Red Dot will be happy to plan your walking journey. Our Walk Sri Lanka itinerary is aimed at holidaymakers who want to experience the splendour of Sri Lanka’s hill country with the promise of comforts at the day’s end. These walking holidays can be approached either independently or with a guide. Trek Sri Lanka is more strenuous and will satisfy the serious walking enthusiast who wants to get right off the beaten track, with the help of specialist adventure guides, and who will risk a blister or two along the way. Stroll Sri Lanka is our collection of favourite short walks around the country, perfectly suited for sprinkling your holiday itinerary with a walk of just a few hours or a couple of days. And our renowned flexibility also allows us to propose a walking tour entirely to your tastes – with the confidence that we will research it thoroughly on your behalf and provide the necessary support.

Trek Sri Lanka (for serious walkers): Trek Sri Lanka is the most demanding of our itineraries and is designed for walkers who stride out with intent. We use the services of specialist action and adventure guides to ensure that you receive the most professional walking advice that Sri Lanka has to offer. We camp in the open or stay in rural accommodation when we can to give you a sense of the great outoors. Sri Lanka is blessed with diverse landscapes which change from day to day. Sandy beaches lined with swaying palms on the coast soon changes into lush green paddy fields, meandering rivers and rural villages. Venture up into the central hills passed Kandy and discover Sri Lanka’s dramatic tea-growing hills and gurgling mountain streams . An ancient cultural heritage, tropical rainforests, untouched wilderness rich in wildlife, and a warm and friendly people also makes trekking through Sri Lanka a memorable experience.

Walk Sri Lanka (for intermediate walkers): Walk Sri Lanka is our most popular walking tour. It will satisfy travellers who want to enjoy some of Sri Lanka’s most uplifting scenery on foot. If you wish, we will provide a daily guide so that you can concentrate upon gazing at the scenery without worrying about the route. But for independent walkers, who prefer to walk without the help of a guide, we provide all the back up you need. As well as maps, you will receive Red Dot’s own detailed route descriptions – full of useful information such as potential stopping points and highlights of each day’s walk -- to ensure that you reach your destination safely. At the end of the day’s walk, you are transported by car or van at the end of each day to recover in carefully-selected hotels offering the chance to relax in comfort.

Stroll Sri Lanka (for a spot of exercise): Sri Lanka offers endless opportunities for short walking tours of a few hours or a full day. It is blessed with diverse landscapes which can soon change – even on foot. If you want to avoid the hottest and most humid regions, venture up into the central hills past Kandy and discover Sri Lanka’s dramatic tea-growing hills - a land of burbling mountain streams and steep hillsides cloaked in luminous green tea, sweet-scented Cyprus and Eucalyptus trees. If you love temperatures around 30C and can still stride out for a few hours, suitably protected with sun hat and sun cream, your choice is limitless. Sandy beaches lined with swaying palms on the south coast soon give way to lush green paddy fields, meandering rivers and rural villages. Walk in the central plains and discover an ancient cultural heritage that dates back to over 2,500 years. Or venture into Sinharaja’s small tropical rainforest, a naturalist’s dream. Add the warm and friendly people, and walking through Sri Lanka is a memorable experience. Almost anywhere in Sri Lanka (apart from the Kandy road in rush hour!), we can recommend a route for a satisfying stroll. If you fancy a day’s walking, just ask us.

