Romantic route · November to April
Sri Lanka Itinerary: 14 Days - Grand Honeymoon Tour
The unhurried honeymoon: two nights each in Sigiriya, Nuwara Eliya, Ella, Mirissa and Bentota, with the hill train linking Nuwara Eliya and Ella at the midpoint.Fourteen days with almost no one-night stops. Sigiriya, Nuwara Eliya, Ella, Mirissa and Bentota all hold you for two nights, so the trip breathes instead of racing. The tea-country train, a private Udawalawe safari and Mirissa's whale season are the fixed points; the rest is yours to shape. It ends at Bentota, about two hours fifteen minutes from the airport by expressway.
- 14 Days
- Romantic
- November to April
- 785 km
The trip on the map
Every overnight stop, and the roads between them.
Days
14
Driving
19-25 h total
Distance
785 km
Season
November to April
Route at a glance
- Airport → Negombo8.4 km · 0.5-0.5 h
- Negombo → Sigiriya149.1 km · 3.5-4.5 h
- Sigiriya → Kandy91.2 km · 2.5-3 h
- Kandy → Nuwara Eliya73.3 km · 2.5-3 h
- Nuwara Eliya → Ella56 km · 1.5-2 h
- Ella → Udawalawe101.9 km · 2.5-3 h
- Udawalawe → Mirissa100 km · 2-2.5 h
- Mirissa → Bentota92.3 km · 2.5-4 h
- Bentota → Airport113 km · 2-3 h
The journey, day by day
Negombo
Bandaranaike Airport lands you close to the coast, and it's a short transfer to Negombo, a fishing town on a lagoon about 30 minutes away. The afternoon is for the beach and the fish market, watching the outrigger boats come in.
Bandaranaike Airport → Negombo8.4 km · 0.5-0.5 h · A3Around Negombo - everything on offer, you choose
Negombo Beach (Lewis Place)
A long sandy beach in Negombo town, 35km north of Colombo, fronted by a strip of hotels and beach bars popular with international package tourists.
Negombo Fish Market (Lellama)
Sri Lanka's busiest wholesale fish auction, held at Lellama harbour from 6am daily, processing hundreds of tonnes of fresh catch.
Activities
- Negombo Deep-Sea Fishing Charter4h
- Negombo Dutch Canal Cycling Tour2.5h
- Negombo Lagoon and Fish Market Dawn Boat Tour3h
Sigiriya
The road east leads to Sigiriya, a 200-metre rock citadel rising sheer out of the jungle and built as a royal palace in the 5th century (about 4 hours via Kurunegala and Dambulla). Check in for two nights.
Negombo → Sigiriya149.1 km · 3.5-4.5 h · A6passing Kurunegala (rock-and-lake town), Dambulla (Dambulla Cave Temple)Around Sigiriya - everything on offer, you choose
Sigiriya Frescoes & Mirror Wall
Ancient 5th-century frescoes depicting 21 cloud maidens painted on Sigiriya Rock, alongside a polished mirror wall with 8th-century visitor inscriptions.
Sigiriya Rock Fortress
5th-century palace and fortress built atop a 200m granite monolith by King Kashyapa, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the most visited paid attraction in Sri Lanka.
Ayurveda & Wellness Sessions
Traditional Ayurvedic treatments including herbal oil massages and steam baths offered at resorts and village centres in the Sigiriya area.
Sigiriya Nature Walks
Guided village and jungle walks through the lowland scrub forest and paddy fields around Sigiriya village, covering local farming, birding, and rural life.
Sigiriya Village Tour
A half-day guided village experience in Sigiriya showing traditional bullock cart rides, catamarans on a village tank, cooking demonstrations, and paddy farming.
Pidurangala Rock
A 200m rock outcrop 1.5km north of Sigiriya offering the best panoramic view of Sigiriya Rock, with a reclining Buddha at the summit base dating to the 6th century.
Reading before you go
Sigiriya, at your pace
Climb Sigiriya at sunrise, up around 1,200 steps past the ancient frescoes, then spend the afternoon at Dambulla's cave temple, five caves of Buddhist murals and statues carved into a granite outcrop.
Kandy
Kandy, the hill capital of Sri Lanka's last kingdom, follows (about 3 hours via Matale's spice gardens). The evening puja of drums and flutes at the Temple of the Sacred Tooth is worth building the day around.
Sigiriya → Kandy91.2 km · 2.5-3 h · A6, A9passing Dambulla (Dambulla Cave Temple), Matale (spice gardens)Around Kandy - everything on offer, you choose
Temple of the Tooth Relic
Sri Dalada Maligawa in Kandy houses a tooth relic of the Buddha and has been the most sacred Buddhist site in Sri Lanka since the 4th century AD.
