Sigiriya Hostel
Hostel
Days 1, 2
Sri Lanka & Maldives — light - 9 Days (Colombo, Sigiriya, Kandy, Ella & Mirissa)
Nine days: rock fortress, hill train, whales and an atoll. The same route in guesthouses throughout, using public ferries in the Maldives rather than speedboats.
Slow Compass
Runs this trip
Group trips
Nine days: rock fortress, hill train, whales and an atoll
Group Tour
Join a fixed-date departure with other travellers
Top Highlights
Sigiriya rockNine days in Sri Lanka and the Maldives — a hill country and a coral atoll, ninety minutes apart by air. SigiriyaA fifth-century palace on top of a two-hundred-metre magma plug, with frescoes halfway up and a mirror wall of ancient graffiti. Temple of the ToothThe Temple of the Tooth holds a relic that has legitimised Sri Lankan rulers for centuries, and it is still guarded accordingly. Nine Arch BridgeWidely called one of the great train journeys in the world, and reserved seats need booking a month ahead in season. Little Adam's PeakThe descent from 1,041 m to sea level takes about four hours and the climate changes completely. Continental shelfThe shelf comes close to shore at Mirissa, which is why blue whales are seen within a couple of hours of the harbour. Turtle reefLocal-island guesthouses cost a fraction of the resorts and swim the same reefs. South Male atollBikini beaches on local islands are fenced sections; elsewhere on Maafushi the dress code applies.
Itinerary
Nine days in Sri Lanka and the Maldives — a hill country and a coral atoll, ninety minutes apart by air.
Colombo, SigiriyaHow the day runs
- 4 hrsNorth-east to the rock
- MealsDinner
- AccommodationSigiriya Hostel
Included Activities
- Airport transfer
- Hotel night at Sigiriya
LANDMARKS Sigiriya rock Cultural triangle Start point Colombo, Bandaranaike International Airport (CMB), Colombo 00:00 - 23:59A fifth-century palace on top of a two-hundred-metre magma plug, with frescoes halfway up and a mirror wall of ancient graffiti.
SigiriyaHow the day runs
- 3 hrs6:30 AM — up the rock before the heat
- 1 hrs1:00 PM — the Dambulla cave temples
- MealsBreakfast
- AccommodationSigiriya Hostel
Included Activities
- Both entries
- Guide
- Hotel night
LANDMARKS Sigiriya Mirror Wall Frescoes Dambulla caves The Temple of the Tooth holds a relic that has legitimised Sri Lankan rulers for centuries, and it is still guarded accordingly.
Sigiriya, KandyHow the day runs
- 3 hrs9:00 AM — south into the hills
- 2:00 PM — the Temple of the Tooth and the lake
- MealsBreakfast
- AccommodationKandy Hostel
Included Activities
- Temple entry
- Hotel night at Kandy
LANDMARKS Temple of the Tooth Kandy lake Royal Botanic Gardens Widely called one of the great train journeys in the world, and reserved seats need booking a month ahead in season.
Kandy, EllaHow the day runs
- 7 hrs8:30 AM — the blue train, second class, windows open
- MealsBreakfast
- AccommodationElla Hostel
Included Activities
- Reserved rail seats
- Guesthouse night at Ella
LANDMARKS Nine Arch Bridge Tea estates Ella Rock The descent from 1,041 m to sea level takes about four hours and the climate changes completely.
Ella, MirissaHow the day runs
- 2 hrs6:30 AM — up Little Adam's Peak for the sunrise
- 4 hrs10:00 AM — down out of the hills to the sea
- MealsBreakfast
- AccommodationMirissa Hostel
Included Activities
- Transport
- Beach guesthouse night
LANDMARKS Little Adam's Peak Nine Arch Bridge Mirissa The shelf comes close to shore at Mirissa, which is why blue whales are seen within a couple of hours of the harbour.
Mirissa, Male, MaafushiHow the day runs
- 5 hrs6:00 AM — out to the shelf edge for blue whales
- 2 hrs4:00 PM — the short hop to the Maldives
- MealsBreakfast
- AccommodationMaafushi Hostel
Included Activities
- Whale watching boat
- Flight to Male
- Guesthouse night on Maafushi
LANDMARKS Continental shelf Blue whales Male Local-island guesthouses cost a fraction of the resorts and swim the same reefs.
MaafushiHow the day runs
- 5 hrs8:30 AM — turtle reef, a wreck and the sandbank
- MealsBreakfast, Lunch
- AccommodationMaafushi Hostel
Included Activities
- Full-day boat with snorkel gear and lunch
- Guesthouse night
LANDMARKS Turtle reef Sandbank Maafushi Bikini beaches on local islands are fenced sections; elsewhere on Maafushi the dress code applies.
MaafushiHow the day runs
- 5 hrs8:00 AM — out to whichever atoll the guides pick
- MealsBreakfast, Lunch
- AccommodationMaafushi Hostel
Included Activities
- Boat day with gear
- Guesthouse night
Optional Activities
- A discover-scuba session
LANDMARKS South Male atoll Reef Leave four hours between the boat and your flight — the crossings are weather-dependent.
