Sri Lanka is about 435 km from north to south and 225 km at its widest point. Half of the country is occupied by a central mountain range with some peaks reaching over 2200 meters. The main roads are paved but some are in a poor state sometimes. In Sri Lanka, there is no mention of distances but hours away!
My Sri Lanka two week itinerary is finally completed! With so much to see and so many options it was difficult to drop all things I wanted to see and do, but with my time scale of two weeks in Sri Lanka would have been far too hectic and active. After weeks of planning and many emails, there is finally comfort knowing the route and plans for my trip.
DAY 1, 2 – Colombo
Arrive in Colombo – the capital and largest city in Sri Lanka and stay for two days. Visit Galle Face, Gangaramaya Temple and the local markets.
DAY 3 – Galle
Take a train to Galle – evening in the beautiful walled town, a former Dutch colony.
DAY 4 – Adam’s Peak
Visit the stilt fishermen before my flight from Koggala Airport to Kandy – Polgolla Reservoir, transfer with hired driver to Adam’s Peak for a night trek of more than 5000 steps to the top. Known for the Sri Pada, i.e., “sacred footprint”, a 1.8 m (5 ft 11 in) rock formation near the summit, which in the Buddhist tradition is held to be the footprint of the Buddha, in Hindu tradition that of Shiva and in Islamic and Christian tradition that of Adam, in Islamic tradition it is the site where Adam fell to earth and where his footprint can be found.
DAY 5, 6 – Kandy
Return to Kandy, with visits to tea plantations etc along the route. Stay in Kandy for two nights to recover from the overnight climb, and a visit to the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic – a Buddhist temple in the city of Kandy, Sri Lanka. It is located in the royal palace complex of the former Kingdom of Kandy, which houses the relic of the tooth of Buddha. It is believed that whoever holds the relic holds the governance of the country. Kandy was the last capital of the Sri Lankan kings and is a UNESCO world heritage site mainly due to the temple.
DAY 7 – Dambulla and Sigiriya
Dambulla – Best preserved cave temple complex of Sri Lanka
Sigiriya Rock – Sigiriya today is a UNESCO listed World Heritage. It is one of the best-preserved examples of ancient urban planning. It is the most visited historic site in Sri Lanka. It takes about 45 minutes to climb Sigiriya Rock and about the same to get down again.
DAY 8 – Polonnaruwa
Polonnaruwa – The second most ancient of Sri Lanka‘s kingdoms, The Ancient City of Polonnaruwa has been declared a World Heritage. – It is possible to visit the ruins of Polonnaruwa within 2-3 hours because all the ruins are close to each other.
DAY 9 – Anuradhapura
Anuradhapura – one of the ancient capitals of Sri Lanka, famous for its well-preserved ruins of ancient Sri Lankan civilization.
DAY 10, 11, 12 – Trincomalee
Trincomalee and nearby beach areas of Nilaveli, Uppuveli, and Pigeon Island – for sunshine and beach time.
DAY 13 – Negombo
Fly from Trincomalee to Colombo International Airport for final overnight in Negombo.
DAY 14
Return flight home.