Sri Lanka, the jewel of south Asia, is a sensory, exotic wonderland, packed with rice paddies and lily pads, peppery curries, impenetrable jungle and exceptionally warm residents. It’s a land of thrills and chill, offering something memorable for every kind of traveller. Three weeks in Sri Lanka is an ideal length of time to explore the best that this radiant, bite-sized island nation has to offer!

Situated just 33 kilometres across from southern India, the Teardrop Island is the most colourful country we’ve ever visited. Pinkish flowers, aqua-hued oceans, letter-box red tuktuks, rainbow-patterned parasols, deep-green tangled wilderness and cartoon-adorned buses all simultaneously cross your line of sight with great regularity. Visually, it’s a remarkably stimulating place.

The best part though? Sri Lanka is relatively compact and very well connected by road and rail. There’s an ease of travelling in a kind of loop around the island, making it pretty straightforward to plan a trip! This three-week Sri Lanka itinerary works whether you want to rent your own tuktuk or car, hire a driver or backpack around with the buses and trains. Sri Lanka is incredibly easy to navigate – so all you really need to do is decide what you’d like to see!

We spent a month exploring the country in a tuktuk, visiting enchanting stupas and temples, hiking up misty rocks, discovering ancient ruins, watching surfers at the beach breaks and much, much more. Below, we’ve devised a three week Sri Lanka itinerary route with lots of add-ons and flexible options – perfect if you have to cut a few days off, or plan to spend a full month (or longer) in this magnificent country!

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Almost all foreign tourists arriving in Sri Lanka will land into Bandaranaike International Airport near Colombo. This airport is actually nearer to Negombo, a town north of the capital, Colombo. It makes a great place to book your first night in Sri Lanka, especially if you land later in the day.

There are often particularly affordable flights from India, the Middle East (especially Oman and the United Arab Emirates), plus Thailand and Malaysia. We search for all our flights on Skyscanner – they’re the best for comparing airlines and prices.

Sri Lanka is an easy country to traverse, no matter your vehicle choice.

There are plenty of transport options that work with this Sri Lanka itinerary, including car rental, buses and/or trains. We chose to rent a tuktuk for the month, which was equal parts amazing and hilarious. If you decide to take the public transport option, all the routes utilising the trains and buses are straightforward, but may be a little slower than driving.

We’re biased, but we loved driving our little tuktuk – it’s an exciting way to get around whilst having the freedom to explore. If you’re interested in this option, check out our guide with everything you need to know about hiring a tuktuk in Sri Lanka! We will also be returning to Sri Lanka and renting a car for some of our next trip, since we found the roads incredibly easy to navigate!

Since Sri Lanka can be traversed in a kind of oval route, is the clockwise or counter-clockwise direction better? Well, this partly depends on the month you are arriving and also on whether you’d like to start or end your trip on the beach!

We chose to do our Sri Lanka route in a clockwise direction, partly because of the season, but also because we preferred to finish the trip on the beaches of the southern coast. We also wanted to leave driving in Colombo until the end (this was a completely unnecessary concern – traffic in Colombo is nothing to worry about at all, in our opinion).

We always rent our vehicles all over the world, including our recent trips in Thailand, Malaysia, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Jordan and Morocco, with Discover Cars. They’re often the most affordable, plus they paid out immediately on an insurance claim we made when our car took some heavy damage in Sicily. We fully recommend them.

If you book through the link below, we make a small profit, at zero cost to you, which helps us write these posts with no advertising! We only endorse products and companies we actually use regularly. For more information, read our position on affiliates.



TAKE A LOOK BELOW OR CHECK CAR RENTAL

There are so many excellent places to visit for a Sri Lanka safari tour, it can be challenging to choose! If this is a must-do activity for you, it’s important to consider the season, plus the experience you want to have in terms of tourist crowds and wildlife preferences.

We chose not to go on safari while in Sri Lanka – to be honest, it’s not really our vibe. We’re more plant enthusiasts than animal (plus I don’t fancy spending lots of money to sit in somebody else’s Jeep for an entire day and there are some serious ethical questions). We did toy with the idea for weeks during our trip, thinking we’d visit one in southern Sri Lanka. However, since we saw so much roadside wildlife directly from our tuktuk, including a whole load of wild elephants (which is a major benefit of self-driving), we decided to skip it this time.

There are many safaris that came recommended to us, so on our Sri Lanka itinerary, we’ve mentioned which ones might be worth doing, where they are and why they are supposed to be good (and when!). Here is a list of the ones we considered:

Yala National Park | the most popular national park in Sri Lanka. The park is famous for rare encounters with leopards and lots of elephant sightings, along with other typical Sri Lankan wildlife. Situated along the southeastern coast, it is easily added to a Sri Lanka beach itinerary. Best visited between February and July, although be prepared for crowds of Jeeps on the roads, especially around the wildlife.

Kumana National Park | less visited than the others on this list, Kumana National Park is situated in the east near Arugam Bay and is great choice for the summer season. It’s also a hotspot for rare birds.

Minneriya or Kaudulla National Parks | these provide an excellent opportunity to see elephants in the Cultural Triangle area. Minneriya has the largest gathering of elephants in the world during August-September due to the water availability around the lakes. 

Wilpattu National Park | the largest national park in Sri Lanka – a great option for a summer season safari north of Negombo, on route to Jaffna. May to September is a great time to visit – although crowds are reasonably thin all year around.

Udawalawe National Park | situated in southern Sri Lanka, Udawalawe is smaller and with less tourists than Yala, but provides an outstanding opportunity to spot elephants. This is another great safari to pair with a Sri Lankan beach itinerary. December to March and May to September (the dryer months) are the best times to visit.



RELATED POST   |   DRIVING SRI LANKA’S ELEPHANT ROAD

An elephant blocking the road outside Yala National Park in Sri Lanka.
Road elephant in southern Sri Lanka

Weather is complicated in Sri Lanka! There are basically four seasons, consisting of two monsoon seasons and two inter-monsoon seasons. This means there is always the potential for some rain (and sunshine) somewhere.

The first monsoon system in Sri Lanka is called the ‘Yala’ monsoon and brings the rain to Sri Lanka’s southwest and west coasts between April/May and September/October. 

