Welcome to Sri Lanka’s– attributes are many. Few places have as many Unesco World Heritage sites (eight) packed into such a small area. Its 2000-plus years of culture can be discovered at ancient sites filled with mystery.
When you’re ready to escape the tropical climate of the coast and lowlands, head for the hills, which are verdant, virescent and virally infectious with allure. Impossibly green tea plantations and rainforested peaks beckon walkers, trekkers or just those who want to see it on a spectacular train ride.
And then there are the beaches. Dazzlingly white and all so often untrod, they ring the island so that no matter where you go, you’ll be near a sandy gem. Find a favourite beach to call your own, meditate in a 2000-year-old temple, try to keep count of the little dishes that come with your rice and curry.
Stroll past colonial gems in Colombo and then hit some epic surf. Sri Lanka is spectacular, it’s affordable and it’s still mostly uncrowded. Now is the best time to discover it.
The most beautiful of Sri Lanka
Stunning Beaches
There are long, golden-specked ones, there are dainty ones with soft white sand, there are wind- and wave-battered ones, and ones without a footstep for miles. Some have a slowly, slowly vibe and some have a lively party vibe, but whichever you choose, the beaches of Sri Lanka really are every bit as gorgeous as you’ve heard.
Favourites include Tangalla, Unawatuna and Mirissa. We guarantee that after you’ve returned home, every time you sit in rush-hour traffic on a wet and cold Monday morning, an image of palm trees and azure Sri Lankan waters will float into your mind!
Traveling by Train
Sometimes there’s no way to get a seat on the slow but oh-so-popular train to Ella, but with a prime standing-room-only spot looking out at a rolling carpet of tea, who cares? Outside, the colourful silk saris of Tamil tea pickers stand out in the sea of green; inside, you may get a shy welcome via a smile.
At stations, vendors hustle treats, including some amazing corn and chilli fritters sold wrapped in somebody’s old homework paper. Munching one of these while the scenery creaks past? Sublime.
Uda Walawe National Park
This huge chunk of savannah grassland centred on the Uda Walawe reservoir is the closest Sri Lanka gEast Africa. There are herds of buffalo (although some of these are domesticated!), sambar deer,
crocodiles, masses of birds, and Indian elephants – and we don’t just mean a few elephants.
We mean hundreds of the big-nosed creatures. In fact, we’d go so far as to say that for elephants, Uda Walawe is equal to, or even better than, many of the famous East African national parks.
Ayurveda
If you start to feel the burden of the centuries while in Sri Lanka, you might appreciate an irony while you feel the tensions melt out of your body in an Ayurvedic sauna: the design is more than 2500 years old. Ayurveda is an ancient practice and its devotees claim enormous benefits from its therapies and treatments.
Herbs, spices, oils and more are used on and in the body to produce balance. Some people go on multiweek regimens in clinics, others enjoy a pampering afternoon at a luxury spa.
Adam’s Peak
For over a thousand years, pilgrims have trudged by candlelight up Adam’s Peak (Sri Pada) to stand in the footprints of the Buddha, breathe the air where Adam first set foot on earth, and see the place where the butterflies go to die.
Today tourists join the throngs of local pilgrims and, as you stand in the predawn light atop this perfect pinnacle of rock and watch the sun crawl above waves of mountains, the sense of magic remains as bewitching as it must have been for Adam himself.
Tea Plantations
It wasn’t really all that long ago that Sri Lanka’s Hill Country was largely a wild and ragged sweep of jungle-clad mountains, but then along came the British and they felt in need of a nice cup of tea. So they chopped down all the jungle and turned the Hill Country into one giant tea estate, and you know what?
The result is mighty pretty! Sri Lankan tea is now famous across the world, and visiting a tea estate and seeing how the world’s favourite cuppa is produced is absolutely fascinating .
Surfing at Arugam Bay
The heart of Sri Lanka’s nascent surf scene, the long right break at the southern end of Arugam Bay is considered Sri Lanka’s best. From April to September you’ll find surfers riding the waves; stragglers catch the random good days as late as November.
Throughout the year you can revel in the surfer vibe: there are board-rental and ding-repair joints plus plenty of laid-back, cheap hangouts offering a bed on the beach. And if you need solitude, there are fine breaks at nearby Lighthouse and Okanda.
Horton Plains & World’s End
The wild, windswept Horton Plains, high, high up in Sri Lanka’s Hill Country, are utterly unexpected in this country of tropical greens and blues, but they are far from unwelcome.
You’ll need to wrap up warm for the dawn hike across these bleak moorlands – it’s one of the most enjoyable walks in the country.
And then, suddenly, out of the mist comes the end of the world and a view over what seems like half of Sri Lanka.
Kandy
Kandy is the cultural capital of the island and home to the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, said to contain a tooth of the Buddha himself.
For the Sinhalese this is the holiest spot on the island, but for tourists Kandy offers a pleasing old quarter, a pretty central lake, a clutch of museums and, in the surrounding vicinity, some beautiful botanical gardens.
Getting Around Sri Lanka
Bus Buses go everywhere often and cheaply. There are two kinds of bus: Central Transport Board (CTB) buses, usually the default buses with no air-con; and private buses, usually more comfortable and faster than other bus services. Vehicles range from late-model Japanese coaches to ancient minibuses.
Car Hire cars with drivers are popular and affordable. This option is more expensive than buses and trains, but is efficient, flexible and comfortable.
Train Trains are less convenient than buses but more fun and almost always more relaxed. There are some beautiful routes and tickets are cheap. Travel in 1st class is comfortable, but 2nd and 3rd classes are often crowded and uncomfortable. Train destinations are limited and travel is slow.
When should I go to Sri Lanka
High season – (Dec–Mar)
The Hill Country plus west- and south-coast beaches are busiest – and driest.
The Maha monsoon season (October to January) keeps the East, North and Ancient Cities wet.
Low season– (May–Aug)
The Yala monsoon season (May to August) brings rain to the south andwest coasts.
The weather in the North and East is best. Prices nationwide are at their nadir.
Capital– Colombo
Official Languages – Sinhala Tamil English
Population– 21.7 million
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