Have a few days off and want to travel, enjoy and spend less while at it? I have you covered. Sri Lanka it is. Here’s my 4 day Sri Lanka itinerary to help you explore the best things to do in Sri Lanka.
BUT WAIT. You must be thinking about the reason why I chose this destination. Okay. Then let’s address the question- Why Sri Lanka?
- Because Sri Lanka has the perfect mix of naturally scenic places, culture, history and amazing wildlife activities.
- The visa application process is simple. Visa is generally on arrival and it’s better to apply online and get it before you land in Sri Lanka. You can apply for your online visa here
- It’s cheap and budget friendly. So that’s an important box ticked.
I took some time off from work and customized a holiday package for myself and a friend with the help of Eden Lanka Tours – the Sri Lanka travel experts.
The package I have curated has an interesting mix of everything. Therefore, at the end of the day you are left with a feeling of contentment of having done the best things in Sri Lanka.
So let me plan a 4 day Sri Lanka itinerary so that you don’t have to spend your time and effort for the same.
4-DAY SRI LANKA ITINERARY
DAY 1 : ARRIVAL IN COLOMBO – PINNAWALA – KANDY
-> Arrive at the Colombo international airport (CMB) in the morning. Remember to exchange your money at the airport as they give you the best exchange rate.
-> Your driver will greet you at the airport. This vehicle you board from the airport is your private air-conditioned car throughout the trip. You’ll cover all the places within the country by road as it’s a pretty small island nation. Have your breakfast on the way to Pinnawala at a local bakery/restaurant and get a taste of some local cuisine.
-> On reaching Pinnawala, visit the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage – a refuge for orphaned elephants. Experience the magic of witnessing a herd of elephants walk past you. If you wish to feed an elephant, then purchase a separate ticket to get a fruit basket.
On exiting the orphanage, cross the road to the other side and enjoy some local street shopping with impressive stores for clothes and wooden antiques. Walk along the market to reach the water stream where you can see elephants having a bath and enjoying themselves.
-> Enroute to Kandy, stop at the Ayurveda Herbal Garden. Learn about the various plant species and Ayurveda’s medicinal and general benefits in daily life. On reaching Kandy, spend time exploring the city a bit.
Enjoy a walk along the Kandy lake and soak in the natural beauty of the place.
-> Visit the arts and craft centre, silk factory and gem emporium to see Sri Lanka’s handicraft making. All three centres are in the same location. Therefore, you don’t have to travel much. After you’re done with it, see the Kandyan Dance and Cultural show that takes place in the same handicraft complex.
-> Check-in at Hotel Topaz in Kandy and enjoy the delectable Sri Lankan buffet dinner.
—> Book your stay at Hotel Topaz by clicking here.
DAY 2 : KANDY – RAMBODA – NUWARA ELIYA
-> Have your buffet breakfast at Hotel Topaz and leave for the Temple of Tooth Relic.
-> Reach the Temple of Tooth Relic preferably by 9:30-11am. Why this time? Since these are the Pooja timings, you can see the traditional proceedings live. If you want to understand the cultural and historical significance of this Buddhist UNESCO World Heritage site in Sri Lanka, then I recommend you to hire a guide here. Besides the shrine complex & the prayer hall, explore the museum of the loyal elephant Raja and relax in the beautiful green courtyard breathing in the spiritual atmosphere.
-> Thereafter, proceed for Nuwara Eliya. Enjoy the scenic views along the way.
-> Visit the tea-factory and tea plantation. First of all, you see how the tea is brought in, cleaned, processed, refined and packed in the tea-factory.
Furthermore you visit a tea-plantation yourself and enjoy the sight of tea-carpeted hills. Finally, shop at the Ceylon tea store and take back some quality Sri Lankan tea with you.
-> Visit the Ramboda waterfalls and experience nature at it’s imperious best as you walk along a small downhill trail to reach the site.
After witnessing the cascading white streams flowing nonchalantly, walk to the Ramboda hotel and enjoy a great buffet lunch.
-> Drive further and reach the Nuwara Eliya town. On your way to the hotel, make a stop at the Gregory Lake.
Soak in the sights of distant green hills and a beautiful inviting lake sitting in the luscious grass banks. Also, take a boat tour to savour the views of this British colonial town.
-> Check-in at Hotel Yoho Daffodils in Nuwara Eliya and spend the rest of the evening enjoying your dinner and walking along the streets exploring the town.
