Welcome to your next great adventure!
They don’t call it the Spice Island for nothing!
Sri Lankan cuisine is outstanding, and this 12-day adventure is a flavour-packed journey through the island’s diverse culture.
We’ll experience everything from cooking with locals in Kandy to feasting on a Tamil family lunch and learning recipes from a fisherman’s family in Mirissa!
Feast on aromatic coconut curries, fresh seafood, sweet treats, roti, hoppers, dosa, idli, and more—it’s a non-stop food adventure through this lush island!
This culinary journey includes Sri Lanka’s iconic sights—from the ancient heights of Lion Rock and the Dambulla Cave Temples to the sacred Temple of the Tooth in Kandy, the wild beauty of Yala National Park, and the colonial charm of Galle Fort.
Are you ready to eat and explore with us?!
Your adventure’s itinerary
Put on your walking shoes and prepare your taste buds, you’re about to embark on a trip of a lifetime! Click each day below to see details of what you’ll get the chance to experience, to learn where you’ll be staying, and what delicious adventures you’ll encounter.
Wednesday, 18th of February 2026
Meals Included: Dinner
Welcome to Sri Lanka! Living up to its nickname of the ‘Pearl of the Indian Ocean’, this country delights with its palm-studded beaches, rolling plantations, and ancient sites.
It’s also a food lover’s paradise – with Indian, Portuguese, Malay, English, Arab and Dutch, food in Sri Lanka is like nowhere else on earth.
Your adventure begins in the seaside city of Negombo, where you’ll meet Rach and our local leader at our 6pm welcome meeting. After the meeting, enjoy a welcome dinner of traditional Sri Lankan cuisine – prepare for rich scents, bold spices and deliciously unique flavours.
Included Activities:
• Negombo – Welcome Dinner
Accommodation: Ruvisha Beach Hotel, Negombo or similar
Special information
It’s very important that you attend the welcome meeting, as we will be collecting insurance details and next of kin information at this time. If you are going to be late please let your travel agent or hotel reception know. Ask reception or look for a note in the lobby for more information on where the meeting will take place.
Thursday, 19th of February 2026
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
Wake early this morning to catch the action at the Negombo fish market. Situated at the northern end of a lagoon, the market is renowned for lobsters, crabs and prawns. Weave through stalls piled high with seafood as the sellers call out their wares, and get a great insight into local commerce.
Continue on to a coconut plantation to discover why this super food is so central to life in Sri Lanka. Learn how all parts of the tree play an important role in daily life, sip the water of a king coconut, watch ‘toddy tappers’ extract the palm wine from the coconut sap and taste the results. Enjoy a Sri Lankan rice and curry lunch before heading inland to Dambulla, home to ornately decorated cave temples and surrounded by natural wonders and historic sites. Your evening is free to explore. You may like to join your leader on an optional street food crawl for an introduction to some staple Sri Lankan ‘short eats’ (snack food), including famous hoppers (bowl-shaped savoury pancakes).
Included Activities:
Accommodation: Gimanhala Dambulla or similar
Special information:
Today’s total travel time is approximately 3 hours.
Friday, 20th of February 2026
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
After breakfast, make the short drive to Sigiriya. Here you’ll have the opportunity to climb to the top of Lion Rock and visit its ancient fortress complex (approximately 2.5 hours round-trip on foot, including stairs). The 200 metre high ancient remains of a defensive capital built by a fearful king, Lion Rock houses fifth-century frescos, terraced gardens and splashing fountains. Next, observe age-old traditions at a nearby chena cultivation area, one of the oldest forms of agriculture known to humans.
It’s particularly popular in the dry zone of the country where it rains for only a few months of the year, and principal crops are tropical vegetables, cereals, grains, yams and corn. Then, feast on tropical vegetables, curry made with tapioca, and fried fish caught in the nearby lake for lunch. In the late afternoon, return to Dambulla to explore the wholesale market.
Boasting an incredible array of fresh food, much of which is transported to Colombo for sale, this is the perfect place to get a sense of Sri Lanka’s agricultural diversity.
The rest of the evening is free for your own food adventures. Use the free evening to poke around the town or sit back with a drink. There are plenty of restaurants surrounding the markets, and your leader will have tips on where to find the best roti in town.