The second wet season, the ‘Maha’ monsoon, comes to the north and northeast shores of Sri Lanka around October to November and runs into January.

In terms of temperatures: along the coasts and inland plains, the weather is warm all year around, with maximums hovering between 29-35 degrees Celsius (84-93 F). The hottest months are usually in April-May.

The hill towns, including Nuwara Eliya, are much cooler, with temperatures around 20 degrees Celsius (68 F). It can be cool at night here (and actually reasonably cold during the day if you get a lot of rain – it was for us!).

Our Experience with Sri Lanka’s Weather

We visited during the month of December, in the Maha monsoon season. This meant that the east and north were going to potentially be a bit rainy which dictated our choice of route.

If you are visiting between December and March, our exact Sri Lanka route will (likely) be great for you. It might be worth investigating some of the add-on destinations we mention if you are travelling outside of that time, as they may be more suitable for that season.

No matter when you visit, come prepared for changeable conditions and at least a little rain.

We were told that we were visiting during a tourist ‘high-season’, however, there were very few people during December, even around Christmas. It feels to me that a busy time in Sri Lanka is unlikely to compare to a busy period in Thailand, for example.



SRI LANKA BACKPACKING GUIDE   |   HIKING PIDURANGALA

Below is a savable Google Map, marking the main route and any optional extras mentioned in this three week Sri Lanka itinerary.

The map is split into several layers: the start and finish, the Cultural Triangle, the hill country and the southern coast. We have also marked any relevant optional extra destinations and nearby safari possibilities. Hotels and restaurants are included within the layers too.

Blue | start/finish
Purple | Cultural Triangle
Orange | Hill Country
Green | southern coast
Yellow | optional extras including safari destinations

Select the star next to the title to save it to your Google Maps.

As mentioned above, this Sri Lanka route is split, broadly, into three sections – the Cultural Triangle, the hills section and the southern coast. These are bookended by Negombo at the beginning and Colombo at the end (or vice-versa if you choose to reverse the route).

There are optional extras mentioned within each section, where applicable. The below is an artist’s rendition of this route!

A map for a three weeks in Sri Lanka itinerary with routes and locations indicated on it.
Three weeks in Sri Lanka (artist’s impression)

This itinerary begins in Negombo, a town nearby the main international airport in Sri Lanka (called Bandaranaike), around an hour north of Sri Lanka’s capital city, Colombo. 

Negombo is a beach town and, although some people aren’t so enthralled by it, we quite liked it here. The food is easily some of the best in the country, the beach and vibes are lovely for a day or two and it’s a great place to start your Sri Lanka route, while killing any jetlag you may have!

In Negombo, we stayed at the Belmont Boutique ($$/$$$). This was an exceptional choice, with the best breakfast we had in the entire of Sri Lanka, with its huge rooms, balconies, no mosquitos, amazing aircon, lovely staff, beautiful pool, free airport pick up and an enviable location.

Plus, they let us check in at 9am after an overnight flight – I’ve never been so grateful! We even extended our stay here.

Fully recommend this one.

We actually had some of our favourite food in Negombo.

Koththamalli | this is a restaurant that prides itself on being the only purely vegetarian and vegan restaurant in Negombo. Really top-notch food for the price.

Grace Negombo Juice Bar | had super friendly staff and made a killer mango juice, perfect for Negombo’s sweltering weather.

For some banging local budget options, ‘Food Corner’ and ‘Buhari Hotel’ were excellent choices. Both offer punchy, budget-friendly veggie curries in a buffet style, with extraordinarily good prices. Buhari Hotel had more inside seating, whilst Food Corner was the more rustic of the two – we highly recommend both.

A man smoking a cigarette outside a cracked building, beside a sign saying rice breakfast for 200 LKR.
Local resident
Water beading atop Lily Pads at Sigiriya Lion Rock, Sri Lanka.
Lily pads

Kalpitiya | a town 130 kilometres up the coast from Negombo, is renowned for being the best place for kitesurfing in Sri Lanka. It is also a decent spot for snorkelling, diving and dolphin watching tours. 

The best time to visit Kalpitiya is April-October

Wilpattu National Park | situated in the northwest of Sri Lanka, opened as a national park on Christmas day in 1938 and it is probably best known for its leopard population. It is also the largest national park in Sri Lanka at 1085 square kilometres and one of the oldest. It has relatively few tourists and is actually quite easy to access from Anuradhapura, mentioned below. 

Again, best between April and October.

Jaffna | situated in far northern Sri Lanka, this city is culturally distinct from the rest of the country, being geographically closer to India than Colombo. Home to Sri Lanka’s Tamil people, it was a Tamil capital for centuries until European colonisation in the 16th century and is a hub for Hindu culture. On the other side of a long civil war, the region is far less visited than the rest of Sri Lanka and you’ll see few other tourists. It has a huge Dutch fort and quite a few (often remote) religious points of interest. 

The best time to visit Jaffna is debatable (honestly, everyone has a different answer), but early in the year is a good option, as is summer.

Trincomalee | colloquially known as Trinco, this beach town is a great option for whale-watching, snorkelling and diving enthusiasts. With easy access from the Cultural Triangle and several outstanding bays, backed by sugar palms, it’s an excellent alternative to the busy beaches of the southern coast – it’s just a bit quieter and more backpacker-y over on the east. 

The best time to visit this idyllic region is in the summer, between April and October. 

Having been advised of its unique culture and traditions, Jaffna, in particular, was a destination high on our list. However, our visit coincided with some extreme rainfall, so we didn’t make it. It’s on a must-see list for our next trip! The same goes for Kilpatiya and Wilpattu (there were full-on mega-storms when we were supposed to visit!).

〈 Suggested number of days → 4-7 〉

If you are craving a historical introduction to Sri Lanka, look no further than the Cultural Triangle. Situated in the northern central plains, this region is peppered with royal cities and sacred Buddhist pilgrimage sites. Originally home to Sinhalese royalty, it is brimming with countless ancient monuments.

The Cultural Triangle, so named for three historic capitals, stretches between the ancient archaeological sites of Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa, down to the verdant hill city of Kandy. The area contains four extraordinary UNESCO World Heritage sites, all within an hour or two of each other.