Hill Country: Our main walking itineraries are centred around the hill country. The relative cool of the hill country, combined with its enchanting beauty and low population, makes it ideal country to explore on foot. The hill country around Nuware Eliya and the stirring Southern Highlands has hidden valleys and paths awaiting discovery. The magnificent Knuckles Range surrounding Kandy is excellent for hiking.  The winding roads past Kandy takes you to the tea covered highlands.  Here, misty mountains peaks, and gushing waterfalls are inspirational for those interested in exploring this region on foot.  The landscape is forever interesting and the climate – at its best is like a perfect English summer’s day.  (More)

North Central Province: The towns of the Cultural Triangle including Anuradhapura, Pollonaruwa, Sigiriya, and Dambulla’s are on a flat central plain which, if you like the heat, offers tranquil walking country. Here, archeological ruins provide a glimpse into the glorious past of this island and reaching them by foot is somehow doubly satisfying.  It is here that the country’s great kings dating back to the 4th century B.C. gave rise to a great civilization that was based on agriculture and Buddhism.  Explore ruins of ancient kingdoms, palaces, temples and along the way rest by the banks of ancient irrigational reservoirs built by the kings of Sri Lanka. (More)

Kitulgala & Ratnapura: The towns of Kitulgala and Ratnapura are situated in the western foothills, sandwiched between the west coast and the central highlands.  This is an area of rolling hills, tropical rainforests and winding rivers.  Ratnapura, known as the `city of gems’ is home to a tiny but long-established gem industry that still uses traditional methods of mining. Blue sapphires, rubies, cat’s eyes and other semi-precious stones are all mined by hand.  As you walk by Ratnapura, paddy fields scattered with basic mud huts covered with coconut leaf thatched roofs come into view.  Hard to imagine that these are gateways to deep gem pits. At the river beds you see villagers with concave baskets sifting through the soil in search of precious stones. A two-hour drive from Kitulgala will take you to Adam's Peak, a sacred mountain for people of many faiths. The climb to the summit is possible from December to April and is hugely recommended for the active walker. The hill country itinerary also includes Adam’s Peak. (More)

Buttala Foothills: Situated in the south east of Sri Lanka, Buttala is known for its savanna-like plains and is home to the best wildlife parks in the country. To the north the area is dominated by the green foothills of the central highlands and to the south the land is flat and dry, filled with dry zone forest, scrub jungle, paddy fields and sugar cane plantations. The area has much to offer for those interested in wildlife and heritage. (More)

North West Coast: The towns just north of Colombo including Negombo, Marawila, Chilaw, Kalpitiya, and Puttalam - famous for cinnamon, spices, fishing, and pearls, have attracted traders from the east and west for centuries.  Many including the Dutch and the Portuguese in more recent history settled in the area and their cultural, religious and architectural influences still remain.  The North West province has a varied and enchanting landscape - tranquil blue lagoons that meet the waters of the Indian Ocean, scattered little islands off the coast, inland wetlands, paddy fields and Coconut plantations. (More)

Galle Coast & South Coast: The coastal belt just beyond Galle and up to Hambantota is commonly referred to as the south coast – although as Galle’s renaissance encourages a select number of beautiful beachside villa properties on its nearby beaches, Red Dot prefers to describe this areas more accurately as the Galle Coast. More secluded and less-developed than the west coast, the entire coastline stretch south of Galle has cove-like beaches, turquoise seas, rural fishing villages, untouched wilderness and a mix of ethnic nationalities and cultures. The south coast offers an attractive mix of beaches, history, wildlife and adventure. (More)

For our most serious walking -- Trek Sri Lanka -- Red Dot has preferential rates with Eco Team, a premier wildlife and adventure company. Eco Team operates in over 24 locations across the island including wildlife sanctuaries, the highlands and the coast and north central province. Red Dot, in partnership with Eco Team, has developed challenging walking journeys for you to choose from. Other activities offered by Eco Team include camping, wild life safaris, canoeing, and rafting.

Eco Team - Click Here
Our partner’s website. Useful information on walking, trekking, and camping

'Sinharaja – encountering the Lion King's Forest',
by Buddhika Suneth Jayasooriya
Travel Sri Lanka, Vol. 5 No. 5, March 2008

'Kirigalpotta – taking the truncated mountain by strategy',
by Jehan Adamali
Travel Sri Lanka, vol 4 No. 10,

'Ella Trekking',
by Jehan Adamali
Travel Sri Lanka, vol. 3 No. 11