There’s a great way to explore the varied landscape of Sri Lanka, cycling and mountain biking tours around the country to places, sights and sounds you will not otherwise encounter.
Being relatively small, you can cover different grounds of interest even within a day. There are historical sites, lost cities and ancient ruins, stretches of palm fringed beaches to cruise alongside, rain soaked mountain paths with forest canopy overhead, or rocky mountain trails with amazing views far into the distance. Follow the winding roads beside tea covered hills, swish through a rubber plantation, or swaying green paddy fields leading to isolated village tracks where gleeful children will chase after your bike, where you can take a well-deserved break and sip some fresh, strong tea – local style. The terrain varies a great deal so whether you are a novice or an expert cyclist you have plenty of routes to pick from. Officially, there are four national cycling trails that cut across a range of geographical regions to give you an all-round experience of the island landscape and lifestyles. You can pick one or all of them, or chart your own course with the help of the many tour operators who will often take you exploring off the well ridden path.