Included Activities:
Accommodation: Gimanhala Dambulla or similar
Special information:
Scaling Lion Rock involves walking up lots of rough, narrow steps and tight walkways. Good walking shoes and a reasonable level of fitness are recommended for this activity. If you prefer not to participate, you will be able to enjoy the gardens and museum at the base of Lion Rock.
Saturday, 21st of February 2026
Meals Included: Breakfast / Lunch
Located high on a cliff face are the impressive Dambulla Cave Temples. You’ll have time to explore these this morning and admire the many Buddha images, frescoes and paintings. On the way to the physical and spiritual heart of the country and the former home of the last Sri Lankan king, stop for lunch at a spice garden in the renowned spice-growing region of Matale.
Sri Lankans are the masters of spice and here you can learn how spices aren’t just used in food, but also cosmetics and ayurvedic medicine. Smell the fragrant cumin, cinnamon and curry leaves before tasting pumpkin curry flavoured with aromatic fenugreek, with a side of dry chilli sambol and the uniquely Sri Lankan coconut roti.
Continue on to Kandy and arrive by late afternoon. A pleasant city surrounded by lush green countryside, Kandy is home to a picturesque lake, old shops, a bustling market and some great restaurants. This evening, observe locals worshipping in Kandy’s Dalada Maligawa (Temple of the Tooth), one of Sri Lanka’s most sacred shrines that houses a tooth relic of the Lord Buddha. With your free evening, perhaps follow the sound of rhythmic chopping to watch a chef transform a ball of dough into a huge sheet of wafer-thin roti, skillfully slice, griddle, mix with vegetables and spices and create kottu roti.
Included Activities:
Accommodation: Senani Hotel or similar
Special information:
Today’s total travel time is approximately 2 hours. There are many steps to reach the caves and a dress code which requires you to remove your shoes and cover up your shoulders and legs.
Sunday, 22nd of February 2026
Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner
Kick off the day with a guided walk around Kandy’s busy city centre, including a tour of the Central Market and samples of local fresh fruits. You will visit a tea factory on the way. The rest of the day is free for you to explore. Kandy is home to a National Museum and several monasteries, and there are many scenic walks around town.
The botanical gardens here are among the best in Asia. In the early evening, join a Sinhalese family to get your sugar fix with a Kandyan sweet-filled Sri Lankan dinner and cooking class. Try your hand at crafting string hoppers, pressing a smooth rice dough into noodle-thin strands to form perfect discs (this is an art that takes some practice to master!), try a chicken curry made with spice-infused coconut milk, closer to a Thai curry than a North Indian one.
Then fill up on specialty sweets inspired by Dutch and Portuguese dessert traditions.
Included Activities:
Accommodation: Senani Hotel or similar
Monday, 23rd of February 2026
Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner
Have your camera at the ready and take a scenic journey into the highlands to Bandarawela. Journey past waterfalls, villages and up through the mountains on the way to this town in the cool highlands, once popular with British plantation managers. Look down over a sweeping vista filled with bright green tea bushes and vegetable gardens. Tonight, take a look behind closed doors and experience a slice of local life when you’re invited into a local home for a cooking demonstration followed by a traditional dinner.
Included Activities:
• Bandarawela – Cooking demonstration & local meal
Accommodation: Orient Hotel or similar
Special information:
Today’s total travel time is approximately 7 hours. Train tickets are in very high demand. We always try our best to secure tickets, but on the rare occasion that we cannot book them, you will continue your journey by private vehicle.
Tuesday, 24th of February 2026
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
Rise early and head to the verdant surrounds of the region’s tea plantations. Take a hike through the tea fields, learning about the country’s most important export and meet local tea pickers who will show you their craft and let you have a go at picking and weighing tea.
Afterwards, travel out to the town of Haputale for a home-cooked lunch with a Tamil family. Tear into traditional Tamil cuisine with dosa (a crispy rice pancake) and idli (a savoury steamedrice cake served with curry sauces or chutneys). Return to Bandarawela in the late afternoon and soak up the rural charm of the town and the beautiful surrounding landscapes.
Included Activities:
Accommodation: Orient Hotel or similar
Special information:
Today’s total travel time is approximately 2 hours. Today’s hike is 4-5kms/2.5-3mi long, taking approximately 2.5 hours. It starts with an uphill climb and finishes going downhill. Comfortable shoes and clothing are recommended. If you’d prefer not to join the hike, you will be transported to our lunch spot where the group will re-join you after the hike.
