- Land
Land at Bandaranaike International Airport, pick up your SIM card and meet your driver.
- Drive to Negombo15 minup to 30 min in traffic · 7 km
- 15:15
A large Catholic church known for the painted ceiling inside, at the centre of the town.
Ready-made itinerary · 7 days
Seven days in the Cultural Triangle
The island's ancient capitals in one unhurried week. Anuradhapura's great stupas and the sacred Bodhi tree, the medieval city of Polonnaruwa, Sigiriya at dawn, the Dambulla cave temple and an evening elephant safari.
Ready-made itinerary
The trip, day by day
2 adults · Balanced · Mid-range
- 1Negombo1n
- 2Anuradhapura2n
- 3Polonnaruwa1n
- 4Sigiriya2n
per personLKR 128k–223k
Your route
4 stops · 489 km · about 13 hr driving
- 1NegomboWest coast1 night
- 2AnuradhapuraCultural Triangle2 nights
- 3PolonnaruwaCultural Triangle1 night
- 4SigiriyaCultural Triangle2 nights
Lines join overnight stops in order. They are not road paths.
- Travel day
Negombo to Anuradhapura
Night in Anuradhapura
A full day by bicycle among the stupas and monasteries
- 08:30Drive to Anuradhapura4 hr 15 minup to 5 hr in traffic · 173 km
Long day on the roadDay 2 has about 5 hr on the road, longer than your chosen pace usually allows.
- 08:30
- 07:30
The ruins of two vast monastery complexes, with the huge brick domes of Abhayagiri and Jetavanaramaya, guardstones, moonstones and bathing ponds such as the Twin Ponds.
- 11:00
The sacred fig tree grown from a cutting brought from India in the 3rd century BC, among the oldest documented trees in the world, surrounded by terraces and offerings.
- 16:30
A great white stupa built by King Dutugamunu in the 2nd century BC and ringed by a wall of carved elephants. Beautiful in the late afternoon light.
- 07:30
- Travel day
Anuradhapura to Polonnaruwa
Night in Polonnaruwa
The medieval capital and the Gal Vihara Buddhas
- 08:30Drive to Polonnaruwa2 hr 45 minup to 3 hr 15 min in traffic · 102 km
- 11:45
The 11th to 13th-century royal capital, best explored by bicycle or car, ending at the rock-cut Buddhas of Gal Vihara.
- 08:30
- 08:30Drive to Sigiriya1 hr 30 minup to 1 hr 45 min in traffic · 55 km
- 16:30
A former monastery rock facing Sigiriya. The last section is a short scramble over boulders; the reward is the classic view of Sigiriya.
- 08:30
- 07:30
The palace-fortress on the rock, with water gardens, frescoes, the Mirror Wall and the lion staircase. A UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- 14:30
Five painted caves under one rock overhang, with Buddha statues and ceiling murals spanning many centuries. A UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- 07:30
- Departure
Sigiriya to the airport
Flight home from CMB
Check out and drive to the airport. Aim to arrive three hours before your flight.
- Drive to the airport4 hrup to 4 hr 45 min in traffic · 151 km
Budget estimate
Mid-range · 2 adults · February
LKR 128,000 – 223,000per person · whole trip LKR 257k–445k for two
Estimated ranges, not quotes. Based on published 2026 prices, reviewed 22 Oct 2026. Excludes flights and visas. Tickets are counted where a price is known.
Good to know
- Cover your shoulders and knees at temples and sacred sites, and take off shoes and hats. Socks help on hot stone.
- Sigiriya, Polonnaruwa and Anuradhapura each have a separate ticket for foreign visitors, and they are the biggest costs of the trip.
- Fly out in the afternoon or evening. Sigiriya to the airport takes about four to four and a half hours.