10 days in Sri Lanka: A Complete Itinerary
Sri Lanka was a frustrated trip I had for several years, as it was cancelled in 2022 just when we were going to visit the country. Because of that, it was a place marked on our list and this year I was able to get rid of the thorn in my side by spending 10 days in Sri Lanka.
On the basis that 10 days is always a short time to visit a country and we did it quite express mode, we believe that Sri Lanka is not that big and you can do a pretty complete visit in this period of time. However, to visit it completely, we would recommend 15 days and it is also a perfect country to combine with a visit to India or Maldives.
Here are some of our posts of interest on neighbouring countries:
- Tips for travelling to India
- Complete 6-day itinerary in Kerala
- Complete 6-day itinerary in the Golden Triangle and Varanasi
- Useful tips for planning your trip to the Maldives
That said, let’s get to our 10-day Sri Lanka itinerary!
Trip structure and initial considerations
Before starting the itinerary, it is important to note that we divided the tour into days with a private driver and days of self-drive.
Sri Lanka is the country par excellence of tuk tuks. Travelling the whole country in this transport is totally feasible and we recommend it 100% based on the experience of friends. It gives you a lot of freedom and is a different experience.
But in this case, we travelled alone with a friend and we didn’t trust ourselves driving a tuk tuk for so many days, so we hired a driver and did the part of the beaches taking tuk tuks (as if they were taxis).
This is how our route was divided up in terms of transport:
- Days 1, 2, 3 and 4: Private driver for Dambulla, Sigiriya, Polonnaruwa and Kandy.
- Days 5 and 6: Arrive in Ella by train and spend two days visiting the area: Little Adams Peak, bridge of the 9 arches, waterfalls…
- Days 7, 8, 9 and 10: Beach area: Hiriketiya, Mirissa, Ahangama, Galle and Wilpattu safari.
Day 1 and 2: Negombo and Sigiriya, 10 days in Sri Lanka
We arrived in Negombo in the late afternoon/evening of day 1, just in time to start acclimatising and sleep in the city before starting our route.
Once we woke up, we started with the second day of our 10 days in Sri Lanka, and we wanted to visit the famous Negombo Fish Market. As we always say, we love to visit markets in the places we visit as we believe it is one of the best ways to see how the people of each country live. In this place, you can see what the fishermen have caught, while they dry it in the sun (with a curious smell :)) and then there are stalls that sell it fresh to customers. Surely the city of Negombo has much more than its market but we were very short of time in our 10 days route, so we didn’t have time to see anything else.
From this point, and with our driver for the next few days, we headed towards Sigiriya, a journey of about 3 hours approx. After lunch and rest, we headed to make the first visit in this area, Piduralanga Rock, from where you have the best views of Sigiriya Lion Rock. The entrance to this place costs 1000LKR (3€), the climb takes 30 minutes and my best advice is to go at sunrise or sunset, the views are incredibly beautiful. Keep in mind that it is a very touristy place, so be patient.
As it was stiflingly hot, our guide offered us the chance to take a dip in a local lake and cool off after our first day of acclimatising to Sri Lanka. And, apart from the fact that it was a special moment to share with locals, we were surprised by a beautiful sunset.
Where to sleep?
In Negombo, we slept at D Plus B&B Negombo, a perfect place for a quick night, very well located and very clean and new.
In Sigiriya, we stayed at a place we loved called Sigiriya Amenity Home Stay. It is a house run by a lovely family who were super attentive to us and with a 10 location, very close to all the restaurants in town.
Where to eat?
This day we had lunch by hiring a tourist experience where a family shows you how they grow the typical ingredients of the country and how they then prepare their famous dishes. We took this activity at the strong insistence of our driver, because for me it is the typical touristy thing that I always run away from. I must say that I liked it very much, because we were able to spend a good time cooking with them and talking about their culture.
Even so, I would like to point out that you have to read the reviews very well and I noticed that there were companies with packs that included rides in carts pulled by animals…
Day 3: Polonaruwa, 10 days in Sri Lanka
Third day of our 10 days in Sri Lanka with a visit to another of the country’s must-see places. You know that in Asia it is very difficult not to end up visiting a temple complex or an ancient city and we love them. So I was ready to visit a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Polonnaruwa.
