Honeymoon Planning in Sri Lanka

My fiance and I are planning our honeymoon for Winter 2026 and are looking to vacation in Sri Lanka & the Maldives. We are flying out of Atlanta and are planning to spend 7-8 days in Sri Lanka.

We have been working with a local travel agent on initial trip ideas and I was hoping to get some additional advice and perspective on the current itinerary.

A few things to note —

We are both really active people, so we wanted to do more exploration / sight seeing in Sri Lanka and then more relaxing in the Maldives

My fiance really wants to surf, so spending time on one of the Sri Lankan beaches was a must for him

I'm nervous about how much travel is involved in this trip, especially with us adjusting to the time difference, so I'd love some perspective on what to remove / adjust to ensure this is an enjoyable honeymoon experience

Day 1: Sigiriya

Arrive at Colombo Airport and transfer to Sigiriya

Optional activity: Exploring Dambulla Cave Temples

Note: I'm a little worried about how long this travel day is. We would be doing a long haul flight and then another transfer of 4-5 hrs, so I'm not sure if it makes sense to plan an activity this day.

Day 2: Sigiriya

Visit the Sigiriya Rock Fortress

Afternoon Safari at Minneriya National Park

Day 3: Kandy

Transfer to Kandy

Private tour of Kandy by Tuk Tuk

Evening Tour of the Temple of the Tooth Relic

Day 4: Ella

Transfer to Ella via Train (arrive in Ella at 3:30pm)

Explore the Nine Arch Bridge

Day 5: Ella

Visit Ravana Falls (option to add on a tea plantation tour OR a zipline experience)

Day 6: Galle

Transfer to Galle

Visit the Elephant Transit Home

Guided Tour of Galle

NOTE: Note sure if I want to do the Elephant Transit Home. I saw some very negative reviews on this and am unsure how ethical it is.

Day 7: Galle

Leisure Day for Surfing

Day 8: Depart for Maldives