Sri Lanka has an extremely rich culture with its modern history nearly as interesting as its ancient roots. We don’t just stay around the bottom of the island, we go through the centre to the north and see the phenomenal coastline on the top half of the island before heading down the east coast to ensure you have the full Ceylon experience.
Heading clockwise, we take the west coast road and visit a maritime sanctuary, discovering the heritage of previous colonisers before heading inland through a national park to visit the world’s oldest tree in Sri Lanka’s original capital city – Anuradhapura, which dates from the 3rd century. We then head up the spine of Sri Lanka to Jaffna which dates to 500BC and enjoy a free day to explore the many historical sites and relax overlooking the Indian Ocean.
We then make our way down the east coast to what has been described as the finest harbour in the world, to a beach that you can walk kilometres out to sea at low tide and to the UNESCO listed World Heritage Site – the ancient rock fortress called Lion Rock. We round out the adventure with 4 days riding over roads that snake their way through the glorious forest mountains of Kandy and down to the southernmost tip and back to Colombo. The full Ceylon circuit.
As we take you to the airport, your thoughts will be consumed with the events of the past 12 days and you’ll be wishing you were back exploring on a motorcycle soon!
| DEPARTURE/RETURN LOCATION |
Bandaranaike International Airport, Sri Lanka |
| ADVENTURE DATES |
We don’t have fixed dates for this adventure but it is available for private groups upon request. Please contact us if you have a group that would be interested in exploring this amazingly surreal part of the world. |
| PRIVATE ADVENTURES | This tour is also available as a private adventure for solo adventurers, a couple, a club or even just a group of mates. This can be any combination of riders, pillions, sidecar passengers or even family in one of our expedition support vehicles. The tour can be shortened or lengthened to suit your desires. Please contact us to discuss your needs.
The best months are October, November, December, January, February & March. |
| PRICES | Rider: US$4,890 per person (if 10 or more people) | US$5,190 (6-9 people) Pillion: US$3,090 per person (37% cheaper!) |
| WHAT’S INCLUDED | Transfers to/from Airport and Hotel All internal transfers and other travel for the duration of the adventure A low kilometre, fastidiously maintained Royal Enfield Motorcycle GPS Connection All Fuel Quality Accommodation on a twin share basis (Comfort hotels/guest houses/Camps/tents) Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner for the entire tour English speaking guides Medical kit available and Oxygen on high altitude adventures Mechanics with all necessary spare parts Support vehicles to carry all luggage (if riders are injured or feeling unwell they can take a break and jump into our backup vehicle to relax!) Bottled mineral water throughout the adventure Tea/Chai & snacks en-route Permits for restricted areas Travel Insurance (compulsory) All entrance fees en-route |
| NOT INCLUDED | International flights VISA (details sent with rider pack) Personal Expenses Tipping Alcoholic Drinks |
NOTE: The prices above are based on a twin share basis. If you’d like your own room, then there is a US$650 supplement.
Payment terms: A US$500 deposit must be made at the time of booking. Balance payment must be paid 8 weeks before the tour start date. Payment plans are available upon request.
Terms & Conditions What To Bring Price GuaranteeAdditional information
| Rider or Pillion | Rider, Pillion |
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Set in the Indian Ocean in South Asia, the tropical island nation of Sri Lanka (once known as Serendib, Taprobane, the Pearl of the Indian Ocean, and Ceylon ) has a history dating back to the birth of time. It is a place where the original soul of Buddhism still flourishes and where nature’s beauty remains abundant and unspoilt.
Few places in the world can offer the traveller such a remarkable combination of stunning landscapes, pristine beaches, captivating cultural heritage and unique experiences within such a compact location. Within a mere 65,610km2 lie 8 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, 1,330 kilometres of coastline – much of it pristine beach – 15 national parks showcasing an abundance of wildlife, nearly 500,000 acres of lush tea estates, 250 acres of botanical gardens, 350 waterfalls, 25,000 water bodies, to a culture that extends back to over 2,500 years. We at Himalayan Heroes will endeavour to pack as much of that beauty into your adventure, with us.
“Sri Lanka, like a teardrop hovering over the equator, a locket hanging from India’s neck. Its belly full of rugged mountains, villages with names like mouthfuls of mango, all linked by asphalt snakes. We rode down from the Horton Plains, freewheeling down cinnamon coloured paths past endless rice fields, nothing on mind other than the scenery that I was now a part of.”
You’ve been on the plane for a while now, so you’ll be greeted by a Himalayan Hero representative and transferred to your seaside hotel. Go for a swim or relax on the beach with a few drinks before we have the welcome dinner.