Some of these sacred sites, concealed in jungle, are monumentally large and well over 1000 years old. Although not all the sites are directly related to each other, Sinhalese Buddhist culture is entwined throughout them all.

This itinerary splits the Cultural Triangle into five main regions – Anuradhapura, Sigiriya, Polonnaruwa, Dambulla and Kandy.

Time | depending on your interests, this region could easily take up seven (or even more) days of your itinerary. If you are less keen on historical stuff, three days with visits to just your preferences would be adequate. We’ve discussed out favourites to help you decide below.

Sleeping | if you prefer one central hub to stay in, Dambulla, Sigiriya or Habarana are great options (although Dambulla is the least nice of the three in our opinion). Otherwise, stay a night or two in each of the various ancient cities. We chose two nights in Anuradhapura, two in Sigiriya, one in Polonnaruwa and three in Kandy.

Weather | the Cultural Triangle is best visited in January to March, to avoid the majority of the monsoon rains. The dry plains have been described as scrubby and dusty, but we experienced nothing but verdant, lush jungle, filled with wildlife in December!

Cost | some of these sites are disproportionately expensive, with entry from $25-30 per person. This means that many people only visit one or two of them on a trip through Sri Lanka’s Cultural Triangle. Children are generally free if they are under 12 years old.

A small statue of Buddha in an alcove of a mossy vihara at the ancient city of Polonnaruwa.
Temple at Polonnaruwa

Take your shoes off | do this anywhere there are signs – keep a look out and wear easy to remove footwear (flip flops are easiest if you’re happy walking long distances in them!). Socks are okay. Be aware that the ground gets astoundingly hot in the afternoon.

Cover | always cover shoulders and knees – this goes for both men and women. If you’re concerned your clothes may not be completely appropriate, take a sarong or two (these are good for shade and stopping sunburn too).

Photos | don’t ever take photos of yourself with depictions of Buddha (no selfies), or with your back to any statue or painting of the Buddha.

Feet | do not sit with your feet facing any depiction of the Buddha (or people, for that matter).

Rules | follow any other rules written outside the entrances, e.g. no photos of specific sites. Certain sections of the places we visited were off-limits for cameras.

Anuradhapura is absolutely colossal. This ancient site is spread over 40 square kilometres and the stupas, or dagobas (large domes that often house relics of Buddha), tower over the surrounding tanks (reservoirs or lakes).

This site is the oldest in the Sri Lanka Cultural Triangle, built in 380 BCE after being chosen by King Pandukabhaya to be the seat of government for the Sinhalese people. This immense ancient city reigned for 1300 years before the south Indian invasion in the 10th century.

Along with the dagobas, the site is also home to the Sacred Buddha Bo (fig) Tree – Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi, with its heart shaped leaves. This tree is an offspring of the Bodhi Tree – where Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment. It was brought to area in the 3rd century BCE (exact dates differ), making it the world’s oldest recorded human-planted tree.

Although the site is spread over a vast area, Anuradhapura is centred around the three main monasteries: Mahavihara, Jetavana and Abhayagiri. These three dagobas at Anuradhapura, one of which is 3000 years old, are seriously enormous – said to be only second in size to Egypt’s pyramids at the time of construction.

Ticket cost in 2024 | $30. Can pay cash or card at the tourist ticket counter, or purchase online.

Length of time needed | up to a day (if you’re fast and skip bits, then half a day)

Getting to Anuradhapura | it’s a 170 kilometre, four to five hour drive from Negombo. We did it in a tuktuk, so it would be faster than this in a car. Alternatively, take the 87 bus. There are no direct trains that run to Anuradhapura.

Getting around Anuradhapura | it is the biggest site in this Cultural Triangle section and will take the longest to explore. Renting a bicycle is an option if you’re comfortable in the midday heat (there’s not a lot of shade). Alternatively, taking your own motorbike or tuktuk, or renting a tuktuk with driver, are good options.

Restaurants | The Walkers Restaurant – big portions of veggie curries and rice. Bro restaurant – enormous vegetarian kottu, which came in a takeaway ceramic bowl. So big, it was our breakfast and lunch the next day too.

Hotels | Hotel Bella Vista ($-$$) was a great value choice, with simple, comfortable, well-functioning rooms and great parking.

White dagoba by the lake at Anuradhapura, seen during a three weeks Sri Lanka itinerary.
Dagoba at Anuradhapura
A Toque macaque in a tree, staring directly at the camera.
Stalking monkey

Regarded as the ‘cradle of Buddhism’, Mihintale is an outstanding Buddhist site relatively nearby to Anuradhapura. However, it is not a part of the UNESCO World Heritage site so only costs a fraction of the ticket cost. For more information, check out our guide on Mihintale.

Cost | 1000 LKR per foreign visitor

Dates to | 1st century BCE

Things to know | this site has 1850 shallow steps to the summit – it’s extremely hot too. Very few visitors when we were there.

Distance from Anuradhapura | 16 kilometres

The white Mahaseya Dagoba at Mihintale, surrounded by green trees .
Stupa at Mihintale

Sigiriya is probably the most iconic location in Sri Lanka, due to the famous Sigiriya (Lion) Rock.

It’s difficult to explain in words or pictures how striking the UNESCO site of Sigiriya Rock really is. The enormous landmark is a stronghold, built atop an enormous granite lava plug from an extinct volcano, surrounded by landscaped gardens, tranquil ponds and lily pad topped moats. It towers 180 metres above its surroundings, rising from Sri Lanka’s ‘dry zone’ – a name I cannot understand since it was definitely neither dry, nor arid, when we were there.

Also named ‘Lion Rock’, apparently for the lions that lived in the rock caves, the mesa top is home to the remains of a royal citadel, covering three entire acres. I’m not going to lie, I was so focused on just getting to the top that I didn’t really think about what was waiting for us at the summit (the heat and the stairs are intimidating!). I was absolutely astounded at what we discovered!

The surrounding area, outside Sigiriya rock, is quiet but has been developed specifically for tourists, with small restaurants, numerous guesthouses and a few low-key resorts. We found that, compared with other areas in Sri Lanka, the food was generally lower quality and more expensive. We’ve mentioned some restaurants below that, from personal experience, we’d recommend you avoid!