Udawattakele Forest Reserve
A 104-hectare protected cloud forest reserve directly above central Kandy, with 68 recorded bird species and multiple walking trails through bamboo groves and tropical trees.
Kandy Lake
Artificial lake built by King Sri Wickrama Rajasinha in 1807 at the centre of Kandy, encircled by a 3km walkway and flanked by the Temple of the Tooth.
Bahirawakanda Vihara Buddha Statue
A 26.8-metre white seated Buddha statue on Bahirawakanda Hill overlooking central Kandy, visible from most of the city and accessible by a 30-minute walk or tuk-tuk.
Royal Botanical Gardens Peradeniya
Sri Lanka's largest botanical garden covering 147 acres on a meander of the Mahaweli River, established in 1821 with over 4,000 plant species including a 350-year-old Java fig tree.
Hanthana Mountain Range
A ridge of peaks reaching 1,467m immediately south-west of Kandy, offering half-day hiking trails through tea estates with views over the Kandy valley.
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Embekke Devale
A 14th-century Hindu-Buddhist devale in Udunuwara near Kandy, renowned for its intricately carved wooden pillars depicting wrestlers, peacocks, and mythological figures.
Lankatilaka Vihara
A 14th-century rock temple in Udunuwara near Kandy built under King Bhuvanekabahu IV, with a 14-metre Buddha shrine carved into a granite outcrop and notable Kandyan frescoes.
Ambuluwawa Tower
A 48-metre spiral tower on a 1,600m peak near Gampola with a multi-religious complex below and 360-degree views reaching Kandy, Hatton, and the coastal plains.
Victoria Dam & Reservoir
Sri Lanka's largest hydropower dam, completed in 1985 on the Mahaweli River with a 122-metre arch dam wall, creating a 722-hectare reservoir visible from a public viewing platform.
Aluviharaya Rock Cave Temple
A 1st-century BC rock cave monastery near Matale where the Tripitaka Buddhist scriptures were first committed to writing on ola palm leaves, with a restored complex of cave shrines.
Knuckles Mountain Range
A UNESCO World Heritage mountain range northeast of Kandy with peaks up to 1,863m, covering 155 sq km of cloud forest with over 34 endemic vertebrate species and 20+ trekking routes.
Activities
- Ceylon Tea Museum Guided Tour (Hantana)1.5h
- Kandy Esala Perahera Evening Viewing (August festival)3h
- Kandy Home-Hosted Cooking Class3h
- Kandyan Cultural Dance and Drumming Show1h
- Knuckles Range Guided Day Trek6h
Nuwara Eliya
A morning at the Royal Botanical Gardens, Peradeniya, 147 acres of giant bamboo and orchid houses, comes before the climb to Nuwara Eliya, a former British hill station at 1,868 metres among the tea estates (about 2h45 through the waterfalls of Ramboda Pass). Check in for two nights.
Kandy → Nuwara Eliya73.3 km · 2.5-3 h · A5Around Nuwara Eliya - everything on offer, you choose
Seetha Amman Kovil
A Hindu temple in Sita Eliya near Nuwara Eliya, built at the site where Ramayana's Sita is believed to have been held captive by King Ravana.
Pink Post Office
A functioning colonial-era post office in central Nuwara Eliya built in 1894, one of the most photographed colonial buildings in Sri Lanka's hill country.
Gregory Lake
Colonial-era reservoir built in 1873 in Nuwara Eliya at 1,868m elevation, offering boating, lakeside cycling, and views of surrounding tea hills.
Lover's Leap Waterfall
A 30-metre waterfall on the Laxapana River in Nuwara Eliya, accessible via a short walk through a tea estate, named after a colonial-era legend.
Horton Plains National Park
UNESCO World Heritage plateau at 2,100-2,300m elevation in the Central Highlands, home to World's End cliff dropping 870m and the 20m Baker's Falls.
Activities
- Gregory Lake Pedal and Speed Boating1h
- Horton Plains World's End Guided Nature Walk3.5h
- Nuwara Eliya Strawberry Farm Visit1h
- Nuwara Eliya Tea Factory Tour and Tasting1.5h
Nuwara Eliya, at your pace
A full day in Nuwara Eliya: a tour of Pedro Tea Estate, established in 1885 and one of Nuwara Eliya’s older working plantations, a rowboat on Gregory Lake, and Hakgala Botanical Garden, a cool-climate reserve of roses and cloud forest dating to 1861, in the afternoon.
Ella
Nanu Oya station is the start of the train ride to Ella (about 3 hours), past Ella Gap's cliffside views, while the car carries the luggage by road and meets you there. Check in for two nights.
