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Planning

Sri Lanka 10-day itinerary: drive times and prices

The short answer

Ten days lets you see the Cultural Triangle properly, spend two nights in Kandy and two in Ella, walk Horton Plains and still fit a Yala safari. The loop is about 1,080 km. With Majeste, for two adults in comfort-tier hotels with all tickets and activities, it costs about USD 1,174 per person in shoulder season as of 7 November 2026. Add an eleventh day if you want a beach.

Last updated . Published by Majeste.

Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic with gold, red and grey roofs beside Kandy Lake, below a forested hill
Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic and Kandy LakePhoto: Philip Nalangan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0

Who this suits

Couples and families who want the main sights without a 12-hour day, and anyone who found the 7-day loop too tight. It still ends with a long final day; the fix is an 11-day version with a Galle or Mirissa night, which you can price in our trip builder. Day 1 assumes a morning or midday arrival; after 15:00, add a Negombo night.

Day by day

Night stops: Sigiriya (3), Kandy (2), Nuwara Eliya (1), Ella (2), Yala area (1).

Day by day
DayRoute and driveWhat you doNight
1Airport to Sigiriya, 145 km, about 3h45Pidurangala Rock for sunsetSigiriya
2LocalSigiriya Rock at opening; Hiriwadunna village tour with lunch; afternoon elephant safari at Minneriya or KaudullaSigiriya
3Sigiriya to Polonnaruwa and back, about 1h25 each way07:00 Polonnaruwa by bicycle (USD 30 ticket; flat, 3 to 4 hours); afternoon free or Ritigala forest monasterySigiriya
4Sigiriya to Kandy, 90 km, about 2h45Dambulla cave temple, and a Matale spice garden if you want one (free, with a sales pitch); dance show at 17:00; Temple of the Tooth service at 18:30Kandy
5LocalPeradeniya gardens; the Gadaladeniya, Lankatilaka and Embekke temple loop or the Ceylon Tea MuseumKandy
6Kandy to Nuwara Eliya, 76 km, about 2h45Ramboda Falls, a tea factory and tasting on the wayNuwara Eliya
7Nanu Oya to Ella by train, about 2h3005:00 Horton Plains and World's End (9 km loop, 3 hours); the early-afternoon train; car takes the luggageElla
8LocalLittle Adam's Peak and Nine Arch Bridge early; Ravana Falls; free afternoon (zipline, cooking class)Ella
9Ella to the Yala area, 88 km, about 2h1514:00 Yala afternoon safariYala area
10Yala to Galle, 143 km, 2h45; Galle to the airport, 153 km, 2h1505:30 Yala morning safari; lunch and a fort walk in Galle; evening flight. About 5 hours of drivingDeparture

The honest notes

Day 10 is the weak point of every 10-day loop that ends at Yala.

  • Day 10 is a long day: a dawn safari, then about 5 hours of driving with a Galle stop. It only works with a flight after about 21:00. We would rather sell 11 days.
  • Horton Plains is cold at dawn (5 °C is possible) and World's End is often in cloud by 10:00, which is why the walk starts at 05:00 and why the view is not promised.
  • The hill-country train ran from Nanu Oya, not Kandy, when status pages were last checked on 4 November 2026. Reserved seats go on sale 30 days before travel and in high season can sell out within hours. We buy yours the day sales open, or as soon as you book if that is later. No class or window seat is promised. If no seat is left, we tell you, your driver takes you by road instead, and you do not pay for the seat.
  • Polonnaruwa by bicycle is hot by 10:00; start at 07:00 and carry water.
  • Leopards are seen on some drives, not all. Yala's Blocks 1 and 2 closed from 14 September to 15 October 2026; dates change each year.
  • Hotels in Kandy multiply their rates during the Esala Perahera (projected 7 to 17 August 2027, not yet announced by the Temple of the Tooth).