Be aware | Sigiriya has places with visibly unhappy, chained elephants that are forced to offer rides. Please, please don’t take part in any kind of elephant tourism. If you love these creatures, visit them in their happy place – the wild.

Ticket cost | $30. Cash or card accepted, also available to purchase online.

Getting around Sigiriya | cycling is a popular method of exploring the surrounding region; another is hiring a tuktuk driver or rental vehicle.

Restaurants | Soul Food is a great veggie/vegan restaurant with really friendly staff, homemade food and perfect views of Sigiriya. We do not recommend Little Hut Sigiriya or Sigiriya Wew Thawulla Restaurant. Both had bland, sad, flavourless food which took an enormous amount of time to prepare.

Hotels | we checked out a fair few hotels in the area around Sigiriya whilst cruising in our tuktuk, and the two best of the bunch were The Nature Park Villa and Sigiri Shen Residence. Both were great value for money, had super-lovely staff and we’d happily stay in either next time we visit.

A man sat on steps in the sun, looking down from Sigiriya Lion Rock in Sri Lanka.
Early morning atop Sigiriya

Pidurangala Rock is a sacred hill with a Buddhist temple at the base, just north of the Sigiriya UNESCO heritage site. It has a short but mildly tricky hike up, offering magnificent views of Sigiriya and the surrounding countryside. Entrance to the site costs 1000 LKR per person and, as with Sigiriya, is easy to reach by bicycle, tuktuk or rental vehicle.

We think it is best visited just after sunrise (the crowds all leave then and the light is lovely!). Check out our Pidurangala Rock guide for all the info.

Sigiriya Rock in the morning light, seen on the Pidurangala Rock Hike in Sri Lanka.
Sunrise at Pidurangala

Exploring the ancient city of Polonnaruwa was one of our favourite days. Dating back to the 11th century, it was the second capital of Sri Lanka after Anuradhapura and ruled over the Kingdom of Polonnaruwa. The site is a little more compact than Anuradhapura with better preserved ruins. For a more detailed description, check out our dedicated Polonnaruwa guide.

This strategically located royal city, composed of sacred Buddhist landmarks (and a few Hindu ones too), has some really remarkable, if crumbling, constructions. The entire region was teeming with wildlife and had some of the most impressive trees I’ve ever seen. To me, the structures felt mildly reminiscent of Ayutthaya, in Thailand, but with a tiny fraction of the crowds.

Hint | buy tickets from the Archaeological Museum Complex, never the local tuktuk drivers (you’ll likely be driven around some less impressive sites outside of the UNESCO area). At the museum, there are friendly, helpful, not-pushy, English-speaking official guides who can take you around if you do not have your own transport. One told me how his mobile phone was stole by a monkey that same week!

Ticket Cost in 2024| $30. Cash or card accepted, or purchase online.

Getting around Polonnaruwa | the site is just under five kilometres long, with structures dotted either side of a main route. This route is easily covered with a self-drive tuktuk, bicycle or a driver/guide.

Hotels | we went super bougee in Polonnaruwa and stayed in EKHO Lake House ($$$), which was crazy cool. It’s worthy of mention just for its location along on the lake (where we watched elephants roaming across the bay, birds nesting on an island and the best sunset we’ve seen in our life – who needs a safari!). It’s also apparently where the Queen stayed (so I’m told) and they do a decent afternoon tea. It’s perfectly situated adjacent to the museum where you can buy Polonnaruwa tickets.

Restaurants | Kadamandiya Family Restaurant – really decent buffet style curries (including vegetarian) for an outstanding price.

Ruins at Polonnaruwa among the trees, seen during a three weeks in Sri Lanka itinerary.
Ruins at Polonnaruwa

This entire region is covered in national parks! One of the most well-known is Minneriya, famous for the Minneriya Tank, where 300 elephants collect during August and September due to water levels. This is apparently the largest congregation of elephants in the world!

We personally spotted elephants across the lake in Angammedilla National Park. Another great alternative is Kaudulla National Park, just north of Minneriya.

It is best to speak to the residents and guides to find out where the elephants are – after all, they are free to roam wherever they want!

A moody and vibrant sunset over still waters of Polonnaruwa Lake in Sri Lanka.
Moody sunset at EKHO Lake House

Dambulla felt like a dusty, outback, almost ‘wild west’ style town (we weren’t a big fan – although it was busy and raining at the time so that may have tainted our mood slightly). Although it’s not much to look at, the city is home to one of the more famous sites in the Cultural Triangle – the vibrant Dambulla Cave Temples (although some may argue that the international cricket stadium there is more famous!).

The cave temples have been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site and date back to around the first century BCE. There are five, dimly lit caves in total, filled with various frescos and statues of Buddha. Be prepared for lots of steps and an enormous number of monkeys. You have to take your shoes off in the caves so prep for your feet to get kind of gross too.

Hint | tickets are not sold at the Golden Temple (this is nearby the cave exit). Search for ‘Dambulla Cave Temple’ on Google Maps – this is where you buy tickets, next to the car park ‘Dambulla Cave New Car Park’, where you park your car. The old ticket office location is marked as permanently closed, but this is not always noticed by visitors.

Ticket cost | the rock temple entrance is 2000 LKR and 100 LKR to store your shoes.

Hotels | our recommendation would be the Dambulla Rock Arch. We didn’t stay here, only because we didn’t stay in Dambulla at all. However, this is the best option of the bunch, no doubt about it. It’ll be where we stay when we return.

Restaurants | we grabbed some food from Athula Restaurant, which was a buffet curry restaurant (no surprise there!). We really enjoyed a selection of their vegetable options.

A close up of monkey hands at Sigiriya Lion Rock.
Monkey hands at Dambulla

Yapahuwa Complex | set at the base of an enormous rock, similar to Sigiriya Lion Rock, Yapahuwa was apparently the capital of Sri Lanka for about 11 years! This 13th century citadel and temple is similar in style to Sigiriya and is quite intricate. Nearest city: Dambulla, ticket cost: 1000 LKR for foreign visitors.

