Sri Lanka
Rock fortresses, tea country, leopards and whales: a classic Sri Lanka round trip from Sigiriya and Kandy to Ella and the south coast.
Sri Lanka packs a great deal into an island smaller than Ireland: rock fortresses and cave temples in the Cultural Triangle, a sacred city in the hills, tea estates wrapped in cloud, national parks with leopards and elephants, and a coastline of palm-fringed beaches. Distances are short, so a two-week round trip followed by a few days on the beach works well.
Why go
Climb Sigiriya, the fifth-century rock citadel of King Kashyapa, and stand between the giant lion's paws. Join the evening ceremony at the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy, ride the hill-country railway past tea gardens and the Nine Arches Bridge near Ella, and look for leopards from an open jeep in Yala. On the south coast, walk the ramparts of Galle Fort and head out from Mirissa to look for blue whales.
When to go
There is good weather somewhere on the island all year, because two monsoons hit different coasts at different times. The south-west monsoon brings rain to the west coast, the south and the hill country from about April to July. The north-east monsoon affects the east coast from about November to March. For the classic route of Colombo, the Cultural Triangle, Kandy, Ella and the south coast, December to April is the most reliable period. October and November are often unsettled everywhere.
Getting there from the UK
SriLankan Airlines flies non-stop from London Heathrow to Colombo, and the flight takes around 11 hours. You can also connect through the Gulf with airlines such as Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad from Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow and other UK airports. Bandaranaike International Airport is at Katunayake, close to Negombo and about an hour north of Colombo. Tell us your nearest airport and we'll find the best route.
Where to stay
- Negombo and Waikkal: beach hotels close to the airport, handy for your first and last nights.
- Cultural Triangle (Dambulla, Sigiriya): a base for Sigiriya, the Dambulla cave temples and Polonnaruwa.
- Kandy: the hill capital, home of the Temple of the Tooth.
- Ella and the hill country: cool air, tea estates, easy hikes and the famous railway.
- South-west and south coast (Kalutara, Hikkaduwa, Galle, Mirissa): long beaches, reefs, Galle Fort and whale watching in season.
What to do
- Climb Sigiriya Rock and see its frescoes
- Visit the Temple of the Tooth and Kandy Lake
- Ride the hill-country train to Ella
- Take a jeep safari in Yala National Park
- Walk the ramparts and lanes of Galle Fort
- Go whale watching from Mirissa between November and April
- Tour a tea factory and taste fresh Ceylon tea
Food
Rice and curry is the everyday meal: a plate of rice with several small curries, dhal, sambols and papadums. Try hoppers (bowl-shaped rice-flour pancakes, often with an egg), kottu roti chopped on a hot griddle, fish ambul thiyal on the south coast and wood-apple juice. Finish with curd and kithul treacle, and a cup of Ceylon tea grown a few miles away.
Good to know
- Currency: Sri Lankan rupee (LKR). ATMs are common in towns
- Time: GMT+5:30, so 5½ hours ahead of the UK in winter and 4½ hours in summer
- Plugs: mostly type D and G (the UK three-pin), 230 V. A universal adaptor is useful
- Language: Sinhala and Tamil. English is widely spoken in hotels and tourist areas
- Dress: cover shoulders and knees and remove shoes and hats at temples
- UK visitors need an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) or visa. Check the latest GOV.UK advice before you travel
- The hill-country railway was damaged by Cyclone Ditwah in late 2025 and some sections are still being repaired. We'll confirm which trains are running for your dates
Tell us your dates and airport, and a SkyRay advisor will put your Sri Lanka round trip together.
