Is my Sri Lankan itinerary really unrealistic?

[Bequietplease]

So, I don't know whether I'm being unrealistic with our itinerary next Summer to SL. We will have a driver. But we also have a 14 year old! We are there for 2.5 weeks.

Please can anyone feedback in as soon as - for various reasons, I need to finalise! I'm thinking of possibly cutting out Sigirya and flying direct to East Coast...

Thanks!

Negombo night
Sigiriya 2 nights
Trincomolee 4 nights
Kandy 2 nights
Nurawa Eliya 1 night
N Eliya by train to Ella
Ella 2 nights
Yala 1 night
daytime Yala Safari - then to Galle 3 nights
Daytime to Colombo Airport (evening flight)

We did a tour the year after the tsunami so things were still getting back to normal. I’d say that itinerary is challenging and pretty tiring. I think you might start to dread the next leg of the journey. The roads are very poor so what would be a two hour drive in England will be nearer to four in Sri Lanka. Having said that make sure you visit the elephant orphanage. Check out the weather for the month you are going it can be very different from one coast to another. We used a driver from Walkers Tours who was excellent not just at driving but as a guide as well so try and ensure you are not just getting someone to drive, our guy made all the difference to our trip. It’s a lovely country and the people are so kind and welcoming.

We did something like.....
3 nights habarana (minnerya national park for elephants, sigirya, polunawara).
4 nights tricomolee (stayed in nilaveli)
4 nights Arugum Bay (surfing, you can access yala from here)
3 nights Ella
Train to Kandy 2 nights

What's the weather like in Galle? I'd probably skip this. East coast beaches are better in UK summer time, south and west is monsoon.

Thank you! How long did ti take from Nilaveli to Arugam Bay?

Sigirya is amazing - it was one of my highlights. The only reason not to go would be if you are terrified of heights.

@Bequietplease we were using buses so broke the journey overnight midway at Batticaloa but with a car you could do it in a day.
Google maps says 5 1/2 hrs.
Arugum Bay has a laid back vibe. Surfing lessons and board hire were super cheap which my teens loved.

The roads are not great and the traffic can be pretty bad, so you need to budget quite a while for any travel. Outside of the highway, think an average of 40 miles an hour.
If I were you I would limit travel days, because they are going to be unpredictable, and probably stressful, so that means visiting fewer locations. For example travel on one day, stay 3-4 nights in one location.
It might be worth focusing on one area, so, what is the absolute highlight for you, and then stick in this region. On a map, Sri Lanka looks small, but it isn't!
Yala is worth it, but you really need to be there the night before, as you need to go into the park at the crack of dawn.
Best of luck!

You’ll be knackered after that trip!
We spent 5 nights in Kandy, and visited Sigyria from there, plus an elephant sanctuary and a couple of temples within driving range then we went to Nurwara Ella for a night and did the train ride. After that we spent 8 nights on the west coast, visited Galle by train (a day there was more than enough), and basically pottered around. It’s an exciting country but pretty exhausting, the heat can be unbearable as can the humidity. Trains are certainly an experience. Don’t make the mistake of packing in too much travelling - it takes an age to get to places. You need plenty of down time.

Thanks all, I've realised I've been too ambitious! Back to the drawing board...

We had a similar itinerary but we used public transport and sometimes local taxis (we usually got quotes over whatsapp then chose the cheapest one, even for longer - 3-5 hour trips).

In hindsight I would skip Nuwara Eliya - we didn't like it as it was too cold and rainy when we were there. You can go from Kandy all the way to Ella by train but yes the journey is longer.

I would spend an extra night in the safari park. The tours are usually early morning and they are quite tiring so it's nice not having to travel on that day. We did Udawalawe not Yala, and we stayed 2 nights in a glamping village which was one of the highlights of our trip.

Really jealous, I love Sri Lanka!!

So great you love it there, I'm really excited!

Thanks everyone. We've been put in touch with an excellent driver/tour guide who was so helpful and really sorted our route to get most value without draining the life out of everyone. It's all looking great.

https://www.onthegotours.com/uk/Sri-Lanka/Colombo--Caves-and-Kandy-8-days

We did this tour in July. In January, this tour company offers a buy on get one free in a January sale. So it was only £650 each for the trip in July.

We stayed in Negombo before and after our tour. Would highly recommend a Airbnb called Still Waters not far from the airport and walking distance into the town.

I think your itinerary is fine. Though I would do one night in Galle and two nights in Kogalla Beach.

@Bequietplease hope you don’t mind me asking how your Sri Lankan tour planning is going? We are looking at a similar route but maybe not doing Galle.

Would you mind sharing where you found your driver? Thanks!

I've planned the route but not the driver. There are so many drivers... if friends can't recommend then I'll join the Sri Lanka Facebook group or ask on Trip Advisor. I need to sort it too!

In the summer, weather in south is not good, hence no Southern beaches

The Trip Advisor Sri Lanka forum is very good, I have found loads of useful info on there. I will look at the Facebook group too.

Yes we are looking at the beaches on the East coast too due to the time of year - either Trincomalee, Nilaveli or Passikudah (not Arugam as kids want snorkelling rather than surfing). Have read different reviews of all of them….

We're going to Uppaveli as it's got more life than Nilaveli, apparently