Aukana (or Avukana) Buddhist Statue | an enormous, 12-metre-tall statue of Buddha, dating back to around the 12th century, carved directly into a rock face. Nearest city: Dambulla, ticket cost: 1500 LKR.

Ritigala Monastery | an ancient 4th century Buddhist site, situated in Ritigala Strict Natural Reserve, is a little off the beaten path adventure. Its highlights are the jungle pathways and unsigned routes, leading to pretty views and some slightly mysterious, untamed wilderness. A lovely place to escape the tourist crowds. Nearest city: Habarana, ticket cost: $5, location tip: ensure you specifically route to ‘Ritigala Archaeological site and Strict Natural Reserve’.

Kandy, Sri Lanka’s second city, is considered the cultural capital and is a bustling pilgrimage site for Buddhists. Centred around a striking manmade lake which is encircled by characteristic, white-washed, wave-swell walls, Kandy’s precariously perched homes peer down at the attractive temples, speeding tuktuks and bright colonial-style buildings. It’s quite a sight and if you’re spending three weeks in Sri Lanka, you can’t miss it!

The Kandyan empire ruled the country from the 14th century to 1815, when the British Empire took over. The Kandy region resisted colonialists for the longest, retaining much of its unique culture compared with other areas. This biggest draw to Kandy is the Temple of the Tooth Relic, which houses a tooth of Buddha and attracts pilgrims from all over the country. The surroundings are heaving with offerings of flower arrangements, gift-wrapped treats and small bowls of rice.

We liked Kandy a lot. Although some people find it a little hectic, that was not the case for us (although we didn’t do as much as we had planned due to pretty torrential rain!). Wandering the lake, observing the pilgrims and generally exploring was a pleasure though. It’s a very welcoming, warm, appealing city.

Temple of the Tooth Relic | tickets cost 2000 LKR per foreigner, payable in cash via a machine and shoe storage is 50 LKR per person.

Check out a show | at the cultural centre. We didn’t go, but have been reliably informed that they are very entertaining!

Festival | Sri Lanka’s largest festival, called Kandy Esala Perahera, occurs in Kandy during July-August and is quite an event.

Sri Maha Bodhi Temple | wander up the hill and check out the views.

Royal Botanic Gardens, Peradeniya | this has particularly attractive, landscaped grounds. If you only visit one garden in Sri Lanka, make it this one.

Ambuluwawa Tower | this is super cool, with crazy architecture and insane views. This tower is worth the climb if you can stomach it! It’s a quirky stop on the way to Nuwara Eliya by road, near Gampola (so is perfect if you are self-driving).

Knuckles Mountain Range | this area looks absolutely incredible for hiking, but it’s not a casual walk-in-the-park. 

Hotels | we had an outstanding-value hotel stay at The Radh ($$-$$$). Arriving cold and wet from a particularly intensive tuktuk journey, this hotel was an actual dream. It was perfect! The modern, high-end room included an excellent shower, incredibly comfortable bed and smart lighting, all topped off by our second favourite breakfast of the trip. The welcome drinks, easy tuktuk parking, plus location adjacent to the Temple of the Tooth, were all just icing on an incredibly appetising cake.

Restaurants | Kandy has a lot of tasty dosas! Check out Balaji Dosai for some top-notch vegetarian dosas, ice-creams, fruit juices and snack foods. The mini sambar idli was particularly excellent. Also, it accepts card payments. Another excellent choice was Sri Krishna Dosai – slightly cheaper than Balaji if you’re on a budget.

A person burning incense as an offering during their prayers at the Kandy Tooth Temple in Sri Lanka.
Temple of the Tooth Relic | Kandy

〈 Suggested number of days → 4-7 〉

The mountains of central Sri Lanka are where you’ve probably seen some of the most iconic photos of Sri Lanka – Instagrammers hanging out of the famous blue Kandy-Ella train and the related Nine Arches Bridge. Almost every Sri Lanka itinerary includes these well-known stops, along with the potential for visiting a tea plantation, hiking to some waterfalls and some epic mountain treks.

The main hubs for activities, from north to south, start in Kandy (mentioned above), Nuwara Eliya and Ella. It is possible to travel this route by train, bus, rental car or tuktuk. We chose the tuktuk option, however this itinerary works just as well with the legendary train!

Nuwara Eliya is one of the most British towns you’re likely to visit, outside of Britain anyway!

This oddly attractive town is set high in the mountains, with a climate closer to England than Sri Lanka (it rained one hundred percent of the time while we were there and it was cold!). Here, you’ll see men playing polo on horseback, traditional pubs, school uniforms that look like cricket outfits and grand hotels serving high tea. Located opposite the bus station, there is also the most traditional looking, yet fully functioning, red post office!

This peculiar town is surrounded by verdant tea fields and misty hills, with waterfalls tumbling down in almost every direction (I could see two just from our hotel window).

Depending on the time of the year, it can get quite cold (we visited in December and it was a little chilly), so bring a jumper. 

Visit the waterfalls | Lover’s Leap Waterfall is popular and near the centre of the town, also consider Kolopathana Waterfall, Ramboda Waterfall (this one you can see from the road if you drive in), Nanu Oya Waterfall (the train passes over this one), and Bomburu Ella Waterfall. There are so many, I’d recommend asking your accommodation host for advice about which is best in the season you’re visiting.

Afternoon tea | have yourself a spot of posh ‘afternoon tea’ or, alternatively (if you’re a bit grungy like me and afternoon tea would feel odd in your backpacker clothes), visit a traditional pub.

Visit a tea plantation | you can do this in Ella too, but Nuwara Eliya seemed to be the hotspot for tea.

Horton Plains National Park ($$$) | you need private transport for this and it’s entry is expensive at about $30 per person. Some people really rate this place, others less so. We didn’t think the money was justified since the weather was abysmal when we were there.

Check out the parks | Queen Victoria Park and Gregory Park would be lovely in some nice summer weather.

Hakgala Botanic Garden | pretty landscaped gardens, don’t forget to check when the flowers are blooming.
 

