Colombo by tuk-tuk first. Then the rock, the tea and the elephants.
Which Pettah tuk-tuk loop takes in the Red Mosque and lunch. What a driver to Sigiriya and back costs. Whether Udawalawe beats Yala for one day of elephants. Reviews of the tours you can book from Colombo.
A tuk-tuk loop of Colombo, Sigiriya at dawn, elephants at Udawalawe, the Galle ramparts.
Most first trips to Sri Lanka hang off these four. What each one costs, and what travellers who took it say.
01Day one in the cityPrivate Tuk-Tuk City Tour with All Entry FeesGalle Face, the Pettah bazaars, the Red Mosque and Gangaramaya in one private loop, entry fees in the fare. Book it for the morning after you land.
02The pre-dawn startSigiriya & Dambulla Day Tour with SafariOut of Colombo before sunrise, up the rock before the heat, the Dambulla caves after lunch and a jeep into the park on the drive back.
03Elephants by jeepUdawalawe National Park: Elephant Safari with Expert GuideOpen jeeps through Udawalawe, where the herds graze the reservoir edge. No park on the island gives you better odds of a close one.
04Down the Galle RoadGalle and Bentota Day-Tour From ColomboThe Galle ramparts and a boat on the Bentota river, the expressway down and the coast road home.
Colombo in the middle, the rest of Sri Lanka one long drive away.
The capital, the fishing town beside the airport, the river beaches to the south, the hill capital, the rock and the old Dutch port. Six places to spend a day, and the best way to spend it in each.
Sigiriya, Kandy, Galle or Ella: picking your one long day out of Colombo.
Each of these is a full day and the drive is half of it. What each kind of day costs to book, and what you get for the hours in the car.
Sigiriya and DambullaThe rock fortress and the painted caves, about four hours north.
Kandy and PinnawalaThe Temple of the Tooth and the elephant river. The cheapest runs start in Kandy itself.
Galle and the south coastDutch ramparts, a river safari, the turtle beaches near Kosgoda.
Ella and the tea hillsNine Arch Bridge and a train through the tea. A very long day.
All 161 day trips from Colombo →
Rock, caves and a jeep★★★★★★★★★★ 4.5 · Private Day Trip to Sigiriya, cave and National park Safari Tour · from $68
Colombo is a tuk-tuk city. Ride it with somebody who knows the lanes.
Three-wheelers slip through Pettah where cars give up, pull over for isso vadai on Galle Face and park outside temples no coach could reach. The three rides travellers book most:
Leopards at Yala, elephants at Udawalawe, crocodiles on the Madu Ganga.
Sri Lanka fits more big animals onto one small island than almost anywhere in Asia. The national parks sit four hours or so from Colombo, so most safaris leave before sunrise; the river trips south of the city start whenever you like.
Four Sri Lankan bookings that keep their own calendar.
Most of this island can be arranged from a guesthouse the night before. These four cannot: seats that sell out weeks ahead, a park that shuts for a spell each year, whales that keep a season and a shrine that opens at set hours.
- Train seatsColombo to Kandy Train Tickets (Reserved Seats)Reserved seats on the hill-country line open about a month out and the scenic carriages go first. Unreserved means standing to Kandy.
- Yala datesYala Safari Day Trip from Bentota/ Kalutara/ Ahungalla/ HikkaduwaThe main block of Yala has closed for several weeks around September and October in most years. Check before you plan the south around it.
- Whale months2-Day Whale Watching & Southern Sri Lanka TourOff the south coast the whale boats run roughly November to April. Outside those months most of them stay in harbour.
- Puja hoursKandy Day Trip with Tooth Relic Temple & Unique AttractionsThe shrine at the Temple of the Tooth opens for offerings at dawn, mid-morning and evening. Time the Kandy day to land on one.
The Colombo bookings travellers make most, after the tuk-tuks.
Every tour from Colombo →The safaris, day trips and round-island tours that sell more than anything else out of the capital.
1
8 Days tour in Sri Lanka with privet driver and accommodations
Travel by private, air-conditioned vehicle with an English-speaking chauffeur on an eight-day route through Sri Lanka. Expect cave temples, a sunrise climb at Sigiriya, hill-country tea stops, a scenic train ride if tickets are available, safari options, and beach time. Breakfast and accommodation are included; many entrance fees and activities cost extra. Guides on past trips include Eddie, Amila, and Niran.
