Cultural Triangle plus the scenic train to Ella — a short but complete taste of the hill country.
Five days buys you one extra, important thing over the 4-day route: the Kandy–Ella train, which is the single most photographed stretch of Sri Lanka. This itinerary keeps the same Cultural Triangle base and adds Ella instead of the south coast — trying to fit beaches in too turns day 5 into a 6–7 hour transfer day, which isn't a good use of your last morning.
If a beach matters more to you than the mountains, swap Ella for Galle and Mirissa using the same first three days as a base — the logistics work the same way, just south instead of east.
The one real constraint: the Kandy–Ella train sells out for reserved seats weeks ahead in high season. Book the moment your dates are fixed.
Bandaranaike Airport is 8 km from Negombo — take a tuk-tuk (about £3) or pre-arranged transfer. Check in, eat grilled crab or prawn curry on the lagoon, and get an early night — day 2 starts early.
Drive 3 hours northeast to Sigiriya (hire a driver for the day, around £25). Climb the rock fortress before 8 am. In the afternoon, visit Dambulla Cave Temple. Book your Kandy–Ella train ticket tonight if you haven't already.
Head south to Kandy (2.5–3 hours). Check in, then visit the Temple of the Tooth for the evening puja ceremony at 6:30 pm. Walk the lake at dusk.
The Kandy–Ella train departs around 8:47 am (check current schedule). The 6-hour journey climbs through tea estates and cloud forest — sit on the right side heading south. Arrive in Ella early afternoon and walk to the Nine Arches Bridge before sunset.
Ella to the airport is 6–7 hours by road — the honest tradeoff for adding the train to a short trip. If your flight is in the evening, an early Little Adam's Peak hike (45 min) still fits before the drive. If your flight is earlier, skip the hike and leave by 6 am, or consider an overnight in Colombo the night before instead of flying straight from Ella.
The Kandy–Ella train (Train #1005, the Podi Menike or Udarata Menike) sells out weeks in advance for first- and second-class reserved seats. Book at bookme.lk immediately — a 5-day trip has no slack to rebook around a missed train.
Ella to the airport is 6–7 hours. Book a flight departing after 6 pm, or accept you'll spend day 5 almost entirely in transit with no time in Ella that morning.
The rock is unbearable by 10 am. Staying in Sigiriya village rather than Dambulla means you can walk to the gate before the tour buses arrive.
Five days is enough for the Cultural Triangle plus the Kandy–Ella train — a genuinely complete short trip. It is not enough to add the south coast in the same route without a very long final transfer day.
By private driver, 6–7 hours via Colombo — there is no faster direct route. Book a late-evening flight, or plan an overnight in Colombo the night before an early flight rather than driving straight from Ella that morning.
Ella if the scenic train and hill country matter most to you. The south coast (Galle, Mirissa) if you want a beach day — swap day 4–5 for the same driver route south instead of east. Both work from the same Cultural Triangle base.