Build your route
Choose how many days you have and what you enjoy. The route follows our classic two-week loop, with the travel times we checked in October 2026. It always closes the loop, so shorter trips keep the drives and lose the slower days.
- Day 1
Arrive, drive to the Sigiriya area
Night: Sigiriya area- Airport to Sigiriya, with traffic: about 140 km, 3 to 4.5 hours
Land at Bandaranaike International Airport and drive north. If you land late, spend the first night near the airport instead.
Sri Lanka in two weeks: the classic loop, explained day by day
- Day 2
Sigiriya
Night: Sigiriya areaClimb the rock early. For a view of the rock itself, climb Pidurangala instead, or as well.
Is Sigiriya worth climbing? What you see, and what most visitors miss · Sigiriya or Pidurangala? What each climb gives you
- Day 3
Polonnaruwa
Night: Sigiriya areaA day trip to the medieval capital. The ruins are spread out, so plan transport between them.
- Day 4
Dambulla, and the Gathering in season
Night: Sigiriya areaA slow morning at the Dambulla cave temple. From May to October, use the afternoon for the elephant Gathering at Minneriya or Kaudulla; ask locally which park has the herds that week.
The Dambulla cave temple: what the five caves hold · The Gathering at Minneriya: when and why the elephants come
- Day 5
To Kandy, by Dambulla
Night: Kandy- Sigiriya to Kandy: about 90 km, 2 to 3 hours
The road joins the Kandy road at Dambulla, so the cave temple is on the way. Arrive in time for the evening service at the Temple of the Tooth.
The Dambulla cave temple: what the five caves hold · What to wear at the Temple of the Tooth, and why
- Day 6
Kandy
Night: KandyThe Temple of the Tooth at the morning service, and the museums its ticket includes.
- Day 7
Kandy to the hills
Night: Nuwara Eliya- Kandy to Nanu Oya, the station for Nuwara Eliya, by road: about 80 km
There is no train from Kandy into the hills in October 2026, so go by road. Stay near Nuwara Eliya.
Train status. In October 2026 you cannot take the train all the way from Kandy to Ella. A cyclone in late 2025 damaged the hill-country line. The section from Nanu Oya to Ella is open again, and its trains take about two and a half hours. Sri Lanka Railways expects trains from Colombo to reach Kandy again in January 2027; no date has been given for the rest of the line. Check the status before you plan.
Kandy to Ella by train: booking, classes and the 2026 closure
- Day 8
Horton Plains, then the train to Ella
Night: Ella- The World's End loop, 9 km, about 3 hours; Nuwara Eliya to the park about 30 km: 30 km, about 3 hours
- Train, Nanu Oya to Ella. Departures at 9:00 every day, and at 14:30 every day except Wednesday, about 2.5 hours
Go to Horton Plains early: Sri Lanka Tourism advises 6 to 10 a.m., before the clouds roll in. Then take the train from Nanu Oya to Ella.
Train status. In October 2026 you cannot take the train all the way from Kandy to Ella. A cyclone in late 2025 damaged the hill-country line. The section from Nanu Oya to Ella is open again, and its trains take about two and a half hours. Sri Lanka Railways expects trains from Colombo to reach Kandy again in January 2027; no date has been given for the rest of the line. Check the status before you plan.
Kandy to Ella by train: booking, classes and the 2026 closure
- Day 9
Ella
Night: EllaA slow day: short walks, such as Little Adam's Peak or to the Nine Arch Bridge, and rest before the drive south.
Kandy to Ella by train: booking, classes and the 2026 closure
- Day 10
To Tissamaharama, afternoon safari
Night: Tissamaharama- Ella to Tissamaharama, the usual base for Yala: about 90 km, 2 to 3 hours
Take an afternoon safari. No safari can promise a leopard; a second drive raises your chances. Check Yala's closure dates around September and October.
When to see leopards in Yala, and how to choose a responsible safari
- Day 11
Morning safari, then the south coast
Night: Mirissa- Tissamaharama to Mirissa: about 120 km, 2.5 to 3.5 hours
A second safari early in the morning, then drive to the coast.
When to see leopards in Yala, and how to choose a responsible safari · Whale watching from Mirissa: the season, and how to choose a responsible boat
- Day 12
Mirissa
Night: MirissaRest on the coast. From about November to April, go whale watching with a responsible boat.
Whale watching from Mirissa: the season, and how to choose a responsible boat
- Day 13
Galle
Night: Galle- Mirissa to Galle: about 35 km, 45 minutes to 1.25 hours
Walk the walls of Galle Fort in the late afternoon. The airport is the next morning.
- Day 14
Galle to the airport
Night: flight home- Galle to the airport by expressway; tolls apply: about 150 km, 2.5 to 3.5 hours
Allow extra time before your flight.
Travel times are approximate road and rail times, checked in October 2026. They come from our two-week itinerary and its sources. See what it costs, and how we research.