Why Visit Sri Lanka?

Sri Lanka has never really been on my bucket list of countries to see. This could be partly because I’m originally from India and the similarities between both countries are striking. However, I was recently invited to visit SriLanka for a destination wedding and decided to take the opportunity to discover the island. Sri Lanka truly has something for everyone, from its laid-back beach towns, spectacular train journeys, to historical ruins, to tea estates and hiking. Voted top country for travel in 2019 by Lonely Planet, go before the tourism surge. Here are my top 5 reasons to visit Sri Lanka.

1.City Life

Colombo

“A temple is a beacon, a lighthouse for the storm tossed.” The Gangaramaya temple is a unique temple complex, best visited during sunset to minimize the heat. The main complex is a maze of sanctuaries that play host to life-sized Buddha idols, brilliantly painted. There’s also a museum filled with all kinds of artifacts that’s interesting to browse. You can’t miss the white jade Buddha statue in its own little sanctuary in the courtyard, done by master artisan Wenhong Sun from Myanmar.

Walk behind this and you’ll see a huge banyan tree that people walk around as they sprinkle water and worship. Anyone can join in. This is one of the oldest Buddhist temples in Colombo and if there is one sight you see in this city, let it be this one. As you walk away from this temple, cross the street and walk over to Beira Lake to the other part of the temple, the Seemamalakaya. Designed by the country’s renowned architect, Geoffrey Bawa, this was built as an assembly for monks in the middle of the lake.

2.Wildlife

National Parks

Okay I won’t lie, when I think of wildlife and safaris I feel like packing my bags and heading straight for Africa. But there’s a new player in town and that’s Sri Lanka! Yes this island nation is host to 14 national parks so it only makes sense one experiences a safari game drive when visiting. If you’re interested in whales, whale watching expeditions in the south and north are popular depending on the month you are visiting. The island is also teeming with elephants and leopards waiting to be discovered at national parks such as Yala and Minneriya. As 13% of the island is conserved as national parks or sanctuaries, the biodiversity is stunning. I visited the popular Yala National Park to see the leopard but you can also spot elephants, sloth bears, spotted deer, hog, wild boars, giant squirrels, monkeys, jaguars, civet cats, loris etc. The island is an ornithologist’s paradise as it has over 233 species.

How to Book a Safari

Most hotels will help you book a safari or offer it as part of an all-inclusive package where usually one to two safari game drives per day will be included in the overall package.  The safari itself is typically contracted through an external company and will include a jeep, driver and a guide who is in constant communication with other guides through the park. This means if one spots a leopard or an elephant herd, most likely they will relay it to the other guides so your own guide will be able to direct the driver to that particular spot for the sighting. Tip: I recommend staying at the Wildlife Tented Lodge where the food and safari is included.

Where to say in Yala

The Wildlife Tented Lodge is luxury tent accommodations adjacent to the famous Yala National Park, making it convenient for safari game drives! The lodge comes with 28 tents that take on the shape and color of the rocks and boulders nearby. The tents offer air-conditioning, a free-standing copper bath tub for soaking, a separate shower stall and toilet, a seating area and a desk as well as a bar. The lodge also boasts a private beach, restaurant and a watering hole in front of each tent where guests can possibly encounter wildlife. Elephants area possibility on the grounds at night and as such you are not allowed to walk alone after dark. A lodge escort will be happy to accompany you for a walk or to the restaurant for dinner and back.   Some of the tents are equipped with a private pool, but if you don’t want this option, you always have the main pool that faces the beach and is just gorgeous. Family rooms are also available with a separate unit for kids or an extra adult.  This is a stunning lodge for honeymooners, couples, and other discerning travelers who want to experience a safari in luxury.

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3.Hill Country

Ella

Welcome to Ella. So Ella to me is about waterfalls, hiking, the most iconic bridge a la Harry Potter train scene, and some of the best bungalow/guesthouse retreats to stay in. I spent about two days here. On my first day, I hiked up to Little Adam’s Peak which is a short 1-2 hour hike at sunrise to catch the first rays of sunshine lighting up the mountains. The way up early morning can be confusing but there are plenty of directions online, or you can ask your hotel for exact directions. Tip: I flew a drone here but had all my paperwork and drone permission emails handy in case anyone stopped me.

The perfect photo spot

On day 2, I woke up before dawn to journey to the nine arch bridge to see the blue train rumbling through. I worked with Golden Isle Travels, a small boutique agency in Colombo, run by Paddy Paul who set me up with a driver/car for the duration of my Sri Lanka trip. The driver, a man named Sampath, helped me find the best spots from where to view the train passing by. One such spot (where we shot the below photo) is on your way toward the Art Cafe Umbrella which will appear on your left. After the cafe, shortly on your right you will see a little opening. Park your car nearby and walk into the opening which is a pathway for an easy walk into the jungle. About 10 minutes later you will see the bridge. Tip: If you are going to take photos in this area and stand in between the hedges, know that there are leeches.

