We start this morning with a pickup from your Colombo hotel, followed by a 4.5-hour transfer to take us northeast into the cultural heart of Sri Lanka. Leaving the bustling city behind, we soon find ourselves in the dry zone where subsistence farmers tend their crops of rice, aided by irrigation tanks mainly constructed during ancient times. Following our first tasty lunch, we hop on the bikes for our inaugural ride along hard-packed dirt roads, shaded by trees and with no traffic at all – a relaxed start to our two-wheeled adventure. We stay just outside Sigiriya tonight and tomorrow night at a comfortable resort.
Riding: 25 km/16MiWe start this morning with some easy cycling through the countryside and farmland surrounding Sigiriya. Our ride today is mostly on unpaved roads, alongside irrigation canals. Keep your eyes peeled for the wildlife that can be easily spotted in this area including monitor lizards, squirrels, peacocks and mongoose!
After our ride, a leisurely lunch awaits before we head to the Rock Fortress around mid-afternoon. The rock of Sigiriya is probably Sri Lanka’s most famous historical site, appearing on many of the country’s promotional posters, and it’s easy to see why. An ancient palace perched on top of a precipitous rock jutting out of the plains, surrounded by water gardens at its foot – it doesn’t get more exotic than that!
Kids will love to climb to the top of the framework of walkways and steps bolted into the rock, but don’t look down if you are scared of heights! An exciting treasure hunt on the way is sure to make the visit even more entertaining for young ones. From the top, enjoy the panoramic views down over the plains and dry hills as the sun sets before we descend and return to the hotel.
Riding: 30 km/19Mi
Leaving Sigiriya, we saddle up for the ride to Dambulla. We cycle along small, quiet back roads where the terrain remains flat, with minimal traffic and a chance of spotting elephants. The caves of Dambulla, the best-preserved cave temple complex in Sri Lanka, are a riot of colorful Buddhist statues, cut into a cliff face rising 160m above the surrounding plains. The whole family will enjoy an exploration of this magical place.
Following lunch, we transfer to Kandy, the central town of the hill country, with a drive of around 2 hours through some stunning countryside dotted with tea plantations. This afternoon we spend some time visiting this charming city, including the famous Temple of the Tooth, which houses a tooth relic of the Buddha. A day full of interesting cultural sites.
Riding: 20 km/12Mi
After some more time for further exploration of Kandy, a journey to remember awaits us. As we gain height, the road weaves its way up to almost 2000m above sea level. The views from our van are stunning, with neat green rows of tea bushes on all sides. After arriving around lunchtime, we will check into our hotel: a grand old building with a history.
This afternoon we will explore Sri Lanka’s highest hill town by bike. Nuwara Eliya was a popular escape from the heat for the British during colonial times and the legacy of this is an abundance of British-style buildings. We’ll be accompanied on our cycling by a guide who can regale us with stories from past times. It is a much cooler climate up here where mist and even frost can often be seen in the mornings.
Riding: 10 km/06Mi
This morning we set out on a ride that takes us out of town and around a nearby crater lake. Then pedaling a couple of short hills brings us through a tea plantation, where we will stop to visit a tea factory, to see tea leaves being dried, chopped and packaged. Here we can taste a cup of the freshest tea – straight from the bush.
Let’s hop back on the bikes and before you know it, we are on a beautiful road through lush green fields with dairy cattle and forests of a very different appearance to what we have seen so far. The villages get smaller and smaller as we cycle, and after passing one of these we arrive in the small town of Ambewela.
We continue to Pattipola Train Station from where we jump on the train for the 1-hour ride, then a short vehicle transfer to the popular and pretty town of Ella. This town is known for its impressive ‘Ella Gap’: a dramatic gash between the hills with a view down through ranges of misty ranges all the way to the south coast (on a clear day). In Ella we stay in a family-run guesthouse that has a great homey feel and what a view! The rest of the day is free for you to explore the town and surrounding area.
Riding: 25 km/16Mi
A few gradual uphill await us once we mount our bikes this morning, as we cycle the ridges around Ella. The views over the surrounding hills are some of the best in Sri Lanka, through tea plantations with colorfully dressed tea pickers, often to be seen working right beside the road. This will make the challenging active exploration worth it!
From the ridge, we descend to lower land beyond, where the van will be waiting to take us back up to Ella in comfort. In the afternoon we take a walk to a nearby hill, Little Adam’s Peak, so-called due to its resemblance in shape to the more famous and much loftier Adam’s Peak. It’s an easy climb to the top from where fantastic views down over the tea plantations and the Ella Gap await.
Riding: 25 km/16Mi
This morning, our last day on the bikes, we pedal down through ‘Ella Gap’ itself, past a towering waterfall and on towards the misty hills beyond. Those who love downhill cycling are sure to enjoy today’s ride with its many twists and turns and the dramatic sights of a bubbling waterfall and the gap cut through the hills are sure to keep the kids entertained.
After 15km of scenic riding, we load ourselves and the bikes into the van to transfer up to the Sinharaja Rainforest where we are in a charming lodge for the evening. Enjoy living among the lively sounds of the rainforest and keep your eyes out for the wide variety of birdlife that makes its home near our accommodation.
Riding: 15 km/09Mi
Our morning begins with a scenic rainforest walk for some bird spotting- an exciting adventure for the whole family. Sinharaja is home to a rich variety of birdlife and along the way, we’ll hopefully spot a number of colorful species like the Blue Magpie, Yellow-eared Bulbul, Sri Lankan Jungle fowl or one of the many more that call this forest home.
Following the walk, we’ll transfer from our rainforest lodge to the coast and the old port city of Galle, where the fort sits staunchly defending a city mostly composed of nicely restored houses and quaint cafes now. We take a walking tour to explore the fort in the late afternoon and a transfer to the hotel of your choice marks the conclusion of your tour.
Riding: 0 km/0Mi