It is one of the ancient capitals of Sri Lanka during the 11th to 13th centuries. It’s a place with lots of temples and ancient buildings to see and is a key part of the cultural visits you can make in the country. You can tour the temples on foot, by car or even hire a bicycle. It’s a huge place and it’s very hot, so if you decide to walk or cycle, be prepared for it. We spent the whole morning visiting the sights of Polonnaruwa.
TIP: In order to visit the Buddhist areas, of which there are many in the country, you should cover your shoulders, not wear anything shorter than your knees and always take your shoes off. In very hot weather the ground burns, so we recommend you to take some socks in your backpack to avoid burning your feet, as it happened to us in this place and it can ruin the experience a bit 🙂
In the afternoon, we were going to go on a safari organised by our guide in Sigiriya. When we got there, we saw that the situation of overcrowding near the animals was horrible, so we decided to tell him that we didn’t want to do it, at least not where he took us. Tourists/travellers should start to be aware of situations and respect the wildlife and the environment we visit, not everything goes. In Sri Lanka right now the situation they have regarding Safaris is very uncontrolled and there are no rules. But it is not normal that to see a family of elephants there are 25 cars around them.
Even so, there are national parks in the country that are doing things right. The best thing to do is to do a lot of research and read the opinions of other travellers before you do things, no matter how much your guide offers it to you. In the end, they are looking to make a profit and have no awareness of what these situations can do to the animals.
As an alternative plan to end the day, we decided to have a massage with aloe vera and essential oils at an Ayurveda medicine centre in Sigiriya.
In Sri Lanka, as in India, they are experts in Ayurvedic medicine, so it was a unique experience.
Where to eat?
We eat in a local restaurante during our way to Sigiriya
Day 4: Dambulla and Kandy
And we continue our 10 days in Sri Lanka, this time visiting Dambulla, home to the famous Golden Temple, a complex of more than 80 caves with temples, paintings and statues inside, which is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The entrance fee is 2000RLK (6€) and we visited it during the morning.
After this cool visit, we headed to the last point where our guide would accompany us, Kandy, or so we thought. This trip took us 2 hours and is the place to go if you want to take the Kandy – Ella train ride, which is said to be one of the most beautiful in the world.
Kandy is a perfect city for a quick stopover. It has good places to eat, you can visit places like the Temple of the Tooth Buddha, stroll around its lake or see the city from its viewpoints. And that’s basically what we did for the rest of the day once we were there.
To end the day, we went for a drink on the terrace of the shopping centre, where there was a food market with live music and a traditional show, and without expecting it, we had a great time.
Where to sleep?
We stayed at The Lake Round GuestHouse. Super location, air conditioning and fan and a very TOP breakfast. Also, the facilities are super new, so it’s a great choice.
Where to eat?
Sky Lounge. It is a rooftop restaurant overlooking the city located in the shopping area. It is a bit more expensive than the typical street food, but it was very tasty and the views were cool.
Food market in the Kandy shopping centre.
Day 5 of the 10 days in Sri Lanka: Kandy and train to Ella
We started this fifth day of our 10-day tour of Sri Lanka with a lot of excitement about the turn of events that we decided on before going to bed. In principle, we had already started our part of the trip on our own, and today we were taking the train to Ella from Kandy (6 hours). But finally we agreed a good price with our driver and so we visited two areas we wanted to see and in the afternoon we took the last train to Ella from the famous station from where everybody does it, Nanu-Oya, which is about 3hs, about half the journey.
Ambuluwawa Temple
So finally our day began with the climb to the Ambuluwawa temple, 1 hour from Kandy, a temple with a 48-metre tower, located at the top of the mountain.
The truth is that I had a moment of great tension and vertigo, even though I don’t suffer from it, as I felt quite insecure going up, as the height of the railing that ‘protects’ you from falling from the top of the tower was very low and the size of the stairs as I went up became narrower and narrower, to the point of not being able to fit two people at the same time and you having to go sideways. If you have vertigo, I don’t recommend it. Despite having a little bit of a regulinchi time, I loved it, the views are amazing, so it’s totally worth it.
