Sigiriya to Nuwara Eliya taxi: private transfer at a fixed price

From Sigiriya the driver heads back to Dambulla and takes the A9 south through Naula, Matale and Akurana to Kandy. In Kandy the car goes through or around the city to Peradeniya and joins the A5, which climbs through Gampola and Pussellawa to Ramboda and over the pass into Nuwara Eliya. The first half, to Kandy, is quick by Sri Lankan standards. The second half, on the A5, is slower than its distance suggests: tea-country hairpins, heavy lorries and villages one after another. About 5 hours 45 minutes is the driving time. With a stop at the Dambulla caves or a spice garden, lunch in Kandy and a tea factory above Pussellawa, the day becomes eight or nine hours. If you want to see Kandy properly, breaking the trip with a night there is the more comfortable plan.

The A9 south of Dambulla is a straight trunk road with fast buses; the bends begin after Matale. Kandy is the bottleneck: the approach from Katugastota and the one-way loop around the lake are slow at almost any time of day, and the driver will often skirt the centre to reach Peradeniya. The A5 beyond Gampola starts climbing in earnest. Between Pussellawa and Ramboda the road is narrow, cut into the hillside above the tea, with tight hairpins where lorries and buses take the full width. Ramboda Falls is right beside the road, and several tea factories and tea centres along this stretch take visitors. Near the top, past the Ramboda tunnel, the road crests the pass and drops into Nuwara Eliya, often in mist by the afternoon.

On a near six-hour day with three hours of bends, comfort matters more than on most routes. For two people, the comfort sedan is the right choice, with more legroom and a softer ride on the A5 than the economy sedan, which suits up to three passengers travelling light. Families of four to six should take the Comfort van (6 seats) so that everyone has a window, which helps anyone prone to carsickness on the hairpins. Groups of seven or eight need the 8-seat van. Keep jackets and any medication for travel sickness in the cabin, not the boot. Child seats are free on request.

There is no railway at Sigiriya, so the train only becomes an option from Kandy, where the famous hill-country line climbs to Nanu Oya, the station for Nuwara Eliya, a short ride below the town. Many travellers combine the two: a car from Sigiriya to Kandy, a night there, then the train the next day with the bags sent ahead by road. That gives you the railway at its most scenic, though reserved seats sell out weeks ahead in season. Public buses would mean at least two changes, in Dambulla and Kandy, and a long day with luggage. The direct taxi is the only way to make the whole journey in one go.

Start from Sigiriya by 07:00. You will be through Kandy before lunch and up the A5 while the hills are still clear; mist and rain usually build on the upper road in the afternoon. The hill country can be wet in any month, with the heaviest rain on the Nuwara Eliya side from May to September and again in October and November. April is the busy season in Nuwara Eliya, around the Sinhala and Tamil New Year, when the town fills with Sri Lankan visitors and hotel prices rise. Avoid arriving after dark if you can: the A5 hairpins are slow at night, and any arrival between 22:00 and 05:00 adds a 15% night surcharge.