After breakfast, we jump on a private coach and head to the capital – Columbo. We have lunch in a traditional restaurant before heading back to our hotel where our bikes will be waiting to greet us. We take them out for a short ride to get acquainted with the machines and to get a feel for Sri Lankan road conditions.
Your adventure begins on a series of small oceanfront roads with a few trail sections thrown in for good measure. We ride head-on into the tropical scenery with coconut plantations at every turn. We then head to the ancient city of Anuradhapura (Sri Lanka’s original capital city) for the night. We’ll visit the oldest tree in the world as well as many of the dagobas that were built in the 3rd century BC.
We head through the middle of Sri Lanka towards the Tamil heartland of Jaffna in the north. This is an easy cruise so we have the option of visiting Wilpattu National Park which is also known as the “Land of Lakes”. It is world-renown for its leopard population.
Once in Jaffna, we’ll have a few hours to explore the rich history from modern times all the way back to 500BC. There are many sights to see including the Fort, Elephant Pass, Bottomless Well, Casuarina Beach, the Markets and Nallur Kovil before we finish the day in the #1 ranked hotel in the city.
Our longest day on the bikes sees us start earlier than usual and head south and east to one of the oldest cities in Asia, the coastal city of Trincomalee. It has been described as the “finest harbour in the world”. Popular tourist destinations include its beaches at Uppuveli, Salli and Nilaveli, used for temple visits, surfing, scuba diving, fishing and whale watching, and the Kanniya Hot Springs.
We ride inland to the centre of Sri Lanka where the most visited historic site in Sri Lanka awaits us. The ancient rock fortress called Lion Rock is a UNESCO listed World Heritage Site. It is a remarkable feat of engineering and a fascinating example of artistic craftsmanship.
We ride through tea plantations and take the zig-zagging roads through the mountains to Kandy; Sri Lanka’s second-largest city. After lunch, we continue to Nuwara Eliya where you’ll be able to capture some fantastic photos of the village and the surrounding landscape.
We head towards the southern province of Sri Lanka where we’ll visit Kataragama which is a pilgrimage town sacred to Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim and the indigenous Vedda people. In the evening, we have the opportunity to visit Yala National Park which has an impressive array of wildlife, with over 215 bird species, 44 species of mammals and the highest density of Leopards anywhere in the world
An easy day of riding as we take the coast road through small towns and villages before arriving at our hotel for lunch. You’ll have the rest of the afternoon to explore the town and how the locals live or just chill out on the beach.
En-route to Negombo, we visit Galle, the south coast’s major city, whose oldest landmark is the massive 16th century Portuguese and Dutch fort in which the central city is contained. There will be a bit of traffic as we head into our hotel in Negombo for our celebration farewell dinner.
A free day for last-minute shopping and packing until being transferred to the airport for your departure back to the real world. As you fly high above the land you have just explored, your thoughts will be focused on when you can come back on your next Himalayan Heroes adventure.
INSURANCE IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
(INDIA, NEPAL, BHUTAN, TIBET, MONGOLIA, MYANMAR and SRI LANKA)
In the countries we conduct adventures, commercial insurance on motor vehicles is either not available, or is of questionable value. 3rd party insurance will usually not cover foreigners and even if it does, it is generally worthless if one needs to make a claim. In the event of an accident in these countries, the situation is usually settled on the spot without the “assistance” of insurance companies. If insurance companies are involved, it can take days, weeks and even months before there is a resolution.
Damage Cap Option “DCO”
Himalayan Heroes offers its riders the option of capping the cost of your damage bill on the motorcycle you are riding. The cost of this damage cap option “DCO” is US$195, paid as a lump sum before the tour starts. In the event you damage the motorcycle, the DCO will cap your damage bill at US$200.
3 Scenarios
- If, like most of our riders, you do not damage the motorcycle then the total cost to you is only the cost of the DCO = US$195.
- If, like some of our riders, you put the bike down at slow speed and damage mirrors, levers, foot pegs etc and the damage bill is say, US$120 then you pay the US$120. The total cost to you is US$315 (US$195 DCO + US$120 damage bill)
- If you have a big off and damage the tank, forks etc and the damage bill is say US$750 then your damage bill is capped at US$200. The total cost to you is US$395 (US$195 DCO + US$200 damage bill).
The DCO is optional, so if you would like to carry the risk yourself, you are welcome to. At the completion of the tour, you will be presented with an itemised bill of the damage to the bike. Approximately 50% of our riders do not damage the bikes and of the 50% that do receive a damage bill, the majority of the bills are less than $300. Please send us an email if you’ve got any questions about the DCO.
The DCO is not an insurance policy and therefore any costs related to it cannot be claimed on a travel insurance claim.
