Itinerary
- Day 1
Negombo
You'll land in Negombo and meet your local leader plus the rest of the group at a 6 pm welcome meeting. Spend your first evening by the coast watching fishing boats, getting to know everyone before your night on the shoreline.
- Day 2
Dambulla
Start early at the Negombo fish market where you'll see lobsters, crabs and prawns being sold. Next you'll head to a coconut plantation to learn how central it is to local life, sip king coconut water and watch toddy tappers at work. After a Sri Lankan rice and curry lunch, drive inland to Dambulla. Your evening is open or you can join an optional street food crawl to try hoppers and other local snacks.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch (Sri Lankan rice and curry)
Included Activities
- Negombo fish market visit
- Coconut plantation visit and education
- Sri Lankan rice and curry lunch
Optional Activities
- Optional street food crawl in Dambulla featuring Sri Lankan 'short eats' and hoppers
Landmarks/POIs Negombo Fish Market Madampe Coconut Plantation - Day 3
Sigiriya - Dambulla
After breakfast, take a short drive to Sigiriya and climb the 200 m high Lion Rock to see the ancient fortress with its fifth-century frescoes, terraced gardens and fountains. You'll also visit a chena cultivation area to learn about one of the oldest farming methods. Lunch features tropical vegetables, curry and fried fish. Back in Dambulla, you'll walk through the wholesale market to see fresh produce before your free evening.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch (Tropical vegetables, curry made with tapioca and fried fish caught in the nearby lake)
Included Activities
- Sigiriya Lion Rock fortress visit and climb
- Sigiriya chena cultivation area tour by jeep
- Dambulla wholesale market tour
- Tropical lunch with tapioca curry and fried fish
Landmarks/POIs Sigiriya (Lion Rock) Dambulla Wholesale Market - Day 4
Kandy
This morning check out the Dambulla Cave Temples with their many Buddha images, frescoes and paintings. Stop for lunch at a spice garden in Matale where you'll learn how spices work in food, cosmetics and ayurvedic medicine. Continue on to Kandy and that evening watch locals worshipping at the Dalada Maligawa (Temple of the Tooth), one of Sri Lanka's most sacred sites. Your free time can include watching chefs make traditional kottu roti.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch (Pumpkin curry flavoured with aromatic fenugreek, dry chilli sambol and coconut roti at the spice garden)
Included Activities
- Dambulla Cave Temples exploration
- Matale spice garden tour and lunch
- Kandy Temple of the Tooth (Dalada Maligawa) visit
Optional Activities
- Optional kottu roti preparation observation in Kandy
Landmarks/POIs Dambulla Cave Temples Matale Spice Garden Dalada Maligawa (Temple of the Tooth) - Day 5
Kandy
Begin with a guided walk through Kandy's busy city centre, then visit a tea factory and tour the Central Market to sample local fresh fruits. The rest of your day is open for exploring museums, monasteries or scenic walks around town. Early evening you'll join a Sinhalese family for a Kandyan sweet-filled dinner and cooking class where you'll make string hoppers, try spice-infused chicken curry and sample specialty sweets with Dutch and Portuguese influences.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Dinner (Kandyan sweet-filled Sri Lankan dinner with string hoppers, chicken curry made with spice-infused coconut milk and specialty sweets inspired by Dutch and Portuguese dessert traditions)
Included Activities
- Kandy guided city centre walk
- Kandy tea factory visit
- Kandy Central Market tour and fruit tastings
- Kandy cooking class in a Sinhalese home with dinner
Landmarks/POIs Kandy Lake Kandy Central Market Kandy National Museum - Day 6
Bandarawela
Have your camera ready for a scenic drive into the highlands to Bandarawela. You'll pass waterfalls, villages and mountains with bright green tea bushes and vegetable gardens all around. This highland town was once popular with British plantation managers. Tonight you're invited into a local home for a cooking demonstration followed by a traditional dinner.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Dinner (Traditional dinner following cooking demonstration in a local home)
Included Activities
- Scenic train ride from Kandy to Bandarawela
- Bandarawela cooking demonstration and local meal
Landmarks/POIs Bandarawela - Day 7
Haputale - Bandarawela
Rise early and head to the tea plantations in this region. You'll hike through the tea fields learning about the country's most important export and meet local tea pickers who'll show you how they work and let you try picking and weighing tea. Travel to Haputale for a home-cooked lunch with a Tamil family featuring traditional Tamil cuisine like dosa and idli. Return to Bandarawela by late afternoon to soak up the rural charm.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch (Traditional Tamil cuisine with dosa (crispy rice pancake) and idli (savoury steamed rice cake served with curry sauces or chutneys) with a Tamil family)
Included Activities
- Bandarawela hike through tea fields with tea pickers
- Haputale Tamil family lunch
- Tea field experience with local tea pickers
Landmarks/POIs Haputale Tea Plantations Haputale - Day 8
Yala National Park
Drive out to Yala National Park (or Udawalawe in the off season) where you'll find diverse ecosystems with sloth bears, lots of birds and other wildlife. Later in the evening take a safari to search for leopards lounging in trees, crocodiles in the river and wild elephants grazing across the grasslands.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Yala/Udawalawe National Park wildlife safari
Landmarks/POIs Yala National Park - Day 9
Mirissa
Start by trying buffalo curd served in bright terracotta pots with golden treacle, Sri Lanka's favorite ingredient. Then spend your day relaxing or exploring the golden sands of the southern coastline. You might take a bicycle ride or tuk-tuk to watch colorful fishing boats or meet with a local fisherman to learn about their craft and how life changed after the tsunami. Enjoy the freshest seafood lunch, likely a crab curry, with a fisherman's family.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch (Freshest seafood lunch with a fisherman's family, likely a crab curry)
Included Activities
- Tissamaharama curd and treacle tasting
- Mirissa fisherman's cooking demonstration and lunch
Optional Activities
- Optional bicycle ride or tuk-tuk to watch fishing boats along the shore
Landmarks/POIs Mirissa Beach - Day 10
Galle - Mirissa
Visit the preserved township of Galle that blends European architecture with South Asian traditions. Have lunch of Biryani and watalappam (coconut custard pudding) with a local family. Later explore the Royal Dutch Fort with its narrow streets and 400 years of rich history. Return to Mirissa for the night.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch (Biryani and watalappam (coconut custard pudding) with a local family)
Included Activities
- Galle walking tour
- Galle Royal Dutch Fort tour
- Galle Biryani and watalappam lunch with a local family
Landmarks/POIs Galle Fort - Day 11
Colombo
Head north to Colombo for the final stop on your food journey. Sri Lanka's commercial heart has street markets, historic buildings, museums and great shopping. Snack your way through an included city tour around lanes filled with short eats and popular local eateries, finishing at Galle Face Beach, famous for street food. Celebrate the end with a final Dutch Burgher-influenced meal with new friends.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch (Dutch Burgher-influenced meal)
Included Activities
- Colombo city tour by bus
- Colombo street food experience
- Colombo Dutch Burgher lunch
Landmarks/POIs Galle Face Beach - Day 12
Colombo
Your food adventure in Sri Lanka ends this morning with no planned activities. You're free to leave whenever you'd like.