—> Book your stay at Hotel Yoho Daffodils by clicking here.
DAY 3 : NUWARA ELIYA – YALA – TISSAMAHARAMA
-> After having your breakfast, proceed to Yala.
-> En-route visit the grand Rawana waterfalls. Chill at the waterfalls for a while sipping coconut water and then shop for some souvenirs at the nearby local shops.
-> Check-in at the Ekho Safari Tissa Hotel in Tissamaharama.
—> Book your stay at Ekho Safari Tissa by clicking here.
-> In the afternoon, get onto a jeep and head to the Yala National Park for a wildlife safari. Keep your ears and eyes open for sighting wildlife enroute to the National Park.
During our journey, an elephant fascinatingly stood in the middle of the road to wish us good luck so I hope you too have our kind of luck. Spot elephants, deer, monkeys, peacocks, water buffaloes, sloth bears, leopards and a variety of birds in the park.
I advise you to go post your lunch as you have better chances of spotting more animals at that time.
-> Return to your hotel in Tissamaharama and enjoy the luxuries it has to offer besides a great buffet dinner.
DAY 4 : TISSAMAHARAMA – KOSGODA – HIKKADUWA
-> Have your breakfast and then head to Galle.
-> Visit the famous UNESCO World Heritage Site – The Galle Fort. Stroll around the humongous dutch fort area. Firstly spend time at the lighthouse relishing the view of the beach and the endless stretch of the Indian Ocean.
You’ll see places of worship belonging to all religions even from the lighthouse. Furthermore, explore the various cafes and restaurants and enjoy some ravishing seafood and mocktails. Finally, walk the streets of Galle Fort and treat yourself to some retail therapy with the myriad number of local shopping options available. If you have the time, then do enjoy the sunset view from the lighthouse.
-> Thereafter head to the Sea Turtle Protection Center in Kosgoda. Here you can see different kinds of turtles being rehabilitated after suffering injuries & choking on the metal, plastic that people dump in the oceans.
Do befriend a hatchling and see these beautiful creatures warm your heart.
-> Proceed to the famous moonstone mine in Mitiyagoda. See the entire procedure of digging, finding, extracting, cleaning, shaping and polishing of the unique gems believed to be blessed by the moon. Buy a gem or two too if you like as the gem store across the mine offers good discounts to travellers.
-> Continue to the Madu river Biodiversity Area for an exciting boat safari in the middle of mangrove forests. Traverse through the waters as you get to see mangrove caves from the inside thanks to the dense vegetation.
Not only that, you also get to visit the islands of the lagoon. Here you meet the locals and learn how they use the natural resources to extract raw materials for products that can be used both for business and medicinal purposes. Also, you can choose to get a fish pedicure in the various pedicure pools that come along the way.
-> Check-in at the Citrus Hotel in Hikkaduwa.
—> Book your stay at Citrus Hotel by clicking here.
Take a dip in the pool enjoying the spectacular sunset view. Enjoy your dinner and relax at the wonderful beach inside the hotel property.
DAY 5 : HIKKADUWA – AIRPORT (CMB)
-> Have your breakfast and proceed to the airport in time for your departure flight, bidding adieu to this beautiful country!
So that was my 4 day Sri Lanka itinerary. If you have any questions or queries, then feel free to drop me a mail. The itinerary that I’ve made encompasses a bit of everything. It gives you a wholesome experience of the place which is my primary objective.
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42 comments
Wow! Never before had I known I need to visit Sri Lanka! And the elephant refuge, I’m there! When is the best time to visit? How do I book your itin?
The best time would be September-October. And you can jot down these things and propose it to “Eden Lanka tours” who I have linked in the post in the Introduction paragraph. Get in touch with them and give them my blog’s reference. They’ll book it for you and you’ll be on your way to an epic SL trip! Keep in touch when you are booking, and I’ll help you out.
This truly does look like the perfect 4 day itinerary. I would love to have the opportunity to visit here someday.
Your post made me want to visit Sri Lanka soon. I definitely want to see the tea plantation. I saw one in Bandung, Indonesia and it was lovely. The rows and rows of tea plants are just IG worthy!
I’ll take your suggestion and do the ones in Indonesia too now!
You have managed to see so many things in just 4 days! I love how you’ve combined nature with the cultural places as well. The baby turtles are simply adorable!