Maafushi, MaleHow the day runs
- 2 hrs9:00 AM — the speedboat to the airport
- MealsBreakfast
- AccommodationNot included — onward travel
Included Activities
- Speedboat transfer
- Airport drop
- Day 1Airport transfer
- Day 1Hotel night at Sigiriya
- Day 2Both entries
- Day 2Guide
- Day 2Hotel night
- Day 3Temple entry
- Day 3Hotel night at Kandy
- Day 4Reserved rail seats
- Day 4Guesthouse night at Ella
- Day 5Transport
- Day 5Beach guesthouse night
- Day 6Whale watching boat
- Day 6Flight to Male
- Day 6Guesthouse night on Maafushi
- Day 7Full-day boat with snorkel gear and lunch
- Day 7Guesthouse night
- Day 8Boat day with gear
- Day 8A discover-scuba sessionCosts extra
- Day 9Speedboat transfer
- Day 9Airport drop
- Day 1 · 2 nightsSigiriya Hostel
- Day 3 · 1 nightKandy Hostel
- Day 4 · 1 nightElla Hostel
- Day 5 · 1 nightMirissa Hostel
- Day 6 · 3 nightsMaafushi Hostel
- Day 1Colombo to SigiriyaNorth-east to the rock
- Day 2Sigiriya to Sigiriya1:00 PM — the Dambulla cave temples
- Day 3Sigiriya to Kandy9:00 AM — south into the hills
- Day 4Kandy to Ella8:30 AM — the blue train, second class, windows open
- Day 5Ella to Mirissa10:00 AM — down out of the hills to the sea
- Day 6Colombo to Male4:00 PM — the short hop to the Maldives
Where you'll stay
All accommodations are subject to change
Kandy Hostel
Hostel
Day 3
Ella Hostel
Hostel
Day 4
Mirissa Hostel
Hostel
Day 5
Maafushi Hostel
Hostel
Days 6–8
What you'll eat
8 breakfasts, 2 lunches and 1 dinner across 9 days, at camp. It opens with dinner on day 1 and closes with breakfast on day 9.
- DinnerServed on day 1
- BreakfastServed on days 2–9
- LunchServed on days 7–8
11 meal services named in the itinerary. Vegetarian and vegan covered everywhere; Jain and gluten-free on notice at booking
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Customer reviews
Overall rating
4.9/5
Based on 13 reviews
Review summary
Food4.8/5
Guide4.6/5
Itinerary4.5/5
Transport4.7/5
Accommodation4.6/5
Tour operator4.5/5
Sort by:Recommended
5
H
Hannah Lindqvist – Lisbon2026-03-04 · Verified booking
Sri Lanka and South Male atoll done well. The itinerary had room to breathe. Dorms were tidy and the common areas were where the group actually gelled. Simple food, well made, and enough of it.
Reply from Slow Compass
Thank you for travelling with us — glad the route worked out.
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5
C
Carla Mendes – Toronto2026-03-04 · Verified booking
Good mix of the obvious things and a few places we'd never have found. The lead was calm and knew when to slow the group down. Would send friends their way.
Reply from Slow Compass
Glad you enjoyed it. Hope to see you on another trip.
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5
D
Dev Chatterjee – Mumbai2026-03-04 · Verified booking
Sri Lanka and South Male atoll done well. The itinerary had room to breathe. Hostel nights are basic but clean, and that's what the price says. Meals were good throughout and the vegetarian options weren't an afterthought. Would send friends their way.
Reply from Slow Compass
Thank you for travelling with us — glad the route worked out.
Was this helpful?
5
T
Tom Bergman – Lisbon2026-03-04 · Verified booking
Everything was arranged properly — transfers, entries, all of it. Hostel nights are basic but clean, and that's what the price says. Whoever planned the days knew what they were doing. Worth every rupee.
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5
N
Nikhil Joshi – Chandigarh2026-03-04 · Verified booking
Sri Lanka and South Male atoll done well. The itinerary had room to breathe. Dorms were tidy and the common areas were where the group actually gelled.
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5
S
Sneha Kulkarni – Nagpur2025-09-03 · Verified booking
Good mix of the obvious things and a few places we'd never have found. Dorms were tidy and the common areas were where the group actually gelled. The cooking was a genuine surprise — better than most places we'd have picked ourselves.
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5
N
Nikhil Joshi – Bengaluru2025-09-03 · Verified booking
Well paced over 9 days with enough free time to not feel herded. Dorms were tidy and the common areas were where the group actually gelled. Worth every rupee.
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5
R
Rahul Menon – Mumbai2025-09-03 · Verified booking
Sri Lanka and South Male atoll done well. The itinerary had room to breathe. Dorms were tidy and the common areas were where the group actually gelled. No hesitation recommending them.
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Questions people ask
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