City tours in Kandy, Nuwara Eliya and Colombo. Service of an English-Speaking Chauffer Guide throughout the tour. Transport in a Private Vehicle, inclusive of all chauffer accommodation, cost of fuel, parking & highway tolls. Train Tickets for the mentioned Train rides.

Any expenses of personal nature. International / Domestic Airfare. Hotel Accomodation & Meals. Tips & Portages.

Highlights of Sri Lanka by Train (12)

About this experience

This twelve-day tour combines Sri Lanka's scenic rail journeys with private road transfers, linking the coast, the hill country and the cultural triangle in one continuous route. It begins at the beach town of Negombo, climbs by train to Nuwara Eliya and Kandy, then runs north to the ancient cities of Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa, the rock fortress of Sigiriya, and back south through Colombo to Galle and the southern coast.

Travellers get a mix of train travel on named express services, wildlife drives in two national parks, visits to Buddhist monuments and museums, a cave temple complex, a colonial fort, and free time for shopping or relaxation on the final day. City tours in Nuwara Eliya, Kandy and Galle, along with a gem-mining visit near Ratnapura, are built into the route.

The tour runs with a private chauffeur guide and vehicle for all road transfers, while specified sectors are covered by train with tickets arranged as part of the itinerary. Hotel accommodation, meals and personal expenses are organised separately, leaving flexibility in where you stay and eat each night.

Your service advisor

Mewan Manager

Have questions about this service or want it arranged around your dates? Reach Mewan directly — replies usually within a few hours during Sri Lanka business hours.

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What’s included

Included

City tours in Kandy, Nuwara Eliya and Colombo.
Service of an English-Speaking Chauffer Guide throughout the tour.
Transport in a Private Vehicle, inclusive of all chauffer accommodation, cost of fuel, parking & highway tolls.
Train Tickets for the mentioned Train rides

Not included

Any expenses of personal nature.
International / Domestic Airfare
Hotel Accomodation & Meals
Tips & Portages.

Tour route

Day-by-day waypoints across Sri Lanka. Each marker is where you spend the night; lines trace the daily drive.

Day-by-day itinerary

1 Negombo

Day 1 — Airport → Negombo

On arrival at Bandaranaike International Airport, you are met and driven to Negombo, a coastal town close to the airport.

Negombo

Known as the "Little Rome" of Sri Lanka, Negombo is a coastal town with some of the island's oldest churches, fresh seafood and untouched beaches, making it a relaxed base before the tour heads inland.

AI-generated image · not an actual photograph

2 Nuwara Eliya

Day 2 — Negombo → Colombo → Nuwara Eliya

After an early breakfast you travel from Colombo Fort to Nuwara Eliya on the Udarata Menike express train, with a picnic lunch on board, before transferring to your hotel.

Udarata Menike Express Train

The train journey from Colombo Fort to Nanu Oya railway station includes a picnic lunch on board, after which a vehicle transfers you to your hotel in Nuwara Eliya.

Nuwara Eliya Town and Victoria Park

In the evening, walk into town to visit the local market and Victoria Park nearby before returning to the hotel.

3 Nuwara Eliya

Day 3 — Nuwara Eliya

A day based in Nuwara Eliya combining a guided nature walk with a town tour and a visit to a botanical garden.

Jungle Trek with Naturalist

After breakfast, a short trek into the jungle behind the hotel with a resident naturalist reveals bird life, trees and plants of the cooler hill country, reptiles, monkeys and flowering plants.

Nuwara Eliya City Tour

In the afternoon, a tour around the town of Nuwara Eliya.

Abdul malik77 · CC BY-SA 4.0

Hakgala Botanical Gardens

A visit to Hakgala Botanical Gardens, set in the hills near Nuwara Eliya.

Own work of Buddhika Mawella · CC BY-SA 3.0

4 Kandy

Day 4 — Nuwara Eliya → Kandy

The day moves from Nuwara Eliya to Kandy, taking in a major botanical garden, a tea factory, and Kandy's principal religious site, with an optional train sector along the way.

Royal Botanical Gardens, Peradeniya

Formed in the early 19th century, these gardens hold over 4000 species of plants across avenues of large and rare trees and flowering borders. Highlights include the cannonball tree, a suspension bridge, hedge mazes and climbing trees.

Bernard Gagnon · CC BY-SA 3.0

Labukele Tea Factory

A stop en route to see how tea is processed and to watch tea pluckers at work.

Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic

In the afternoon, a visit to Kandy's Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic along with other sites in the city, followed by an evening Kandyan dance performance.