To see elephants up the close is so amazing. This would be a trip that I would like.
I so need to get here one day! What a fun time. I would enjoy relaxing by the waterfall and seeing the temples.
This looks like a really great trip! I am not much of a traveler, but I love looking at photos! How neat to see elephants so close up like that.
An occasional trip to Sri Lanka would be worth your money!
Looks like a lot of fun and learning to go along with it. Beautiful pictures. Thanks for sharing.
It all looks like such a fantastic journey out there. The falls look amazing. I love the way the water caresses the rocks on the way down. And buffet in the temple of the tooth relic must have been such a unique experience.
Wow, this place is quite unique. I never been to this part of the world but I heard many interesting things and the cultural side is extremely fascinating. Def. need to plan a trip there.
What a beautiful country! I think the elephant center, the waterfall, and the turtle sanctuary would be at the top of my list to see.
Your trip to Sri Lanka looked like it was so much fun! I kept thinking to myself as I read your post, “I want to see the elephants. I want to see the elephants!!” And then I read about the sea turtle refuge. And my thoughts became, “I want to see the elephants AND the sea turtles!”
I love your itinerary! Just awesome!
Great itinerary. We haven’t thought about Sri Lanka but now I see how beautiful it is. Definitely considering this country with our kid.
Oh wow Sri Lanka looks amazing! I would absolutely love to see the elephants roaming about. I’m definitely putting Sri Lanka on my list of places to go explore.
We went to exchange money at an airport once and the window was closed. I’ve always been scared to wait so last minute to do that, since then!! I’d love to see Sri Lanka, I really would.
Don’t be scared. I can understand your apprehension but it’ll ge a great experience. Trust me!
What a great Itinerary! I’ve never thought to travel to Sri Lanka before but it looks like an awesome destination!
Wow did you travel solo?! With tis beautiful place you should bring someone special next time!
I would love to visit this place and tag my mon amour, watch those gigantic elephant bathing, then explore the falls. Then feast for local foods!
I travelled with my bestie actually. Hahaha didn’t have a girlfriend at that time but I’ll keep your suggestion in mind!
1000%need to save this for my future excursion to Sri Lanka because it is totally on my places to go to!
What an amazing place. It would be so cool to see the elephants up close. I’d be kinda scared lol Really adorable creatures though
Now you just have given me an idea to consider putting this country on my bucket list. I did not know this country is that good.
Sri Lanka, is certainly my bucket list, I have a few friends from there and I love there food, but your pictures truly capture it’s beauty and spirit.
Wow! This looks like an amazing 4 day trip! You have peaked my interest enough to send this over to my husband. Maybe the tour company can plan something for a family of three? Thank you for this great information!
Yes it surely can. Let me know if you’re wanting to book a vacation through the company.
Maybe one day I will get there and be able to experience everything you did!!
Sri Lanka is a beautiful country! I think the elephant center looks so cool!
What a helpful itinerary! I’d love to visit the waterfall and see the baby elephants! Has every kinda activity in it…wholesome!
This itinerary looks great for your trip, I have never been but the pictures look beautiful. Looks like a good destination to experience nature and wildlife. What I particularly loved is the balance you maintained with all kinds of activities. Really is a wholesome balanced itinerary. Bookmarking this incase I plan a trip to South-east Asia.
I never thought about Sri Lanka as a destination that I would visit. It looks so beautiful. The elephant orphanage is amazing. I would love to see that someday. Thank you for opening my eyes to a new destination.
Wow! It looks like you had an amazing trip! That waterfall looks amazing. I’d definitely do the walking trail to the Ramboda waterfall and spend tuime enjoying a lunch buffet as you mentioned!!
Such a beautiful place. I love using itineraries. However, sometimes things don’t go as planned on our trips. You planned your trip perfectly.
Dear god, what a beautiful place to spend 4 days! I saw like 3 of my dream list things! I think I know what I want for my birthday next October!
Interestingly I went to Sri Lanka in October too with a friend on account of her birthday! Goodluck!
I never been to Sri Lanka but it looks very fun and beautiful. I am glad you experience different sides of the country!
What a great Itinerary! The elephant orphanage is amazing. I would love to see that someday. Thanks for sharing.
Looks like such a wonderful place to visit! One of these days I will be sure to go and check it out.
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