Top Things to do in Sri Lanka
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We loved Sri Lanka. It was one of those countries that we actually felt sad leaving. We met inspiring people, saw magnificent sites and enjoyed awesome adventures.
Many people have sent us messages and emails on how they too want to visit Sri Lanka one day soon and we thought that we should do a round up of the top things that we enjoyed doing while visiting this fascinating and beautiful country.
If you are planning on going to Sri Lanka in the future here is a list of things that you should make sure not to miss.
1. Try Surfing. Sri Lanka is a beginner surfers paradise. Hikkaduwa on Sri Lanka’s south west coast is the popular spot for surfing. The sandy break cushions your fall and the waves are not the gigantic intimidating pipes seen in Hawaii or Australia. Even expert surfers can enjoy themselves in Sri Lanka though. On the west coast there is a popular beach that offers bigger and better waves. The season is different than Hikkaduwa’s however, so make sure to check when surfing on the west coast is popular. If you have never surfed before Sri Lanka is the place to do it. It is very easy to learn here and the conditions are perfect for the first timer.
2. Sip Tea and explore the hill country. Sri Lanka is one of the most important tea producers in the world and its hill country is stunning. Colonial towns dot the landscape surrounded by tea plantations. The vegetation is lush and green and the rolling hills make for an awesome site. Pretend you are in jolly old England for a few days. Stay in old plantation homes, drink tea and eat baked goods. It doesn’t get any more civilized than this. Don’t miss going to Ella and Nuwara Eliya to see the tea plantations of Sri Lanka.
3. Go on a Pilgrimage. Adams Peak is Sri Lanka’s most sacred site and you can join thousands of pilgrims for 2 months of the year as they pay homage to the first place that Adam stepped foot on earth when he was cast down from Heaven. It is a climb that doesn’t require any technical skill, but it is a work out. You will feel a great sense of accomplishment taking part in this spiritual journey. This is by far our top recommendation of things that you should make sure to do when visiting the country.
4. Ride the Train. Sri Lanka’s trains are like stepping back in time. They chug slowly along through hills and valleys. It is the slow journey that makes it special. Looking out over the mountains and tea plantations rival any view in the world and the people that you meet on the train will be remembered forever. So if you are planning a trip to Sri Lanka, make sure to take the time to travel by train. It will be an experience you will remember and cherish forever.
5. Yala National Park. Do you want to see leopards? Sri Lanka’s Yala National Park is the best chance in the world that you are going to get to see them. It is an incredible park filled with wildlife. Elephants, peacocks, monkeys, jackles, crocodiles and monitor lizards to name a few. You won’t be disappointed on a jeep safari here even if you don’t see a leopard, you will see a beautiful landscape and an abundance of wild animals. However, chances are pretty good that you will see a leopard and prices are so reasonable, that even if you don’t, you can try to see one again on another safari.
6. Go to Udawalawe National Park. Sri Lanka is filled with national parks and trekking through Uda Walawe is a great escape from the hustle and bustle of the towns. What is special about this park however is the Elephant Transfer Home an orphanage and rehabilitation centre for orphaned and injured elephants supported by the Born Free Foundation. You can watch elephants being fed, but unlike the Pinawale Orphanage, the ETH cares only for the elephants well being. They have as little interaction with humans as possible. So far 65 elephants have been rehabilitated and let back into the wild. If you have your heart set on seeing and helping elephants, we suggest going to Udawalwe over the other Elephant Rehabilitation Centres. They are doing a great job.
7. Visit a Turtle Hatchery. Turtles are under great threat due to fishing, pollution, habitat loss and hunting. Turtle Hatcheries are doing their best to keep the turtle numbers alive and wel. One of the best is The Kosgoda Turtle Hatchery. He loves turtles and lets them into the ocean nightly. You can even take part in their release if you go at sunset. A person can’t go to Sri Lanka without visiting a turtle hatchery. It is a right of passage of visiting the country.
8. Laze on the Beach. Sri Lanka has some great beach life. Hikkaduwa, Unawatuna and Kosgoda are some popular beaches, but you can still find secluded beaches all along Sri Lanka’s coast. Some are eroding away, but others are pristine. Rent a bicycle or motorbike and get out there to explore the island. The beaches are the number one reason why people come to Sri Lanka and once you see them, you can understand why.