What it costs

Two adults sharing, bed and breakfast, private car and driver, all tickets listed above, the village tour, bicycles, elephant safari, dance show, tea factory, Horton Plains, the train seat and two Yala drives, plus our 8% Trip planning and support fee on vehicle and hotels. From our trip builder on 7 November 2026. Our Grand Tour of Sri Lanka 10-day page is a different shape (one Kandy night, a Galle night with a fort walk) and has its own bookable price, USD 1,230 per person in comfort hotels.

What it costs
Hotel tierTotal for two, shoulderPer person, shoulderPer person, February start
Simple and cleanUSD 2,033USD 1,017USD 1,066
Comfort (3-star or good boutique)USD 2,346USD 1,174USD 1,276
Superior (4-star)USD 2,870USD 1,436USD 1,797
Luxury (5-star or top boutique)USD 3,767USD 1,884USD 2,502

Swaps that work

Replace day 5 with Kitulgala rafting on the way to the hills if temples are not your thing. Add Udawalawe between Ella and Yala for a second park (adds a day). From December to April, end with two nights at Mirissa or Tangalle and a whale-watching morning instead of the Galle lunch stop. From June to September, when the south coast is rough, send the last three nights to Trincomalee via Sigiriya instead of Yala and Galle; the drives are longer but the sea is calm.

Good months: December to April; June to September works with the east-coast ending. Prices and times last checked 7 November 2026.

This plan: route and price

Route map: Airport, Sigiriya, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Ella, Yala, then back to Airport1Airport2Sigiriya3Kandy4Nuwara Eliya5Ella6Yala
  1. 1. Bandaranaike International Airport: start
  2. 2. Sigiriya (Dambulla and Habarana): 3 nights
  3. 3. Kandy: 2 nights
  4. 4. Nuwara Eliya: 1 night
  5. 5. Ella: 2 nights
  6. 6. Yala (Tissamaharama and Kataragama): 1 night
  7. Back to Bandaranaike International Airport: end

10 days and 9 nights for two adults, from the airport and back: Sigiriya (3 nights), Kandy (2 nights), Nuwara Eliya (1 night), Ella (2 nights), Yala (1 night). Comfort hotels, bed and breakfast, no date set, so shoulder-season rates: $1,174 per person, $2,346 for two. That covers the car and English-speaking driver, the hotels, and the tickets and activities on the plan.

Open this plan in the trip builderThe builder needs JavaScript to open a plan. Without it, the builder page shows the ready-made Classic Sri Lanka, 7 days tour instead, and the price above is this plan's.

Trips and places that go with this guide

Round tours

  • Seated granite Buddha carved into the rock face at Gal Vihara, Polonnaruwa

    10 days · Comfort hotels

    Grand tour of Sri Lanka, 10 days

    Sigiriya (Dambulla and Habarana), Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Ella, Yala (Tissamaharama and Kataragama), Galle (with Unawatuna)

    The classic loop with room to breathe

    $1,230

    per person for two, 10 days, comfort hotels, shoulder season, tickets included

  • Herd of wild elephants grazing on grass beside Minneriya reservoir with low hills behind

    10 days · Comfort hotels

    Family Sri Lanka, 10 days

    Sigiriya (Dambulla and Habarana), Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Ella, Udawalawe National Park, Hikkaduwa

    Pool hotels, bicycles, elephants and a shallow sea

    $1,053

    per person for two, 10 days, comfort hotels, shoulder season, tickets included

  • Sigiriya rock and surrounding forest seen from the top of Pidurangala under soft pink clouds

    10 days · Simple hotels

    Budget Sri Lanka, 10 days

    Negombo, Sigiriya (Dambulla and Habarana), Kandy, Ella, Yala (Tissamaharama and Kataragama), Mirissa (with Weligama)

    Guesthouses and homestays, the same island

    $804

    per person for two, 10 days, simple hotels, shoulder season, tickets included, Udawattakele forest ticket paid there

Day tours

Places

Sigiriya (Dambulla and Habarana)PolonnaruwaKandyNuwara EliyaEllaYala (Tissamaharama and Kataragama)Galle (with Unawatuna)

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