Are you excited to go on a journey of a lifetime? Sri Lanka is the perfect diverse destination to fulfill your much-needed vacation. From day 1 to day 10, there will be just so many beautiful, fun, adventurous, and educational places, landmarks, and activities that will leave you craving to stay more. Sri Lanka is a place rich in cultural diversity. The places you will visit, like the Temple of Tooth Relic, Sigiriya, and Galle Fort, will bear proof of that. Moreover, the flora and fauna of Sri Lanka are encountered everywhere, in sites like Yala, Kumana, Udawalawe, Mirissa, etc.
DAY 01 – NEGAMBO
Start your marvelous journey through Sri Lanka by enjoying the world-famous, beautiful sandy beaches of Ceylon at Negombo. Negombo is a west coast city in Sri Lanka and it is situated at the mouth of Negombo lagoon. You can also shop in the fish market and enjoy food made of freshly caught fish to get a little taste of authentic Sri Lankan meals. The popular visiting sights in Negombo include the Dutch Canal and St. Mary’s church. Negombo has the finest beaches where you can go swimming, and it would be a perfect way to get your jet lag off and start the journey fresh.
Overnight accommodations at Negombo.
DAY 02 – SIGIRIYA
On the second day, you can visit Sigiriya, one of the most important historical and architectural sites in Sri Lanka. Sigiriya is an ancient fortress made entirely on a huge rock formation. You can climb to the flat peak of the rock, where there is an incredible view of the surrounding area. While you are going up, you will come across the Mirror wall and the famous wall art of Sigiriya. The mirror wall is given the name because, at the time of its Glory days, the polish of the wall had given a shining mirror effect. There are scribbles and poems of the ancient visitors to Sigiriya written on the mirror wall, appreciating the marvel of Sigiriya and the beauty of the maidens of Sigiriya. The wall arts of Sigiriya are of the maidens of Sigiriya bearing flowers. Several of these arts have survived the tide of time.
Overnight accommodations at Sigiriya.
DAY 03 – DAMBULLA | KANDY
Dambulla Cave Temple bears the name as one of the sacred pilgrimage sites for about 22 centuries now. It is a monastery that is made using a cave complex and can be named the best-preserved cave temple in Sri Lanka. The temple walls have paintings representing the Buddhist culture in Sri Lanka, and there are also statues from old times. The paintings cover 2100 square meters of area and have 157 statues.
There are five main caves in this complex. The paintings are done on rock, and it is appreciated how the colors of these paintings have survived all this time.
Visit Kandy, the heart of Sri Lanka, after the Dambulla temple visit. Kandy is where the Temple of Tooth Relic resides. It is the most important monument of the Sri Lankan Buddhist culture because it is where the canine of Lord Buddha is kept safe. You can participate in the customs done at the temple twice a day, as well as take a night stroll around Kandy Lake.
Overnight accommodations at Kandy.
DAY 04 – KANDY | CEYLON TEA PRODUCTION
You can visit the sprawling Royal Botanical garden, Udawatta Kele Sanctuary, Bahirawakanda Vihara Buddha statue, and Kandy National Museum to spend a part of your day. The next stop is Nuwara Eliya, where you get to enjoy a unique tea experience.
Sri Lanka has been exporting Ceylon tea to the global tea market for a few centuries now and has gained world recognition as one of the best tea in the world. Tea lovers from all over the world appreciate the fine strong taste and aroma of Ceylon tea, especially Ceylon black tea and green tea. Nuwara Eliya is the birth place for Ceylon tea. At Nuwara Eliya, you can visit the tea plantations from where the tea leaves are plucked, processed, and packed. Most of the tea plantations and factories have their own little shops where they offer you the finest tea from their tea gardens.
Well-grown tea plantations cover the hills of Nuwara Eliya, where the tea workers wearing bright sarees pluck tea leaves efficiently. This image is like a trademark for Sri Lanka.
Overnight accommodations at Nuwara Eliya.
