What Are The 7 Best Colombo Excursions?

Here are the 7 best Colombo excursions

• White water rafting tour
• Kanneliya Rain Forest – the bio-diversity hotspot
• Whale watching tour
• Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage
• Tea country / Nuwara Eliya tour
• Sinharaja rain forest tour
• Sigiriya Polonnaruwa Kandy 3 days tour Sri Lanka

1. White water rafting tour

Kitulgala is famous for its primaeval rain forests and natural beauty. Kitulgala is a popular day outing place in Sri Lanka among the nature lovers as well as adventure enthusiasts. It is one of the best places for adventure holidays in Sri Lanka. Kitulgala 2 hours drive from Colombo was the place where the award-winning film Bridge on the River Kwai was filmed. White water rafting, kayaking, mountain climbing, mountain walking, mountain biking are some of the adventures can be performed in the area.

2. Kanneliya Rain Forest – the bio-diversity hotspot

One of the oldest forest cover on the island. Tours to Kanneliya Forest Reserve, of southern Sri Lanka allows you to walk around the reserve in the buffer zone. Forest reserve located in Galle district, more than 100 KM from the commercial centre of the island (Colombo). The travellers need to go to the interior of the country from the coastal city of Galle.

Even though the Kanneliya forest tour does not last long (4 hours) like Sinharaja rain forest tour, it’s richness in Bio-diversity compared to be similar to Sinharaja rain forest.

3. Day tour from Colombo to Whale and Dolphin watching in Sri Lanka

The Whale watching tour usually starts early morning from your hotel, either in Colombo or in a beach resort. First, you need to travel to Mirissa harbour, where your whale watching boat awaits you. The journey from Colombo yo Mirissa takes about 4hours.

Whale watching boat leaves the harbour between 06.30 to 07.00 AM, therefore the travellers are requested to present at the harbour before 07.00 AM. The whale watching boat trip is between 2-4 hours journey with a comfortable vessel, you come to the whaling protected area in the Indian Ocean. Apart from giant blue whales, one can see the dolphin as well as sperm whales.

Learn more about blue whale watching from Bentota and Colombo.

4. Colombo Excursions to explore Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage

First, of its kind in Asia, elephant orphanage is started in 1975 with five elephants today it is the home for the largest elephant herd in the world.  The elephant herd is comprised of more than 85 elephants including two orphans and few sick. Best time to visit the orphanage is the feeding time from 09.15 and from 13.15.

5. Tour to Hill country / Nuwara Eliya tour from Colombo

This two-day tour with an overnight stay in Nuwara Eliya covers the breathtaking mountains of Sri Lanka. One will come to the tea country in Sri Lanka here you find the endless tea plantation and green-capped mountains and cascading waterfalls. One can sip a fresh cup of best Ceylon tea in a tea factory. Small England which located 1800 m above the sea level is also in the itinerary. Kandy being the most famous city for Buddhist in the country contains many historical Buddhist monuments in and around the city.

The historical city of Nuwara Eliya has a close relationship with Ramayana, an epic story dates back to 7000 years, and many Ramayana monuments are to be found near the nearby places. Seetha temple and Ashok Vatika or Haggala botanical garden is the most important Ramayana reminiscence here.

6. Colombo Tour to Sigiriya, Dambulla

This excursion starts very early from Colombo, due to the fact that the journey from Colombo to Sigiriya and Dambulla lasts around 4 hours. the excursion lasts around 10 hours with transfers between Sigiriya and Colombo.

The tour mainly revolves around the cultural triangle of Sri Lanka and includes 2 major UNESCO world heritage sites namely Sigiriya and Dambulla golden temple.

7. Colombo Tour to Sinharaja rainforest

This is one of the most popular Colombo Excursions and a large number of foreign travellers choose this one day tour. Sinharaja rain forest, the natural world heritage in Sri Lanka is a place not to be missed by the people who love nature.

This primaeval forest harbours a large array of Fauna and Flora with high bio-diversity. The forest reserve harbours a large number of animal, vertebrate, bird, amphibian and fish species. This one-day excursion is offered you as an alternative to the Sinharaja adventure tour.  The track leads you through the picturesque natural vegetation, waterfalls, streams and mountains