12 Day Sri Lanka Introduction - One Life Adventures

Arrive on day one and be greeted at the airport by your tour guide, who will load your luggage into a tuk-tuk as you ride through the tree-lined and sunbaked streets of Negombo to your first hotel. Today is your day, explore the canals, the lagoons or get your base tan on the beach, for in the evening we meet as a group and hit the town for your welcome dinner and drinks.  

Meal(s) included: Dinner

Fill up on a delicious breakfast in the hotel before we hop on our private bus to take a quick tour around Negombo’s famous market and lagoon. Your local tour guide will amaze you with tales and secret information of Sri Lanka so you can really feed your sense of wonder. We then drive into the heart of the island, stop off for a delicious buffet lunch before checking into your stunning hotel in Sigiriya, the jewel of the Cultural Triangle. Take the afternoon to dip in the pool or walk the dusty streets, before we meet in the evening to explore the magnificent Dambulla Caves. History and religion bounce off every painted wall and stone Buddha statue, leaving you with an unrivalled sense of spirituality.  

Meal(s) included: Breakfast

An early wake-up time today as we put on our hiking shoes, grab our camera and head out to climb the incredible Sigiriya Rock. Protruding proudly out of the earth, ruins of a grand palace provide evidence all around the grounds of a once violent and noble Sri Lankan history. View the ancient wall paintings, the Sanskript marked mirror wall and the huge stone lion paws guarding the ascent to the summit. The views from the top are unrivalled as you travel through time examining the ruins. After descending we then head over to the quiet Buddhist monastery of Pidurangula to get an open and unobstructed shot of the rock you have just climbed. From here you can view the national parks of Minneriya and Kaudulla where elephants and leopards patrol the land and where you have the option to go explore in the afternoon. To fill those hungry bellies, we stop by a local family who prepares a traditional feast for us before taking a well-deserved rest on a lounger in the afternoon sun.  

Meal(s) included: Breakfast

Today we say goodbye to Sigiriya and embark on our travels down south towards Sri Lanka’s second largest city, Kandy. We will stop at a spice garden on the way to learn about where our favourite spices come from. Here we traverse the hills that provide a stunning view of the artificial but now notoriously beautiful Kandy Lake. We will stay in a funky and modern hostel. In the afternoon we head to a village to have a cooking class and learn the secret to a perfect Sri Lankan curry. Here, our local chef will teach you how to make 4 different curries, as well as poppadoms and coconut sambal (only for those who dare!). In the evening we will stroll around the lake and take the sights and sounds of this bustling city.  

Meal(s) included: Breakfast, Lunch

Eat your breakfast overlooking the hills of Kandy before we head into town to visit the sacred Temple of the Tooth. This is a religious shrine which is said to house the tooth of Buddha himself. We then jump on the bus and travel through the mountainous region of the hill country. The hills are ablaze with small green tea plants which Sri Lanka is famous for. We stop by a functioning tea factory to learn how the tea is processed and ends up in your cup at home, whilst actually learning how 7 different types of tea are made all from the same plant! A trip to Sri Lanka is not complete without experiencing life on the train and the journey from Nuwara Eliya to Ella is dubbed as the best journey in the world. 180-degree views of tea plantations, waterfalls, lakes and local villages pass on by as your train traverses the tracks cut into the mountainside. Try the sweet milk tea on board, converse with friendly locals and take pictures to make you the envy of all your friends back home. After we check into our hotel, we’ll head to Ella for dinner and drinks in everyone’s favourite mountainous town.  

Meal(s) included: Breakfast

The morning is yours to do as you please. Ella plays host to some of the best Ayurveda massage parlours in Sri Lanka. A thousand-year-old technique which removes any aches or pains you may have, or simply as an excellent way to relax. We will meet in the afternoon to explore the hidden gems of Ella, such as the 9 Arch Bridge, Ella Gap and then hike up Little Adam’s peak for sunset. We recommend bringing a drink or two, you’ll see why when we get to the top.  

Meal(s) included: Breakfast

Today we continue our way down South and check into our campsite, 45 minutes away from the stunning Uda Walawe National Park. Our hosts will greet us with welcome drinks and cook us a delicious Sri Lankan buffet lunch whilst you take a well-earned dip in the river. After lunch we jump into jeeps and go on safari, searching the wilderness for herds of elephants, buffalo, crocodiles, monkeys, eagles, hawks, peacocks, mongoose and if you’re lucky, leopards. Truly a once in a lifetime experience, your day in the national park will be a tough one to beat. After driving around the park, we’ll head back to camp where our hosts will have a BBQ dinner waiting for us, the best way to end an amazing day.  

Meal(s) included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Wake up early to take a walk on the wild side with your personal local guide. He will teach you all about the flora and fauna in the area, whilst the campsite dogs follow you through the fields. Monkeys, elephants and peacocks roam the fields around the campsite, so be sure to be on the lookout. After breakfast we’ll drive to the South West Coast, arriving at the stunning beachside town of Mirissa. A place where the world-class waves hit the sand, where turtles inhabit the water, and where the beer is ice cold. After a week in the hill country, this is exactly what you need.  

Meal(s) included: Breakfast

Today we wake up early and head to the beautiful golden sand beach. We jump on board one of THE best boats in the area to view the largest animals in the world. Watch as blue whales, jump, swim and dive around you and be blown away by their size. After an hour or two on the boat, we head back to relax for a while before heading to our second spectacular beach destination; Hikkaduwa  

Meal(s) included: Breakfast

After breakfast by the beach, we’ll drive down the stunning Galle Fort. A city encased in walls, with Dutch, Portuguese and British Colonial buildings still stand proud. The cobbled streets lead to the sea, where crazy Sri Lankan locals swan dive into the ocean. We start our bike ride through some beautiful local villages and rice fields, stopping to learn about how coconut rope is made, and drink a fresh king coconut in a secluded tropical garden. Afterwards, we’ll give you some time to take photos of the area or to buy souvenirs from one of the many boutique and unique stores. The perfect place to write a postcard and send it home with tales of your incredible time over the past 11 days.  

Meal(s) included: Breakfast

After your breakfast, we will pack up our things for the 2-hour drive along the coast to the bustling capital city of Colombo. On the way, we stop off at small turtle sanctuary, where baby turtles learn to take that first swim and injured adults are rehabilitated back into the wild. Across the road, we’ll view the humbling 2004 Tsunami Memorial, where you can listen to survival tales and view pictures of the event. We then arrive into Colombo and check into our boutique hostel, you’ll have some free time to visit the national museum or art gallery close by, or take a tuk-tuk and run around the manic streets of the Pattah Markets for some final souvenir shopping. We’ll then meet together in the evening for a final dinner together before partying the night away on one of the cities glitziest rooftop bars.  

Meal(s) included: Breakfast

Time to say our final goodbyes with the friends you have just made over the course of an incredible 12 days. For some of you, this means continuing your holiday on the phenomenal beaches of the Maldives with our add-on package, for others, it's either back home or to continue your travels. Whatever your next destination may be, we hope we have educated you on a country that provides so much, that possess incredible variation in exploration and we hope we have inspired you to explore more.  

Meal(s) included: Breakfast