Every season I get the same message from a few guests: "Can we do the trip the other way round?" They've seen the usual route online, airport, Sigiriya, Kandy, Ella, Yala and then the beach, and they want to start with the beach instead. Among us drivers we just call this a reverse tour. Some people say backwards, some say anticlockwise or counter-clockwise, because on the map you go south first, round to the east, up into the hills and back to the airport.
I've driven it many times. The direction works. What makes or breaks it is the pace, and a few travel assumptions that look fine on a map but don't hold on the road. So here's how I'd plan it for you.
What a reverse tour actually looks like
The classic loop most blogs show, including our own 10-day Sri Lanka itinerary, runs clockwise: cultural triangle first, south coast last. The reverse version flips it:
| Step | Classic (clockwise) | Reverse (anticlockwise) |
|---|---|---|
| Start | Negombo → Sigiriya | Airport → south coast |
| Middle | Kandy → Ella train → Yala | Yala → Ella → train to Nanu Oya |
| Finish | Mirissa / Galle → airport | Nuwara Eliya (or on to Kandy / Sigiriya) → airport |
You can stop the reverse loop in the hill country, which is common on a 9 or 10 night trip. Or, if you have two weeks, keep going round through Kandy and the cultural triangle to make a full anticlockwise loop, like a mirror of our 14-day itinerary.
Why guests choose to go backwards
From the driver's seat, these are the real reasons people ask for it.
1. Christmas and New Year on the beach. This is the big one. December to March is the dry season on the south and west coasts (see our November to January guide), and a lot of guests want to be in Ahangama, Weligama or Mirissa for the 31st. If your flight lands around Christmas, going clockwise would put you in the hills for the party. Going in reverse puts you on the sand.
2. Rest after the long flight. After 12 or more hours of flying, some families don't want to climb Sigiriya on day two. Going straight to the coast means a few slow days, a swim and early nights, and then you're ready for the safari and the hills.
3. The hotel you actually want. Beach hotels around the festive dates book up first. If you've already got a booking on certain nights in the south, building the rest of the route around those dates is simply easier in reverse.
4. Finishing cool and green. Some people like ending in tea country, with a fire in the evening in Nuwara Eliya, rather than ending hot and sandy. It's a matter of taste, but I hear it often.
The honest trade-off: in reverse your last day is a long drive from the hills to the airport, instead of a short hop from Negombo or Galle. That isn't a problem, it just needs planning. I'll come back to it below because it's where most reverse itineraries go wrong.
First, don't trust the map graphic
Many itineraries on social media come with a pretty map. Please don't plan your driving days from it. I regularly see Nuwara Eliya placed east of Ella, when it actually sits northwest of Ella, higher in the central hills. Beaches get drawn in the wrong order along the coast too. The places can make a perfectly good route, but the distances and drive times on those graphics are often wrong. Ask your driver, or use our distance calculator, before you fix anything.
Leg by leg, the way I'd pace it
The south coast: fewer hotel changes
This is where reverse itineraries get crowded. Bentota, Ahangama and Hiriketiya are all lovely and all different, but every move means check out, load bags, drive, unload and check in. On a short trip that eats half a day each time.
My advice: pick one or two beach bases and stay put. For example, I'd often drop a Bentota overnight and put that night into the main beach stay instead. Galle Fort works well as a sightseeing stop on the way down to Ahangama, so you see it without sleeping there. A day trip to Mirissa from an Ahangama base is a good move too, because you see it without packing up again. Our southern beaches guide helps you choose which base suits you.
New Year's Day: keep it loose
If January 1st has an 11 a.m. check-out and a drive to Yala, be realistic. After New Year's Eve, that plan is optimistic. Either stay one more night in the same place, or leave that afternoon free of anything fixed. Your driver can wait, the safari can't, so don't put a safari on the same day.
Yala: plan around the safari, not the hotel
People book a night near Yala and assume the safari will fit. Check with the jeep operator first. Safaris usually run as a morning session (gates open around 6 a.m.) or an afternoon session. If you arrive in the afternoon, make sure your drive actually gets you there before the afternoon jeep leaves. The other option is to stay the night and take the morning safari. That has better odds for leopards in my experience, but remember the very early start when you plan the drive up to Ella the same day. Don't fill your arrival afternoon with extra sightseeing. More on the park itself on our Yala page, and if you're coming from the coast, see the Yala to Ella route.
