Hi,we are planning on visiting Sri Lanka for the first time (primarily a relaxing beach holiday but with a bit of touring first) and need some help with driving times for our itinerary.

Can anyone tell me the following driving times:

Colombo - Pinnawwala Elephant Orphanage
Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage - Kandy
Kandy - Nuwara Elliya
Nuwara Elliya - Bentota
Bentota - Colombo

My plan was to stay 1 night in Colombo, then do the Elephant Orphanage and Kandy in 1 day. Stay 1 night in Kandy do some wightseeing there and then to Nuwara Elliya for 1 night. Visit a tea factory and then to Bentota for a week at Saman Villas.

Is that too much driving? Would we be better going from Nuwara Elliya to Yala (or somewhere else) for 1 night to break it up?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

looking forward to someone to reply as we also are going ot Shri Lanka in March 2007 with friends from the UK...we will be going with a Charter and tehn can choose what we want to do. But I assume one really does not drive on their own but hire a driver for the day or week.

Sorry, I should have made it clear that we are not planning on driving these distances, we will be hiring a car and driver, thanks ...

http://www.reddottours.com/InternalT...ivingTimes.php

Try this link. It's for Red Dot Tours who helped me arrange my trip. It also has loads of other useful info such as an Island map. You can also hire a car and driver from them if you want.

I think the plan you mention would work well. Yala is way over on the South East coast and further out of your way than the other places you mention.

That's a great help. Thanks.

Experience: 3 times in Sri Lanka.I think you are going to find the travel a bit hurried. I cannot tell you drive times as I usually take the train from Colombo to Kandy (3-ish hours)but I think driving is 3 1/2 w/o the elephant stop. Kandy to Nuwara is 4 hours as long as you aren't stuck behind a truck (narrow and curvy roads all the way)Nuwara to Bentota is a healthy 6 hours with a very good driver (fast) because it is all smaller roads down from the mountains through the foothills,etc. Bentota to the capitol is a couple of hours.If you go to Bentota you really should at least visit Galle Fort unless you have no desire to explore. It is one of my favorite towns. It's not far and Galle has several good restaurants and is quite lovely. In summary. It IS too much driving so I suggest you stay 24 hours in Kandy and possibly skip Nuwara unless the heat is slaying you. I use Baur for drivers and they tend to be cautious rather than quick. Easier on the nerves I think.

HI, as already said, a bit rushed and you'll not have time to do justice to any of the places you're visiting.
However, I appreciate the lack of time, so.
I wouldn't go to Colombo from the airport. Unless you plan on travelling to Kandy by train. If you have a car and driver, then Negombo is only 20 minutes from the airport. ( 700 rupees in a taxi).
The road time from Negombo to Kandy is about 3 hours. Plus of course the time spent at the elephant orphanage.
A day in Kandy.. I'd suggest you use the morning wandering around the shops, markets etc. Then get yourself a packed lunch and go by tuk tuk or car to Peradeniya Botanical Gardens. An amazing collection of trees, including giant bamboo,huge mahogany trees, sausage trees, canaon ball trees and a huge colony of fruit bats.
Every evening at about 6 pm, there,s cultural show in a small theatre along the lake side behind the Golden Temple, Kandian mask and costume dancers, firewalkers, etc.
Then, immediately after the show walk the 200 metres to the Temple where , if you go straight upstairs you can view the golden caskets which are supposed to contain the Budha's tooth. About half hour later, the huge security doors are closed and then you can explore the rest of the temple at your leisure. It has a great atmosphere in the evening with the drums and flutes playing.
Personally I wouldn't stop in Newara Eliya. I've been there about 5 or 6 times and each time, it's got very cold, wet and windy.
I'd travel from Kandy to Newara Eliya in the morning,visit a tea factory en-route. A good one to visit is the Glen Loch tea factory and plantation which is about 30 kilometres north of Newara Eliya. have lunch in Newara Eliya and wander around the markets, then get your driver to drop you at Nanu Oya railway station. Nanu Oya serves Newara Eliya. Take the train from there down as far as Ella. About three hour train journey with the most amazing scenery. Your driver can driver down and meet you at Ella.
If you want to, in the evening, you''ll have time to walk up to Little Adams peak, through the tea plantations.
Ella is a beautiful little scenic village set on the edge of the mountains. Fantastic views down through Ella Gap to the southern plains in the dry zone.
Then the drive to Bentota where you'll sit in your posh hotel and wish you'd seen more of the country. Places such as Anuradhapura, Polonorua, Aukana, Sigirya, Dambulla, etc. So you'll have to start planning your next trip.
Rod.