DAY 05 – NUWARA ELIYA | WILDLIFE IN YALA NATIONAL PARK
When visiting Yala National Park from Nuwara Eliya, you will feel the drastic, diverse climate changes within Sri Lanka that will make you wonder how such a little island is so different in places that are so close to each other. Yala is a wildlife sanctuary that is spread over 978.8 square kilometers. Visitors can get a guide and a jeep for a safari through the park. Yala is famous for its rich animal population, especially the leopards and Sri Lankan elephants. Many animals and birds that are endemic to Sri Lanka and this particular area can be watched during this safari.
Kumana National park is another eco-tourism attraction attached to the Yala National park. It is a haven for all the bird lovers that visit Yala.
Overnight accommodations at Yala.
DAY 06 – WILD ELEPHANTS IN UDAWALAWE NATIONAL PARK
Udawalawa National Park is the place to go to get a view of Sri Lankan Elephants in their natural habitat. You can join a safari at the park to go on a journey through the wild. It would be an unforgettable and exciting experience for you for sure.
It is one of the most visited national parks in Sri Lanka. It is rich in biodiversity, both flora, and fauna. Many plants with great medicinal value can be found in the Udawalawe sanctuary. Other than elephants, you can spot animals like rusty-spotted cats, fishing cats, and maybe even some Sri Lankan leopards. Udawalawe is also suitable for bird-watching. Sri Lanka spurfowl and red-faced malkoha are some of the endemic birds you can watch at Udawalawe.
Overnight accommodations at Udawalawe.
DAY 07 – UDAWALAWE ELEPHANT TRANSIT HOME
Visiting Udawalawe Elephant’s transit home would be another exciting experience for you. It is a facility established in 1995 within the Udawalawe National Park. It is established and controlled by the Sri Lanka Department of Wildlife Conservation. This facility helps orphaned elephant calves to be rehabilitated and then released back into the wild. Baby elephants are kept closer to their natural habitat so they will not have a hard time adapting to the wild once they are released. But they are still given the proper food and medical care. They try to minimize human contact with the elephants to prevent elephants from getting more acclimated with the people. You can watch the elephants being fed. There is an information center for you to learn many things about the origins and evaluation of elephants and much more.
Overnight accommodations at Mirissa.
DAY 08 – MIRISSA | WHALE WATCHING
At Mirissa, you get to do another fun and exciting activity which is Whale and Dolphin watching. Blue whales, the biggest mammals in the world, are often spotted at Mirissa. You’ll get the luckiest from November to April. This is the time when the ocean is calm, and Whales are migrating to the northern hemisphere from the southern hemisphere. You might not get a chance to see whales in the period of May to October. Other than the often spotted blue whales, you can also see sperm whales, fin whales, dolphins, and whale sharks occasionally. Either way, how fun it is to go on a voyage to the middle of the blue ocean. You can get on a boat at Mirissa beach to go on this adventure.
Overnight accommodations at Mirissa.
DAY 09 – MIRISSA
You will be well aware that Mirissa is not a place you can finish visiting in one day. And it is worth spending two days there, even if you do nothing and just stay at the beach, sunbathing and watching the horizon. While spending your day at Mirissa, you can visit the secret beach. It is no secret that it is one of the most beautiful tourist attractions at Mirissa. You can also go to the Galle fort and collect some trinkets and souvenirs from the gift shops and even from the beach.
When the night falls, and if you find yourself on a beach, you can enjoy a little party on the beach and hit the dance floor. The best thing is that the drinks are cheap! And if you aren’t the partying kind, you can still enjoy a lovely sunset dinner at one of the restaurants at Mirissa beach.
Overnight accommodations at Mirissa.
DAY 10 – COLOMBO | AIRPORT
Spend another day sightseeing in Mirirssa. The places you will get to visit include the famous Instagram background spot: Coconut Island and Parrot rock. And you can catch a tan at the beach or go surfing, snorkeling, or Scuba diving if you like.
Travel to the Bandaranayake International Airport along the road aligned with the coast of Sri Lanka. The ocean view will be a perfect goodbye for your vacation. You can depart from the Airport at the end.