Here's How You Can Spend 7 Days In Sri Lanka? An unstumbled-Approved Itinerary

The southern coast of Sri Lanka is a breathtaking blend of colonial history, world-class surf breaks, aesthetic coconut-palmed cafes, and vibrant street culture. We at unstumbled recently visited this beautiful island country and especially got to spend time in the Galle, Weligama, and Colombo regions of the country. If you’re feeling jealous and want to tag along, we’ve curated this itinerary for you so you, too, can have an unforgettable stay in the Teardrop of the Indian Ocean.

Day 1: Mumbai To Galle: Getting To Sri Lanka

There are a few ways to travel from India to Sri Lanka. You can either take a connecting flight or a direct one. Direct flights are generally more convenient, albeit expensive. So, depending on your priority, you can choose which route is best for you. We flew from Mumbai to Chennai and took a connecting flight from there to Galle in Sri Lanka.

Day 2: Exploring Galle: Surfing, Boat Safaris And The Dutch Fort

Start Your Morning With A Surfing Lesson

There is no better way to spend your first day in Sri Lanka than trying surfing. Galle and the rest of the southern coast of Sri Lanka offer beginner-friendly surfing experiences.

Experience A Boat Safari At Koggala Lake

The next thing on your to-do list in Sri Lanka should be exploring the beautiful Koggala Lake via a boat safari. This allows you to properly explore the lake’s mangroves and biodiversity. You’ll be able to spot wildlife there, including monitor lizards, birds, and monkeys. What is more, you can also go and explore Cinnamon Island to witness why Sri Lankan Cinnamon has such high demand in the global market and how it is harvested.

Discover Sri Lankan Cuisine

You can head to a local restaurant to relish authentic Sri Lankan curries, including the famous Jackfruit curry.

Explore Galle Fort by Bicycle

Also known as the Dutch fort, this historic monument was first built by the Dutch in 1588. It is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. One of the most popular ways to explore this fort is by bicycle. You can visit the Isle of Gelato, shop for handmade footwear at Waves, and watch the sunset from Galle Fort, all on a cycle!

Day 3: Galle And Thalpe: Palm Swings, Natural Pools And Tea Tasting

Try The Famous Sri Lankan Palm Rope Swing

Those with a penchant for travel might have seen videos of people trying this on social media. It costs around INR 400 to INR 500 per person and is an absolute blast!

Visit Natural Pool Beach In Thalpe

These picturesque pools don’t just look fun on your Instagram feed, but they’re very enthralling to explore as well! It is prudent to check whether it’s high tide or low tide before you visit these coral rock pools, however.

Turtle Encounters In Thalpe

An unmissable part of the experience of visiting Thalpe is the turtle encounters! It is imperative that you maintain a safe distance from the turtles and don’t touch or pet them, though. 

Experience A Traditional Ceylon Tea Tasting

Ceylon tea is famous the world over for its delicate flavor and intricate production process. If you visit Sri Lanka, learning about Ceylon Tea and discovering its plethora of tea varieties and tasting techniques will be one of the most enriching experiences you have here.

Also Read: From Safety To Affordability, 6 Things About Sri Lanka That Took Us By Surprise

Day 4: Weligama And Ahangama: Beach Clubs And Work-Friendly Cafes

Work By The Ocean At Mermaid Coworking Space

Weligama is one of those places in Sri Lanka that is perfect for a long-term stay. If you’re a digital nomad or a remote worker, you will particularly enjoy working from its ocean-view hotels and hostels. 

Spend An Afternoon At Kai Beach Club

Spending time at the Kai Beach Club was, for us, one of the best highlights of the trip. We had a ready pool as well as beach access, and the club was replete with facilities such as restaurants, bars, and even co-working facilities.

Dinner At Hotel de Uncles, Ahangama

We had our dinner at the quaint Hotel de Uncles. It has retro interiors as well as a beachfront ambiance. But the food was hands down the best part. Our recommendations, should you visit this place, would be crab curry, lamb sliders, and cashew curry-leaf chakna.

Day 5: Discovering The Local Side Of Weligama

Visit Kushtaraja Gala

Our first stop for the day was this historic rock carving that depicts a royal figure. For the history aficionados, this would be the most interesting stop. Local traditions and religious beliefs associate the site with healing.

Explore Local Bakeries And Roadside Food

Instead of going to the more touristy places, we went to the locally loved spots. These included a neighborhood bakery where we got a few snacks and continued walking around the place. This turned out to be the most fun part of our trip.

Enjoy Authentic Sri Lankan Black Tea By The Ocean

After walking in this manner for some time, we paused at a scenic coastal spot where we enjoyed authentic Sri Lankan black tea and watched the surfers and the waves.

Day 6: Weligama To Colombo: Road Trip And Heritage Luxury

Traveling from Weligama To Colombo

The drive from Weligama to Colombo took around four hours. On the way, we stopped for some snacks and some souvenir shopping.

Where To Eat In Colombo: Jaffna Thali At Maniumpathy

At Maniumpathy, we got to experience another one of the highlights of our Sri Lanka trip: the Jaffna Thali! It came with an assortment of curries and accompaniments, including puttu, fried aubergine and, of course, some cashews! Of all that we ate, the Black Pork Curry was the standout for us. It was rich, flavorful, and packed with spices.

Day 7: Colombo Shopping And Returning To Mumbai

For our final day in Sri Lanka, we took it slow and started with some breakfast and free time. We then took a PickMe (Sri Lanka’s Uber equivalent) and went to explore some local shopping spots in Colombo.

Explore Colombo's Shopping Scene

Sri Lanka has some fantastic local products, snacks, tea, spices, and cashews, and we ended up spending much longer than expected browsing the local markets as well as the supermarkets.

After this, we took a cab to the airport and bid adieu to the country that gave us so many precious memories!

Also Read: Sri Lanka Shopping Guide For Indians: What To Buy, What To Skip And Where To Shop

An important shoutout, though! As with any trip, we were on our feet for a LONG time! But we did not feel it one bit. How, you ask? Ecco shoes! We wore them throughout our trip, and they were so comfortable, it felt like we were walking on a cloud. And guess what! You can get them too, as they are now also available in India!

Summing Up

Our trip to Sri Lanka was one of the most memorable ones ever! And to think that we haven’t even scratched the surface of everything that this island nation has to offer. Seven days are certainly not enough to explore the full breadth of experiences that Sri Lanka offers; it is, however, a great amount of time to get introduced to the country. If you’re planning on visiting the country, we hope this itinerary helps you navigate your trip.