A 2 Week Itinerary for Sri Lanka
The following is a 2 week itinerary Sri Lanka. One of our customers from Australia did this journey in a tuktuk in 2 weeks. You can achieve a similar itinerary in the same amount of time using the train/bus system – or a private taxi. We are going to show you the trip that “Alistair” did in early 2017. During this trip it was off season in Arugam Bay (January), but he still wanted to see it! It was very quiet though and he didn’t spend long there. We recommend you cut out Arugam Bay and spend longer down South or in Ella if you’re here in the off season! For more info on the surf season check out this blog.
Regarding the itinerary, I personally think one night is enough in Kandy to see everything. Potentially 2 nights in Ella, we hear that “Tomorrowland” is a good place to stay for a backpacker and has camping options – I’ve never stayed though so check out booking.com and make sure it is up your alley! When you wrap back around the coast be sure to visit Mirissa, Unawatuna, Welligama (beginner surfing) and Midigama (bigger waves).
Train from Nuwara Eliya to Kandy?
There is a lot of talk about taking the train from Nuwara Eliya to Kandy (or vice versa). We have had customers who have dropped the tuktuk off in Ella and taken the train, and those who have driven through. Check out the pro’s and con’s of the train, as well as the timetable here.
2-week itinerary Sri Lanka
Day 1 – Colombo (Mount Lavinia) to Habarana
Day 2 – Habarana and climbing Sigiriya (Lion’s Rock)
Day 3 – Habanara to Kandy
Day 4 – Kandy
Day 5 – Kandy to Adam’s Peak to Nuwara Eliya
Day 6 – Nuwara Eliya to Ella
Day 7 – Ella
Day 8 – Ella to Arugam Bay
Day 9 – Arugam Bay to Tissamaharama
Day 10 – Tissamaharama (Yala safari) to Mirissa
Day 11 – Mirissa (day trip to Kogala)
Day 12 – Mirissa (day trip to Weligama)
Day 13 – Mirissa to Galle to Hikkaduwa
Day 14 – Hikkaduwa to Colombo (Mt Lavinia)
9 Comments
by Jinny
Hi!
Thanks for sharing this itinenary! I was wondering how long does it take in tuk tuk from 1 to 2 (Colombo to Habanara)?
Also did you stop on the road to visit places, if yes what do you recommand?
Thanks!
by Wietse Sennema
Hi Jimmy, from Colombo to Habarana will take 4 to 5 hours depending on skills and traffic 😉 I would recommend stopping at Dambedeniya Ancient Kingdom, the big Buddha statue on the rock in Kurunegala and Dambulla Cave Temples on the way. Cheers, Wietse
by Jinny
Thanks Wietse for your quick reply 🙂
by Rebecca Woodrow
Great article! Thank you! How long will it take to drive Ella to tissa and which route is best?
by Wietse
Thanks! Ella to Tissa is about 3 hours and the B35 road is the most taken. Do watch out for elephants though! Check out more info on that here: https://tuktukrental.com/wild-elephants-in-sri-lanka-tuktuk/ – Cheers, Wietse
by Ellie
Hi, me and my boyfriend are wanting to travel as much as we can round the country for 2-3 weeks. Just abit overwhelmed with planning route/itinerary and how to include everything we want to see and where we want to go. Do you offer advice? Thanks
by Wietse
Hi Ellie! Yes we do offer itinerary travel advice, just drop us an email with your initial plan and we will help you out. Cheers, Wietse
by Eva Adès
Hello!
I am going to be landing in Bandaranaike International Airport at 11:25am on 5 February. I will then be staying in a hotel near the airport on 19 February before I fly home.
I am a solo traveller but have driven cars all over the world, and am interested in a Tuktuk rental and an itinerary! I would probably want to include having the Tuktuk transported so I could get the famous train if you would recommend this!
Many thanks,
Eva
by Wietse
Hi Eva! Amazing, your going to have a great time here in Sri Lanka. We can help with the tuktuk rental and itinerary planning too, you can join a free session here: We offer the train transfer too. Since your journey is soon to start, we recommend booking the tuktuk as soon as possible. We are currently in our high season and pretty busy, we also need to get your local driving permit here in Sri Lanka (this takes us 1 business day after you submit all the documents and they have been approved). We will send you an email as well now. Cheers, Wietse