Sri Lanka Walks by Terrain and Footwear

What is underfoot decides the day on a Sri Lankan walk, and the shoes you pack should follow the terrain more than the distance.

Stone and pavement

Flat walking in sandals is fine on these.

  • Galle Fort ramparts. The coral and granite walls run past Triton Bastion, Sun Bastion and Flag Rock and cost nothing. Go near sunset, and expect local divers at the Flag Rock.
  • Kandy Lake. The 3.2 km shaded loop around the lake is level and takes under an hour at an easy pace.
  • Colombo Fort and Pettah. Walk from the colonial banking quarter into Sea Street’s jewellery shops and the fruit stalls. Pettah is crowded, so carry little.
  • Anuradhapura. Paths between stupas are sandy and the stone is hot at midday, so go early and carry socks for the hot stone.

Rock and boulder

Shoes with grip matter more than water here.

  • Pidurangala. About LKR 1,000, open 05:00 to 18:00. The path winds past cave temples before a final scramble over boulders. Bring a head torch for a pre-dawn start.
  • Sigiriya. Around 1,200 steps, many on iron stairs. The US$35 foreign ticket is paid in rupees at the gate rate.
  • Mihintale. A wide granite stairway through frangipani, the grounds are free.

Railway track and forest

  • Ella Rock. The route starts on railway tracks out of Ella, crosses river bridges and climbs steeply through eucalyptus to a 1,041 m viewpoint. The Nanu Oya to Badulla line runs four trips a day, so keep off bridges and tunnels and listen for trains.
  • Nine Arches Bridge. A forest path from Ella town to the viaduct, free to visit. Reach Ella by road to Nanu Oya and then train, and check Sri Lanka Railways for services.

Tea country

The Pekoe Trail has 22 stages over about 300 km through working estates, with stone viaducts and pluckers on the slopes. Storm reroutes have been reported on some stages, so check pekoetrail.org before each one. To arrange baggage and local guides, see Pekoe Trail trips on GetYourGuide .

Horton Plains is open 06:00 to 18:00, with a 9.5 km loop to World’s End that you should finish before the mist at about 09:30.

Heat, rain and manners

Start before 07:00 and finish before the heat. The monsoons arrive on opposite coasts, so rain can make paths slick from May to September in the hills and from October to February in the north, east and Cultural Triangle; the UK travel advice notes flood and landslide risk.

Temple stops need covered shoulders and knees. Never pose with your back to a Buddha statue.

For more on the hills, see the family trip plans .

Verdict: pack grip shoes for Pidurangala and Ella Rock, and leave sandals for ramparts and lakesides.