Sri Lanka Tip to Tip by Road Bike

We ride a total of 761 km over 9 cycling days. After a warm-up ride out of Negombo and a transfer to Jaffna, the tour is then divided into stages based on Sri Lanka’s north-to-south geography. Stage 1 (days 3 & 4) is centered on the flat, northern plains of the Jaffna Peninsula and Mannar Island. Stage 2 (days 5 - 7) takes us through the agrarian heartland and so-called “Cultural Triangle” of Sri Lanka, with mostly flat and gently rolling terrain. After a rest day in Kandy (day 8), Stage 3 (days 9-10) involves the biggest ascents and descents of the tour as we climb over the Central Highlands. Stage 4 (day 11) takes us through the lush, southern lowlands. Some days we cycle hotel-to-hotel, while on others, we include a transfer at the start or end allowing us to avoid busy main roads, keep the distances manageable, and focus on the most enjoyable routes.

While cycling is the main focus of the tour, we also visit some of Sri Lanka’s most iconic cultural sites, including the Dambulla Caves, Sigiriya Lion Rock, and the Ancient City of Anuradhapura. These are all UNESCO World Heritage Sites and at each of these locations, a local guide will provide insight into their fascinating history. For many riders, the most memorable moments on tour are encounters with Sri Lanka’s incredibly welcoming locals, always eager to wave hello and cheer us on.

We enjoy all but one breakfast and most dinners at the hotels, with a mix of Sri Lankan and Western options. Most lunches are at local restaurants for a chance to sample more rustic, local cuisine and we have one picnic style lunch prepared by our team en route on Day 4.

The trip is fully supported, and your guide’s expert knowledge of the area and terrain means that you always know what is coming up in terms of distance and difficulty. This makes a tremendous difference, as does the constant supply of water and refreshments along the way.

Suitability: This tour is best suited for experienced road cyclists who enjoy long distances and a modest amount of climbing. The average daily distance is 85 km, with three days that go beyond 100 km. The first six riding days feature flat and rolling terrain (with the exception of a 7 km / 8% climb at the end of day 7), while days 9 and 10 involve elevation gains of over 1,000 metres with gradients in the 3-5% range. The second half of day 10 and all of day 11 are again relatively flat and gently undulating, offering a balanced progression of difficulty over the whole 9 days of cycling, perfect for riders who want a challenge without continuous tough climbs. The main challenge of the tour is keeping up stamina over back-to-back riding days and cycling in the tropical heat. Less experienced riders are welcome but should prepare themselves in advance to manage the long distances at a reasonable pace. Good handling skills are required to navigate occasional rough patches, busy city streets, and dodging herds of cows! A support vehicle is available at all times to provide refuge for weary riders.

Biking Conditions: This trip is on paved roads which are mostly in good condition, though broken asphalt, road debris, and potholes do present themselves. The route is on a mix of quiet, countryside roads and provincial main roads. Sri Lanka is an economically fast-moving country and riding on paved surfaces means regularly sharing the road with trucks, buses, cars, and motorbikes. We have chosen the least busy roads possible but please be aware that traffic can be unpredictable and, especially near the cities and towns, unavoidable. Rain is common in Sri Lanka throughout the year. We generally ride rain or shine, but depending on the guide’s discretion or your comfort level, modifications to the planned route can be made. It’s all part of the adventure!

Hotels: Accommodations on this tour are predominantly character-filled, well-regarded hotels at the 3 to 4 star level. Expect clean, spacious rooms with air-conditioning, professional service from English-speaking staff, and swimming pools (available at most locations, with the exception of our stay in Jaffna on Days 2 & 3). Our chosen hotels also feature hygienic restaurants offering a mix of Sri Lankan and Western options. Please be aware that some older properties, while charming, may show signs of wear and tear, and the service pace in Sri Lanka can generally be more relaxed than you might be accustomed to. For larger groups, we may need to use more than one accommodation and, in case of limited availability, switch to an alternative property from the one listed in the itinerary.

Bikes

Because some people can't imagine going on a trip without their beloved bicycle, we do not provide them as part of this tour. However, you can hire bikes locally for the price listed in the tour pricing section. If you bring your bike, please ensure it is a road bike in good mechanical order.

We also have E-Bikes available for hire, but they are limited in numbers and sizing - please send an email to us to check on availability.

