Ten Days in Sri Lanka from India

What is the best 10-day Sri Lanka itinerary from India?

Quick answer: Fly into Colombo, spend two nights in Anuradhapura, three near Sigiriya, two in Kandy and two in Nuwara Eliya, then drive back to the airport. The first half follows the Buddhist sites that link Sri Lanka to India. The second half adds the Ramayana temples in the hills. Indians get the tourist ETA free but still need to apply before they fly.

This is the long version of our two shorter India routes. The 7-day itinerary from India covers only the ancient cities and Kandy. The 5-day itinerary from India covers only Kandy and the Ramayana temples near Nuwara Eliya. Ten days lets you do both without rushing.

What does the day-by-day plan look like?

Day 1, arrive. Flights from India land at Bandaranaike International Airport near Colombo. Our Colombo airport arrival guide covers immigration, SIM cards and the taxi counter. The drive north is long, so if you land after mid-afternoon, sleep in Negombo and leave the next morning. Then cut one night from the Sigiriya base.

Day 2, Anuradhapura. UNESCO says the sacred city "was established around a cutting from the 'tree of enlightenment', the Buddha's fig tree, brought there in the 3rd century B.C. by Sanghamitta" (UNESCO, Sacred City of Anuradhapura). Start at the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi, then see Ruwanwelisaya and the wider sacred city. Mihintale is a 16 km drive on our road sample, so it fits in the late afternoon.

Day 3, Dambulla. Drive south and stop at the Dambulla cave temple. Our Sigiriya or Dambulla guide helps you choose where to sleep for the next three nights.

Day 4, Sigiriya. Climb Sigiriya as early as the counter allows, when it is coolest, and keep the afternoon free. Ticket prices and the SAARC discount are in our 7-day page, checked on 18 October 2026. We could not reach the Central Cultural Fund site on 27 October 2026, so we have not repeated them here.

Day 5, Polonnaruwa. A day trip to the medieval capital at Polonnaruwa, about 53 km from Sigiriya on our sample, then back to the same base.

Day 6, Kandy. Drive to Kandy and visit the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic. Check the day's ritual times at the temple and dress for a working shrine.

Day 7, Kandy. Keep this day slow. Walk around the lake and the old town of the sacred city of Kandy, and check the temple's ritual times if you want a second visit. A spare day here also absorbs any delay from the first week.

Day 8, to Nuwara Eliya. Drive up the A5 to Nuwara Eliya. The SLTDA brochure places the Ramboda Sri Bhaktha Hanuman temple at Thawalamtenne, Ramboda, at the 40 km post on the A5 Kandy to Nuwara Eliya road. It says the Chinmaya Mission of Sri Lanka built the temple, and that its granite statue of Hanuman is 16 feet tall.

Day 9, Seetha Eliya and Divurumpola. The brochure places the Sita Amman temple at Seetha Eliya, 3.7 km from Nuwara Eliya, and describes it as part of Asoka Vanam. It lists Divurumpola, the place linked to Sita's fire test, 17.7 km from Nuwara Eliya on the Welimada road. Spend the rest of the day in the tea country around the town.

Day 10, fly home. The drive back to the airport was about 153 km and 3 hours with no traffic on our sample. Leave early. Hill roads are slow, and a missed international flight costs more than a lost morning.

How long are the drives between stops?

We asked the OSRM driving router for each leg on 27 October 2026, using OpenStreetMap data. These are no-traffic samples, not promises. Add time for traffic, rain, meals and photo stops.

The longest days are Day 1 and Day 10. That is why the plan puts two nights at each end. If you would rather not start with a three-hour drive, our Colombo airport to Dambulla guide shows a shorter first leg, and you can do Anuradhapura as a day trip from the Dambulla base instead.

How much is the airport taxi in Indian rupees? (Checked 27 October 2026)

Quick answer: On the airport's fixed-fare taxi card, read on 27 October 2026, Anuradhapura is Rs 30,240, about 8,662 Indian rupees at that day's CBSL indicative rate. Negombo, for a first night after a late landing, is Rs 3,780, about 1,083 Indian rupees. You pay in Sri Lankan rupees.

The card only prices trips that start at the airport. It does not cover the drives between bases or the run back from Nuwara Eliya. Most travellers book one car with a driver for the whole trip, and the card is a useful check on the first day of that quote. The card does not say how many passengers or bags the rate covers, or if expressway tolls are included, so ask at the counter.

Do Indians need a visa and a passport?

You need an ETA, and it is free. The official notice on eta.gov.lk, checked on 27 October 2026, says that from 25 May 2026 nationals of 40 countries, India among them, can get a 30-day tourist ETA free of charge (eta.gov.lk). You still have to apply before you travel, and the ETA is tied to your passport, so use the same passport to apply and to fly. Our 5-day page lists the passport rules in full, and our Sri Lanka visa guide covers extensions and fake ETA sites.

Can you pay in Indian rupees?

No. The Central Bank of Sri Lanka says the Indian rupee is a designated foreign currency to support trade, and that "the legal tender in Sri Lanka for domestic payments and settlements will remain as Sri Lanka Rupees (LKR)" (CBSL clarification). Pay in LKR by card or cash, and use the INR column above only as a guide.

Is the hill road safe in October and November?

Check on the day. The NBRO landslide warning LEWM-27-10-2026-1600-34, issued at 4 pm on 27 October 2026 and valid until 4 pm on 28 October, has Level 3 (Red) on Ambagamuwa Korale and Norwood in Nuwara Eliya district and Level 2 (Amber) on Kothmale West and East. It also has Level 2 (Amber) on five divisions of Kandy district, where the Kandy stay and the A5 drive are (Pasbage Korale, Udunuwara, Ganga Ihala Korale, Udapalatha and Yatinuwara), with none at Level 3 (Red) (NBRO notice via the Disaster Management Centre). Warnings change daily. Before Days 8 and 10, call 117, the Disaster Management Centre hotline, and ask your driver which road is open. Our Colombo airport to Nuwara Eliya guide keeps a dated check, and our monsoon seasons guide explains the wider pattern.

Why does this route suit Indian travellers?

It joins two stories that start in India. The first is Buddhist. UNESCO says Anuradhapura grew around a cutting from the Buddha's "tree of enlightenment", and its page for the Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya in Bihar lists the sacred Bodhi Tree among the places of the Buddha's enlightenment (UNESCO, Bodh Gaya). The second is the Ramayana. The SLTDA brochure says over 50 places in Sri Lanka have been linked to the Ramayana, close to 25 of them with road access, and it suggests at least 9 nights for a Ramayana Yathra. This route gives four of its nine nights to the hills, so it is a taste of the trail, not the whole of it. For the full trail, see our Ramayana trail itinerary.

What should you pack and wear?

The SLTDA brochure says traditional wear, Sri Lankan or Indian, is required at the temples on the Ramayana trail, and that a few temples ask men to remove their shirts. It recommends a mix of cotton and woollen clothes, because the trip covers both hot plains and cool hills.

How can you change the route?

• Add a beach: drop the two Nuwara Eliya nights and finish with two nights on the west coast near the airport. Our Colombo airport to Negombo guide has the transfer.
• Coming by ferry: the passenger ferry from Nagapattinam lands at Kankesanthurai in the far north. That suits a Jaffna route better than this one. See our India to Sri Lanka ferry guide for the current status.
• Less driving: skip Polonnaruwa and spend Day 5 resting near Sigiriya.