Hotels | we visited during an unprecedented amount of rain. This meant that everything in Nuwara Eliya felt damp and cold to us. Our accommodation would have been lovely in summer, but struggled in the winter (this seems to be a common issue in this town). When we return, we’d give The Edgware a go – it comes highly recommended from people we met in Nuwara Eliya! 

Restaurants | Dushan’s Home Kitchen doles out quality, traditional Sri Lankan food and is a popular spot in Nuwara Eliya – we recommend their vegetable curry selection. Ambaal’s Pure Vegetarian Restaurant is always bustling with people and serves tasty sweet treats and giant dosas. We absolutely loved the really rich daal, quick service and affordable prices. Hela Bojun Hala is a cute little curio by the market, with counters serving specific dishes. We had some absolutely smashing coconut rotis with a spicy relish accompaniment here.

A hill village amongst the trees in Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka.
Hill village on the edge of Nuwara Eliya

Hatton is the main town nearby a prominent pilgrimage site for Buddhists. Surrounded by verdant tea plantations, the small town is a hub for the intense and challenging trek to Adam’s Peak. Adam’s Peak is a 2243-metre-high mountain, home to a particularly significant religious site where it’s believed the Buddha took his last steps before reaching Nirvana. It is also said to be where Adam was exiled from the Garden of Eden.

The hike up is pretty hardcore. If you’re up for the challenge, try and do it for sunrise and stay in the nearby village at the trailhead. Hugging Clouds Guest House was recommended to us by someone that had recently done the route, who said it was comfortable, affordable and had the best location to take this trek on first thing in the morning. We didn’t even consider doing it though because of the weather!

Hatton is connected to Kandy by train. 

Roaring white waters of the Ravana Waterfall near Ella, found during a three weeks in Sri Lanka itinerary.
Waterfalls near Ella
A red post box with a black base in Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka.
A British-style post box in Newara Eliya. Notice how damp and British it is!

Ella is a surprisingly lively traveller hub – an idyllic little town, hidden in the misty mountains, filled with small guesthouses and cute restaurants. Renowned for its location adjacent to the famed Instagram Nine Arches bridge, Ella offers far more than just Western restaurants and Instagram shots. As one of the fastest growing tourist hotspots in Sri Lanka, the town is a centre for hiking and adventure activities – followed by some lively evenings on the surprisingly buzzing main street.

It doesn’t have the serene, mountain village vibe you might be expecting, but the services there are decent, the surrounding scenery is epic and there is a whole plethora of things to do. It’s an absolute can’t miss on any three week Sri Lanka itinerary.

Ella Rock | a hike to a pretty viewpoint but beware of scammers and people giving false directions. I’d recommend reading the Google reviews of Ella Rock View Point before embarking on this one. There’s a surprise fee of 900 LKR per foreign visitor before the top, too.

Little Adam’s Peak | a nicer hike than Ella Rock, with less hassle, no fees, but inevitably more tourists.

Ravana Falls | situated right on the road outside Ella, these impressive falls are named after Ravana from the India epic story the Ramayana and great if you have limited mobility (or just don’t want to hike!). 

Nine Arches Bridge | I’m sure I don’t have to explain this one. It’s an iconic image of Sri Lanka, this misty, forested train line. There are a few different ways to access this site, including some cafes above, such as the Asanka Cafe and Cafe Soul.

Take the train | apparently, getting your photo taken while hanging out of the door of a blue train in Sri Lanka is the hot thing to do right now. 

Diyaluma Falls | situated a little under an hour south of Ella, this waterfall has super pretty pools at the top involving a short hike. Despite being one of the highest waterfalls in Sri Lanka at about 220 metres, it is far enough away from the tourist crowds to be reasonably peaceful.

Check out a tea plantation | if you haven’t already visited one in Nuwara Eliya.

Hotels | we stayed in O2 Ella, which was right next to the little ‘restaurant row’, in the centre of Ella. It was really, really clean, simple and comfortable, with good television channels too (very helpful in the rain!). 

Restaurants | Chill Cafe is such a touristy restaurant, but the food, staff, music and vibes were immaculate. There’s all sorts on the menu, including a lot of Western fare – even poutine! The menu is also super vegetarian/vegan friendly. We also liked Rainbow Cafe for similar reasons.

A person in yellow picking leaves on the hillside at a tea plantation in Sri Lanka.
Tea plantation near Ella

Purportedly home to some of the best beaches in Sri Lanka, Arugam Bay may be a little further away from the traditional tourist circuit, but it is well worth the diversion. 

Home to some of the best surf breaks on the island, Arugam Bay’s vibe is laid back, with palms and ramshackle shelters lining the idyllic stripes of bright sand. The area is heavily seasonal, so visiting in the off-season (around November to January) will show many businesses as closed. Although it can get busy in summer (between June and August) during the high surfing season, it’s never hectic enough to be uncomfortable and if you don’t surf, the shoulder seasons are perfect for beach lovers.

〈 Suggested number of days → 7-10 〉

The southern coast of Sri Lanka is utterly exquisite. Truthfully, I was expecting some pretty average beaches, incomparable to the picturesque islands of Thailand. I was picturing strips of sand crammed with tourists, umbrellas, noisy traffic and overpriced services. We found Sri Lanka’s beaches to be none of these things.

The coastline is surprisingly clean, with perfectly situated beaches sandwiched between jungly, palm-lined outcrops. There are relatively few tourists and as many services as you need, plus easy access and parking. Whether you’re looking for pure surfer backpacker vibes, wide empty stretches of scenic windswept sand, casual beach bars and restaurants or upscale luxury, this region has absolutely everything anybody could possibly ask for (and a fair bit more!).

Below are all the areas we visited, travelling east to west (towards Colombo). With your own transport, exploring all these destinations over 7-10 days is comfortable, and public buses run all along the main coastal route regularly (with added ocean views).

If you don’t want to be travelling constantly, choose several of these beautiful, beachy destinations as hubs for exploring the neighbouring regions. Our personal favourites were Tangalle, Hiriketiya, Mirissa and Weligama, along with a visit to Matara. There are also some *seriously* exquisite beaches north of Hikkaduwa.

A surfboard used as a sign to advertise a surf camp in Sri Lanka.
Hiriketiya

Here are some quick descriptions of Sri Lanka’s beaches to help you decide your stops. We’ve mentioned if we had any particular highlights with the meals or accommodation (and included a couple of places to avoid).