Bike Repairs

Basic spares and tools are carried by the guide and on the support vehicle, though we cannot guarantee having spares for every conceivable problem. Carrying a basic tool kit, a spare tube and a pump while riding is recommended.

Safety

Wearing a helmet is required on all our biking adventures and is non negotiable. If you do not wear a helmet you will not be allowed to cycle. Your tour leader is trained in first aid and emergency rescue, but to a large degree you must be responsible for your own safety while riding. It is therefore compulsory that you take out travel insurance that will cover you for a mountain biking tour.

Guides

You will be led by a local English-speaking guide and if the group is 9 people or more we will add another guide to the tour. All our guides are well informed in the history, culture and religions of the area where you are biking and are skilled at passing that knowledge on to you. Your guide is also medically trained and an experienced cyclist, able to handle most minor repairs en route.

If this is the tour for you here's what you need to do to confirm your place:

FLEXIBLE BOOKING CONDITIONS

CONFIRMING YOUR BOOKING

Just complete our online booking form or send your booking details offline (email or post), and we will confirm your participation. No deposit is needed to confirm your place on a SpiceRoads tour.

You are advised to read our Booking Conditions in full before you make your payment and should you require further clarifications of any of the conditions below, please email us or call our office.

TRIP STATUS

There is a minimum number of participants (usually 2) required to enable the trip to go ahead. Once the minimum number is reached, the trip status will change from 'Available' to 'Guaranteed to Depart'. Once a trip is guaranteed to depart you are free to book your flights and make other travel arrangements. If the trip status is ‘Limited’ will mean we have only a small number of spaces available for booking. If you are unsure about the trip status, please email us or call our office.

BOOKING ONLINE

From the tour page, click the 'Book Now' link. All departures for this tour will appear, just select the date you'd like to travel. For the next steps, you'll need to know the names of the people travelling. If you wish you can also provide extra details such as passport numbers, height (for bike hire), or you can add that later by logging into Manage My Trip (we'll set up an account for you automatically if you don't already have one). Our system will contact you from time to time to fill in the missing information, as it will be required before departure. However, if the trip that you are booking offers a child discount, you will have to fill out the date of birth of each rider (so we can calculate the appropriate discount).

If you are having any problems please send us an email, or give us a call (+66 026 3295) and one of our travel specialists will assist you with your booking.

BOOKING OFFLINE

Just call us or send an email indicating which trip you want to join and we will happily send you a list of questions and process your booking for you.

DEPOSITS AND PAYMENTS

We do not require a deposit or full payment to book a place for you on a tour.

The balance of the tour’s cost (final invoice) will need to be paid 60 days before the departure date with fees for any bicycle rental(s), single supplement(s) and extra hotel nights.

In the case where a booking is made when there are less than 60 days until the tour departure date, the tour’s cost should be paid in full within 72 hours of receiving an invoice from SpiceRoads. Payment can be made by credit card using our online payment gateway or by bank transfer. When making payment online you will need to confirm that you have read these booking conditions during the "checkout" process, which equates to agreeing to the terms of services and stipulations as indicated in this document.

In all cases, tour fees need to be paid “in full” before participation in a tour. No person(s) will be allowed to join a tour without fully settling their invoice and receiving a confirmation number from SpiceRoads.

The exception can be made for last-minute miscellaneous fees that can be paid locally (visas, additional local hotel bookings, etc.) can be settled on the day of arrival.

FULL FLEXIBILITY FOR TOUR CANCELATIONS

If the tour is cancelled or postponed by SpiceRoads because we didn't make the trip numbers and the tour can’t run, we will make a full cash refund (by bank transfer or on your credit card).

If the tour is cancelled for any other reason, including due to Covid related travel restrictions, we will give you a full credit (with no deductions for admin or any other small-print item) to use on any SpiceRoads tour with no time limit. (Exceptions being flights, special permits and other non-refundable items and these will be advised when booking the trip).

Before paying for your tour, you can cancel your booking with no charge and up until 40 days before departure, you can change your booking to another travel date or move your booking onto another SpiceRoads tour with no charges.

If you need to cancel after you have made full payment, please see our cancellation policy.

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The information in this document is given in good faith, and covers the average range of conditions likely to be found on this trip. Please note that the itinerary is subject to change due to unforeseen circumstances, however, we will always do our best to adhere to this original itinerary