Walking Trails of Sri Lanka

• Accommodation: 12 Classic nights (hotels), 2 Simple nights (wild camping and chalet)
• Eight full- and half-day walks
• Full porterage throughout
• Maximum altitude: 7,360ft (2,243m); average: 2,955ft (900m)
• Maldives and Sri Lanka beach extensions available

All breakfasts, five lunches and one dinner are included. We suggest allowing about 7,000 rupees (US$23) per day for lunch and dinner. You can eat out very cheaply in Sri Lanka and your leader will provide recommendations for where to eat locally however, the options may not always be suited to larger groups. Some locations you stay may have limited local restaurant choice, in which case meals will be at the hotel. Hotel meals are generally buffets; the majority offer an à la carte menu, but service can be slow. Where suitable, your tour leader will be happy to arrange a shuttle transfer into the local town or, if you prefer to be more independent, take a tuk tuk or taxi. Your leader can help recommend some good places to eat. Sri Lankan cuisine is a fascinating reflection of the island’s heritage; there is a unique fusion of fresh local produce with spices brought to the island over the centuries by Malays, Arabs, Indians as well as the Dutch, Portuguese and English. Despite (or perhaps because of) these influences, Sri Lankan cuisine is often referred to as simply rice and curry. This is the staple dish in most restaurants and is usually a serving of rice accompanied by assorted meat and vegetable curries as well as various pickles, sambols (condiments), and a handful of tiny poppadum – all using the contrasting flavours of coconut, chilli, curry leaves, cinnamon and garlic. Vegetarians are well catered for but please inform us before departure of any special dietary requests. Please note, the availability of certain products is minimal or non-existent in Sri Lanka. For example, wheat- or dairy-free options outside of hotels are limited. Please be prepared for this and you may need to bring these from home. Spicier food can be avoided easily and lots of the hotels will serve Western options alongside traditional food. Mineral water is provided by our local operator in large containers throughout the trip so please bring a bottle with you to refill. Please note, restaurant service can be quite slow.

Generally, you should expect rain at some time but with plenty of sunshine. On the plains, day and night-time temperatures are very hot and humid with Colombo having an average daytime temperature of 30C (86F). It can be humid while walking. The temperatures drop as we go higher into the hills where daytime temperatures are 15C-25C (59F-77F) and night temperatures will be cooler (about 10C/50F minimum) and a warmish fleece will be needed.

This trek is graded Activity Level 3 (Moderate) with some day walks and some half-day walks. For more information on our trip gradings please visit the Activity Level Guidelines page. If you have any queries about the difficulty of the trip please do not hesitate to contact us.  

There will be a backup vehicle, making all the walking optional (except for the treks through the forest areas). Some days there will be options of easier and more challenging walks. Most of the walks are between four and six hours with one seven-hour walk. The trails are fairly well made and used by locals. If it rains, some trails can get slippery and there can often be leeches. It can be very hot and humid on the lower walks, particularly where there is little shade available so make sure you have a hat and plenty of water with you.

The drives to the start of the walks and from the end of the walks to the hotels are sometimes on narrow winding roads.

Please note, when visiting Sigiriya Rock Fortress (Lion Rock) the final ascent to the top is on metal open stairs fixed against the side of the rock. There are hand rails on either side but those with a strong fear of heights may prefer to stay on the lower level (where the lion "paws" are) and not continue to the rock plateau.

April departures, Sinhala and Tamil New Year:

A unique celebration to the people of Sri Lanka, this important New Year national festival, known as Avurudu in Sinhala and Puththandu in Tamil, is not celebrated by any other nation. The Sinhala and Tamil New Year festivities are observed by both Sinhala Buddhists and Tamil Hindus across Sri Lanka for two days on the 12-13 April 2024 and 13-14 April 2025 . If you are travelling in Sri Lanka over these dates you can expect to see religious ceremonies, family activities, traditional foods, colourful decorations and a general feeling of good will toward neighbours and friends. Parties can gon into the night and it can be quite loud during this period. Your Leader will be happy to show you some of the activities where your itinerary allows. Please note, during the New Year public holiday, most shops, monuments and attractions will be closed however, your Leader will modify the itinerary as required to ensure minimal disruption.