Sri Lanka Ramayana Trail — Sigiriya, Nuwara Eliya and Colombo

Hotels are held at the time of confirmation. If one is full we will offer a like-for-like alternative and tell you what it does to the price before you pay anything.

1. Day 1 Land, and drive to the cultural triangle 160 km · about 5 hours 30 minutes

   • Munneswaram Temple One of the five ancient Shiva temples on the island, and where Rama is said to have prayed after the battle.
   • Manavari Temple The site of the first Shiva lingam Rama installed — the only one anywhere named after him.

   Night at Sigiriya.

2. Day 2 Sigiriya, then Trincomalee A long day east and back — allow most of it in the car

   • Sigiriya Rock Fortress A fifth-century palace on a two-hundred-metre rock, with the frescoes near the top. A six in the morning climb or it is not worth doing.
   • Koneswaram Temple and Shankari Devi A Shiva temple on Swami Rock above the ocean, holding one of the Shakti Peethams. The view alone justifies the drive.
   • Fort Frederick and Lover’s Leap A Portuguese fort the Dutch and British each rebuilt, with deer wandering it, and the cliff the legends attach to.
   • Kanniya hot springs Seven wells at different temperatures, and a story about Ravana digging them for his mother’s funeral rites.

   Second night at Sigiriya.

3. Day 3 Down to the tea country 200 km · about 5 hours

   • A spice garden Cinnamon, cardamom, pepper and cloves, with a guided walk through how each is grown and used.
   • Ramboda Falls One of the tallest waterfalls in the country, seen from the road with tea all around it.
   • A working tea factory Leaf to cup, including the grading, and a pot of it at the end.
   • Shri Bhaktha Hanuman Temple Built by the Chinmaya Mission in the hills at Ramboda, where Hanuman is said to have searched for Sita.

   Night in Nuwara Eliya.

4. Day 4 Nuwara Eliya, all day No long drive — everything today is local

   • Seetha Amman Temple Where the epic places Sita’s captivity. The stream beside it carries depressions said to be Hanuman’s footprints.
   • Hakgala Botanical Garden The Ashoka Vatika of the Ramayana, and one of the oldest gardens on the island.
   • Gregory Lake Boats, bicycles and horses if you want them, and a walk round the water if you do not.
   • Gayathri Peetam and Divurumpola The temple where Rama is said to have prayed for victory, and the place where Sita walked through fire.

   Second night in Nuwara Eliya.

5. Day 5 Down to Colombo, and the city 170 km · about 6 hours

   • Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara A temple with extraordinary murals, and the Vibhishana Devalaya beside it — Vibhishana was crowned king of Lanka here.
   • Panchamuga Anjaneyar Temple The first temple anywhere to Hanuman in his five-faced form.
   • Pettah market and Independence Hall The old bazaar, and the 1948 monument in the Kandyan style.
   • Galle Face Green and Gangaramaya A half-kilometre of seafront the whole city walks at dusk, and the least restrained temple in the country.

   Night in Colombo.

6. Day 6 Colombo to the airport 35 km · about 45 minutes

   • Breakfast, check out, and the transfer Allow three hours before an international departure. Your driver will tell you when to leave; take his answer over the map application.