Sri Lanka Tip to Tip by Road Bike

We meet at our tour hotel in the coastal region of Negombo for a bike fitting, trip briefing and welcome dinner.

Starting from the coast, our morning ride takes us inland through a world of coconut plantations, rice paddies, churches, and buzzing market towns. At the 65 km point we saddle-off and transfer 5.5 hours north to Jaffna, stopping for lunch along the way.

In the morning we ride a lovely loop around the Jaffna peninsula and its connected lagoons and islands, crossing causeways, taking a local ferry, and reaching the northern tip of Sri Lanka. In the afternoon we visit Jaffna’s most revered Hindu temple and the historic Dutch Fort.

We head south to the Sri Lankan mainland across a causeway and settle in for a long and flat ride through sparsely-populated, sun-drenched shrublands interspersed with farms, forests, and the occasional herd of cows. We saddle-off on Mannar Island, a renowned birdwatching paradise, where we spend the night.

Following a quick transfer back to the mainland, we ride deep into Sri Lanka’s “rice bowl” with paddy fields, jungle-clad hills, and scenic reservoirs lining our path. In the afternoon, we embark on a locally-guided tour of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Sacred City of Anuradhapura.

This morning's ride explores Sri Lanka's agrarian heartland, brimming with canals, water tanks, rice paddies, and villages. The afternoon is dedicated to visiting the must-see Sigiriya, a dramatic granite massif featuring an ancient fortress and the ruins of a sky palace.

A short morning ride leads to Dumbulla, Sri Lanka’s most resplendent Buddhist cave temple. After a guided visit we transfer south and ride through rolling hills before tackling a tough climb up a pass surrounded by rubber plantations. We then drive to Kandy, the gateway to Sri Lanka’s tea-growing highlands.

Today is free to explore Kandy at your own pace. Visit the Temple of the Tooth Relic, royal palace grounds, or a nearby tea factory, and enjoy panoramic views of the surrounding hills from a rooftop lounge.

We tackle Sri Lanka’s Central Highlands, famous for Ceylon tea. After a transfer from Kandy, we ride through a hilly landscape of tea estates, farmlands, and market towns. Today features the tour’s longest climb, rewarded with a stay at an elegant highland hideaway at over 1,000 m ASL.

Today, we transition from the tea-growing Central Highlands to the tropical plains of the south. Our ride includes a scenic ascent through remote tea plantations, followed by a thrilling descent into dense forests. We then enter Sri Lanka's tropical southern lowlands to reach Udawalawe National Park.

In the early morning you have the option of joining a wildlife safari in Udawalawe National Park, one of the best places to see wild elephants in Sri Lanka. We then ride through a lush agrarian hinterland to reach the Dondra Head Lighthouse, the southernmost point of the country.

We organise a shared group transfer from Mirissa to Colombo and Bandaranaike International Airport. If you're extending your stay at another beach resort en route, we can drop you off there as well.