Where to Stay in Ella

I stayed at the Secret Ella, a charming boutique hotel with an inner courtyard, outdoor garden area and rooms that are like little bungalows. The rooms are huge, very spacious with a large patio with views over the hills. The infinity pool is COLD – apparently Sri Lanka doesn’t believe in heating pools and I don’t believe that lounging in cold water is vacation appropriate 😉 Tip: I had the best chicken curry here so don’t miss that – it was accompanied by about 4-6 little side dishes that blew my mind.

Splurging in Ella – A Luxury Stay

I also stayed a night at the 98 Acres Resort and this was one of the best “experiential” stays I’ve had in the world. The restaurant at this place overlooks Little Adam’s Peak. The resort has individual villa type accommodations with private plunge pools that overlook the tea plantations and a common pool along with standard rooms. Tip: I indulged in a massage and part of it included being cocooned in a coffin (not kidding) as part of some steam therapy. Only the head/face is not enclosed. I couldn’t help the claustrophobia that seized me shortly thereafter and I shrieked out for help in less than 10 minutes.

4.Tea Plantations

Nuwara Eliya

My journey to Nuwara Eliya was by train. I was looking for the iconic blue train from Ella station but I ended up on the red train below! Passing through misty scenes, this train ride is touted as one of the most beautiful rail journeys of all times. I can see why!

Sri Lanka’s hilly region boasts much cooler weather and tea plantations galore. Driving through this town you will come across many picturesque tea estates and houses dotting the landscape.

Activities in Nuwara Eliya

Tea tasting tours are a thing and tea picking is also a thing if that’s your cup of tea. I saw a bunch of people taking part in one at the Heritance Tea Factory. I simply decided to stuff myself with lunch instead. Hiking in the Horton Plains National Park to world’s end seemed like a must do activity. But given the drive and 3-4 hours we would need to hike around to World’s End, I decided not to push myself. I would have had to be up by 4am to leave for the hike and I was already exhausted at this point in the trip with all the other early mornings! So perhaps give yourself about 3 days here in this region so you can relax and leisurely see some of the sights. Lover’s Leap is another little drive/small hike up to see waterfalls in the jungle. Since my pics didn’t come out well, I’m not including them here. 🙂 I enjoyed the little trek into the jungle – it felt very remote and made for a nice evening out for sunset.

Where to Stay in Nuwara Eliya

But my favorite part of Nuwara Eliya was just walking around the town, trying a gigantic marble cake, and relaxing at the Oliphant Bungalow, a charming English Tudor style cottage with vast gardens. Breakfast out in the lush gardens – priceless. This region definitely reminded me a lot of Munnar in Kerala, India, which is also a tea estate region.

5.Cultural/Historical

Where to Stay in Kandy

Okay so by now I’ve hiked a bit, tasted some tea, seen a temple and chilled out in some rad infinity pools. Now comes the history part. So off we go to Kandy, our jumping off point to UNESCO Sigiriya and the Dambulla Caves. I stayed in a gem of a place called Aarunya Nature Resort, slightly outside of Kandy located on a windy road. This is a new eco-friendly resort that just opened up in 2018 and is paradise in the midst of tea plantations and paddy fields. I had a private one bedroom compact villa with an outdoor jacuzzi surrounded by trees and nature. The main infinity pool overlooked the most amazing sunrises. Truly it was hard to leave here but if I hadn’t left then I wouldn’t have known about the fortress on top of a rock (Sigiriya) or the Buddhas hiding in the Dambulla caves!

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Sigiriya

Simply put, a king decided to build himself a fortress on top of a rock. For Sri Lanka, this is one of the most valuable historical monuments. The granite peak is some 180m high. So yes there are a whole bunch of steps you need to climb in the humidity. It’s also fondly called the “Lion’s Rock” and once you get to the top you will see sweeping views of the jungle from all sides.

Dambulla Caves

Also a World Heritage Site, I found this cave temple absolutely delightful. I first came to the main temple where you can see a life size statue of the Buddha towering over the front yard.

We then drove for a few minutes to the cave site where you have to climb some steps to reach the actual caves. You will need to leave your slippers behind so maybe wear socks? I didn’t have socks and it was raining, suffice to say the whole situation was yuck but hey I survived. The Dambulla temple is one of the best preserved cave temple complex (nearly 2000 years old) in Sri Lanka. You can buy tickets at the entrance before climbing up to see the five different caves. As always, wear modest clothing which includes covering your legs and your shoulders.

In conclusion, 26 years after the end of the civil war, this country has steadily been opening up to tourism. People are loving all that the country has to offer and I can see why. I met some of the nicest, friendliest locals – ate some of the most amazing local cuisine and marveled at how clean this island was. Then I came to the sobering realization that the tourism scene is about to explode. This is fast going to become like a Bali – so what are you waiting for? Book that ticket, plan your trip and charge your camera batteries. You’re going to visit Sri Lanka. 😉