9. Visit Sigiriya. The important archeological site Sigiriya is impressive. Gracing the covers of many Sri Lankan Guide books, hanging in the office of tour companies and standing proud on the cover of several coffee table books, it just may be Sri Lanka’s most recognizable site. It is also set in a beautiful location. Surrounded by jungle, villages and farmland Sigiriya is a location set back in time. Monkeys play on the trails and crocodiles dwell in its moat. The entry price is steep, but it is a beautiful view with an impressive museum as well. If you love history and archeology, Sigiriya is for you.
10. Have dinner with a local family. Nothing feels better than being invited to someones house for dinner. The Sri Lankan people are a giving bunch. They are the friendliest people we have met in all our travels and we made great friends with our Tuk Tuk driver Ajith and his family. What a wonderful experience getting a glimpse of local life in the country. If you are privileged enough to be invited to dinner, take it. It is a heartwarming evening filled with genuine hospitality.
Sri Lanka has everything that a traveler could possibly want. Adventure, spirituality, fine beaches and nightlife. A vacation to this destination will never disappoint.
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Wonderful roundup! Sri Lanka is now on my list of places I will be sure to visit, thanks to you two….hopefully sooner rather than later.
No 01 from “The 31 Places to Go in 2010” by Times Magazine New York – 10/01/2010
Second best island to visit – National geographic Channel – 18/03/2010
Best Honeymoon destination in the world – Caxton-fx Europe – 24/02/2010 Recorded highest leopard density in the world ( Yala Park )
Best rain forest in Asia (Sinharaja)
47 Wild life sanctuaries / national parks / reserves
More than 382 recorded waterfalls
One of the top 20 bio diversity hotspots in the world
More than 3650 animal species & Close to 7300 plant species
Remarkable high proportion of endemic species among its flora and fauna (23% of the flowering plants and 16% of the mammals in the island are endemic)
A recorded history from 6th century BC and prehistoric traces
7 UNESCO World Heritage sites
Unique culture with Dance Acts originated 2500 years back
Golden beaches all around the island 1,340 km + long
One of the best destinations in the world for surfing
Hill country rising to an elevation of 2,524 m
Temperature zones ranging from a hot 34 c to cool of 4 c
Thats few only and you can descover more if you travel to this paradise…..
Great photos. Enjoyed this post very much.
Also you cannot miss ancient cities like ‘Anuradhapura’ and ‘Polonnaruwa’ that where built thousands of years ago.
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wonderful roundup! I may add some other things you can do in sri lanka. specially if you are a nature lover you can have a trip to a rain forest on hill country.you will be amazed among lush green trees and silver streams.if you visit only to see water falls you can spend a month,trust me. enjoy a golden sunset in the west cost and a beautiful sun rise from the east cost. horten plains is a place you should never miss. it is an endless plain 2000 meters above sea level. you may enjoy wild life,mist,water falls and many more in this place. spend a day in a village where farmers live. enjoy paddy fields and there evening breeze. village life and their customs will bring a new sense about simplicity to your life. enjoy sri lanka!!!
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I’m going to Sri Lanka this March — probably for about three weeks. Particularly looking forward to hill country and Unawatuna. Thanks for posting this great list! It’s always wonderful to hear from travelers who have been there!
.-= Adventurous Kate´s last blog ..Best Views of Florence =-.
Have a great time, hopefully you make it to Hikkaduwa as well. If you do, we know the number of an excellent tuk tuk driver that has a heart of gold!
Here are a couple of Sri Lanka posts that you might be interested in. Make sure to eat at the Hill Club in Nuwara Elya, it was a very cool experience.
http://theplanetd.com/tuk-tuk-driver-makes-a-difference
http://theplanetd.com/unawatuna-sri-lanka-it-could-be-paradise
A beautiful tropical island, cuddled by dazzling white beaches, golden yellow sunsets and crystal blue waters, Sri Lanka is a breath of Fresh Air. So Plan your next Dream Vacation to reincarnate all those fantasies in your mind and enjoy this gorgeous & exotic land …
Sri Lanka the Pearl of the Indian Ocean is truly Paradise….
A precious gift of nature, this stunning island has so much to offer. Exotic palm fringed shores, lush green forests, cool misty hills and its milky white waterfalls all complimented by a Rich Vibrant culture is sure to make your Holiday in Sri Lanka the best spent days of your life.
