Sinharaja Southern Loop

Start your loop from Weligama and ride the southern coastal highway north. Pause at Galle Fort — a UNESCO World Heritage Site — before continuing to the traditional mask-carving town of Ambalangoda.

Leave the coast behind and head inland into the foothills. The roads narrow and the air cools as you pass through Pitigala and Neluwa, arriving in the lush river valley of Morawaka.

The highlight of the loop. Ride through Deniyaya into the buffer zone of Sinharaja — Sri Lanka's last viable lowland rainforest and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Continue to the forest village of Suriyakanda.

Drop down from the hills onto the dry southern plains. Skirt the edge of Udawalawa National Park (renowned for wild elephants), then ride east to Tissamaharama and the ancient coastal city of Hambanthota.

The final coastal run home. Wind past Tangalle's secluded lagoons, through Dikwella's blowholes, along the promenade at Matara, and back to Weligama where the loop began.