Road Trip Sri Lanka
Exploring Ancient cities, cave systems, and camping in remote jungle villages- road tripping Sri Lanka will bring adventures of a lifetime
Written By Gracie Rounds
Introduction
Choosing to road trip Sri Lanka as a means of exploring the island is becoming more and more popular. If you do a quick google search, there are tons of road trip recommendations for different parts of the country, no two exactly the same.
However, because we will be following the recommendations of my thrill seeking sister, solo world-traveler Callie Rounds, you can expect that this will probably be the most adventure filled guide yet. Read on to learn about all of the different explorations you can be a part of on your road trip through central Sri Lanka, hitting many “secret” spots.
Choosing your route!
Choosing Your Route
Obtaining some form of transportation and making this into a road trip will enable you to get the best experience out of these many sights in Sri Lanka possible. Along the way you can stay at different hotels and hop from place to place. So make sure to pack as light as you can for this portion or at least be extra organized!
This is our custom road trip guide for Sri Lanka. The route that you choose can be based on your preferences and if you’ve already been to some areas/places or not. For example, if you have already been to Arugam Bay (in the North close to Tricomalee) you might not want to go all the way up there again. Or, if you haven’t been to Arugam Bay yet, you would want to add that in as a place to stay for a couple extra nights. Pick and choose as you please.
Where to Stay
Our route recommends that you stay for a couple nights in/around Kandy, camp in a local village west of Kandy, and the stay for a few nights in Ella.
For a very high end stay close to Kandy, check out the Dendrobium House. This is a big house you can rent out multiple rooms in, has a homey style resort, and incredible food. One of the absolute highlights is their jacuzzi looking out over the jungle.
As some of our other recommendations include camping, we would recommend doing a night or two at the Dendrobium House as well as any other cool hotels/hostels you find along your route that may have popped up since Callie was last there!
Key Stops Near Kandy
If you are renting a vehicle out of Kandy (bigger city so more options) there are a lot of key spots to hit close by.
Ambuluwawa is an incredible first stop to hit on your road trip. This tower is one that you’ve probably seen online or in travel articles many times. It’s an insane architectural creation and you can get amazing pictures here. For a drone pilot this is not to miss at sunrise.
World’s End and 18 Bends are both close to each other so can be done in the same outing. The former is a cliff overlooking everything and aptly named. And the 8th Bend of 18 Bends is another amazing spot for drone footage of a winding road.
If you have extra time and don’t mind a complicated route to get there, a visit to Meemure is truly life changing. This is a village comprised of just 400 people, and is one of the most remote villages in Sri Lanka. There definitely won’t be any luxury hotels here, but you will have the camping experience of a lifetime.
As we mentioned earlier, you can get to Trincomalee in 3 or so hours from Kandy, but if you haven’t been to Arugam Bay yet we would recommend you check out our other article about that area and add on a few nights there. Trincomalee will be the place to have an epic adventure swimming with whale sharks in the right season.
And lastly, for possibly the most exciting historical adventure near Kandy, visit the Polonnaruwa Ancient City, north of Kandy by 2 hours. These 12th century ruins are ancient reminents of an amazing garden city that is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Key Stops Near Ella
Ella is a really special spot to visit in itself. It has a misty jungle vibe and holds lots of exciting adventures. Because of this misty energy, it can get quite cloudy in Ella for the majority of the day so we recommend doing activites in the morning as much as possible for the highest chances of sunlight.
For a fun spot for sunrise and sunset hike to Little Adam’s Peak. The trail is pretty easy to complete and offers stunning views, but can become crowded so an early sunrise hike would probably make this activity the most enjoyable.
Another great spot to hike would be to Ravana’s Cave. This is said to be where a princess was kidnapped and hidden in ancient times, and you can still see an ancient temple here. There are also waterfalls next to the cave.
Nine Arches Bridge is a very popular spot near Ella to go and take pictures or drone footage at. It can become very crowded as well so best to go as early as possible.
For a more extreme adventure you could visit Nildiya Pokuna. With a guide you will climb down letters leading to a pitch black cave system. This cave can go on for days, but with a guide you will arrive to a hidden turquoise pool after just 20 minutes.
You wear headlamps and get to swim in this pool. This is not recommended for someone who doesn’t enjoy physical activity or isn’t comfortable with small spaces as there is lots of climbing necessary and sometimes you’re really close to bats. Also make sure you aren’t wearing nice clothes! But it’s a super underrated, incredible experience.
Lipton’s Seat is a popular tour to take through tea plantations, and can be a really fun thing to go to tea tastings there.
And lastly for a more “boujee” activity visit the Ravana Pool Club. Here you will witness spectacular views looking over Little Adam’s Peak and Ella Rock, as well as music, food, and beverages. There are heated jacuzzi’s, day beds, and an infinity pool, and lots of parties and events that you wouldn’t want to miss.
Conclusion
A road trip through Sri Lanka following our route will take you from wild adventures to relaxing luxury spots- in the same day sometimes. Your visit to Sri Lanka would be lacking without a road trip like this.
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