Maldives & Sri Lanka Itinerary

Planning your next island getaway? Look no further than the adventureous combination of the Maldives and the island of Sri Lanka off the coast of India. This itinerary will walk you through how many days feel sufficient to cover the countries and not-to-miss stops along the way!

See our Youtube video on this incredible destination: www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEI5iqALgwY&lc=UgzCLvqzwxp9zBwU6-94AaABAg.A-cX0KY_xdoA-nqdDdbouG

Viator Experiences and Excursions

Day 1 – 3 Getting There

First stop was Malé, the capital of the Maldives. For us that live in the U.S. it takes about two whole days to get there. For us, we flew Virgin Atlantic Airlines Business class from Washington-Dulles to London, and then onward to Malé. During our stopover in London, we did get out and sightsee a bit via the London Heathrow Express, a train that runs from the airport to Paddington station, a great way to get into the city to explore on a layover of 6+ hours. We got to see Buckingham Palace, a sighting with the Royal Princess, Big Ben, the River Thames, Westminster Abbey, Kensington Gardens and Parliment buildings all via walking through the city (we do walk fast).

After our stopover, we boarded the 10-hour flight to Malé and arrived in the morning. Malé is the capital and where the international airport is located. Upon landing, immigration and customs was some of the fastest we had ever experienced due to an online form that needs to be filled out before arriving and departing the Maldives.

Upon exit of the airport, every resort is standing or has a stand for you to check-in with. We were staying at the Le Méridien Maldives Resort and Spa so we found their desk and walked to the baggage area for the seaplanes. Be sure to check with your hotel on weight limits for bags or you will have to pay overages. From there, we took a shuttle to the seaplane terminal located down the road from the airport and were escorted to a lounge specifically for our hotel which was a lovely place to get some food, drinks and use the restroom. (Not every hotel gets a lounge in the terminal).

Day 3-9 Le Méridien Maldives Resort and Spa

Check out our Maldives video here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEr8XWey1hg&t=8s

Trans-Maldivian Airways is the sole provider of seaplane resort transfers in the country besides a few hotels that have their own private planes (The Four Seasons being one of them). They have a monopoly on the system so they set their own schedule that can shift around (which can be a downside). We landed in Malé at about 9 AM and finally made it the resort about 12:30 PM. Our seaplane shifted around a bit, and we ended up waiting about an hour before boarding. It is a 35 minute flight to the resort. The seaplanes do not have airconditiong, just fans, and are pretty small (about 10 passengers max). They are also quite loud, but the views are fabulous of the island chains and it was an overall good experience. The transfers are arranged through the hotel and for this resort cost $515 USD per person/roundtrip.

Upon arrival, you are greeted by a welcome party and escorted to check-in. (Come prepared, the check-in process can take a little while and our room wasn’t quite ready so we were still dressed in clothes for cold weather and it was HOT – they also take your bags so you don’t really have an opportunity to change until your room is ready).

This resort has multiple options for food packages, or you can pay a la carte. We would reccomend a package because a la carte prices were extremely high (for example, a burger was $60 US dollars). We went with the all-inclusive package for about $210/day per person and that included all food and alcoholic beverages. We also got a $40 discount per day for being Platinum Marriott Bonvoy members for which we get free breakfast as a perk so it cut down on the cost a bit. This price also includes a 10% service gratuity and all VAT taxes which we thought was pretty reasonable (for the Maldives).

Being Platinum Marriott members as well, we got upgraded to a Sunset Overwater Villa with a pool (we booked a Sunrise Overwater Villa with no pool). It was a nice upgrade and we enjoyed having the pool. We reccomend spending the $$ for an overwater villa while here. The rooms are beautiful and you can snorkel right from your room (snorkeling gear is complimentary during your stay). The other complimentary activities include the gym, sunset/sunrise yoga, some gym classes, paddleboards or kayaks, certain activities each day (movie on the lawn, etc.). There is a plethora of activities to pay for as well so budget accordingly from the spa to diving to excursions.

