Sri Lanka - The Ramayana Trail

The journey at a glance

7 days, shaped around you.

1. Day 01

   The First Lingams - Munneswaram and Manavari

   Colombo Airport → Chilaw → Trincomalee

   

   Your chauffeur meets you inside the terminal at Colombo and the private van is waiting outside it. The road north runs up the coconut coast to Chilaw, and the first two stops of the trip are there. Munneswaram is where Rama is said to have prayed to Shiva seeking absolution after defeating Ravana. Manavari, a few minutes further, is the home of the Ramalingam - the lingam Rama is believed to have installed and consecrated himself. From there it is a long but easy drive east across the island to Trincomalee, and a beachfront hotel for the night.

   • Meet and assist at Colombo airport
   • Munneswaram Temple
   • Manavari Temple
   • Drive to the east coast

   Doorstep drop-off, flat courtyard walking. This is the longest driving day of the trip - break it wherever you like; the van is yours.

   Trincomalee - beachfront hotel Dinner

2. Day 02

   Shankari Devi on Swami Rock, and the Road to Kandy

   Trincomalee → Kanniya → Kandy

   

   The morning is Koneswaram, on Swami Rock above the ocean - an ancient Shiva temple Ravana himself is said to have worshipped at, and inside the same complex the Shankari Devi Shakthi Peetham. On the way out of town you stop at the Kanniya Hot Springs, seven walled thermal wells linked in the story to Ravana performing the last rites for his mother. Then the drive inland and upward, reaching Kandy in the evening for the lake and the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic.

   • Thirukoneswaram Temple
   • Shankari Devi Shakthi Peetham
   • Kanniya Hot Springs
   • Kandy Lake
   • Temple of the Tooth Relic

   Paved paths and a gentle stroll at Swami Rock. Temple of the Tooth entry is USD 7 per person, paid at the gate. Shoulders and knees covered, shoes off.

   Kandy Breakfast · Dinner

3. Day 03

   Bhaktha Hanuman Above the Ramboda Valley

   Kandy → Ramboda → Nuwara Eliya

   

   The road climbs through tea all morning. At Ramboda you reach the Sri Bhaktha Hanuman Temple, on the hillside where Hanuman is believed to have searched for Sita - the vehicle goes to the temple entrance and the valley opens out below it. Ramboda Falls is a roadside viewpoint a little further on. By late afternoon you are in Nuwara Eliya, the hill station the British built to feel like home, with time for Gregory Lake before the light goes.

   • Sri Bhaktha Hanuman Temple
   • Ramboda Falls viewpoint
   • Tea country drive
   • Gregory Lake

   Direct drive to the temple entrance, level ground. Gregory Lake entry is USD 3 per person. It holds 12-15°C up here, colder after dark - pack a jumper and a jacket.

   Nuwara Eliya Breakfast · Dinner

4. Day 04

   Seetha Amman, Hakgala and the Gayathri Peedam

   Nuwara Eliya local circuit

   

   The shortest day, and the one most people come for. Seetha Amman Temple stands at Ashok Vatika, where Sita is held to have been kept in captivity - the temple is directly on the roadside, and on the rock face across the stream are the round depressions local tradition calls Hanuman's footprints. Hakgala Botanical Gardens are adjacent, laid out on what the story names as Ravana's pleasure gardens, with golf carts inside for anyone who would rather not walk the slopes. The Gayathri Peedam closes the circuit.

   • Seetha Amman Temple, Ashok Vatika
   • Hanuman's footprints
   • Hakgala Botanical Gardens
   • Gayathri Peedam

   Temple on the roadside, golf carts at the gardens. Seetha Amman is USD 0.50 per person. Hakgala's fee is not on our operator's sheet, so carry a little cash.

   Nuwara Eliya Breakfast · Dinner

5. Day 05

   Divurumpola, Ravana Falls, and Down to the Coast

   Nuwara Eliya → Welimada → Colombo

   

   Divurumpola first - the name means "place of oath", and this is the ground where Sita is said to have undergone the Agni Pariksha. It is a small, quiet temple and villagers still swear oaths there. Then the descent, and Ravana Falls on the way, seen from the roadside without a single step to climb. The rest of the day is the drive west, out of the mountains and down to Colombo for the last two nights.

   • Divurumpola Temple
   • Ravana Falls viewpoint
   • Descent through Welimada
   • Drive to Colombo

   Zero-climb sightseeing. The walk down to the pool at Ravana Falls is optional and nobody is expected to do it.

   Colombo Breakfast · Dinner

6. Day 06

   Where Vibhishana Was Crowned, and Hanuman Has Five Faces

   Colombo

   

   Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara in the morning, on the river north of the city - where Vibhishana was crowned king of Lanka after Ravana's defeat, and where the murals inside tell the story in paint. Then the Panchamuga Anjaneyar Temple at Kalubowila, built to Hanuman in his five-faced form. The afternoon is Colombo at an easy pace - the colonial quarter, somewhere to buy tea, and Galle Face Green as the sun goes down over the sea.

   • Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara
   • Panchamuga Anjaneyar Temple
   • Colombo city drive
   • Galle Face Green at sunset

   Flat temple grounds, doorstep parking. For an early flight the operator may move the final night to Negombo, near the airport.

   Colombo (or Negombo) Breakfast · Dinner

7. Day 07

   Departure

   Colombo → Bandaranaike International Airport

   

   An unhurried breakfast at the hotel, and then your driver takes you to Bandaranaike International for the flight home. Allow more time than the distance suggests from central Colombo - the airport road can hold you up badly at the wrong hour.

   • Breakfast
   • Check-out
   • Private airport transfer

   Departure Breakfast