Ella: two nights is right
Two nights in Ella gives you one full day without moving your bags. Little Adam's Peak, Nine Arch Bridge, a waterfall: they're all options, not homework. Up here the weather changes quickly, so I always tell guests to decide in the morning based on the sky and how their legs feel. Our three days in Ella post has more ideas if you want to stretch it.
The Ella to Nanu Oya train: it takes the whole day
The famous train runs in both directions, and riding it in reverse, from Ella towards Kandy, is just as beautiful. But Nanu Oya is not Nuwara Eliya. It's the station that serves the town, so you still need a road transfer at the end. Add waiting time at the platform, the usual delays and the transfer, and the train takes up much more of the day than the timetable suggests. Book seats early (here's how) and keep your Nuwara Eliya list light, especially if you leave for the airport the next day. A good driver takes your luggage by road and meets you at Nanu Oya, so you ride the train with just a day bag.
The airport day: check your calendar
Many flights out of Colombo leave just after midnight. A flight at 00:40 on the 10th means you leave the hills on the evening of the 9th. It's an easy detail to mix up, and it causes more stress than anything else on a reverse route. Also count your nights against your days. I often see a graphic showing 10 nights with a caption saying "9 nights / 10 days". Confirm which one is true before you book hotels.
New Year's Eve nightlife: choose the party first
If the party matters, choose where you sleep based on the event you want to attend, then arrange the hotel and the ride home around it. Check the real event announcement before you pay anyone. If someone offers a party bus, ask: which venues are included, whether entry costs extra, how long you get at each stop, and where they drop you at the end of the night. I'd rather pick you up myself at a time we agree than have you stuck at 3 a.m. looking for a tuk-tuk.
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Plan my tripIs the reverse tour right for you?
Go anticlockwise if your dates fix you to the south coast early (Christmas, New Year, a wedding, a specific hotel), you want to recover from the flight by the sea, or you'd like to finish in the cool hills.
Stay clockwise if you want your last days to be pure beach and a short ride to the airport, or you're keen on the cultural triangle while you're still fresh.
Either way, my summary for most reverse plans I see: keep the direction, cut one coastal hotel change, and give the train day and the airport day more breathing room. You still get beaches, wildlife and hill country, and you spend a lot less of your holiday moving bags between them.
Planning it with a driver
A reverse route has a few legs that are awkward on public transport, like the coast to Yala and Nanu Oya to Nuwara Eliya. That's why most guests take a private driver for at least the moving days. Send us your dates and the places you want, and a local driver will tell you honestly what fits. Request a quote, or check what a driver costs per day on our private driver cost page.
Frequently asked questions
What is a reverse tour in Sri Lanka?
It's the classic first-timer loop done backwards. Most itineraries go clockwise from the airport: cultural triangle, Kandy, the hill country, a safari, then the south coast to finish. A reverse or anticlockwise tour starts on the south coast, then heads east to Yala, up into Ella and Nuwara Eliya, and finishes in the hills (or carries on to Kandy and Sigiriya) before the airport.
Is it better to do Sri Lanka clockwise or anticlockwise?
Neither direction is better for everyone. Clockwise lets you finish relaxed on a beach. Anticlockwise suits you when your dates pin you to the coast early, like Christmas or New Year on the south coast, or when you want to rest by the sea after a long-haul flight. The one thing to plan for in reverse is a longer last drive from the hills to the airport.
Can I do the Ella train in reverse, from Ella to Nanu Oya or Kandy?
Yes, the train runs both ways and the views are just as good. Remember that Nanu Oya is the station for Nuwara Eliya, not the town itself, so you still need a short road transfer at the other end. Plan the whole day around the train rather than squeezing sightseeing in after it.
How many nights should I spend in Ella on a reverse route?
Two nights is the sweet spot for most people. It gives you one full day without packing, so you can pick from Little Adam's Peak, Nine Arch Bridge or a waterfall depending on the weather and your energy.
Is a reverse route good for New Year's Eve on the south coast?
It's the main reason people choose it. Starting on the coast lets you be in the Ahangama, Weligama or Mirissa area for New Year's Eve, then move inland afterwards. Keep January 1st light or stay an extra night, because an early check-out after the celebrations rarely goes to plan.
Do I need a private driver for a reverse tour?
You don't strictly need one, but the reverse direction has a few awkward legs for public transport, like the south coast to Yala and Nanu Oya station to Nuwara Eliya. A driver who knows the route in this direction also knows how to time the safari, the train and the airport run so the days don't collide.