Feel free to contact us for Arrange your tour
Sri Lanka Nature Travels
Crishantha perera
Email [email protected]
Web site http://www.srilankanaturetravels.com
Mobile +94 777 572 275
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For anyone heading to the west coast you must check out a small local company called Malubanna. They did an excellent job for us and offer some unique activities not offered by other companies. We especially loved Beruwela Fish Harbour in the early morning (not on other tourist there) and Koggala Turtle Hatchery which I know is mentioned above. They took us in the vening though after the other tourists had left. We had a private tour, got to release some of the newborn turtles and then had a private candle lit dinner on the beach – PERFECT!! I couldn’t tell you how to find Malubanna, but their address is Malubanna, 15/3 River Avenue, Aluthgama. +94 (0)777117400 [email protected]
WELCOME TO SRILANKA
We have the pleasure to let you know that we have now completed successful period of time giving you our at most servers in the tourist trade. To launch this superb service in the tourism we hope your kind attraction to visit even once to this resplendent Island in the Indian Ocean
We specialize in tours,we give you unbelievable rates for vehicles and Hotel Bookings. i do the tours my own vehicles
contact us today and reserve your vehicle and hotels.
We are happy to see Sri Lanka is going strong and growing in tourism.
I am very surprise that there have been not many write-ups and recommendations on whale and dolphin watching in Sri Lanka.
Coming from Malaysia, I have prioritize this experience for my January holiday.
Can someone please tell me more about this?
I don’t know about the dolphin and whale watching in Sri Lanka, hopefully someone can help you out. Cheers and thanks for stopping by.
Great write up! I have been here a few months back via yatra.com and I would like to add some more things here. If you are a nature lover, you must take a trip to a rain forest on hill country. you will be amazed to see lush green trees and silver streams. Seeing a water falls you can easily spend a month. You may enjoy wild life,mist,water falls and many more in this place. Spend a day in a village where farmers live. enjoy paddy fields and there evening breeze. village life and their customs will bring a new sense about simplicity to your life. enjoy Srilanka!!!
Hi Deepti, thanks for the additions. I agree with you, there are so many things to do in Sri Lanka that the list can go on and on. We loved it there and look forward to going back soon. We will make sure to follow your advice and do some of your tips above. Cheers!
Hi Deepti
We are thinking of visiting Sri Lanka in December 2011. We are not sure about whether, we should join a tour there or do our own thing. Could you enlighten us please??
Thank you.
Hi Prema, We were in Sri Lanka in January and the weather was spectacular. It was very warm and comfortable. Actually it was hot, but the beach breeze made it all better. In the highlands it cools down a lot and there is some rain. I don’t think that you need to do a tour in Sri Lanka. It is a small island with a great bus system that is very affordable. We took local transport everywhere including buses and trains. It’s easy to grab the minivan buses and flag them down on the side of the road. Everyone is very helpful too. You should have no problem.
Hi,
For the people who were interested in dolphin & Whale watching, the Sri Lanka Navy takes out a ship early morning. You can check it out on their website :whalewatching.navy.lk
Other smaller places also take you, but the Navy takes very good care of you.
I went a couple of weeks ago and the experience was amazing! We saw soooo many, and they told us that that was actually a slow day!
You can’t just climb onto the ship though, you need to book early. Plus,there are specific seasons for whale & dolphin watching. So make sure you time your trip around it.
Hope this helps!
TC.
Hi!
Great post and good to see someone not Sri Lankan taking an interest and writing about the Island, I too did some travelling in Sri Lanka in Dec 2011 – Jan 2012 visit my blog for my feedback on the trip and more information! I did a series of Articles here they are, plus when you visit the blog you will find articles on many of the places I visited, please bear with me as I update it with more information. I believe it will take me months to complete most of it!
http://kancando.blogspot.com/2012/01/my-top-10-must-dos-in-sri-lanka.html
http://kancando.blogspot.com/2012/01/my-top-10-points-of-interest-in-sri.html
http://kancando.blogspot.com/2012/01/my-top-10-towns-to-visit-in-sri-lanka.html
Many thanks
Kan
Kanchana recently posted..Sigiriya Rock Fortress – 8th Wonder of the Ancient World
nice pcs.
well come to sri lanka.we can give the real value of the money
If going the Sri Lanka, don’t forget pinewella the elephant orphanage, and the esala perahera in July August.