Ramayana Trail (6 Days)

About this experience

This six-day tour follows the Ramayana legend across Sri Lanka, linking sites associated with Rama, Sita, Ravana and Hanuman from the hill country to the southern coast. It runs by private air-conditioned vehicle with a Lakpura chauffeur guide, starting from Colombo airport and travelling through Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Ella, Yala, Kataragama and Galle before returning to the airport.

Travellers move between temples, natural landmarks and wildlife areas connected to the epic, including the Sita Amman and Divurumpola temples near Nuwara Eliya, Ravana Falls at Ella, the barren plateau at Ussangoda and the legend-linked hill of Rumassala at Galle. Alongside the mythological trail, the itinerary also takes in the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic in Kandy, a Kandyan cultural dance show, a jeep safari in Yala National Park, the Kataragama Temple and a walking tour of Galle Fort.

The route combines cultural sites, temples and a national park safari, giving an overview of southern and central Sri Lanka through the lens of the Ramayana story while also covering some of the country's better-known heritage and wildlife attractions.

Your service advisor

Sandeepa Tour Executive

Have questions about this service or want it arranged around your dates? Reach Sandeepa directly — replies usually within a few hours during Sri Lanka business hours.

Email WhatsApp

What’s included

Included

Transport in a Private Vehicle, inclusive of all chauffer accommodation, cost of fuel, parking & highway tolls.
Service of an English-Speaking Chauffeur Guide throughout the tour.
All prevailing taxes and service charges, but subject to change at the time of booking.

Not included

Hotel Accommodation and Meals.
Entrance Fees.
Chauffeur Guide's Accommodation.
Expenses of personal nature.
Visa and Related Expenses.

Tour route

Day-by-day waypoints across Sri Lanka. Each marker is where you spend the night; lines trace the daily drive.

Day-by-day itinerary

Download itinerary (PDF)

1 Kandy

Day 1 — Airport → Pinnawala → Kandy

On arrival at Colombo airport you are met by a Lakpura chauffeur guide and driven to Kandy, with time to settle in before an evening cultural show.

Millennium Elephant Foundation

A family-run organisation near Pinnawala dedicated to the welfare of domestic elephants, offering an ethical, up-close Elephant Walk Experience as an alternative to elephant riding.

Kandy Cultural Show

An hour-long evening performance of traditional Sri Lankan dance, including fire dancers, sword dancers and Kandyan dancers performing to drumming.

Arian Zwegers · CC BY 2.0

2 Nuwara Eliya

Day 2 — Kandy → Nuwara Eliya

After checking out of Kandy, the day covers the city's most sacred Buddhist site before heading into the hill country to places linked with the Ramayana, continuing on to Ella in the evening.

Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic

A UNESCO World Heritage Site built in the 16th century to house and protect the sacred tooth relic of the Buddha, with elaborately painted halls and carved pillars.

A.Savin · FAL

Sita Amman Temple

A temple near the Hakgala Botanical Gardens with statues and paintings depicting the story of Rama and Sita, built on the spot where Sita is believed to have been held.

Buddhika Mawella · CC BY-SA 3.0

Divurumpola Temple

The site where Sita is said to have undergone her Agni Pariksha to prove her fidelity to Rama, where local people still come to swear oaths today.

AI-generated image · not an actual photograph

3 Yala

Day 3 — Ella → Yala

After checking out, the day visits a waterfall linked to the Ramayana legend before continuing to Yala.

Ravana Falls

A waterfall in the hill country named after King Ravana, who according to legend hid the kidnapped princess Sita in a cave behind the falls, with Rama's queen said to have bathed in the pool below.

A.Savin · FAL

4 Yala

Day 4 — Yala → Kataragama → Yala

The day starts with an early morning safari in Yala National Park, followed by an evening visit to a major regional temple before returning to the hotel.

Yala National Park

A three-hour jeep safari through Sri Lanka's second-largest national park, with the chance to see leopards, wild water buffalo, sloth bears and elephants among its varied wildlife.

Ranmith Welikala · CC BY-SA 4.0

Kataragama Temple

A temple dedicated to Lord Karthikeya Subramaniam, linked in legend to his protection of Rama from Ravana's weapon during the Ramayana war, with daily pooja offerings of fruit and incense.

Ghostface Buddha · CC BY-SA 2.0

5 Galle

Day 5 — Yala → Ussangoda → Rumassala → Galle

The day travels from Yala to the south coast, taking in a barren coastal site linked to Hanuman before reaching Galle for a rock linked to the same legend and a walk through the old fort.

Ussangoda

A treeless coastal plateau with toxic serpentine soil, said in Ramayana legend to have been scorched by Hanuman's burning tail and also linked to the landing site of Ravana's flying chariot.

A.Savin · FAL

Rumassala

A hill near Unuwatuna topped by a white Buddhist dagoba, believed to be a fragment of the Himalayan mountain Dronagiri dropped by Hanuman, and said to have once sheltered Sita.

AI-generated image · not an actual photograph

Galle Fort

A well-preserved fortification built under Portuguese and Dutch rule, with museums, a lighthouse and cobblestoned streets to explore on a walking tour.

Rovin Shanila · CC BY-SA 4.0

6 BIA

Day 6 — Galle → Chilaw → BIA

The final day travels from Galle to Chilaw to visit a Hindu temple before heading on to the airport.

Munneswaram Temple

An ancient regional Hindu temple complex dedicated to Shiva, associated in legend with the Ramayana and its hero-king Rama.

Leon Meerson · CC BY-SA 2.0

Please note

Public transportation nearby
Infant seats available

Not wheelchair accessible
Not stroller accessible
Not suitable for pets
Infants must not sit on laps
Not recommended for people with heart conditions
(1) Your hotel in Colombo. (2) Your hotel in Negombo. (3) Your hotel in Mount Lavinia.

Cancellation policy

More than 24 hours notice: full refund
Less than 24 hours notice: no refund

To cancel, reply to your booking confirmation email or message us on WhatsApp.

Frequently asked questions

Is this a private tour?

Yes. The tour is private to your group: your own air-conditioned vehicle and an English-speaking chauffeur guide for all 6 days, with no other travellers joining.

Where does the tour start and end?

Day 1 starts at Colombo airport (CMB) and day 6 ends at BIA. Every stop in between is reached by road in the same vehicle, so there is no other transport to arrange.

Are hotels included?

The base price covers the vehicle and chauffeur guide. In the booking box you can add hotels for all 5 nights at Budget (3★), Standard (4★) or Luxury (5★ and boutique) level, on half board. Hotels we hold contracts with for your dates are named in the price; for any other night our team books a hotel of the same class after you pay.

What vehicle will we travel in?

It depends on your group: a car for 1–2 guests, a van for 3–5, a large van for 6–8 and a bus for 9–15. Choose the number of guests in the booking box and the price updates to match.

Are entrance fees included?

Not in the base price. Set Tickets to Included in the booking box to add the entrance fees and safari jeeps for the sights on this itinerary; the booking box lists exactly which ones are covered.

Can we have a national guide?

Yes. A chauffeur guide is always included, and you can add a government-licensed national guide who travels with you for the whole tour. Choose it under Guide in the booking box; the vehicle is sized for the extra seat.

Can we change the itinerary or the dates?

Yes. Every tour is private, so it can start on any date you choose. To change stops, add nights or combine it with another tour, write to us in the booking notes or plan your own trip at lakpura.com/plan-your-trip.