South Asia

Sri Lanka Ring

Tea trains, temples and the south coast

16 days

Duration

$26

Daily budget

Easy

Difficulty

Dec – Mar (south), May – Sep (east)

Best months

Small island, huge variety. The Kandy–Ella train is the best $3 you will ever spend, and the surf towns on the south coast run on $8 dorms and rice and curry.

The route, stop by stop

🇱🇰 Colombo · Sri Lanka

Arrive, eat kottu, catch the train inland.

1 nights$26/day

🦁 Sigiriya · Sri Lanka

Lion Rock at sunrise and Dambulla cave temples.

2 nights$26/day

🛕 Kandy · Sri Lanka

Temple of the Tooth and the start of the tea line.

2 nights$24/day

🚂 Ella · Sri Lanka

Nine Arch Bridge, Little Adam's Peak, hostel bar culture.

3 nights$26/day

🐋 Mirissa · Sri Lanka

Whale watching and palm-fringed swimming bays.

3 nights$28/day

🏄 Weligama · Sri Lanka

Best beginner surf on the island, surf hostels everywhere.

3 nights$26/day

🏰 Galle · Sri Lanka

Dutch fort walls and sunset ramparts.

2 nights$28/day

7 stops · 16 nights

≈ $422 total

Totals are estimates built from the per-night budgets above — your real spend will vary.

Getting around

→Blue-line Sri Lanka Railways
→Tuk-tuk rentals
→Intercity buses for pennies

Don't forget

✓Light cotton
✓Modest cover for temples
✓Motion sickness pills for hill buses
✓Reef shoes

Ready to walk it?

Save the stops as a trip, track your budget and find hostels along the way.

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