7 daysSri LankaAges 18–40
7 days · Sigiriya, Kandy & Ella
Sri Lanka Express is a 7-day group trip for solo travellers aged 18 to 40 who want the highlights of the island without the full two weeks. You get the Sigiriya rock fortress, an evening at Kandy's Temple of the Tooth, the scenic hill-country train from Nanu Oya into Ella and a night on the south coast, all in one relaxed week. Your Trip Host is with the group throughout, and a licensed local guide leads the sightseeing days.
Updated
From, per person
$680 / £509 / €595 / A$970 / CA$960 / NZ$1,200 / ₹65,000
Free to reserve
Sarthak's best travel memories come from going solo: hostel dorms, a new activity most days, new cultures and new food. SoloNomads grew out of that.
Sarthak travels with every group, from the first day to the last, so there's always someone on hand to sort things out when plans change and to make sure nobody gets left out.
In every country, a licensed local agency and licensed local guides look after the ground services, so you get local know-how too.
Negombo to Mirissa, 5 stops in 7 days.
5 stops
7 days
Day 1
Arrive whenever your flight lands; Negombo is about 15 minutes from the airport. The Trip Host meets everyone at the hotel in the late afternoon for introductions and a run-through of the week ahead. We walk down to the beach for sunset, then a welcome dinner together.
Day 2
A private van takes about three and a half hours inland to Sigiriya, with a stop along the way to see the countryside. Late afternoon is free to settle in and look at Sigiriya Rock from below before tomorrow's climb.
Day 3
We're at Sigiriya early, before the heat and the tour groups build up, for the climb to the summit of this 5th-century rock fortress. Afterwards we visit Dambulla's cave temples, a Buddhist shrine in use for over 2,000 years with statues and murals in every cave, before a van of around two and a half hours to Kandy. In the evening we visit the Temple of the Tooth for the drumming and the evening viewing of the relic chamber.
Day 4
A morning walk around Kandy Lake and free time in the market, then a private van up into tea country to Nanu Oya, about 3 to 4 hours on the winding hill road. There we board the train for the most scenic stretch, about two and a half hours through tea estates and pine forest to Ella. The classic Kandy to Ella ride can't be done end to end at the moment: Cyclone Ditwah damaged the line in late 2025 and there is no rail link between Kandy and Nanu Oya, so we drive that first part. We book reserved seats as soon as the 30-day booking window opens. If the reserved carriage is full, we carry on by van instead.
Day 5
An early walk up Little Adam's Peak for sunrise, a short climb with a view back over the whole valley. Afterwards we walk to the Nine Arches Bridge, a working railway viaduct that a few trains cross each day. The rest of the day is free.
Day 6
A van of around three to three and a half hours brings us down out of the hills to Mirissa on the south coast. The rest of the day is yours: a swim, a walk along the beach, or a nap after a busy few days. We finish with a farewell dinner as the sun goes down.
Day 7
The trip ends in the morning. Colombo airport (CMB) is about two and a half to three hours from Mirissa, depending on traffic, so book flights home for the evening or later, and we'll help arrange the transfer.
Prices are per person, and reserving is free. A date goes ahead once about 10 travellers have joined. You pay nothing until then. Once it's confirmed, we send you an invoice for the full price, and you have 7 days to pay it (or until the trip starts, if that's sooner).
9 Jan – 15 Jan 2027
AvailableCore dry-season windowMax 16 people
Price
$680 / £509 / €595 / A$970 / CA$960 / NZ$1,200 / ₹65,000
6 Feb – 12 Feb 2027
AvailableDry seasonMax 16 people
Price
$680 / £509 / €595 / A$970 / CA$960 / NZ$1,200 / ₹65,000
6 Mar – 12 Mar 2027
AvailableLast reliably dry month before the inter-monsoonMax 16 people
Price
$680 / £509 / €595 / A$970 / CA$960 / NZ$1,200 / ₹65,000
You reserve your spot for free and pay nothing to join. Reservations close 7 days before departure. Once enough travellers have signed on, usually around 10, we confirm the departure and email you a confirmation with an invoice for the full trip price, which you pay by card or bank transfer within 7 days, in US dollars, pounds, euros, Australian dollars, Canadian dollars, New Zealand dollars or Indian rupees. The price shown for each date is what you pay.
Rooms are twin-share by default, paired with another traveller of the same gender. If you'd rather have a room to yourself, ask when you book and we'll tell you the extra cost for that departure.
Solo travellers aged 18 to 40. Most people book on their own, and a few come with a friend. Each departure's maximum group size is shown with its dates, and we won't run a departure below our minimum group size either.
Your Trip Host travels with the group for all 7 days, handles every transfer, ticket and check-in, and is the person you go to if anything comes up. A licensed local guide leads the sightseeing days alongside them. Sri Lanka has had a weekly fuel quota for vehicles since March 2026, and the government has made special arrangements for tour operators; our local agency arranges the vans.
It starts at our hotel in Negombo on the afternoon of Day 1, and it ends in Mirissa on the morning of Day 7. Fly into and out of Colombo (CMB).
January to March, which is when our departures run. The south coast and the hills are mostly dry from November to April, and the Cultural Triangle is past its heaviest rain by January. Showers can still happen anywhere, and the hills are cool at night. We don't run this trip from May to September, when the south-west monsoon brings rain to the coast and the hills.
Yes, everyone needs a Sri Lanka ETA, but it's free for passports from 40 countries, including the UK, US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and India, for a 30-day double-entry stay. Ireland isn't on the free list, and only 12 EU countries are. Other passports pay US$50 online. Apply at eta.gov.lk before you fly, and fill in the free online arrival card too. Our Sri Lanka visa guide has the full country list.
Not end to end at the moment. Cyclone Ditwah damaged the hill-country railway in late 2025, and there's no rail link between Kandy and Nanu Oya, with no confirmed reopening date. The line from Nanu Oya to Ella has been running again since 20 June 2026, so we drive from Kandy to Nanu Oya and take the train from there. Reserved seats go on sale 30 days ahead and can sell out quickly, so we book the moment the window opens. If the carriage is full, we make the same journey by van.
Small hotels and guesthouses picked for location: near the beach in Negombo and Mirissa, walking distance to the sights in Sigiriya and Kandy, and in the town centre in Ella. Four meals are included, and you buy the rest yourself. Sri Lankan food is naturally vegetarian-friendly and rice-and-curry meals can be made vegan, so tell us about dietary needs or allergies when you book. Our Sri Lanka cost guide has the 2026 daily budget.
Light clothes for the coast and the Cultural Triangle, plus a warm layer for the evenings in Kandy and Ella. You'll want clothes that cover shoulders and knees for temples, comfortable shoes for the Sigiriya climb, swimwear, a refillable water bottle, sunscreen and a light rain jacket.
Averagely fit. Sigiriya is a steep climb of around 1,200 steps, Little Adam's Peak is a gentler walk, and there's a fair amount of standing and walking around temple sites in the heat. None of it is technical, but a base level of everyday fitness makes the trip a lot more comfortable.
Yes, it's a condition of joining, and it must cover medical treatment and evacuation. You arrange it yourself. Also read your own government's travel advice before you go: as of 6 October 2026 the UK has no warning against travel to Sri Lanka and Canada advises a high degree of caution. Check the current US and Australian advice too.
Ask here and someone on the team will email you back within 1 to 2 business days.
From
$680 / £509 / €595 / A$970 / CA$960 / NZ$1,200 / ₹65,000