The Perfect 7-Day Sri Lanka Itinerary
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Are you planning a trip to Sri Lanka but only have one week to squeeze in as much as possible!? Then this article is perfect for you! We’ll run you through the perfect 7-day itinerary that will ensure you can see as much of this beautiful country as possible!
Nine Arch Bridge in Ella, Sri Lanka.
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Let’s start this article off by noting that there is SO MUCH to do and see in Sri Lanka! With one week, you will barely scratch the surface, but at the same time, you can still cover so many of the top cities and sights, and get a great taste for what this country has to offer. We travelled to Sri Lanka in late April 2024, and only had 7 full days to explore the country, so we decided to put together what we think is a perfect 7-day itinerary following our experience in Sri Lanka!
Before we get into the itinerary however, let’s talk a little about how to get around Sri Lanka.
TRANSPORT IN SRI LANKA
Sri Lanka is known for its scenic trains and we definitely recommend taking at least one of these during your time in Sri Lanka. We took the train from Colombo to Kandy in second class with reserved seats, and this was a fairly comfortable journey. However, the most popular and arguably most scenic route is from Kandy to Ella. You can look to take this full journey, or otherwise a portion of the journey if you’re just wanting a sample of what the Sri Lankan trains can offer!
Public transport is pretty cheap and affordable in Sri Lanka, but isn’t the most comfortable option. If you’re wanting to travel full budget style and get the authentic experience, then trains and buses will be your best friend. However, if you’re like us, and wanting to save your energy for the many activities you will be jamming into your week, then another popular option is to hire a car/van with a driver. There are heaps of companies in Sri Lanka that offer this option - you can work with them to develop your itinerary, and then leave it to them to get you to all your fun sights during the week! We ended up going with a big van, which comfortably fit 6 of us and all our luggage. A bonus surprise was that not only did we have an amazing, air-conditioned van and a wonderful driver, but our package also came with a guide as well, which ended up being a huge help during our time in Sri Lanka! We paid $750 USD for the week, which is definitely one of our bigger splurges during our travels, however, split between 6 people, it worked out pretty decent, especially considering how much of Sri Lanka we were able to cover during our week.
Having the driver also meant our days could be a little more flexible, and we were able to make plenty of stops during our transit between cities. Our driver and guide met us at the station in Kandy, and were with us our whole trip, finishing by dropping us off at the airport at the end. We definitely recommend this as the best option, particularly if you are short on time for your visit to Sri Lanka. We’ll be running through the itinerary on the presumption you have a car, however, don’t stress too much if you don’t plan on hiring a car, as this is a fairly popular route and you should be able to find public transport to get to every stop!
DAY 1 - COLOMBO
Day 1 and you’ve arrived in the capital! Depending on when you arrive, you’ll hopefully have at least half a day to head out and explore before moving on to the next city.
WHERE TO STAY
We stayed in Colombo for one night each side of our trip, and stayed at two completely different accommodations. Our first night we stayed at CityRest Fort, which is a hostel about a 10-minutes walk from the Fort Train Station, which was super convenient to grab a train early in the morning.
At the end of our trip we spent one night staying at the Hilton Colombo Residence, which obviously cost a lot more than our first accommodation, but we were able to split some of the costs by staying in a suite with our friends! This hotel was absolutely beautiful, had a great buffet breakfast, and plenty of amenities, including a pool, gym and some sports courts!
The train from Colombo to Kandy!
WHAT TO DO
While Colombo is just a transit stop in this itinerary, if you do happen to have a bit of time in the city at the start or end of your trip, there are plenty of different things you can get up to. If you’re a sucker for a great view, you can head to the top of the Lotus Tower, the tallest, self-supported structure in South Asia! The observation deck sits at 250m tall, while the building itself is 350m tall.
If you’re looking to immerse yourself a little more in the history and culture, you can check out the National Museum, or some of the most famous temples and religious buildings in the city, including the Gangaramaya Temple, the Jami-Ul-Alfar Mosque or the Wolvendaal Church.
DAYS 2 & 3 - SIGIRIYA
Depending on your preference, you can either get your driver to pick you up from Colombo, or, if you’re like us, and want to get an authentic Sri Lankan train ride out of the way early, you can grab a train from Fort Station to Kandy, and have your driver meet you there. If you leave Colombo quite early in the day, you may have time to explore Kandy, but if not, don’t stress, because you’ll have another opportunity in a couple of days to explore the second largest city in Sri Lanka.
Another stop we made before arriving at our accommodation was a slight detour to visit the Dambulla Cave Temple, which is another great option.
WHERE TO STAY
There are heaps of great places to stay in Sigiriya, however we opted for Lotus Eco Villa. We wanted to stay somewhere a bit unique and we loved that our cabin felt both natural and modern at the same time. The exterior certainly was natural, and it even had an awesome outside bathroom, but on the inside you can count on your normal travel staples like Wifi and air conditioning! If you’re wanting something extra unique, you can even opt to stay in their unique treehouse! Plus, as an added bonus, they have JUST added a swimming pool. It literally was finished only a few days before we arrived!
