Twelve days from the west coast to the deep south, taking in just about everything Sri Lanka does well. You'll climb for the view over Sigiriya Rock Fortress, pick tea with the women who do it for a living, ride the Ella train that everyone bangs on about (deservedly), and go looking for wild elephants at sunrise in Udawalawe. Then it's straight to the coast — a surf lesson at Weligama, yoga at a beachfront eco retreat in Talalla, and a farewell dinner on the sand in Mirissa. Small group, big country, zero admin. Let's goooo! 🇱🇰🐘
Land in Colombo and we'll be there to meet you and run you over to our beachfront hotel in Negombo. Take the rest of the day at your own pace — feet in the Indian Ocean, first Lion beer, first proper rice and curry. This evening you'll meet your leader and the crew you're spending the next 12 days with.
We start the only way you should in Sri Lanka: piled into tuk tuks for a spin around the seaside town of Negombo. There's a stop at the local markets before we point north to Sigiriya and check in to our hotel — pool, aircon, ensuites, the lot. Get an early night, because tomorrow you're climbing a rock.
This morning we climb the rock facing the ancient Sigiriya Rock Fortress — 360 degrees of jungle, lakes and that famous slab of stone right in front of you. Afterwards we head into a local village to see how rural Sri Lanka actually lives, travelling the way they do and crossing the lake by boat. It finishes with a cooking demonstration from the village ladies, and yes, you get to eat it.
Goodbye Sigiriya, hello Kandy — the cultural heart of the country. We break the drive at a spice garden to find out where cinnamon, cardamom and the rest of it actually come from, then visit the Temple of the Tooth, the most sacred Buddhist site in Sri Lanka.
