Sri Lanka Travel Guide: Your Ultimate 3 Weeks Itinerary

Can’t even remember when Sri Lanka made atop our bucket list and we decided to make it the first destination on our 9 month trip. Maybe it was the diversity of the island, National parks – as I have never seen a wild elephant before or so many recommendations we got for this country. It was so easy adding up all the spots to our itinerary, mostly because we loved every single place and had to skip some to fit the 3 weeks itinerary.

We could not have made a better choice for picking the places, but we stumbled onto a problem called “Transportation”. Trains or buses are the simple and cheap choices but could take up few additional days as are not on schedule, taking forever from one spot to another and usually you have to stand pressed to another person for 3-4 hours (that’s for 100km). After reading this and we can confirm it now, we wanted to rent a car yet we are happy we didn’t do so as they’re driving like crazy here and instead got a driver of Insight Sri Lanka, who made our trip best in all possible ways. You’d be surprised it’s not much extra compared to renting an average vehicle. Read more about Getting around Sri Lanka.

Day 1 – 3: First stop in Kandy

Kandy has been a perfect first stop with the calmest climate as not at all humid and temperature get as high as 25 degrees C. We spend there three days, but also 2 would have been enough, if jet lag doesn’t hurt you as me. Our favorite in the city was the Temple of the Tooth, Bahiravokanda Vihara Buddha statue and the beautiful botanical gardens. Find out more: 3 days in Kandy

Day 4 – 6: Sigiriya

If you’re a nature or culture lover, do not skip your visit when in Sri Lanka. In the surroundings there are 2 important cultural sights – Cave temple in Dambulla and ancient city of Pollonaruwa. But my favorite sight is always nature, so we decided to stay in a Back of Beyond tree house in the middle of the jungle, overhearing all the animals, watching play monkeys on our fence and was woken up by the sounds of peacock. Instead of visiting the Lion’s rock we headed to Pidurangala rock that offers prettiest views of the first one. Explore the surrounding with the numerous little lakes so rich in wild life. Read more: Tree House Life in Sigiriya

Day 7: Nuwara Eliya

Day 8: Ella

You will read this in every blog or travel guide, but you really want to take the train from Nuwara Eliya to Ella. Some suggest from Kandy to Ella, which takes 7 hours, while from Nuwara Eliya only 3 hours and it’s much more bearable when the train is packed and the reserved seat tickets are sold out 😉

Our guide with best connections still somehow managed to get us seats on the non reserved seat wagon. We are truly thankful to have had him by our side as he also suggested we take the train – not to Ella, but the next station, which is few km further as that’s how you pass the famous Nine Arch Bridge in Ella and can make most beautiful pictures, as all the tourists leave the train on Elle station. Literally everyone. So this is my gift to you and if you are lucky enough to visit Sri Lanka, try it out!

Ella was the green nature beauty our trip. Lonely Planet called it everyone’s favorite hill-country village and we 100% agree. Go hike Little Adam’s peak and Ella rock. Walk on the Nine Arches Bridge, get lost among tea plantations and waterfalls. Soak in the cool vibe and enjoy the views. Spend an additional day here if you’re into greens.

Day 9- 11: Udawalawe National Park

I will never learn how to hide my enthusiasm when around animals. Not even gonna try it now. WE SAW A WILD ELEPHANT!! Ok not one, like 100 of them! We had perfect 2 days itinerary with 3 safaris and could not ask for more from the Master Campers. Staying by the lake in a tent, gourmet meals and so many animal visits. My only regret was not staying longer in the area. Read more: Safari of your life in Udawalawe national park

Day 12 – 13: Yala National park

Sri Lanka offers a wide range of different National Parks and if we had more time we’d visit them all, but within 3 weeks time, 2 National Parks seemed reasonable. Yala is second biggest and is most famous for seeing leopards. We couldn’t have resisted stopping by for 2 days to track down this beautiful wild beast. One of the pros of visiting Yala is that you can stay in the coast area and, enjoy the after safari time on the beach like we did in Nikara Yala. Read More: Tracking leopards in Nikara Yala

Day 14 – 15: Tangalle

Tangalle is a home to beautiful wide beaches, where also big turtles come lay eggs in the night. The surroundings felt like one of the most calming places we found in Sri Lanka. We did a little yoga retreat with Maya Tangalle among the rice fields and fueled our batteries to the top level. Close to the town, there is also blow hole worth a visit especially in the low season when waves are stronger. Find your perfect secluded beach and don’t tell anyone about it. More on: Beach hunt in Tangalle

Day 16 – 18: Mirissa & Weligama surfing

We fell in love with Mirissa as it has such a special vibe of yoga places, beautiful beaches, surfing spots and is a home to countless palm trees. You can find there so many activities it will keep you busy for days. We stayed next to the beach and went for the sunrise dip every morning. Drink coconuts throughout the day and visit the Parrot rock for the sunset. If you haven’t tried out surfing yet, Weligama is the best spot for beginners with perfect waves, great surf schools, we stood up on the board in no time and fell in love in surfing. Read all about Mirissa chillin & Weligama surfing

Day 19 – 21: Galle

Best for last on the southern coast of Sri Lanka. Based in Talpe, we spent three most amazing days in ISHQ villa, being spoilt to rotten so it was kinda hard to leave it. Still we managed to walk 2km by the beach to reach the famous palm tree swing and swung into the sunset. To reach Galle you need to take a tuk tuk or a taxi. But. You need to visit. Galle is a gem. Old Unesco fort surrounds the old city area full of Dutch-colonial buildings, stylish cafes, and adorb boutique museums. Read our top 5 in the area here