This 15-day trip immerses you in the must-sees, must-tastes and must-meets of beautiful Sri Lanka. You’ll summit UNESCO World Heritage-listed Lion Rock in Sigiriya, cycle through sprawling ancient city ruins in Anuradhapura and wander the massive granite Buddha carvings in Polonnaruwa. Have lunch with a Tamil tea worker in their home, relax with a cold beer and your feet in the sand in Mirissa and hike between plantations and villages in Haputale. This is the best of Sri Lanka!
Sri Lanka – the teardrop shaped island in the Indian Ocean – offers a dream escape for road cyclists looking to test their endurance on a mesmerisingly varied terrain. In the far north, long causeways arc over scenic lagoons. Amidst the “Cultural Triangle”, quiet backroads lead to the iconic Sigiriya Lion Rock. In the Central Highlands, tea estates line switchbacks coiling up the mountains. And in the south, rural lanes dissect a vibrant landscape of rice paddies and banana plantations. This 12-day road biking traverse across the entire length of Sri Lanka opens a window into the natural beauty and cultural richness of this captivating island nation.
The tour begins with a warm-up ride through the coconut groves of the west coast, after which we transfer north to the Jaffna Peninsula. Once the centre of Sri Lanka’s long-lasting Civil War, today it is a peaceful and prospering region known as the heartland of the country’s Tamil population. We hop across lagoons to reach the northernmost point of Sri Lanka and take to the plains to reach Mannar Island, a birdwatching paradise. From here we begin our journey south, riding through the country’s “rice bowl” to discover a triad of UNESCO World-Heritage Sites: the ancient city of Anuradaphura, Sigirya Lion Rock, and the Dambulla Caves. After a rest day in Kandy — home to Sri Lanka’s most sacred Buddhist temple — we ride deep into the tea-growing highlands. Here, we put our legs to the test, climbing above 1,500 m ASL through rolling hills covered by rows of tea bushes. Then, we transition to the jungles and grasslands of Udawalawe National Park where you have the opportunity to spot wild elephants. Our final ride brings us to the Dondra Head Lighthouse, the southernmost tip of Sri Lanka, where we celebrate at the nearby beaches of Mirissa. The tour ends with a transfer to Colombo, Sri Lanka’s capital.
Join us on this invigorating island adventure and earn your place in Sri Lanka’s road biking hall of fame!
Guided by an expert local leader, this 14-day cycling trip through Sri Lanka will take you to tea plantations, fishing villages, national parks, cities and lush green jungles. From Negombo to Colombo, you’ll see why Sri Lanka is Asia’s most exciting new destination. With pristine coastline, ancient ruins, rugged peaks and wildlife-filled national parks, it’s a dream for travellers who like to get active. In between two-wheeled treks, you can go on safari to spot leopards, take on optional food crawls, laze on the beaches of the southern coast, ride the rails (a must in Sri Lanka), explore the country’s premier Hindu and Buddhist sites, and see the famed UNESCO World Heritage site of Sigiriya. With days of riding and nights of feasting, Sri Lanka will soon make its way to your heart.
We recently concluded a two-week trip travelling throughout Sri Lanka using World Expeditions. With our input on sites to see, hikes to take, places of interest to visit, accommodations etc., the World Expeditions team provided an excellent and customized itinerary for our comprehensive private journey to Sri Lanka. The entire team was highly responsible and provided professional input up to the moment we departed for the trip. Upon arrival we were greeted by our guide and driver who provided dedication, attention to detail, and unwavering commitment to excellence all throughout the trip, consistently going above and beyond his responsibilities as a travel guide ensuring we would experience the "real” Sri Lanka. He consistently anticipated our needs to ensure that our questions or concerns were addressed and resolved. Being very intuitive, in addition to the hikes, temples and ancient cities visited in our itinerary, he also further customized our trip to include additional activities he knew we would both enjoy as wildlife and photo enthusiasts. Overall, this was an incredible experience and very satisfied that we used World Expeditions to organize this trip.
