Sri Lanka by Bus: 7-Day and 14-Day Itineraries (2025)
Two complete, bus-first itineraries: one for a tight week, one for two weeks. Each day lists where you go, roughly how long the buses take, and which hubs to use.
7-Day Classic Loop (West → Hills → South)
- Day 1 – Colombo → Kandy
Morning bus via Kadawatha; afternoon in Kandy (Temple of the Tooth, lake walk). - Day 2 – Kandy → Nuwara Eliya
Scenic hill bus; tea factory visit, Gregory Lake. - Day 3 – Nuwara Eliya → Ella
Bus or train combo; afternoon at Nine Arches Bridge. - Day 4 – Ella
Little Adam’s Peak / Ella Rock; local bus to Ravana Falls. - Day 5 – Ella → South Coast (Matara/Mirissa)
Bus via Wellawaya; sunset at the beach. - Day 6 – South Coast
Beach day; short hops between Mirissa, Weligama, Galle. - Day 7 – Galle/Matara → Colombo
Highway express from Galle or Matara to Makumbura/Pettah.
14-Day Expanded Loop (Add Cultural Triangle & North/East)
- Day 1 – Colombo
Local buses; adjust after flight. - Day 2 – Colombo → Dambulla
Cave Temple; overnight Dambulla. - Day 3 – Sigiriya / Pidurangala
Early bus to Sigiriya; climb, return Dambulla. - Day 4 – Dambulla → Kandy
Short hop; Kandy evening. - Day 5 – Kandy → Nuwara Eliya
- Day 6 – Horton Plains or tea country
- Day 7 – Nuwara Eliya → Ella
- Day 8 – Ella
- Day 9 – Ella → South Coast
- Day 10 – South Coast
- Day 11 – South Coast → Colombo
- Day 12 – Colombo → Jaffna (Night Bus)
Use overnight luxury coach. - Day 13 – Jaffna
Local buses to Point Pedro, temples, islands. - Day 14 – Jaffna → Colombo
Day bus or night bus back.
How to Adapt These Plans
- Swap Jaffna for Trincomalee/Batticaloa if you prefer east coast.
- Drop a hill-country night to spend longer in the Cultural Triangle.
- Use trains on a couple of legs (e.g. Kandy–Ella) if you want the famous scenic ride.