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Sri Lanka is a beautiful country and a deeply spiritual place. The official religion here is Buddhism, but even the Buddhist temples are intertwined with Hindu ideas and deities. Culturally the people here are profoundly welcoming, calm and friendly. The history of the island is interesting with colonial influences from the Portuguese, Dutch and British impacting on architecture, culture, produce and sports. All of this combined make Sri Lanka a truly unique place to visit.
I’ve visited Sri Lanka twice, many years apart; in 2012 and 2025. It’s the kind of place where it would be ideal to have a month to explore. However, the reality of life means that many of us are short on time. I’ve put together this 7 day itinerary, which is a combination of my two visits. I hope it helps you to make the most of the opportunity to visit this stunning place.
Sri Lanka is perfect if:
- You are interested in spirituality, culture and history
- You like the outdoors and a hike or two!
- You like to connect to local people
- You want a genuine and humbling trip. There’s no bourgeois here because it’s not that kind of place!
Without further ado here is my itinerary:
Night 1: Arrive in Negombo
Negombo is a beach resort near the capital Colombo and is around 20 minutes drive from the airport. For this reason it’s a great place to stay at the beginning or end of your journey.
Negombo is not the most beautiful resort you’ll ever visit but is fine for a night or two. I felt safe here walking around on my own in the daytime.
On my most recent visit I stayed at Terrace Green Hotel & Spa and would recommend it. The room was comfortable and the hotel offer a free transfer service to or from the airport. There is also a restaurant on site with great reviews. I didn’t get the opportunity to eat here but it looked lovely.
Usually when I travel I organise any tours or transfers through Viator. The advantage of this is that the tours are reviewed so you can be assured that you will have a good experience. On my most recent visit, I travelled as part of a yoga retreat and so I am not going to be able to recommend specific tour operators on Viator. However, you can view all of the tours available and reviews on this link Sri Lanka excursions on Viator.
Day 1:
This morning you will transfer to the Dambulla area around 2 hours drive away from Negombo. Here you will find many of the must-sees that Sri Lanka has to offer.
The first and most wonderful stop is Dambulla Cave Temple. This was my favourite experience in 2012 and when I returned in 2025 I was just as impressed. It is the largest Buddhist temple in Sri Lanka, with 5 individual rooms and a whopping 157 Buddha statues in total.
The temple was first established in the 3rd century BCE. As you might expect, not much changed between my first and second visits despite them being 13 years apart! I’ve never felt the spirituality anywhere in the world as much as I did here. I can’t recommend it enough.
You will see lots of monkeys on the walk up to the temple. This will be a novelty on your first day! If you take offerings for the temple, beware of the monkeys stealing them on the way up.
For your stay in Dambulla, my recommendation for a hotel locally is the Heritance Kandalama. This is one of my favourite hotels that I’ve ever stayed in, mainly because of the gorgeous views and the sense of connection with nature.
Day 2:
This morning get up early for a hike up Sigiriya rock, another one of Sri Lanka’s most iconic landmarks and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Also known as the Lion Rock, is an ancient rock fortress located in the central Matale District of Sri Lanka. You will be very close if you stay in Dambulla so you can get there before the crowds. The rock stands approximately 180 meters (590 feet) high and is renowned for its historical and archaeological significance.
Built in the 5th century by King Kashyapa, Sigiriya served as his new capital after he seized the throne from his father. The site features a palace on top of the rock, surrounded by elaborate frescoes and gardens. A gateway in the form of a lion, which gave the site its name, once stood at the entrance.
You will need trainers and water for the climb! It took our group around 45 minutes to get to the top but we are a bunch of yogis so have a reasonable level of fitness.
After the hike, this afternoon head to Minneriya National Park for a jeep safari. Here you will see elephants roaming freely in their natural habitat. As you can imagine, this is a really special experience and I can highly recommend it.
Between my visits, the elephants seemed to be more comfortable with the jeeps around them. The as the increase in tourism in Sri Lanka was noticeable in that time. I reflected on how I felt about this and I feel ok with it; the elephants seemed to feel safe and the tourism means that they can be protected to live as naturally as possible.
Optional extra: If you want to stay longer in the Dambulla area, I would recommend a day trip to the ancient cities of Polonnaruwa and Anuradhapura. These will be particularly interesting if you are into history and spirituality. Both sites are absolutely vast and have so many interesting ruins and so much to learn. For this reason it is helpful to go with a knowledgeable guide.
Day 3:
You’ll be glad to hear that there is no early start this morning, and you get to enjoy a slow morning at your hotel. If you are staying at the Heritance Kandalama, you can make use of one of their pools or just sit and have a coffee overlooking that fantastic view!
