Sri Lanka, previously known as Ceylon is a tropical island nation surrounded by the Indian Ocean, towards the South of India. In this post, I will take you on Sri Lanka Trip.Â
Famous for – Pristine beaches, ancient ruins, UNESCO sites, lots of Elephants, surfer’s Paradise, hospitable & friendly people, affordable country, famous Ceylon tea, and Spicy Sri Lankan cuisine makes Sri Lanka a favorite tourist destination. Therefore there are numerous beautiful places to visit in Sri Lanka. Let’s go for an exotic Sri Lanka Trip
This post is an overview of a short trip to Sri Lanka for 4 days and 5 nights.  It covers Colombo – Negombo – Kandy – Colombo. Before planning your tour, read some of the best places to visit in Sri Lanka with some important tips about everything you need to to know before going to SriLanka and some funny Sri Lanka Interesting Facts.
Recommended Itinerary for Sri Lanka Trip:-
There are many itineraries for Sri Lanka like for 5 days, 7 days, and 10 days. I did for 5 days due to short time availability but if you are looking for 10 days then read this 10 day Sri Lanka Trip
If you want you to stay longer then check this 2-week plan for Sri Lanka Trip.
Day 1Â
Arrive at Bandaranaike International Airport in the morning. Proceed to Negombo. Negombo is the typical styled fishing town with stunning beaches at a distance of approximately 10 kilometers from the International Airport. Â Overnight stay in a beach resort in Negombo.
Day 2Â
Breakfast in Negombo and then proceed to scenic hill city of Kandy.  Kandy was ancient capital of Sri Lanka. Kandy is famous for tea gardens, Buddhist sites including temple of Tooth.  On the way to Kandy, explore traditional spice farming at Spice Garden and Ceylon Tea factory. If you are not going for Kandy then you can also proceed towards East Coast of SriLanka and stay at Dambulla. Read about SriLanka East Coast Itinerary. Â
In this tea factory, you will get a chance to witness the whole process of tea making, like the process of plucking tea leaves from nearby tea gardens to processing and then packing them. You can also taste the tea and purchase tea from here. Overnight stay in Kandy.
Day 3Â
After breakfast in Kandy, a departure from Kandy and proceed to Colombo. In between going to Kandy Lake – a nice place for the whole view of the city and strolling around. If you have more time in Kandy, then a trip to Ella is recommended for hiking and beautiful tea plantations. If you are going to Ella then Kandy to Ella Train ride is also fun.Â
Then proceed to Royal Botanical Garden(also known as Peradeniya Botanical gardens). Â This garden is very beautiful and houses a wide collection of orchids. Â
After the Botanical garden tour proceeds to Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage.  This Elephant Orphanage is formed especially for injured & abandoned elephants.  Feeding & Bathing of Elephants is worth watching them. You can also purchase Udawalawe National Park Safari tours in advance.Â
There are specific timings of feeding & Bathing which provide the best opportunity to see them very closely. Â
After this proceed to Colombo for a night stay. Â Evening tour in Colombo is beautiful as Colombo is a very vibrant and busy city. Â Colombo is the largest and commercial city in Sri Lanka. You can also go on an enchanting Sigiriya and Dambulla day trip from Colombo by booking your tickets in advance.Â
Day 4Â
Colombo has a large harbor & known to traders(trading activities) since 2,000 years ago. Â Stay in Grand Oriental Hotel for a perfect harbor view and authentic styled Sri Lankan stay. I could not take photos of the port from a hotel, as photography of the harbor is not allowed due to security reasons. Â In Colombo opt for a city tour and shopping.Â
RELATED READS
Sri Lanka has wonderful vegan or vegetarian food and so know more about the ultimate vegan – vegetarian and drinks guide to Sri Lanka. For this itinerary, there are many tours available or you can drive in Sri Lanka by renting a car. Read about the cost of a holiday in SriLanka with kids. There are many Unique stays in Sri Lanka which are personal villa-styled stays or homestays. If you have 2 more days in your tour plan for Sri Lanka then go for Galle and then return to Colombo. I was having less time, but Galle is recommended for 7 days itinerary for Sri Lanka Tour. For some nature adventure, you can opt to stay at hilltop cabanas and read more about Places to stay at East coast, Sri Lanka on the top of beach cabanas. This beautiful country has wonderful scuba diving sites and therefore read more about Scuba Diving in Sri Lanka. Read this for SriLanka itinerary with Galle.
Sweet Short Tour ends. Or you can go for Ultimate 8 – Day Backpacker’s Itinerary.Â
There are 50 amazing things to do in Sri Lanka. Click here to read about them. Â
Booking.com
Discover more about SriLanka on their offical tourism website. Â
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So, until then KEEP TRAVELING……………… KEEP EXPLORING……………………………………………………
All photos are taken by me and use of photos without permission would result in legal action.
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Sri Lanka is a beautiful country to explore! We went there several years ago and maybe I should do a re-visit. I love this land of elephants, Buddha statues and spicy coconut curries!:-)
I had a penpal from Sri Lanka when I was a kid, and really wanted to visit, but it had dropped off my radar now I see why it’s should be back on – it looks like a wonderful destination. It’s handy that there’s a good selection of vegetarian options too.
