Ravana Falls in the morning, then down to Yala for a national park safari.
Hotel, Yala
Day 06
Unawatuna
The coastal drive west, Galle Fort in the afternoon, and Unawatuna beach for sunset over the ocean.
Beach hotel, Unawatuna
Day 07
Colombo
A morning on the beach, a short Colombo city tour if time allows, then the airport transfer.
Comfortable 3 and 4 star hotels chosen for location rather than size, so the short stops are not spent commuting. Upgrades available.
Private air-conditioned vehicle throughout, plus one reserved rail leg into Ella.
See more in the full gallery.
Culture & Heritage
Culture, hill country, safari and the south coast in ten days
The full anticlockwise loop at a pace that still leaves room to swim: cave temples, the rock fortress, tea country by train, a Yala safari and the Galle coast.
Culture & Heritage
Culture, wildlife and beach — ten days, nine nights
Two UNESCO cities, the tea estates, the scenic train, a Yala safari, whale season at Mirissa and three days working down the south coast.
Culture & Heritage
Four days through the ancient capitals
Dambulla, Sigiriya, Polonnaruwa, Anuradhapura, Mihintale and the Temple of the Tooth — the whole Cultural Triangle in four days.