When you are ready get a transfer to your next location, Lotus Villa, Kandy. There are several advantages to staying here, even though it is a little out of town. Firstly it’s up in the mountains so is incredibly quiet and beautiful. Secondly, Siran who is a Director of the villa is brilliant at helping you to organise tours and can even come with you. He is great fun and very accommodating and really made our trip!
The villa has a kitchen for guests to use where you can make your own hot drinks and snacks. I loved sitting out on the balcony each morning with my coffee just taking it all in. The villa can organise dinner for you if you’d like or you can get tuk-tuks to local restaurants.
Day 4:
Get up early for a puja ceremony at the local Hindu temple. Siran will organise this and come with you as it is necessary to have someone who speaks the local language, knows the customs and can guide you.
The ceremony involves a series of rituals to honour deities and to seek blessings. I found the puja ceremony to be a deeply spiritual and humbling experience. I came away feeling honoured to have had that experience away from touristy areas as it felt very authentic. For the rest of the day it is not advisable to drink alcohol or to eat eggs or meat. I chose to follow this out of respect.
On the way back from the ceremony Siran can take you for a coffee at Barista, the biggest coffee chain on Sri Lanka. This was welcome after another early start!
In the afternoon Siran can arrange for you to have an ayurvedic massage. This cost 11,000 rupees (around £30 / $37). It was an excellent massage and because of the oil used, my skin felt great afterwards. It was wonderful to have a little bit of rest and pampering on an otherwise busy trip!
Day 5:
This morning take a tuk-tuk to Royal Botanic Gardens, around 8km from the villa. On the way you will pass through the University Campus, which is beautiful.
The gardens themselves are huge and have a grandeur that reminded me of British parks, except for the palm trees and warm weather! You can see the colonical influence here. I really enjoyed having a stroll around the gardens and it would be a great place for a picnic. There are lots of tuk-tuks outside so it’s very easy to get back to the villa.
In the evening head to The Temple of the Tooth in Kandy. You can get a tuk-tuk here from the villa, which will cost around 2000 rupees (£5 / $7). The journey takes around 30 minutes.
The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic is a Buddhist temple which holds the sacred tooth of Buddha. This relic has immense spiritual significance and is believed to hold the divine right to rule the land.
The temple is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is one of the most important Buddhist shrines in the world. It features stunning architecture, colourful murals, and elaborate roof structures. The relic is kept in a two-story inner shrine, surrounded by offerings of flowers and incense.
Outside the gates there are many stalls where you can buy flowers as offerings to the deities. The temple is situated next to a lake and it’s a very scenic area, especially at sunset.
After your visit have dinner Cafe 1886, a traditional Sri Lankan restaurant. The prawn red curry here was out of this world!
You will find that many of the traditional restaurants in Sr Lanka don’t service alcohol. If you fancy a tipple by this point in your trip, head over to the Royal Bar & Hotel. This is the oldest licenced bar in Kandy and is a beautiful colonial building. You can sit in the courtyard or the bar area upstairs which is very grand and includes a piano. It’s a really nice spot for a drink. Just one though as you have another early start in the morning!
Day 6:
Your last day of exploring will be an epic adventure. Get up at the crack of dawn for the drive to Horton Plains National Park, which is high in the mountains. We did a 10km circular hike which included the amazing Baker Falls, and World’s End. Yes both are as dramatic as they sound! I’m so glad I did this as the scenery was incredible.
Sri Lanka is one of the most biodiverse countries in the world and conservation is taken very seriously. In the national park there were several steps in place to ensure that the area remains untouched by tourism. This means that species such as sambar deer and the Sri Lankan leopard can safely roam freely in the reserve.
After your hike you will drive through the town of Nuwara Eliya on the way to tea country. If you are lucky there will be time for a quick stop to see the post office building. You can definitely see the British influence here!
Next you will visit a tea factory and plantation. This included a factory tour, tea tasting and the chance to try out picking tea leaves. This was eye opening and also fun. It definitely made me appreciate my morning cuppa with a different perspective!
When I travelled all of this was organised by Siran and he came with us. I’d definitely recommend travelling with him as you can completely relax and know you are in safe hands. He is also great fun.
Day 7
On your final day head back to the airport for your flight home. If you get the chance to stay longer in Sri Lanka, the beach resorts on the South coast come highly recommended, particularly the resort of Galle.
Last but not least:
If you are feeling hedonistic: treat yourself to tea and a piece of cake in one of the many tea houses around Nuwara Eliya.
If you want a sense of accomplishment: ensure you do the hike up to the top of Sigiriya, and to World’s End in Nuwara Eliya. Both have exceptional views and are challenging hikes!
Reasons to be optimistic: Sri Lanka gained independence from British rule in 1948, and independence is celebrated across the country on the 4th of February. This is a day of great pride and is marked by parades and celebrations of freedom across the nation.