Visit to a tea plantation
On the way to the station where we would catch the train to Ella, we pass the famous tea plantations. Sri Lanka is famous for its rich tea and if you have the time it is a beautiful area to stop for a day and tour the plantations. As I am a fan of tea and infusions, we decided to stop at the DAMRO Tea plantation, where every 10 minutes they take you on a tour of the factory and explain the history of tea in this country, how it is grown and brewed. I took the opportunity to bring back several bags of black tea, which is what I had for breakfast every day I was there.
Experience in the most beautiful train of the world
And after a technical stop for lunch on the way, as usual, came one of the moments I was most looking forward to during these 10 days in Sri Lanka, what is said to be the most beautiful train journey in the world. We went to the star station, Nanu-Oya, to get second class tickets, (300 rupees (1 € approx)) as it was the recommendation of our driver.
Here are my thoughts/tips on this train journey. I do them with the aim of giving you a different point of view, as we have not seen this feedback in many blogs:
- If you don’t use tuk-tuk or your own car, this train is the best option economically speaking to move from Kandy to Ella. It is very cheap. But the reality is that it is a totally touristy train and it is VERY overcrowded.
- The route is nice, but we didn’t enjoy it too much. There are so many people that you have almost no visibility. We were lucky enough to be right at the door on the left side (which from Nanu-Oya to Ella is the one with the best visibility) and we could see something, but there were people with 0 visibility of the route standing at the toilet doors or at the luggage compartments.
- You can leave your luggage without any problem as there is plenty of space above the seats and between the carriages. It was something that worried us a lot and the truth is that there was no problem here.
- After sharing this experience with other travellers in Sri Lanka, we realised that it might be a better option to take third class tickets, which is where the locals travel and they do get on and off at the different stops on the train. In second class, nobody gets off as we are practically all tourists, so if you are in a bad position, you will stay there for the whole journey. We spent 3 hours standing in the same place with hardly any mobility.
- Another option is to take the train a little earlier, or do the whole Kandy-Ella trip (6 hours). One couple told us that they did this and were able to sit down straight away. Then it depends on which way you travel. If you do it the other way round, starting from the beaches and going north, the trip in reverse will be less crowded.
- The photos and videos we were able to take were literally 5′ before arriving at Ella, as we asked the people who were at the gate the whole way if they would let us take some souvenirs. Open doors are very popular.
- As I say, it’s something very personal, we were a bit disappointed because we knew it was touristy but we didn’t imagine it would be so much, and it was very tiring to stand for three hours without moving from the place, but we did meet people who enjoyed it a LOT.
When we got to Ella we decided to have lunch, take a walk around the village to gossip in the little shops and give ourselves a foot and leg massage because we were so tired. Then we had an early dinner and thank goodness, because in the evening there was a huge downpour.
Where to sleep?
Avocado Hostel. It was probably the most basic accommodation of our whole 10 day trip in Sri Lanka, but the breakfast was top notch and the price was super cheap.
¿Dónde comer?
Rainbow Café. Un lugar de brunch riquísimo, el personal super amable y está situado en la calle principal del pueblo.
The True Food. En la misma calle principal de Ella se encuentra este pequeño local de comida tradicional india. Comida muy rica y barata en comparación con los locales de alrededor. Lo regenta una familia encantadora.
Day 6: Ella and Hiriketiya Beach
We spent the sixth day visiting the area of Ella, which we instantly fell in love with. It is a very touristy town and the backpacker’s town par excellence, therefore, with lots of restaurants, shops and a great atmosphere. The style of food, for example, was less traditional, more fusion with European food.
The area around Ella is pure nature and brutal landscapes. The guy from our hostel gave us a small route from the hotel to visit some points of interest, but if you have more time, there are plenty of things to do. We did:
- Little Adam’s Peak: About 35 minutes easy walk, with a flat path and some stairs. The views are beautiful and once you get to the top you can continue walking to other more complicated viewpoints.
- Asanka Cafe: Cafeteria overlooking the 9-arched bridge where the famous train passes.
- 9 Arches Bridge: The most famous postcard of the area. Picture with the famous 9-arched bridge over which the train passes. The truth is that it is really cool and you can take some spectacular pictures.
- Ravana Falls: Waterfalls that can be seen from the road and are 5 minutes by tuktuk from the village.