A.Savin · FAL

Optional Train to Kandy

As an option, join the train at Nanu Oya and be met by the vehicle at Peradeniya station for a city tour.

5 Anuradhapura

Day 5 — Kandy → Anuradhapura

The day combines a train journey from Pothuhera to Anuradhapura with an afternoon visiting the ancient city's key monuments.

Train to Anuradhapura

Travel from Kandy to Pothuhera station via Rambukkana, then take the train to Anuradhapura, where a vehicle meets you for the transfer to your hotel.

Sri Maha Bodhi, Ruwanwelisaya and Thuparamaya

In the afternoon, visit the Sri Maha Bodhi tree, the Ruwanwelisaya stupa, Thuparamaya and other monuments of the ancient city before returning to the hotel.

A Derivative Work by MediaJet, from Images Credited above. · CC BY 2.0

6 Giritale

Day 6 — Anuradhapura → Giritale

The day covers the monastic site of Mihintale and the medieval capital of Polonnaruwa before continuing to Giritale for the night.

Mihintale

A visit to Mihintale, the site associated with the introduction of Buddhism to Sri Lanka.

Dennis Sylvester Hurd · CC0

Polonnaruwa Monuments

In the afternoon, see the monuments of the medieval capital of Polonnaruwa.

Polonnaruwa Museum

An evening visit to the Polonnaruwa Museum, considered one of the best museums in the country, before continuing to Giritale for the night.

7 Dambulla

Day 7 — Giritale → Dambulla

An early wildlife drive is followed by travel to Sigiriya via Habarana and a climb of the rock fortress in the afternoon.

Kaudulla National Park

An early morning visit by jeep to see wild elephants, other animals and large numbers of aquatic birds on the park's lake.

Thimindu · CC BY-SA 3.0

Sigiriya Rock Fortress

In the afternoon, climb Sigiriya to see the remains of the fortress, which dates to the 5th century AD.

Wrobell · CC BY-SA 3.0

8 Colombo

Day 8 — Dambulla → Colombo

The morning is spent at Dambulla's cave temples before a train journey from Kekirawa to Colombo, with an optional road transfer instead.

Dambulla Cave Temples

Visit the five cave temples at Dambulla to see their paintings and statues.

Lankapic · CC BY 2.5

Train from Kekirawa to Colombo

Travel by train from Kekirawa railway station to Colombo Fort, where a vehicle meets you for transfer to the hotel. Returning to Colombo by road instead of train is offered as an option.

9 Galle

Day 9 — Colombo → Galle

The Ruhunu Kumari express train takes you to Galle, where the afternoon and evening are spent exploring the fort and a nearby beach.

Ruhunu Kumari Express Train

Travel from Colombo Fort to Galle by train, with a vehicle meeting you at Galle station for transfer to the hotel.

Galle Fort

In the afternoon, visit the Dutch fort of Galle, a World Heritage Site, walking its narrow streets and visiting a private museum and several of its bastions.

Rovin Shanila · CC BY-SA 4.0

Unawatuna Beach

In the evening, drive up to Unawatuna Beach before returning to the hotel.

Bernard Gagnon · CC BY-SA 3.0

10 Matara

Day 10 — Galle → Matara

A short train journey to Matara is followed by road travel to Hambantota and an afternoon wildlife drive.

Train to Matara

Travel by train from Galle to Matara, continuing by vehicle to Hambantota.

Udawalawe National Park

In the afternoon, a jeep safari through Udawalawe National Park to see wild elephants and other animals, returning to the hotel in the evening.

AntanO · CC BY-SA 4.0

11 Colombo

Day 11 — Matara → Colombo

The return to Colombo runs via Embilipitiya, Ratnapura and Avissawella, with a stop to see gem mining and gemstones along the way.

Gem Pit and Gem Museum, Ratnapura

At Ratnapura, visit a gem pit to see the traditional method of mining for gemstones, followed by a gem museum displaying the different types of gemstones found in Sri Lanka.

12 BIA

Day 12 — Colombo → BIA

A free day in Colombo before departure.

Free Day in Colombo

Time at leisure for shopping or relaxation ahead of your departure.

Please note

Infant seats available
Public transportation nearby

Infants must not sit on laps
Not recommended for people with back problems
Not recommended for people with heart conditions
Not recommended for pregnant travelers
Not suitable for pets
Not stroller accessible
Not wheelchair accessible
A maximum of 6 people per booking
(1) Your hotel in Colombo. (2) Your hotel in Negombo.

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