Hint: don’t forget your water shoes, sometimes there can be lots of rocks or coral in the sea!

Tangalle is pretty much perfect, with pristine, mostly empty little bays, dotted with picturesque rocks and palms. This area has a little more of a local feel, in our opinion, with lovely, secluded places to swim in some of the smaller bays. Turtles are easily spotted around here too. The area has lots of tourist infrastructure, including quality restaurants and comfortable accommodation. Tangalle’s distance from Colombo might be why it is just a little less popular than other beaches on the south coast.

Eat | we enjoyed eating at Ceylon Excel, which was great value with even greater flavours! We were also recommended Cactus Lounge for epic seafood multiple times (from some very reliable sources) but didn’t visit ourselves because of our vegetarian tendencies.

This little town exudes some major surf vibes with backpackers, bars and small restaurants dotting the narrow lanes. The beach is tightly enclosed in a horseshoe-shaped bay, entirely surrounded by spindly palms. It’s really pretty.

Vibes | don’t come here if you are looking for solitude! It’s chill, but kind of backpacker-busy. However, if you want to surf (or learn) or sit on the beach with a low-key beer and maybe meet some other travellers (Dots Bay House is ideal vibes for this), then Hiriketiya is right the place for you.

Stay | it’s also home to one of the prettiest and most beautifully designed accommodations I’ve seen in Sri Lanka – La Playa Beach Club. I chatted with the staff there for quite some time just gushing at the superb, simple, stylish design. It’s new, with the best location on the beach (I’d have booked it but it was already sold out – so get in there early).

Eat | Garlic Cafe’s food was a real disappointment, despite good reviews, however we loved the White Peacock Vegan Cafe (the cakes and salads are amazing). Kingsley’s Hot Kitchen is great too and more affordable than other nearby options. 

A surfer walking out of the sea with their yellow and orange surfboard onto the golden sand at Hiriketiya Beach, Sri Lanka.
A surfer haven at Hiriketiya

This is quieter, wider and generally more peaceful than its neighbour, Hiriketiya. Dikwella is possibly a better option if you are avoiding the back/flashpacker vibes and are after a classier guesthouse/resort type vibe. There are a few more chic accommodation options here if that is what you’re craving, plus it’s just a bit more upscale while remaining low-key.

Drink | check out Smoke and Bitters on the eastern side of the beach, the drinks are actually incredible and the menu unique. 

This is a local town with a large, sprawling beach. It’s not really a resorty, touristy area, but worth visiting because of the enormous stupa just offshore here.

A chilled water and coconut vendor on a beach at Matara, Sri Lanka.
Beach vendor
A family standing in the water opposite a remote temple at Matara Beach in Sri Lanka.
Incredible Matara stupa

This was one of our favourites. Mirissa has a lovely balance of hotels and bars, an exquisite curved, sandy beach and one of our favourite accommodations of our Sri Lanka trip. It is home to the famous Coconut Hill and Parrot Rock – there are several places you can walk to get amazing viewpoints of the beach. There is also the ironically named ‘Mirissa Secret Beach’, which is definitely not a secret anymore, but beautiful, nonetheless.

Stay | our accommodation was perfect – we stayed at Peacock Villa. The price point was excellent, the rooms were the cleanest I’ve ever experienced, we had a huge veranda and there were actual wild peacocks all over the place! I’m trying to find fault, but just can’t – every single aspect of our stay was covered.

Eat | nearby the accommodation was No. 1 Dewmini Roti Shop, which did fantastic curries and kottu. The pizzas from Surfing Wombats Mirissa were also outstanding.

Weligama beach is reasonably quiet, super wide and is the ultimate place to learn to surf. It feels, to me anyway, like it’s got a hostelly, fun atmosphere, but leaning more towards digital nomads. There are surfer dudes running surf camps and shops all along the beach west of the Weligama Bay Marriott (one of the only taller, Western hotels in the area – it’s super lovely if that’s something you’re looking for. We had a look around and it’s pretty spectacular). 

Eat | we enjoyed vegan ice creams everyday from Cruising Smoothly, a food van found along the beach (and destroyed our budget in the process). We would fully recommend bankrupting yourself here.

A rocky shoal at Mirissa Beach in Sri Lanka with beautiful clear blue waters.
Perfect oceans around Mirissa and Weligama
A swimmer in a turquois bathing suit walking into the shallow clear water at Mirissa Beach, Sri Lanka.
Mirissa

Unawatuna is a nice, wide, sweeping beach with decent facilities and swimming opportunities. It’s densely packed with small restaurants, bars and accommodation options (a bit like Hiriketiya but with less of the backpacker vibes). It’s extremely popular with Russian tourists – there are more signs in Russian than English.

The beach is conveniently located nearby Galle, which is great if you are planning a visit there without staying overnight. We loved the beach here, but not the town quite as much – it felt narrow, full of jewellery shops and just a bit too busy for us (although it’s still absolutely lovely – don’t dismiss it!).

This 17th century fortified port city is a great place for an afternoon wander. It’s unlike anywhere else on the southern coast and a solid choice for upmarket meals or shopping sprees. Originally Portuguese, then Dutch, then British, this port is actually the largest city in the southern province and is home to Galle Fort, the biggest European-built fortress in Asia.

Eat | a personal recommendation we received was for afternoon tea and *very* upscale drinks at the acclaimed Amangalla, which was slightly out of our budget! However, we can confirm that KiXi do as good a coffee and cakes as everyone says, and Café 82 has some really unique, highly recommended ice cream.

A group of people playing on the sandy beach beside the lighthouse at Galle, Sri lanka.
Galle Lighthouse
Writing on an old building seen in Galle during a three weeks in Sri Lanka itinerary.
Galle old town

This is probably our least favourite on this list (not to say it is a bad place, just not our thing). Hikkaduwa is mostly Russian – menus are in Russian, many of the guesthouses are Russian owned and there are a multitude of Russian language diving tours.

Eat | we also found all the food options here overpriced for the quality; however, we did get an absolutely smashing daal curry and rice from Tree Top.