If we had stayed one more day we would have gone to spend the day at some waterfalls recommended by our hostel where after a walk to get to them you can bathe in their pool, they are called Secret Waterfall.
The next day, we woke up early, had breakfast and hired a transfer to take us to the beach area, to Hiriketiya Beach, a 4-hour journey. Our idea was to have used public transport to get to the next area but we realised that we were going to spend practically the whole day travelling and it was not worth it. This place is a perfect beach area for surfing, a lot of young backpackers, but at the same time familiar and quiet. It is a perfect place to rest, but with atmosphere and party if you want it.
We arrived just at lunch time so we went straight to eat some bowls in front of the playground and then we spent the whole afternoon enjoying the sun and the sea. On this beach you have to rent an umbrella to be able to stay, there was practically no one lying on the sand. We went to a stall where they made the best juices in the area, recommended to us by a tourist who has been travelling to Sri Lanka for years. Unfortunately I don’t remember the name… but I can confirm that they were very good.
One thing worth mentioning is that in the beach areas you start to see the price of things going up, everything is already completely touristy.
Where to sleep?
Chill Vibes Hiriketiya. It is a hostel that opened 3 months before we went (April 2024) and is aimed at young people travelling alone. They have plans every night and organise excursions during the day. It is very good value for money.
Where to eat?
Cafe Chill. Bowls saludables. Muy rico y recomendable.
Fish Tales Restaurant. Restaurante de comida típica srilanquesa. Se ubica en frente justo del hostel.
Day 7: Hiriketiya and beaches in the surrounding area
This seventh day of our 10 days in Sri Lanka was one of our favourites of the trip. At first we were not going to visit this area and we were going to relax in Herikitiya, but when we did some research we saw that it had beautiful beaches that we could not miss and thank goodness for that.
We took a route renting different tuk tuks to different beaches in the area and spent the day relaxing and enjoying the sea. We visited in this order:
- Secret Beach: You can get there from Mirissa by crossing the beach and walking about 20′. The path is well signposted but a bit steep. If you get tired, there are tuk tuks waiting to take you 🙂
- Mirissa Beach: The most famous beach in the area. It is very long and beautiful.
- Dickwella Beach: Our favourite. We were almost alone, we walked all the way across because at the end there is a turtle watching point and if you are lucky you can see a super sunset.
The key point of the day was the sunset, because just at that moment we came across a bunch of baby turtles being released into the sea. An unforgettable postcard.
Where to eat?
Kavi. A very top place, located right in front of the hostel, we totally recommend it if you go there.
Day 8: Ahangama
We have to say that we took this eighth day of our 10 days in Sri Lanka very chill. It was time for a transfer to another beach area and when we arrived, we enjoyed our new hotel with swimming pool, yoga classes and we walked around the Ahangama area in the afternoon to watch the sunset and have dinner in the village.
The truth is that it is a beautiful beach area that we would also highly recommend, same surfer/backpacker vibe that we had seen in Hiriketiya.
In this area in particular there are a lot of Spanish people living and opening their businesses.
Where to sleep?
The Nuga House Ahangama. Very top, they have yoga classes, super cool pool and tasteful design and decoration, we thought it was beautiful. It’s a bit more expensive than what we were paying for the rest of the trip, but we wanted to treat ourselves 🙂
Where to eat?
Lamana Ahangama. It is a pub with a skate park inside and music at night. Very top to try something different.
The Hakuna Matata, Ahangama. For a drink while watching the sunset and you can also have lunch and dinner.
Day 9: Ahangama, Galle, Negombo
Ninth day in Sri Lanka and we wake up in our beautiful room at The Nuga House.
This hotel offers yoga classes every morning and if you stay there you get a significant discount on the price, so we decided to stretch our bodies. And what a wonderful way to start the day, especially if you have a spectacular breakfast waiting for you.
This day we were leaving the hotel so we asked them to keep our backpacks for us so we could spend the whole morning at Kabalana Beach. A huge and beautiful beach, perfect for surfing and relaxing. Then they let us take a shower in the hotel pool and we changed because our driver from the beginning of the trip was waiting for us to take us back to Negombo, where we arrived in the evening just to have dinner and sleep in the same place we stayed last time.