Fares from $665
Read our review →
2
08 Nights in Magical Sri Lanka
from $690
3
From Kandy: Pinnawala Day Tour
from $15
4
Colombo Express Food Tour with 9 + Tastings
from $35
5
Private Car & Driver for 07 Days Tour In Sri Lanka
6
Bentota River Safari with Mangrove and Wildlife Encounter
from $20
7
Sri Lanka classic tour 8 Days with private driver,vehicle and H/B accommodations
from $623
8
Most Popular Round Tour in Sri Lanka
When the monsoon reaches Colombo, head for the dry zone and the temples.
From about May to September the southwest monsoon pushes rain onto Colombo and the west and south coasts, and the sea off the beaches turns rough. The answer is geography: Sigiriya and the Dambulla caves sit in the dry zone, a Colombo kitchen does not care about the weather, and the temples come with a roof.
- 1Sigiriya & Dambulla Day Tour with Safarifrom $48
- 2Colombo Cooking Classfrom $60
- 3Kandy Temples and Pinnawala Full-Day Tourfrom $54
What a day out of Colombo really costs.
Every bookable day on the site, grouped by the per-person fare. Plenty of the best rides in and around the city cost less than a hotel lunch.
Tuk-tuk loops, heritage walks, river trips and even a jeep through Udawalawe.
Full days by private car to Sigiriya, Kandy and Galle, park safaris and the cooking classes.
- 1Tuk It Easy Colombofrom $60
- 2Colombo Cooking Classfrom $60
- 3Kandy Temples and Pinnawala Full-Day Tourfrom $54
Ella in a day, the long safaris with a driver, and round-island tours with hotels included.
Three Sri Lankan days out with nothing like them elsewhere.
Plenty of countries have elephants and beaches. None has painted caves full of Buddhas, a train that hangs off the tea hills, or the river where a famous war film built its bridge.
The Dambulla Cave Temple
Monks have worshipped in these granite caves for more than two thousand years. The five shrines hold over 150 Buddha images and the ceilings are painted end to end. Shoes come off at the gate and the rock gets hot by noon, so most day trips arrive after Sigiriya, late in the afternoon.
- 1Sigiriya & Dambulla Day Tour with Safari★★★★★★★★★★ 4.7 · 189 reviews
- 2Sigiriya and Dambulla Day Trip and Safari★★★★★★★★★★ 4.5 · 132 reviews
- 3Sigiriya and Dambulla Private Full-Day Tour★★★★★★★★★★ 4.3 · 120 reviews
The Train Through the Tea
The line out of Kandy climbs through the tea estates to Ella, crossing the nine stone arches at Demodara near the end. It is slow, the doors stay open and half the carriage leans out of them for the photograph. Reserved seats go quickly, which is why the tours that bundle a ticket and a driver home sell well.
- 1Ella: Tea Factory, Train, and Nine Arch Day Tour with Pickup★★★★★★★★★★ 4.8 · 98 reviews
- 2Ella Private Day Trip with Train Ride & Tea Factory-All Inclusive★★★★★★★★★★ 5.0 · 61 reviews
- 3Colombo to Kandy Train Tickets (Reserved Seats)★★★★★★★★★★ 4.5 · 28 reviews
Rafting at Kitulgala
About three hours inland the Kelani River drops through the rainforest at Kitulgala, where David Lean filmed The Bridge on the River Kwai in 1956. The rapids are lively rather than frightening, the guides run them all year, and the best water follows the rain. Lunch is rice and curry at a riverside guesthouse.
- 1Kithulgala Thrills: White Water Rafting Bliss!★★★★★★★★★★ 4.7 · 13 reviews
- 2Kitulgala Thrilling White Water Rafting Adventure★★★★★★★★★★ 4.4 · 11 reviews
- 3White Water Rafting at Kitulgala★★★★★★★★★★ 4.0 · 9 reviews
Colombo, Sigiriya, Kandy, the tea hills and the south coast: the loop most first trips follow.
Colombo
YalaBy base: the city, the coast, the hills
By kind of day: rock, river, rail or plate
New Colombo tours, just reviewed.
The latest tuk-tuks off the rank →
Wilpattu: Private Safari Day Trip with Lunch & Entry Fees
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Yala Safari All-Inclusive Package with Convenient Pick Up
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Tuk Trip is Very Cheap in Colombo (All-inclusive ) city tour
Read our review →Tuk Trip is Very Cheap in Colombo (All-inclusive ) city tour
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Pinnawala private day trip from colombo or negombo
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Transfer between Colombo (CMB) Airport and Galle Face Hotel
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The Most popular Personalized round Tour In Sri Lanka-Day Charged
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