Wednesday, 25th of February 2026
Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner
Drive out to the wilderness of Yala National Park (or Udawalawe National Park in the off season). Encompassing a variety of diverse ecosystems, the park has an impressive array of wildlife, including sloth bears and lots of birds. In the evening take a safari tour and get the binoculars out to search for the elusive leopards that lounge in trees or stalk through the brush, crocodiles that patrol the river or wild elephants that graze across the grasslands.
Please note that during times of inclement weather, such as heavy rainfall, it may not be possible to visit the national parks and an alternative activity will be arranged.
Included Activities:
• Udawalawe National Park – Wildlife safari
Accommodation: Ekho Safari Tissa or similar
Special information:
Today’s total travel time is approximately 2 hours.
Thursday, 26th of February 2026
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
Start the day by discovering one of Sri Lanka’s favourite ingredients. Try buffalo curd, served in bright terracotta pots with thick, golden treacle, often eaten as a snack, as an accompaniment to meals or as a dessert. Sri Lankans are famed for their sweet tooth and this is just about as sweet as it gets!
En route to the beautiful beach village of Mirissa, enjoy a delicious lunch of biryani and watalappam (coconut custard pudding). Spend the rest of the day relaxing or exploring the golden sands of Sri Lanka’s southern coastline. The beach is a long curve of sand and has lovely calm clear waters for swimming, not to mention incredible sunsets – this is a paradise you won’t want to leave. You may like to take a bicycle ride or tuk-tuk to watch colourful fishing boats bring back their loads of fresh fish to sell along the shore, or perhaps take a boat to spot whales and dolphins. Prefer to chill out? Grab a beer, sit back and watch surfers take on the waves.
Included Activities:
Accommodation: Hotel Silan Mo or similar
Special information:
Today’s total travel time is approximately 3 hours.
Friday, 27th of February 2026
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
Gain a unique insight into local life this morning when you meet with a local fisherman and learn about the craft, and how the lives of fisherman have changed since the tsunami. Enjoy the freshest seafood lunch possible with a fisherman’s family – a wonderful crab curry is likely to be on the menu. Continue on to the wonderfully preserved colonial township of Galle, with a blend of European architecture and South Asian traditions. In the evening, take a tour of the Royal Dutch Fort, exploring the winding maze of gallery-filled narrow streets and 400 years of rich history. Return to Mirissa for the night.
Included Activities:
Accommodation:
Hotel Silan Mo or similar
Special information:
Today’s total travel time is approximately 2 hours.
Saturday, 28th of February 2026
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
Head north for the final stop on your food adventure, travelling to Sri Lanka’s commercial heart, Colombo. The city is a cosmopolitan mix of buzzing street markets, historic buildings, interesting museums, fine restaurants and great shopping opportunities. Snack your way around lanes filled with short eats, street-food and popular local eateries.
Enjoy a final Dutch Burgher-influenced meal and celebrate the end of your food adventure with new friends.
Included Activities:
Accommodation: Fairway Colombo or similar
Special information:
Today’s total travel time is approximately 2.5 hours
Sunday, 1st of March 2026
Meals Included: Breakfast
Your adventure in Sri Lanka comes to an end this morning. There are no activities planned for this final day and you are free to leave at any time. We hope you have enjoyed exploring Sri Lanka with us!
Complete the form below to request a spot on the upcoming Sri Lanka Food Expedition with Very Hungry Nomads, taking place in Sri Lanka from February 18th to March 1st 2026.
Price: $2,550 USD per person (twin share; Single Supplement available at an additional fee)
This Booking Request Form will submit your application to our booking partner Intrepid Travel, who will then contact applicants with a payment form on a first come first served basis.
Please note that your spot is not confirmed until you have paid the deposit ($400 USD) via Intrepid Travel.
Please ensure the accuracy of all of your contact details (e.g. email address, social media accounts, phone number) as these are how our booking partner will contact you to book and confirm your spot.
I had an amazing time on this trip.
I saw so many interesting and unusual things as well as the highlights of India that I expected to see.
Communication was perfect!
The itinerary was the right balance of free time v’s there’s so much to see and do!
I can’t wait to go on another trip with Rach or Marty; they seemed to know instinctively what the correct balance is!
V x