Vibes | the vibes are lively and it’s a very popular spot for surfing, but we think Narigama beach just to the south is nicer if you’re just looking for a beach.

Noise | the train runs right through the middle of Hikkaduwa, so be careful if you book accommodation away from the beach – it might be loud; we had to drive almost along the tracks to reach ours!

Turtles can be seen along the southern section of the beach, but please don’t interfere with the animals – apparently it’s becoming a troubling issue.

The Bentota area is seriously upscale compared with other parts of Sri Lanka. It has lots of resorts and western brands and it’s the place to indulge if you fancy something special.

We had a good old sneek-peek around the Cinnamon Bentota Beach (we love checking out places we cannot afford!) and it is *nice*.

If you have your own transport, don’t forget to stop by basically every single bay you can find! Often, these beaches and bays are the prettiest ones.

Some smaller beaches we liked include: Talalla (empty, sweeping and clean), Koggala (a few activities, lovely and clean, wide, although there is a tourist trap here where people pay to see the fake stilted fishermen), Thalpe Beach, Dalawella, Crytal Beach (so many places along the route from Hikkaduwa to Colombo are exquisite).

A lone person walking on the golden sand of a beach in Hikkaduwa, Sri Lanka.
A random stretch of beach north of Hikkaduwa
Surf boards on a rack for rent by the beachside at Weligama Beach, Sri Lanka.
Obligatory surf shops

〈 Suggested number of days → 1-3 〉

Lots of people have expressed less than enthusiastic opinions of Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka. However, we cannot understand why. The final location on this Sri Lanka three-week itinerary is a lively city, but far from a frenetic metropolis – so if you’re picturing a mega-city like Saigon, Delhi or Bangkok, you couldn’t be further from the truth!

Stretched along the western side of Sri Lanka, Colombo sprawls southward along the beach-lined coast. It’s not exactly packed with high-rise buildings – so is nothing like a Bangkok/New York-style skyline, but it still radiates big city vibes. From atop of almost every taller building, you’ll be able to see the deep-red sun, setting over a glimmering blue ocean.

The city has some pretty high-end malls to accompany the quality food, drink and nightlife offerings. This is juxtaposed against the old town Pettah and fort area in the north. This incredibly welcoming and intriguing area is great for shopping, markets and older buildings (I walked around alone here for quite some time and got into a surprising number of friendly and curious conversations). Along the ocean front, Galle Face Green is a long grassy park, lined with small food trucks and residents exercising.

It’s a really, really nice city. We spent three full days and didn’t really do much but walk and drive around, and we do not regret any of that time! Also, it’s worth noting that we found it exceptionally easy to drive in Colombo. The roads are simple, the drivers decent and we found parking everywhere very straightforward.

We also absolutely adored our Colombo accommodation – Cinnamon Red Colombo. It’s a big, tall hotel which contrasted sharply with the places we’d stayed over the previous month.

Views from the roof top pool and our modern, high-floor, *enormous* corner room were spectacular – we genuinely didn’t want to leave (we didn’t even pay for an upgrade, it’s just the room that was given to us). The room itself was immaculate and we’d love to give a big shout out to the car parking staff who were some of the nicest, funniest and most helpful men we’ve met in Sri Lanka.

Absolute 10/10 for this one.

We ate well in Colombo. As a large, international city, you can get pretty much any type of food and as high-end as you’d fancy. We, as usual, stuck to our usual curries, rice and breads and were not disappointed.

We particularly enjoyed the food from Isso, who did a stupendous, super spicy jackfruit curry (I had it twice with different sauces).

Red and white tiles adoring the striking Jami Ul Alfar mosque in the Pettah area of Colombo, Sri lanka.
Jami Ul Alfar Mosque, Colombo
Busy morning streets of the Pettah area of Colombo, a great place to visit during a three weeks in Sri Lanka itinerary.
Early morning streets of Pettah, Colombo

If this three weeks in Sri Lanka post has been helpful to you (and maybe even persuaded you to self-drive around Sri Lanka!), consider booking a rental car through our favourite company, Discover Cars, check out our post about tuktuk rentals, or reserving your hotel through booking.com!

Booking through our links help fund this blog at zero cost to yourself. Thank you!

We were astonished by Sri Lanka. It’s a nation that has this kind of low energy, yet vibrant quality that makes me want to return, over and over again. Adapting to the groove and flow of the people on bicycles, the scent of the markets and the rumbling transport is easy and natural; it is all an inimitable, yet altogether comfortable, assault on the senses. Travelling this route in a tuktuk has left some quite visceral, cerebral memories of Sri Lanka, ones I hope never to lose.

Simply, Sri Lanka deserves so much more attention than it gets.

This specific Sri Lanka route was perfect for the time we had (a full month), however, we travel extraordinarily slowly and feel that it would fit perfectly as a well-paced, first-time, three-week Sri Lanka itinerary using just public transport. However, the country is as diverse as it is compact, so worthy of as much time as you can give to it!

For more resources to help you plan your trip, check out our list of things to know before you go. We hope this helps you plan your Sri Lanka trip and that you have an incredible time!


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7 Comments

  1. Your guide to Sri Lanka is superb! We are a family of four who don’t like to rough it, but even though our budget is a bit healthier than yours, your suggestions of where to visit and more importantly where/what to avoid were on point. Thank you, really really helpful and I’ll be checking out your other blogs before I travel anywhere. Fab!👍😃

  2. Hi I really really enjoyed your summary of Sri Lanka I’m sure I will be using time and again as a reference, the thing I’m concerned about is the weather as we would be there the same month as you were, would you suggest not going in December, our daughter lives in dubia so we were intending using it as a pre xmas trip then following on to dubia for xmas and new year, many thanks.

    1. Hi Annette,

      I’m so glad you found it helpful 😊

      When we went in December, we happened to coincide the beginning of our trip with a tropical storm in the region. We also wanted to visit as much of the country as we could, despite it being the wrong season for visiting the north/east of the island.

      December is meant to be the start of the dry season in Sri Lanka’s southwest areas. So, if you’re planning on visiting the beaches along the coastline south of Colombo to Mirissa, you -should- have better weather than we did. I think we were really unlucky.

      Hope this helps!

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