Lotus Eco Villa is a great budget accommodation option in Sigiriya.
The incredible treehouse accommodation at Lotus Eco Villa in Sigiriya!
If you’re wanting something similar, but with more amenities and a normal hotel feel, then Nivadoo Resort also has some unique pods, but is more of a regular hotel, with a big restaurant and front desk.
Search for Sigiriya accommodation here!
WHAT TO DO
The view from the top of Sigiriya Lion Rock.
The view from the top of Sigiriya Lion Rock.
The view of Lion Rock from the top of Pidurangala Rock in Sigiriya.
In Sigiriya, the top sight is most definitely the hike to the top of Lion Rock. This is probably one of the most famous spots in Sri Lanka, so it’s a definite must do during your time in Sigiriya. While the climb was tough, it wasn’t as hard as we expected, and we’ve definitely done many harder hikes during our travels, so unless you have any major mobility issues, you should be able to do it. It’s really not as long as it looks, and takes far less time than you would expect! The only major factor that we found really hard was navigating the heat!
At the top there is so much room to walk around and explore, including taking in those 360 views of Sigiriya. Entrance set us back $36 USD, which is very expensive, but it is definitely worth doing, so unfortunately you will just have to cop the high price tag.
Something we did that we didn’t particularly think was worth the money, was exploring Anuradhapura. While your entrance ticket gives you access to a whole heap of sights, that $30 USD we paid was a lot more than we paid to see some world famous sights like the Colosseum, Pompeii and The Acropolis… so we struggled to get past that.
The last thing we would recommend doing in Sigiriya, which is an absolute must-do, is the climb up Pidurangala Rock. Less famous than Lion’s Rock, but our entire group much preferred it. The hike took a similar amount of time, but was a little less established, with some climbing over rocks required, but again, a very doable walk aside from the heat. At the top, you will be greeted with the most incredible views of Lion Rock, making it a very popular spot to watch the sunset. If you’re going to only do one of the two hikes, we’d recommend this one. Not only are the views incredible, but the price tag was a lot lower as well. When we went in April 2024, we paid 1000 rupees each, which is roughly $3.35 USD.
The view of Lion Rock from the top of Pidurangala Rock in Sigiriya.
DAY 4 - ELLA
Nine Arch Bridge in Ella.
Nine Arch Bridge in Ella.
The famous Ambuluwawa Tower!
The drive from Sigiriya to Ella is very long, so make sure you’re prepared to lose a lot of your day to driving. The positive is that there are some great stops on route between these two cities, or that are only slight detours. We jammed a whole bunch of stops into our drive from Sigiriya to Ella, although it is worth noting we left at 7.30am and didn’t arrive in Ella until 8.30pm. This is another argument as to why having the van was a huge help!
We made some shorter stops on the way at a spice farm, and a tea plantation. While not for everyone, we loved learning a bit more about some common spices used in Sri Lanka, as well as about the process of farming tea leaves. We also stopped in Kandy for a couple of hours, wandering around the lake and grabbing a bite to eat. It is worth noting that Kandy is the second largest city in Sri Lanka, and is a very popular tourist destination, so if you are wanting to properly explore the city, you may need to work in a night or two into your itinerary. We opted against Kandy, and instead settled for just having a few hours to explore during a travel day.
The last key stop we made on route to Ella was at the Ambuluwawa Tower. You may have seen this wonky looking tower on Instagram. It sits on top of a big mountain, and is famous for it’s spiralling stairs that get narrower the higher you get up. By the time you reach the top, you will have to be walking sideways to even fit! Three of the six of us managed to fight the nerves and make it to the top, and it was definitely a unique experience!
At the top of the Ambuluwawa Tower! As you can see, we barely fit!
Despite the tower only standing around 54m tall, because of it’s location on top of a mountain, it feels MUCH higher!
Another option, that we unfortunately ran out of time for, is to stop in Nuwara Eliya and explore. This is also a popular spot to spend a night or two if you have the time, but if not, is a great option to stop by on your way to Ella. If you opt against some of the earlier stops, another option is to get in your mandatory Sri Lankan train ride from Nuwara Eliya to Ella. If you have a driver, it’s even more convenient because you can leave your luggage with them, and have them meet you on the other side!
WHERE TO STAY
While we spent very little time at our accommodation, we stayed at Tantra Ella Lodge and it was great! The room was a great size, with a massive bathroom, and the best part is that it is only a 5-10 minute walk away from the main strip of shops!
If you’re looking for something a little higher class, our friends stayed at Tip Top Boutique Resort and LOVED it! While it wasn’t as close to town as Tantra Ella Lodge, it has an incredible pool and views of Ella.
Search for Ella accommodation here!