But on the way to Negombo, we didn’t want to skip the stop in the city of Galle and take a walk around its famous fort. The truth is that it is amazing, walking along the wall can take you quite a while. It is a very beautiful city that if you have time I would invite you not to skip it. We did it very quickly but we loved the views and the walk. Of course, be prepared to protect yourself from the sun.
Where to eat?
Kabalana Beach Restaurant. We ate fried rice and fish in a typical beach restaurant.
Day 10: Wilpattu Safari, 10 days in Sri Lanka
And then came the last day of our 10 days in Sri Lanka. And we saved for the last day one of the things we were most looking forward to doing in Sri Lanka. It is well known that Sri Lanka is one of the best places in the world to see all kinds of wildlife. So it is full of places where you can see different types of animals, from elephants to whales, both on land and at sea.
After a lot of research over several days and asking for information from other content creators who had been there not too long ago, we decided on Wilpattu. We saw that it was one of the few parks that had absolute control over the capacity and that has real expert animal guides on staff if you want your experience to be complete. It was a very nice experience, and we got to see two leopards, one sleeping on top of a tree and the other running across in front of our car. We also got to see crocodiles, the anteater, lots of deer and water buffalo. And we heard two elephants but did not get to see them. The animals are absolutely wonderful and no matter how you look at them it is always a wonder to enjoy them.
How did we manage to get there from Negombo? Well, as it was something improvised at the last minute, we decided to cut a day at the beach to be able to do this activity. So we looked for information about the options we had, and normally if you go on your own you go to the park and there you hire everything depending on what you want, but for us it was better to hire them through Getyourguide, which included the driver from Negombo and back and the entrance with the park guide, all in the same day. Here is the link to the safari option we booked.
It was a little bit of a day trip, because it was a lot of driving, but that’s how we woke up in Negombo as our flight back was at 12 noon.
Opinion about the safaris in Sri Lanka
As I mentioned in previous days, I was a bit overwhelmed by the situation. Currently, safaris are one of the biggest tourist attractions in the country and what brings in the most money, according to what our driver told us, so this leads to a lack of control and overcrowding in the national parks. In addition, there is little knowledge on the part of everyone about how our actions and behaviour affect the animals and the environment in which they live. If I can make a small contribution, I would like to remind you that animals should NEVER EVER be touched. In the beach area there are many turtle watching spots and I have seen on many occasions how people film themselves touching the shells…and that is a horrible thing to do. And what to say, on a Safari you have to keep your distance from the animals, if a driver comes close enough to almost touch the animal, BAD. And well this is something that should not even be considered, you should never get out of the car.
That said, depending on where you are in Sri Lanka you may see one type of animal or another. The main national parks are:
- Minneriya National Park: The stars of this park are the elephants. There are about 250 elephants throughout the park. It is the most famous one to visit. This is the park we wanted to see, but when we went there had been a lot of rain and we couldn’t walk through it, so our guide offered us the alternative of visiting a reserve in the Sigiriya area. And reading reviews on google from other travellers is when we saw that it was an absolute overcrowding of cars, where families were surrounded en masse and that’s where I didn’t see myself able to participate.
- Yala National Park: This is the second most famous safari in Sri Lanka. Here you can find many more species such as crocodiles, bears, monkeys, wild boars, water buffaloes, different kinds of birds, elephants and the star of the park, the leopards (but remember that these animals are not easy to spot). This safari never disappoints. So if you only have time to visit one, it can be a very good option.
- Wilpattu National Park: This safari is very close to the city of Anuradhapura, located in the northwest of the island. So if you are going to visit that area it can be a good option. It is a good park to see leopards as there are a lot of these animals. But there are also eagles, peacocks, deer, sloths, buffalo, crocodiles and elephants, although the latter are the most difficult to see because they are only around at certain times of the year.
- Of course there are plenty of other parks, it’s all a matter of researching and seeing which one suits you best by type of animal, area or value.
Where to eat?
Local restaurant near the accommodation
Map of places
Sri Lanka is a wonderful country. It was super short for us to have only been there for 10 days, as we had so many places to visit, but it was a great experience to get an idea. We will definitely come back, this time with Chris and in a tuk tuk on our own.
If you have any questions about any of the points of the blog, contact us by rrss or comments and we will be happy to answer you 🙂
