Tailor-made Sri Lanka journeys, planned in Weligama.
(+94) 71 489 9799 (+94) 76 173 1708 contact@ouratravel.com
6 days Family Private tour
Cycling Tour Sri Lanka – Eco Tourism Seeks
- 6 days Duration
- 50 Max People
- Airport Pickup
- Udaya Guider
About this trip
About this route
Six days on a bicycle through the flat country between Negombo and the Cultural Triangle, with your vehicle following the whole way. You ride the sections worth riding and drive the sections that are not, which is what makes it possible at moderate fitness rather than racing fitness.
The route runs from the coast at Negombo to Kurunegala, up to Dambulla and Sigiriya, then into the hills at Kandy. Two nights in each base, so you sleep in the same bed more than once.
It is private, so the daily distance is yours to set. Your driver-guide carries the bags, the water and the spare tubes, and picks you up whenever you have had enough.
Why this route works
- The vehicle shadows you. Nobody has to finish a stage they are not enjoying.
- The riding is flat to rolling, on back roads through paddy and coconut, not on main roads.
- Polonnaruwa is the best ancient city in the country to see by bicycle, because that is how the site is laid out.
- Two nights in each base, so the days are rides rather than transfers.
Who it suits
- Riders of moderate fitness at any age. There is no stage you have to complete.
- Families with teenagers, and couples who ride at different speeds.
- Anyone who would rather meet people at a roadside stall than through a car window.
Who it does not suit
- If you want long climbs and big daily distances, this is not that trip. Tell us and we will build one.
- If you have never ridden in traffic, the first briefing matters. Sri Lankan roads take a day to read.
Included activities
- Negombo town tour and a road briefing before you ride
- Ride from Negombo towards Kurunegala through paddy and coconut country
- Dambulla golden cave temple
- Cycle tour of the ruins at Polonnaruwa
- Elephant safari at Minneriya or Kaudulla
- Ride to Sigiriya and the climb up the rock
- Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic in Kandy
- Hantana hill ride above Kandy
- Peradeniya botanical gardens
Best time to go
The dry zone that most of this route crosses is driest from roughly May to September, which is also the hottest time, so the riding starts early. From December to March it is cooler and greener with a chance of afternoon rain. Either works. What matters more is starting each stage by seven.
How booking works
Send your dates through the enquiry form on this page, or message us on WhatsApp. You get back a day by day plan with the hotels named and a price for your group. Nothing is held or charged while you think about it.
To confirm, we ask for a deposit of 50 percent of the total, with the balance due at least five days before you arrive. Bookings made within ten days of arrival are paid in full at the time of booking. Card payments are handled by PayHere, and a booking is confirmed only once we send you written confirmation.
Prices shown here are per person in US dollars, based on the level 1 hotels. A higher hotel level, extra nights or changes to the route all change the price, so ask us for a quote on your own dates. Cancellation terms are set out in our refund policy.
Day by day
A plan, not a timetable. Any day can be swapped once you are here.
Your driver-guide meets you at the airport and drives you the twenty minutes to Negombo. You get the bikes fitted and a briefing on what Sri Lankan roads do, which is worth listening to, because the horn here means something different.
Ride around town to get used to it, then the beach. The riding starts properly tomorrow.
About 35 kilometres inland on quiet roads through paddy fields and coconut. It is flat, and the surface is better than you expect.
Kurunegala is the stop, under the rock they call Athagala with the white Buddha on top of it, visible long before you arrive. Lunch in town, then the bikes go on the vehicle and you drive up to Dambulla, where the golden cave temple has the largest group of Buddha figures under one roof in the country.
You ride the ruins at Polonnaruwa, which is how the site is meant to be seen. The capital from the eleventh to the thirteenth century is spread over several kilometres, and the main group takes a morning: Lankathilaka, Thuparamaya, the royal palace, Rankoth Vehera and the rock cut Buddhas at Gal Viharaya.
In the afternoon you swap the bike for a jeep at Minneriya or Kaudulla, wherever the elephants have moved to that week.
The longest ride of the trip, about 55 kilometres through jungle, chena plots and villages to Sigiriya. It is rolling rather than hilly, but the heat is the thing to manage, so it starts early.
You climb the rock in the afternoon, over a thousand steps past the frescoes to the citadel on top. Then the vehicle takes you on to Kandy, and the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic if the timing works.
Kandy on two wheels and on foot. The lake circuit is easy riding, Upper Lake Drive gives you the view down over the town, and the forest reserve above it is quiet at any hour.
If you want a climb, the ride up into the Hantana hills through the tea and forest is the hardest thing on this itinerary and the best view of the trip. The botanical gardens at Peradeniya are the gentler alternative.
Your driver-guide takes you to the airport, around three hours from Kandy. The bikes come off your hands here.
What is included
- Private air-conditioned support vehicle with an English-speaking driver-guide for all six days
- Five nights of hotels with daily breakfast, based on the level 1 rooms
- Bicycle, helmet and basic spares for the riding days
- Entrance fees for the sites and activities listed in the itinerary
- Jeep and tracker for the Minneriya or Kaudulla safari
- Bottled drinking water in the vehicle every day
- All government taxes and service charges
- International and domestic flights
- Lunches, dinners and snacks unless the itinerary says otherwise
- Sri Lanka visa fees
- Travel insurance, which we strongly recommend you arrange
- Tips for your driver-guide, the trackers and hotel staff
- Personal spending such as laundry, phone calls and room service
- Anything not listed in the itinerary
Where this route goes
Negombo, Kurunegala, Dambulla, Sigiriya, Kandy, Colombo Bandaranaike International Airport
- Private tour, never a group
- Your own driver-guide and vehicle
- Every day can be changed
- One number to call, any hour
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Want this trip, but not exactly like this?
Every route on this site is a starting point. Tell us your dates and what you would change, and we will send back a version that fits.