WHAT TO DO
Once you’ve arrived in Ella, the most famous and popular sight to visit is the Nine Arch Bridge. If you’ve seen photos from Sri Lanka on Instagram, chances are, this was the featured location.
The Nine Arch Bridge is an active rail crossing, but is also an incredibly beautiful location in Sri Lanka. The arches of the bridge, with the bright greenery in the background makes for beautiful photos. Make sure you look up the train schedule and try and time your visit so you can watch the train go pass, and maybe even catch it in your photos! Some of our friends went bright and early in the morning around 6.30am and it was near empty, and they much preferred it at this time. We went around 11am and it was definitely busier, but still manageable. What wasn’t so manageable though was the heat from the sun!
A train travels across the Nine Arch Bridge in Ella!
We weren’t game enough to sit in the middle, but plenty of people opted to dangle their legs off the bridge for a photo.
DAY 5 - UDAWALAWE NATIONAL PARK
One of two main national parks in Sri Lanka, Udawalawe is the key destination to go if you’re hoping to see some elephants! In fact, you’ll probably be able to spot some before you even make your way into the national park. Now you don’t have to stay in Udawalawe, however, our driver highly recommended staying closer to the park, as it made it a lot easier to do a proper safari. This is particularly important if you’re hoping to do a morning safari, as you’ll get picked up around 6am.
Again, if you’re looking for a slightly higher end accommodation choice, our friends stayed at Centauria Wild and it had an incredible pool, a great restaurant and nice rooms!
WHERE TO STAY
There are quite a few different accommodation options near the entrance of the national park. You can also opt to stay in Ella an extra night, but you’ll have to allow enough time to make the drive to Udawalawe and back, which is about a 2-hour trip. We stayed at Royal Tusker Hotel which was super cheap and affordable, and yet we had a massive room with a big bathroom, and it was only about a 5-minute drive from the park entrace. Most safaris will pick you up from your hotel if you stay in Udawalawe, so location is not as important. Plus, if you need to get anywhere, your hotel should be able to organise you a tuk tuk.
Search for Udawalawe accommodation here!
WHAT TO DO
A safari of course! There are a few different safari options, so you can pick depending on your preferences. Generally speaking, you can look to do 3, 4 or 6-hour safaris. For the shorter ones, you have the option of either a sunrise or late afternoon safari, where the 6-hour one will go in the mornings.
We opted for the 6-hour morning safari and highly recommend this if you can spare the time (and the patience)! In our first half we didn’t have a whole lot of luck spotting animals, but in the last few hours we were fortunate to see quite a few elephants, so were feeling very grateful we opted for the longer option.
If you’re not sure you can sit still in the hot sun for 6-hours straight, you can always opt to do a short morning, and then a short evening safari to break up the time.
Admiring a beautiful elephant in Udawalawe National Park!
A beautiful elephant in Udawalawe National Park!
DAYS 6 & 7 - HIKKADUWA
Leaving Udawalawe, it’s time to head to the coast for some well-earned R&R. There are a lot of great and popular beach spots in Sri Lanka, and Hikkaduwa is definitely one of the most popular ones. On route to Hikkaduwa, you may also want to stop off and explore Galle, which is widely known as one of the most beautiful cities in Sri Lanka. We stopped and had a wander through town and the architecture was absolutely incredible.
If you opted for the morning safari in Udawalawe, then you should be done around midday (even if you’ve done the longer 6-hour option), so you’ll still be able to drive to Hikkaduwa the same day and settle in.
WHERE TO STAY
We were travelling as a group of six, so we opted for a big house that would fit all of us! Blue Peacock Beach House was a great house that sat right on the beach and was able to accommodation 6 guests. Plus it had a really nice pool, an awesome patio area and a fully equipped kitchen if you’d like to cook during your stay! We absolutely loved it!
However, Hikkaduwa is a very popular tourist spot, so there are actually SO many options for accommodation, so if you are travelling with a smaller party, you can check out some other options by following the link below!
Our amazing pool at Blue Peacock Beach House in Hikkaduwa.
An incredible sunset in Hikkaduwa.
WHAT TO DO
Relax! If that sounds a bit boring though, there are a few different water sports to do in Hikkaduwa, including scuba diving, snorkelling and even paddle boarding! You can also venture over to Turtle Beach, which is one of the beaches that is more recommended for swimming, as some of the others can be quite rough. As a bonus, you might even spot a turtle or two.
NOTE:
We were not massive fans of turtle beach. While there were signs with some rules and regulations around the turtles, these were not enforced at all in our experience, and we saw plenty of tourists getting way too close to the turtles, and even touching and feeding them. Hopefully in the future a little more will be done to protect the turtles, whilst also allowing tourists to view them in their natural environment!
At the end of day 7, it’ll be time to make your way back to Colombo and wrap up your time in Sri Lanka!
Got some extra time? Some other popular spots to stay in and explore in more detail include Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Mirissa and Galle! We drove through all of these towns except Mirissa, and would’ve loved to have some extra time to explore!