Nuwara Eliya → Ella56 km · 1.5-2 h · A5Around Ella - everything on offer, you choose
Little Adam's Peak
An easy 45-minute hike from Ella town to a 1,141m summit with 360-degree views — the most accessible hilltop panorama in the Ella region.
Ella Gap Viewpoint
A natural break in the hill country escarpment above Ella town with a sweeping view down a 1,000m drop to the southern coastal plains on clear days.
Ravana Falls
A 25m fan-shaped waterfall on the Badulla–Ella road, one of Sri Lanka's widest falls, associated with the Ramayana legend of King Ravana.
Nine Arch Bridge
A 91m colonial viaduct built in 1921 with nine arches, best photographed when a train crosses — departures from Ella at approximately 9:10am and 3:15pm daily.
Rawana Ella Cave
A natural cave in the hillside near Ella said by local tradition to be where King Ravana hid Sita during the Ramayana epic, located close to Ravana Falls.
Ella Rock
A 1,041m summit above Ella town reached by a 3-hour round-trip hike through tea estates and jungle, with panoramic views across the Ella Gap valley.
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Demodara Railway Loop
A unique engineering feature of the hill country railway where the track loops under itself in a 360-degree spiral — the train passes over the same point at two different levels.
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Bogoda Wooden Bridge
A 16th-century wooden bridge over Hali Ela Oya near Hali-Ela, one of the oldest surviving wooden structures in Sri Lanka, with an unusual roof built to protect the timbers.
Dunhinda Falls
A 64m waterfall 5km from Badulla, among the widest falls in Sri Lanka, reached by a 30-minute forest trail along the Uma Oya river.
Activities
- Ella Home-Hosted Cooking Class3h
- Ella Tea Factory Tour and Tasting (Halpewatte)1.5h
- Flying Ravana Zipline, Ella1h
- Kandy to Ella Scenic Train Journey (Reserved Seat)6.5h
- Nanu Oya to Ella Scenic Train Journey (Reserved Seat)3h
Reading before you go
Ella, at your pace
Ella, a small hill town on the rail line, earns a full day: the Nine Arch Bridge, a colonial-era railway viaduct, at sunrise, then a walk up Little Adam's Peak in the afternoon.
Udawalawe
Udawalawe is next (about 2h45 via Wellawaya), for an afternoon jeep safari; Udawalawe National Park holds some of the country's most reliable wild elephant herds.
Ella → Udawalawe101.9 km · 2.5-3 h · A23, A2passing Wellawaya (where the hills meet the plains)Around Udawalawe - everything on offer, you choose
Activities
- Elephant Transit Home Feeding Viewing1h
- Sinharaja Forest Reserve Guided Rainforest Trek4h
- Udawalawe National Park Jeep Safari3h
Reading before you go
Mirissa
By afternoon the road reaches Mirissa, a curved beach town on the south coast (about 2 hours via the A18 and the Southern Expressway). Check in for two nights of beach time.
Udawalawe → Mirissa100 km · 2-2.5 h · A18, E01Around Mirissa - everything on offer, you choose
Parrot Rock (Mirissa)
A large flat-topped rock at the eastern end of Mirissa Bay, reachable by a short swim at low tide, popular for cliff jumping into 5m water below.
Coconut Tree Hill (Mirissa)
A small rocky headland east of Mirissa beach planted with tall coconut palms, offering a 270-degree ocean panorama 20m above the water — one of Sri Lanka's most photographed viewpoints.
Mirissa Beach
A 1km crescent bay 150km south of Colombo, Sri Lanka's primary departure point for blue whale watching (November to April), with a calm swimming beach and a growing restaurant scene.
Activities
- Mirissa Whale and Dolphin Watching Boat Tour4h
Mirissa, at your pace
A whale watching boat trip, best November to April when blue and sperm whales surface offshore, or a sunset walk up Coconut Tree Hill's headland of leaning palms.
Bentota
Bentota, a river-and-beach town on the west coast, is the last stop (about 1h30 along the coast road). Check in for two nights.
Mirissa → Bentota92.3 km · 2.5-4 h · A2passing Weligama (surf bay), Unawatuna (beach bay), Galle (Galle Fort), Hikkaduwa (reef beach)Around Bentota - everything on offer, you choose
Activities
- Bentota Beach Water Sports (Jet Ski, Banana Boat, Water Skiing)2h
- Madu Ganga Mangrove Boat Safari (Balapitiya)2h
Bentota, at your pace
The full day in Bentota is yours to shape: a boat safari through the mangrove-lined Bentota River, a stop at the turtle hatchery, or a spa afternoon.
Fly home
The transfer to the airport takes about 2h15, for the flight home.
Bentota → Airport113 km · 2-3 h · E01, E03
Comparing options first? Start with our main Sri Lanka itinerary for 14 days, which compares every 14-day route we run.
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Make it yours
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