Sri Lanka Grand Tour — 13 days

Colombo, Kandy, Ella, a Yala safari and the south coast from Mirissa to Galle. Day-by-day itinerary: Arrival in Colombo; Colombo culture; Colombo → Kandy via Pinnawala; Sacred Kandy.

Day-by-day itinerary

Day 1 — Arrival in Colombo

10:00 — Arrival in Colombo (Bandaranaike)
12:00 — Taxi → city centre (45 min) — Aéroport → Colombo
13:30 — Hotel check-in — Colombo Fort
Walk to Galle Face Green — Colombo Fort → Colombo
16:00 — Galle Face Green at sunset — Colombo
19:30 — Sri Lankan curry dinner — Colombo

Day 2 — Colombo culture

09:00 — Pettah Market — Pettah
Walk to the temple — Pettah → Colombo
11:00 — Gangaramaya Temple — Colombo
13:00 — Rice & curry lunch — Colombo
15:00 — Colombo National Museum — Colombo
Walk to the old lighthouse — Colombo → Colombo Fort
17:00 — Old lighthouse & colonial streets — Colombo Fort
Walk to dinner — Colombo Fort → Colombo
20:00 — Seafood dinner — Colombo

Day 3 — Colombo → Kandy via Pinnawala

08:00 — Private car with driver → Pinnawala (3h) — Colombo → Pinnawala
11:00 — Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage — Pinnawala
13:00 — Lunch in Pinnawala
14:30 — Drive → Kandy (2h) — Pinnawala → Kandy
17:00 — Hotel check-in — Kandy
19:30 — Dinner and Kandyan dance show — Kandy

Day 4 — Sacred Kandy

09:00 — Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic — Kandy
Drive to Peradeniya — Kandy → Peradeniya
11:00 — Peradeniya Royal Botanic Gardens — Peradeniya
Drive back to Kandy — Peradeniya → Kandy
13:30 — Lunch near Kandy Lake — Kandy
15:30 — Kandy spice market — Kandy
Walk to the lake — Kandy → Kandy Lake
17:00 — Stroll around Kandy Lake — Kandy Lake
Walk to dinner — Kandy Lake → Kandy
19:30 — Rice & curry buffet dinner — Kandy

Day 5 — Kandy → Nuwara Eliya

09:00 — Train Kandy → Nuwara Eliya (3h) — Kandy → Nanu Oya
13:00 — Colonial hotel check-in — Nuwara Eliya
14:30 — Tea plantation & factory — Nuwara Eliya
17:00 — Stroll around Lake Gregory — Nuwara Eliya
19:30 — Dinner — Nuwara Eliya

Day 6 — Horton Plains & World's End

05:30 — Early start to Horton Plains — Nuwara Eliya → Horton Plains
07:00 — Horton Plains hike — World's End — Horton Plains
10:00 — Baker's Falls — Horton Plains
Drive to Nuwara Eliya — Horton Plains → Nuwara Eliya
13:00 — Lunch in Nuwara Eliya — Nuwara Eliya
15:30 — Strawberry farms & gardens — Nuwara Eliya
19:30 — Dinner — Nuwara Eliya

Day 7 — Nuwara Eliya → Ella

09:00 — Train Nuwara Eliya → Ella (2h30) — Nanu Oya → Ella
12:30 — Hotel check-in — Ella
13:30 — Lunch — Ella
15:00 — Nine Arches Bridge — Ella
17:00 — Ravana Falls — Ella
19:30 — Dinner — Ella

Day 8 — Ella hikes

07:00 — Little Adam's Peak hike — Ella
09:30 — Breakfast with a valley view — Ella
11:30 — Ella Rock hike (optional, harder) — Ella
14:00 — Lunch — Ella
Drive to the plantations — Ella → Plantations autour d'Ella
16:00 — Tea picking with local people — Plantations autour d'Ella
Drive back to Ella — Plantations autour d'Ella → Ella
19:30 — Last dinner in Ella — Ella

Day 9 — Ella → Yala

09:00 — Drive → Yala National Park (4h) — Ella → Yala
13:30 — Hotel check-in — Près du parc de Yala
Set off on a jeep safari — Près du parc de Yala → Parc national de Yala
15:00 — Afternoon jeep safari — Parc national de Yala
Back to the lodge — Parc national de Yala → Yala
19:30 — Dinner — Yala

Day 10 — Yala safari & the south coast

05:30 — Early-morning jeep safari — Parc national de Yala
Back to the lodge — Parc national de Yala → Yala
09:30 — Breakfast — Yala
11:00 — Drive → Mirissa (2h30) — Yala → Mirissa
14:00 — Hotel check-in — Mirissa
17:30 — Mirissa beach & Coconut Tree Hill — Mirissa
19:30 — Grilled fish dinner — Mirissa

Day 11 — Mirissa whales

06:30 — Blue whale watching (in season, Nov-April) — Mirissa
11:00 — Late lunch — Mirissa
14:00 — Beach & lazing — Mirissa
19:30 — Farewell dinner in Mirissa — Mirissa

Day 12 — Mirissa → Galle

09:00 — Tuk-tuk/taxi → Galle (1h) — Mirissa → Galle
10:30 — Hotel check-in inside Galle Fort — Fort de Galle
12:00 — Walk on the Fort ramparts — Fort de Galle
13:30 — Lunch — Fort de Galle
15:30 — Maritime museum & colonial streets — Fort de Galle
17:30 — Galle lighthouse at sunset — Fort de Galle
19:30 — Farewell dinner — Fort de Galle

Day 13 — Galle → Colombo & departure

08:30 — Galle fish market — Galle
10:00 — Coastal train Galle → Colombo (2h30) — Galle → Colombo
13:00 — Last lunch in Colombo — Colombo
16:00 — Airport transfer — Colombo → Aéroport
19:00 — Return flight