Activities in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka packs an unusual amount into a small island — you can be diving a coral reef in the morning and walking a tea estate at 1,900 metres the same afternoon. Any of these can be added to a tour or booked on its own.
Water Sports
3 experiences in this category.
Half day (two dives)Diving & Snorkelling
Coral gardens, colonial-era shipwrecks and reef sharks — on whichever coast is in season.
HikkaduwaPriceOn enquiryDetails
2 hours to multi-day campsSurfing
One of the easiest places in the world to learn, and a serious destination once you can stand up.
WeligamaPriceOn enquiryDetails
Half day to week-long coursesKitesurfing in Kalpitiya
Flat, shallow lagoon water and dependable cross-shore wind — the best kitesurfing in South Asia.
Kalpitiya lagoon & Vella IslandPriceOn enquiryDetailsWildlife
4 experiences in this category.
5–6 hoursWhale & Dolphin Watching
The largest animal that has ever lived, within a morning boat ride of the shore.
Mirissa & TrincomaleePriceOn enquiryDetails
Half day (afternoon drive)The Minneriya Elephant Gathering
The largest gathering of wild Asian elephants anywhere in the world, on the bed of a receding reservoir.
Minneriya & Kaudulla National ParksPriceOn enquiryDetails
2 hours (evening or night)Turtle Conservation & Night Nesting Watch
Five of the world’s seven sea turtle species nest on these beaches — and you can watch it happen.
RekawaPriceOn enquiryDetails
Half day to multi-dayBirdwatching in Sinharaja & Bundala
Thirty-four endemic bird species, and the famous mixed-species feeding flocks of Sinharaja.
Sinharaja Rainforest & Bundala National ParkPriceOn enquiryDetailsAdventure
5 experiences in this category.
Half dayWhite Water Rafting in Kitulgala
Five kilometres of grade 2–3 rapids through the rainforest valley where The Bridge on the River Kwai was filmed.
Kelani RiverPriceOn enquiryDetails
Overnight (climb begins ~2am)Adam's Peak Pilgrimage Climb
Five thousand steps through the night, alongside pilgrims, to watch the mountain cast its shadow at sunrise.
Sri PadaPriceOn enquiryDetails
Day hike to three-day trekKnuckles Range Trekking
Cloud forest, terraced villages and mist-filled valleys in a UNESCO reserve most visitors never reach.
Knuckles Conservation ForestPriceOn enquiryDetails
Half dayZiplining & Canyoning
A half-kilometre zip line across the Ella valley, and waterfall abseiling in the Kitulgala rainforest.
Ella & KitulgalaPriceOn enquiryDetails
Half day to multi-dayCycling Through the Cultural Triangle
Paddy bunds, irrigation tanks and thousand-year-old ruins, on the small roads a vehicle cannot use.
PolonnaruwaPriceOn enquiryDetailsNature
1 experience in this category.
Scenic
2 experiences in this category.
6–7 hoursThe Kandy to Ella Train
Widely called one of the most beautiful rail journeys in the world — and your driver meets you at the far end.
Kandy → Nanu Oya → EllaPriceOn enquiryDetails
3–4 hours (about 1 hour aloft)Hot Air Ballooning over Dambulla
Lift off at first light and drift over paddy fields, jungle tanks and the Lion Rock itself.
DambullaPriceOn enquiryDetailsCulture
4 experiences in this category.
Half dayVillage Life & Cooking Experience
A bullock cart, a dugout canoe across the tank, and lunch cooked over a wood fire and eaten off a lotus leaf.
HiriwadunnaPriceOn enquiryDetails
Half dayTea Plantation & Factory Tour
Follow the leaf from the terraces through a working 1930s factory to a tasting of the estate’s own grades.
Nuwara EliyaPriceOn enquiryDetails
1 hour (early evening)Kandyan Dance & Fire Walking
Ves dancers, a wall of drums and a fire-walking finale — the living tradition behind the Esala Perahera.
KandyPriceOn enquiryDetails
Half dayStilt Fishing & Coastal Crafts
The stilt fishermen of the south coast, and the mask carvers and lace makers who work along the same road.
KoggalaPriceOn enquiryDetails
Add any of these to your tour
Every activity here can be slotted into a multi-day itinerary, arranged as a standalone day out from your hotel, or combined into an adventure week. Tell us what interests you and we will work out the logistics, permits and timings.