We spent 5 nights here and here is what we did:

All-Inclusive Dining: Breakfast is a Buffet a Turquoise, Lunch was best a Velaa, and Dinner at Tablemasu (which you get one time during your stay with the all-inclusive) and Riviera was also good. Don’t feel a need to tip additional unless you would like to as the service charge is included in your meal plan.
Snorkeling: You can snorkel from your room or hit the main beach from Velaa and swim out to the main reefs of the island. We saw turtles, black tip reef sharks, rays, and so many fish!
Scuba Diving: We did the intro to scuba excursion and they do everything for you. It was fun to go down under the water and get closer to all of the sea life. We saw lion fish, rays, turtles, and an eel! It cost about $300 US per person for about 2 hours (price included tax and tip).
Paddleboard: We took paddleboards out one morning to see some sting rays and that was a blast.
Sunrise/Sunset Yoga: We did one of each while we were here and it was a nice way to start or end your day. We also went to the gym once and it was well equipped with everything you need.
RELAX: You are in the Maldives, take a chance to relax and soak it all in!

Day 10 Maldives to Sri Lanka

The night before we departed, they let us know our seaplane transfer out would be at 9 AM (our flight to Sri Lanka wasn’t until 3:30 PM – which was sort of a bummer because I thought we might have more time to enjoy the morning before we left.)

Helpful tip: I would plan your flight to your next destination around mid-morning. Seaplanes can only operate during daylight hours so if you had an 11 am flight it would be perfect timing to leave and be at the airport just enough before your flight.

Unfortunately, our seaplane was delayed about an hour and half. Communication about this change was subpar at best and it was a downside to the trip. Little did we know, we were about to have a long travel day as is. On the upside, we did ask if we could sit at the lounge in the seaplane terminal when we arrived to cut down on the amount of time sitting in the airport which they accepted. (Also, if you are going to spend time at another resort on another island, you will have to come back to Malé and then onward to the next resort – there are no direct island to island flights).

Once we got to the airport, our flight to Sri Lanka was delayed about an hour and half so we spent a lot of time at the airport that day. We flew Sri Lankan Airways and it is only about 1.5 hours from Malé to Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka.

Once we arrived, everything was smooth. We decided early on that we would self-drive the country and rent a car. (This is NOT the normal thing to do, especially for Americans – please only self-drive if you can drive a manual, on the left side of the road, right side of the car, and in very chaotic traffic with skinny roads). Otherwise, we reccommend hiring a driver who will drive you where you want for the duration of your stay. However, we have nothing but great things to say about Sixt Rental Car (they are located just outside the airport) and an overall good experience.

Helpful tip: When renting a car in Sri Lanka your Driver’s License MUST be verified by the Sri Lankan government ahead of time. Sixt will do it for you for about $25 USD if you give them all the necessary info which saves you from needing to visit the Sri Lankan DMV (highly reccomend doing it through the car rental).

Another thing to keep in mind is cellular service and data. Though Sri Lanka was apart of AT&T’s international plan, when we got in-country, we had no data. That proved to be a bit of challenge for loading maps, etc. but we did make do. You might want to grab a eSIM card for your travels there to make sure you have access to what you need.

We didn’t arrive to Colombo until about 7 PM so by the time we got the car and bags, etc. it was close to 8:30 PM. It was pouring rain and we had to get to our hotel without a map (I had logged onto the car rental WIFI and got one loaded and we hoped we didn’t have to deviate). That was stressful as it was pouring rain and we had no clue what the roads would look like.

They started out as tolls which were quite nice, but, once we were in the city, it was chaos (their lights and road signs and road markings are different – to be expected but takes some getting used to – along with tuktuks, motobikes, cars, buses and trucks galore). Everyone honks to let people know they are passing, or doing something and so it can be very stressful. We eventually navigated to our hotel the Courtyard Marriott Colombo and it was super nice and fit our needs perfectly for the one night. (Again, being a Platinum Marriott Bonvoy member, we got free breakfast that was also a buffet).

Day 11 Colombo to Ella

We wanted this to be a road trip and in researching ahead of time, saw that drive times were LONG to get anywhere and we found out why! Speed limits are very slow due to the windy, twisty, and mountains drives around the country. We took about 7 hours to get there with a few stops along the way. This region of Sri Lanka is known for Ceylon tea so the tea estates along the drive were beautiful. We also stopped at one of the larger Hindu temples in the country – Seetha Amman Temple. The country is predominantly Buddhist and Hindu so you will see SO MANY temples along your drive.

We arrived to 98 Acres Resort & Spa that evening and just relaxed at the hotel. We got some funny looks from hotel staff because of the fact that we were self-driving (this proved to be something to consider throughout the country is finding places to park at hotels and attractions because they aren’t used to it like it would be here in the U.S. – it always worked out though).

