Cycle the Back Roads of Sri Lanka

This Sri Lankan cycling trip begins in Sigiriya. There are no planned activities today, so take time to relax in the hotel and rest those legs before our two-wheel adventure begins in earnest tomorrow. Around 6pm say ayubowan to your tour leader and fellow travellers at the hotel, where we gather as a group for the first time to get to know each other and learn more about the adventures ahead. Your tour leader then ensures a big Sri Lankan welcome by arranging a group dinner. Want to explore further? Secure pre-tour hotel nights through your sales representative.

Rise early to climb the fifth-century rock fortress of Sigiriya before the crowds arrive. The palace ruins on the summit and rockface frescoes are surpassed only by the magnificent aerial view over the jungle. Please note, this is not recommended for those who suffer from vertigo. Return to the hotel for a late breakfast and then ride along gravel roads following an old irrigation canal to Dambulla, a second-century BCE Buddhist cave temple. On the way, we stop by the Kandalama reservoir, which is rich in bird life. Arriving in Dambulla, it is well worth the walk to view the five caves, which contain many ancient Buddha statues, some carved from the solid rock. Returning via the busy market town, we take another quiet backroad through chilli and rice fields before cycling back to our hotel.

This morning, we have a long ride along a quiet backroad, which is part of the Sigiriya nature reserve where you often come across monitor lizards and monkeys, before joining the highway to Polonnaruwa and riding to our hotel. After around 15mi (24km), we take a 15-minute bus transfer to avoid a stretch where wild elephants roam, before getting back on the bike to complete our ride. The second stretch of the ride winds through small villages and lush rice paddy fields. We pass a couple of tranquil reservoirs and an irrigation canal running parallel to the road - look out for mongoose, kingfisher, storks and birds of prey amongst the rural scenery. Later, we tour the ruined city of Polonnaruwa, which dates from the 10th to 13th century. You have the option in the evening to join your tour leader at a family-owned restaurant to experience local food and culture.

We follow a 6mi (10km) long artificial dam and canal to the source of a local lake, the Amban Ganga River. The afternoon ride is flanked by the Kalanduwa hills on one side and Wasgomuwa Wildlife Park on the other. And as jungle gives way to plantations, we enter the spice-growing region of Sri Lanka. The ride starts at an elevation of 328ft (100m) and the destination is at an elevation of 820ft (250m). When we reach the main road, we dismount and board the bus for the journey as the road to Kandy can get very busy. On the way, we stop at a spice garden to learn more about the spices used in the piquant Sri Lankan curries. During today's ride, we also visit a special roadside tea shop near Polonnaruwa. After the stall fell into disrepair, our Sri Lankan tour leader Ruwan Balasuriya donated the prize money he won entering the Exodus Leaders' Hall of Fame to help the owner family renovate the stall, making it a welcome stop for all passers by.

Enjoy a free day to explore. Kandy has so much to offer, including the wonderful botanical gardens, the Temple of the Tooth, and streets lined with curio shops. The surrounding hills are dotted with wonderful temples. Walk around the lake in the heart of the city to see huge water monitor lizards, fruit bats, palm squirrels, and birds such as kingfishers, pelicans and night herons. Also don't miss the fruit and vegetable market for a chance to see busy Kandy in full swing.

For those who feel like a challenge, it’s 52mi (84km) – climbing up to 6,562ft (2,000m) above sea level – to reach this most favoured hill station. A short drive from the hotel will take us to the beginning of the ride, enabling us to bypass Kandy's busiest roads. For the first part of the ride, we take the old road, a far more pleasant route, and one of the few places where you see terraced paddy fields. Beyond is tea country, reputed to produce the finest teas on the island. We cycle through thousands of acres of tea crops, where you will spot the tea pickers moving swiftly between the bushes in their vibrant clothes. For anyone who doesn't do hills, we strongly recommend the train ride to Nuwara Eliya. Tickets for the train journey are dependent on availability, they can only be purchased on the day and unable to reserve in advance. If unavailable, we can use the bus instead.

Nuwara Eliya was a popular hill station during the British era and is situated in the cool highland air at 6,200ft (1,890m). Known locally as Little England, it is dotted with British-style houses and parks and even features a golf club and racecourse. After a leisurely breakfast, we take a short bus transfer into Nuwara Eliya town and then ride to a tea factory through little villages and patches of vegetables. As we twist and turn on the rolling, windy road, we get to see the town from different viewpoints. After understanding the journey from leaf to cup, we ride back to the hotel through lush green tea plantations. We then have a free afternoon to explore Nuwara Eliya.