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sri lanka cycle
ITINERARY
TREKKING
DISTANCE
2025 & 2026
This 9-day group cycle challenge commences in the vibrant Sri Lankan Capital of Colombo. From here, we embark on a thrilling pedalling adventure entailing a wide variety of terrains. This includes cycling along the foothills of the mountainous central highlands, passing the banks of the Kelani River, riding through the heart of the central highlands, exploring the bustling streets of Kandy and passing the Kantale reservoir. Our final day will be spent exploring the sights of Colombo before coming together for a celebratory dinner.
We will meet our group and Action Challenge staff at the airport and check in together before boarding our flight to Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Upon arrival in Colombo, we will be met by our guides and driven by private bus to our hotel on Sri Lanka’s West Coast overlooking the Indian Ocean. Here, we will check in and have a little time for relaxation after our long flight, before a bike fitting and briefing with our guides on the challenge ahead. This will be followed by a great Sri Lankan welcome dinner.
For the first day of our Sri Lankan adventure, we start our challenge in the cooler air of the early morning. Following breakfast at the hotel, the first 35 km will be a gentle warm-up as we take the coastal roads south along the old Portuguese waterways. We will then head inland and tackle two short and steep roads which should shake the jetlag out of us! These are the foothills of the mountainous central highlands that we will be cycling through over the next three days. Once out of the hills at Ruwanwella, we will stop for lunch and enjoy the scenery. Our cycle will re-commence in the afternoon with a final 30km of gentle uphill pedalling to our accommodation on the banks of the Kelani River. The site for the filming of “Bridge on the River Kwai”. For our meal tonight we have a great buffet of local delicacies.
This is one of our toughest days as we make our way into the heart of the central highlands. After breakfast, we will transfer 30 minutes to Kotagala to avoid the main roads and start our day’s challenge. We will then start by cycling through the Thalawakelle Tea Estate, where we stop for a cup of the finest Ceylon Tea, overlooking the magnificent Devon waterfall. From here, our route heads up through Watagoda on incredible estate roads cut into the hill-side, on 18km of the toughest section of our Sri Lankan challenge. Nothing quite prepares you for this and many of us may end up walking to the top. A challenging day, yet extremely rewarding! Upon reaching the top, we will stop for lunch and a rest before continuing with our adventure into the afternoon. The day finishes with a relaxing downhill to our comfortable hotel in Nuwara Eliya. Here, we will enjoy a group dinner before getting some much-needed rest.
Today will be an exciting, although long day in the saddle. Following breakfast, we will leave Nuwara Eliya and embark on a 50+km downhill that will take us through more beautiful tea estate countryside. The views will be extremely picturesque. As we get to Delpitiya, we will continue with our ride on quiet roads for the next 50km admiring the most spectacular landscape. We will stop for lunch near the village of Pupuressa with its wonderful waterfalls, and in the afternoon we will make our way through Gallaha and into Kandy, the spiritual capital of Sri Lanka. A religious city rich in history and stunning architecture. We will enter alongside its beautiful university to our lovely hotel. As evening approaches, we will leave our bikes at the central hotel, and venture out to explore the delights of this colourful city. The evening will conclude with a group meal before returning to our hotel.
After a great breakfast, we will have a long cycling day once again, directly from our hotel through the bustling streets of Kandy to Wattegama where we return to quiet roads. A major contrast from the bustling city we just left. We will continue by descending from the hill country to the flat “dry zone”, with great views of the Knuckles Mountain Range to the east. We will continue with our adventure into the afternoon, and from Matale the roads are flanked by giant fig trees, that provide welcome shelter from the sun. We will stop for lunch at a local spice garden where we can see the abundance of fresh colourful fruit and vegetables that are produced in this region. The last section of our ride today is to the famous Dambulla Cave Temple, a sacred pilgrimage site for 22 centuries, it is the largest, best-preserved cave-temple complex in Sri Lanka. From here, we are transferred to the hotel in Habarana to relax by the pool and recover from our long cycling day. We will then enjoy a group dinner before getting some much-needed rest.
This is the final day of our cycling challenge! The ride today will be almost completely flat, and the kilometres will pass quickly. As we continue, we will pass the Kantale Reservoir, one of the oldest and biggest in Sri Lanka. This is going to be a hot day and there is very little in the way of shade. We will take regular stops along the way, including a rest stop for lunch at around midday. Eventually, the air will get fresher as the sea breeze begins to blow from the coast. This will mark the imminent end of our ride, with an immense feeling of euphoria and pride. As we check in to our hotel, we will have the chance to relax before the celebrations commence. Finally, we will enjoy a celebratory meal at the hotel and enjoy a drink or two before getting some well-earned rest.
This morning, after breakfast in the hotel, we will transfer back to Colombo. We should arrive in the afternoon and will be dropped off in the centre of town. The rest of the day will be free to explore at our own pace and visit the main sights of this city. This evening is then left free to decide whether we would prefer to relax or embrace the chance for those who wish to make their way into Colombo to see it by night.
After our final breakfast, we will return to the international airport in Colombo in time for our flight back to the UK.
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