Day 12 – 14 Ella

While we were in Ella we:

Drove and hiked to Upper Diyaluma Falls (this is hard to find – and more than likely when you enter the Sri Lankan village at the end of your directions there will be families wanting you to park at their house and their wives will give you a guide to the trail). Again, most people hire a guide for the whole trip who will take you to the trail and park accordingly. It cost a little bit of money to get into the falls (About 1,000 rupees and we paid our Sri Lankan family where we parked about 500 rupees for our car and guide to the trailhead). All in all it was a great hike and the water falls are fun to swim in (beware of Leeches!)
Nine Arches Bridge – This is a famous spot for photos and where you can watch the train come by. You can look up the times so you can coordinate your visit!
Little Adams Peak – You can hike this right from the hotel so it was a must-do with views over the tea plantations. It is busy because there is a zipline place right below it so start early if you can!
Uva Halpewatte Tea Factory Tour – This is the factory that packages the tea grown at our hotel. It is worth a tour and to buy some SUPER FRESH Ceylon tea!
Spa at our Hotel – We both got a 3.5 hour spa treatment at the spa for about $85 USD (includes tax and tip) so it was sort of a no-brainer. It included a massage, facial, steam bath, body scrub and hot bath and was wonderful on a rainy afternoon.
Matey Hut Ella – EAT HERE! Such amazing Sri Lankan food at affordable prices.

Day 15 Ella to Sigiriya

We spent this day driving about 5 hours from Ella to Sigiriya. Again, windy and mountainous roads kept the speeds low and slow. We did stop a few times for King Coconuts (make sure you stop at roadside stands for these daily – the are usually about 100-200 rupees per coconut = less than $1 USD) and found a few roadside temples to stop and see. We did also drive 18 Bend Road, which was fun as it was steep switch backs that climbed up the mountain.

We encountered a downpour of rain and a road leading into Dambulla that was FILLED with potholes. (Roads in Sri Lanka were really well-maintained!)nOther than that, things went smoothly and we arrived at the Jetwing Vil Uyuna, a marvelous Asian-inspired resort. We had a Rice Paddy Villa which was beautiful, along with a plunge pool on our front deck, super large bathtub, and air conditioning!

Day 16-19 Sigiriya

We spent 4 nights in Sigiriya and here is what we did:

Lion Rock (Sigiriya Rock): This is a UNESCO world heritage site of an old palace turned Buddhist pilgrimage site. It costs $30 USD/adult but we thought it was well worth it to climb the rock and see the grounds (you are only in Sri Lanka once?!)

Pidarungula Rock: This is a cheaper option for those not wanting to visit Lion Rock that is a donation of 1,000 rupees per person and is both a temple grounds and hike to a viewpoint of Lion Rock. We went for sunset and it was cool to see both perspectives of the rock.

Polonnaruwa – The second oldest city in Sri Lanka and filled with ancient ruins. About an hour from Sigiriya.
Roadside Elephant Sightings! – Just driving around you might see them if you choose not to go on a safari.

Dambulla Cave and Golden Temples: About a 15-minute drive from Sigiriya are these temples. They are at the top of the hill and the Cave Temples are stunning and about 22 centuries old! The relics in the temple are really well preserved and definitely worth visiting. The Golden Temple is down the hill and really more of a museum, but the highlight for us was the giant Buddha (The largest in the world in the Dhamma Chakka position). It is about 100 feet tall!

We also spent some time at our hotel touring the grounds, the farm, the pool and the spa to just relax before our long journey back to Colombo.

Day 20 Sigiriya to Colombo

We decided to take a longer drive back to Colombo and stopped in Kandy to see the Temple of the Sacred Tooth and the Ambuluwawa Tower. The day we drove back was a national holiday signifying the end of rainy season so both spots were BUSY. It was neat to see an active temple with so many people coming to give offerings and wearing white but finding a place to park was sort of impossible. We didn’t love Kandy as it the 2nd largest city in Sri Lanka and we generally aren’t city people. The tower is super unique and the top of a VERY STEEP hill. Our car didn’t make it up and we ended up parking in a pull-off and walking up the rest of the way (we would reccomend getting a tuktuk ride from the bottom in hindsight). The tower is a lot of stairs to the top and it gets quite narrow especially when busy, but, worth a trip for the views and architecture.

That evening, we ended back in Colombo and stayed at the Shangri-La Colombo. We used a credit card reward credit through Amex to pay for the room and it included a spa treatment and free breakfast so it was nice to have a relaxing way to end the trip!