If there is one country that truly has everything, it is Sri Lanka. High mountains, tropical beaches, wild safaris and beautiful nature, that describes Sri Lanka in a nutshell. Below we give you 8 reasons why you want to travel through Sri Lanka.
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What to do in Sri Lanka?
One of the “booming” and upcoming countries among travelers in Asia over the past few years is Sri Lanka. Not surprising, considering how versatile this country is. Therefore, below we describe what to do in Sri Lanka with the most beautiful and special places Sri Lanka has to offer, to convince you to come and admire this country too. We have already visited Sri Lanka 3 times and we still haven’t run out of things to do here!
1. Gorgeous tropical beaches
Sri Lanka is of course an island and therefore has an awful lot of beautiful beaches. You do need to keep in mind the best travel time for Sri Lanka because it has 2 rainy seasons: the monsoon where the southwest coast gets a lot of rain and the monsoon for the northeast coast.
In the south, Weligama / Mirissa and Hiriketiya are our favorite coastal towns. The beaches here are fine, especially good for surfing and a day of lounging, but in the vicinity of these towns you will find truly paradisiacal beaches. The photo below was taken at Silent Beach, which is a 15-minute drive from Hiriketiya.
You can also surf fantastically well and this is one of the most fun things to learn in Sri Lanka. On the south coast you will find good surfing areas near every village and in the east, Arugam Bay is the surfing hotspot of the area. It brings a wonderful atmosphere and even if you are not a fan of surfing, it is still fun to see how others surf.
2. The most beautiful nature
Most people who travel like to get out into nature besides relaxing on fantastic beaches. Then Sri Lanka is the place to be! You’ll find the most beautiful sprawling tea plantations, botanical gardens, national parks and cool safaris.
Tea plantations and factories can be found in various places around the country. The most famous plantations and factories to tour and, of course, taste a cup of tea can be found in Kandy, Nuwara Eliya and Ella. During the beautiful train ride from Kandy to Ella, you also drive right through all the plantations and have amazing views.
The botanical garden in Peradeniya, near Kandy is very famous. The royal botanic gardens offer a diversity of thousands of different species of flowers and plants. Many bats can also be found here, so pay close attention to the tops and branches of the trees to spot them. A fun outing during your stay in Kandy.
There are several national parks in Sri Lanka but one of the most famous is surely the Horton Plains National Park in Nuwara Eliya. During this walk of about 3 hours, you will walk through the most beautiful natural areas and look into the depths twice at “World’s End. The entrance fee is a lot higher than you are used to (around €35 per person), but we thought it was well worth it.
3. The coolest mountains to climb
So for those who love an active vacation, there is plenty to do. You can even go a step further by climbing some of the mountains that Sri Lanka has to offer. Consider the sacred trek to Adam’s Peak, where you hike up 5,500 steps in the middle of the night to enjoy spectacular views at sunrise.
Or would you prefer a quieter climb, with views of other mountains and lots of greenery? Then choose to climb to Little Adam’s Peak in the village of Ella. This is a fun, easy climb of about 15 minutes/half an hour of stair climbing after which you can have a wonderful time at the summit.
Finally, there is also the climb to Ella Rock. We ourselves have been able to do this climb three times already and what a great experience it was. You leave from the village of Ella, from where you first walk for 45 minutes along the train tracks. This is already quite an adventure since that would obviously never be possible in the Netherlands. Do take screenshots of the blog in advance showing the route, otherwise it can be difficult to find your way to the summit. We have heard from others that they have sometimes been pointed in the wrong direction on purpose by locals so that they would then hire those locals as guides, we ourselves fortunately have not experienced this and our experiences have also been only positive with the locals.
4. The most beautiful temples to visit
Asia is of course known for the beautiful temples you can find here, so too in Sri Lanka. The most famous temple is in Kandy; the temple of the tooth. Thousands of Buddhists come here daily because Buddha’s tooth is kept here. A sacred ceremony is held three times a day, with lots of music and chanting. Therefore, the best time to visit the temple is during one of these ceremonies, in the morning, afternoon or evening.
The Kataragama temple, near Yala national park, is a Hindu temple and thus different from most temples in Sri Lanka. It is a large complex, with several types of temples and many sales stalls. It is best to go here with a group because you will be led by a nice guide who knows everyone and knows a lot to tell. We went with the owner of the accommodation and a nice group of backpackers who were staying here. You will also find beautiful, famous temples in Polonnaruwa, Dambulla, Negombo and Jaffna in the far north.
5. The very sweetest and friendliest people
Most of the locals are really great. They want to do everything for you. Not because they see you as a walking wallet (okay some might) but most just find it very special to be able to help a tourist and interact with you.
At the bus station, for example, they often ask you where to go and then walk with you to point out the right bus. When you say thank you they get very shy and you see a big smile because they are happy to have helped you. The same goes for the locals walking down the street. They will stare at you for a while because you look special in their eyes, but they will also always try to help you if they notice that you don’t know where to go.
6. The super easy transportation
Most first-time backpackers worry that getting from A to B will be difficult. Logically, the first time we were also worried about this but now we can say: there is really no need for this. At least certainly not in Sri Lanka. Countless buses run every day to all villages throughout the country. And if you do get dropped off somewhere further away from your accommodation, 10 tuktuks immediately line up to take you. Transportation in Sri Lanka is very well organized.
In addition, you can also rent your own tuktuk in Sri Lanka. This is an incredibly cool experience, where you get to know the country in a unique, local way. Driving the tuktuk, the places you visit and the feeling of freedom are insane during your trip in Sri Lanka.
7. The challenging safaris
In addition to all this beauty, Sri Lanka also has several national parks where you can go on safari. The largest and most famous park is Yala National Park, but we are more fans of Wilpattu National Park. Spot leopards, elephants, crocodiles, deer, monkeys and many more animals.
8. And all on an excellent budget
For a long time, Sri Lanka was one of the cheapest countries in Asia. Nowadays, this is no longer the case – Sri Lanka is a lot more expensive than neighboring India and also quite a bit more expensive than Thailand, Indonesia or Vietnam, but you can still stay on a fine budget. Read our overview of the budget and costs in Sri Lanka for an idea of what to spend.