Yes Sri Lanka has many vegetarian options and food is also similar to south Indian food too.
Your article has woken up my nostalgia of this country! I visited SriLanka many years ago. Kandy was my favorite! I love your pictures of the Elephant orphanage. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Sri Lanka is truly photogenic.
What a great itinerary for Sri Lanka. Due to the country’s recent tragedies, they need the tourism now more than ever! I love that you included the botanical gardens because that is one of my favorite spots. I didn’t visit the Elephant Sanctuary while I was there. Did you find that they obeyed and had ethical practices? I think that’s very important to note nowadays. If I return, I might visit the elephant orphanage, if they are ethical.
Yes they are very ethical and are made to preserve elephants. I loved it.
SriLanka is so similar to Kerala in many ways ..from the beaches to the culture to the elephants…Everything is so lush and green! The botanical gardens look splendid and your photographs do complete justice to the beauty of such a place.
Thanks Meenakshi
By reading this post it’s easy to imagine why Sri Lanka is the top destination in 2019 by Lonely planet. The landscapes are so amazing. It’s good to see an elephant orphanage where the animals are not in chains. The Royal Botanical garden looks amazing
Thanks Sinjana, Elephants orphanage is very nice and naturally maintained
I am local and very impressed with your knowledge about Sri Lanka. The advise you offer to would be visitors is authentic and helpful. If I have the power, I will appoint you as a Travel Consultant to the Tourism Authority in UAE – haha. Keep up the good work. We owe you.
Thanks Mani
Beautiful images from this short trip of Sri Lanka. 🙂
On the face of it, Sri Lanka, especially the landscape reminds me exactly of my home state, Kerala. Both places seem so similar. I’ve been itching to visit Sri Lanka for some time, and am going to copy atleast part of your itinerary when I do so. The baby elephants look great, and remind me of the Elephant Orphanage I visited in Nairobi.
You can always copy my itinerary and take my suggestions whenever you visit Srilanka. Those baby elephants are really cute
Elephants <3
Both of my parents are Sri Lankan and I still have family there, so Sri Lanka is definitely high on the bucket list. Would love to see this magical country one day soon. 🙂
Sri Lanka looks like a great place to visit. The accommodations looks so awesome. And I really loved the botanical gardens and the elephant orphanage.
Being an Indian, I wonder why I have not traveled to Sri Lanka yet. It is easy and cheap for an Indian to travel to SL. Loved the text and pictures you shared. You brought Sri Lanka alive.
Sri Lanka has always been on my bucket list. This looks like the perfect itinerary. I would really love to spend some time with the elephants. I love them! Bookmarked for when I go.
I loved Sri Lanka! This itinerary is similar to mine except I decided to skip Colombo and add a few additional stops along the way during my journey. Like you, I was only there for a short time, which is truly a shame because even though it’s a small country I think you need a minimum of ten days to really get around and explore!
very true it really requires 10 days.I missed Gale
The Royal Botanical Gardens looks beautiful. I had a friend that went to Sri Lanka so I’m really wanting to go there someday. Thanks for sharing.
I am loving the photos here. The tea factory sounds really interesting. I would love to visit it.
I’d love to visit Sri Lanka, especially Kandy. It seems so green, lush and just a beautiful country in general. The Royal Botanical Gardens look amazing, and good for photo opportunities! It’s a given that I would like to see the elephants too.
This is bringing back all the memories of my own trip to Kandy and Pinnawalla elephant sanctuary. It was such an incredible vacation but so long ago now that I don’t have many photos. Your trip looked amazing and I’m glad you had a great time there too!
Sri Lanka is such a beautiful country with so much to see and do. I loved your suggested itinerary, will save it for future when I get a chance to visit.
Wow, these tips will definetly help me a lot. I always wonder how you manage to take out time being a computer engineer for so much travelling. Please share tips.
Whenever I get time I go for travelling sacrificing other hobbies. Because at a time one passion only can be pursued.
It looks like you had such a fun time in Sri Lanka. The accommodations looked great. And I really loved the botanical gardens and the elephant orphanage.
I had no idea that Sri Lanka had such beauty! My friend loves elephants, she even has a tattoo of one and she would love it there!
Most of the time, it seems that Sri Lanka misses out on a lot of tourism promotion as most of the focus in the region seems to be directed toward India. However, I think Sri Lanka is a beautiful place from everything I’ve seen and I would love to visit one day. The itinerary you have outlined here looks lovely as well as your photos, but I would try to stay a bit longer to really get a feel for this country.
Yes you should stay more.
So many Elephants, I never thought Srilanka as a tourist destination but I think I was wrong. Those green landscapes, elephants, spice gardens all look fascinating.
Great post, loved all the images especially the elephant herds and palm trees.. The elephants look so majestic
Visiting Sri Lanka is on my bucket list and I am awed with this post.I am going to book mark it as your trip sounds amazing and so full of adventure.