Budget
Budget
Nice
Fancy
Accomodation
(per night)
$10-20
$25-40
$70-200
Food
(per meal)
$2-3
$5-8
$10-20
Activities
$0.12-3 public transport
$2-5 entrance fee temples/waterfalls
Budget
Budget
Nice
Fancy
Accomodation
(per night)
$10-20
$30-40
$80-200
Food
(per meal)
$2-3
$5-8
$10-20
Activities
$6 scooter /day
$2-5 temples
/waterfalls
Richly decorated temples, endless tea plantations, picturesque train rides, safaris and beautiful golden beaches, that’s just scratching the surface of what Sri Lanka has to offer! And the best thing about it, it’s the perfect size for a 2-3 week holiday. You can travel the country by train, (chicken) bus, taxi or even tuk-tuk and you’ll be able to see and do so many things you’ll feel like you were there for at least a month!
Negombo
When you get to Sri Lanka by airplane, you’ll arrive at Colombo airport. However, Colombo isn’t the nicest city and as the airport is just as far away from Negombo, we’d advise you to start your journey there. There’s not a whole lot to do there, but there’s a beach, some restaurants and hotels as well as some shops to get things like a sim card. It’s a perfect place to spend a day just to recover from your flight and adjust to the new country you’re in!
Kandy
Kandy is one of Sri Lanka’s largest cities, full of old colonial buildings, temples and markets. It feels a little bit chaotic but once you get used to it it’s actually a really charming city. There is a big lake to walk around, quite a unique temple that holds the tooth of Buddha and many nice cafes and restaurants.
Accommodations are (like in the rest of the country by the way) very cheap, so you’ll be able to get a good bang for your buck!
As Kandy is very centrally located, we’ll take this as a starting point to head op to Dambulla. After that we’ll come back to Kandy in order take the famous train ride to Nuwara Eliya.
Dambulla (Sigiriya)
Dambulla itself is not a very spectacular city, but it’s a convenient place to stay if you want to visit Sigiriya or Pidurangala Rock. Sigiriya is the famous Lion rock, a uniquely shaped rock that still holds the ruins of a 1600-year-old palace. You can climb Sigiriya itself, or opt for the alternative: Pidurangala rock, which gives you a magnificent view of Sigiriya and the landscape around it.
If you want to visit Piduragala, it’s worth it to leave really early (and I mean really early, around 4:15!) to watch the sunrise on the rock. Arrange a tuktuk driver the day before, so they can pick you up at your hotel in the morning. Also, definitely wear shoes as it is quite a climb, and quite dark!
While you’re in Dambulla, don’t forget to visit the Cave Temple, and Golden Temple. Especially the Cave temple is really worth a visit, and since it’s quite high up, it also offers beautiful views!
train ride
One of the things we were most excited for when we visited Sri Lanka, was the world-famous train ride between Kandy and Ella. It takes you through forests, tea plantation fields, mountains and jungles and it’s super cheap. But, as it is world famous, we weren’t the only ones planning to take this train! Which for us, resulted in standing in a jam-packed train for 4 hours, not seeing much of the surroundings at all. I think we were unlucky and took the train in the middle of some sort of holiday, but be aware the experience might not be as idyllic magical as the Instagram pictures you saw.
That being said, we would still recommend taking the train! What we did see of the environment was beautiful and we were happy to have had this experience. If you want to make sure you have a seat, you can make a reservation for 1st class in advance. Do this early though, as it gets booked up months before. The only downside to 1st class is that the doors are shut when its driving, so if you want to sit in the doorway or take cute pictures, you’ll have to stand in line to get a ticket to 2nd or 3rd class.
Nuwara Eliya
Many people go from Kandy straight to Ella, but we’d definitely recommend breaking up that journey and staying in Nuwara Eliya for a day or two. It’s a small, quiet town nestled between endless tea gardens. And that’s exactly what Nuwara Eliya is all about, tea. Visit a tea factory to see the whole process and visit one of the incredibly beautiful tea gardens. There is also Lover’s leap waterfall you can visit, the park is a nice place to hang out during the day, and there’s also a market.
Make sure you bring some warmer clothes, it cools down a lot here!
Ella
Sometimes you come across a town that feels different, and Ella is definitely one of them. It’s very chill, has got those hippie and backpacker vibes and plenty of nice cafes and restaurants.
The most famous sight to see her is the 9 arches bridge. It looks like it came straight out of a fairytale and if you’re lucky you’ll get to see a train cross it. It does get very busy though, and we found it very much worth it to get there early (around 7). There are also 2 popular hikes around Ella, to Little Adam’s peak and Ella Rock.
Udawalawe
After the lush & green central part of the country, it’s time for something completely different: safari! Hop on one of those typical safari jeeps and keep your eyes peeled for elephant, crocodiles, monkey or -if you’re really lucky- even leopards! It’s an incredible experience, especially if this is your first time doing a safari. I will say though, just to manage expectations, it’s not as spectacular as safaris in Africa. However, it if you choose to visit Sri Lanka, it is definitely a great addition to your itinerary and just a really cool thing to do!
Since Udawalawe (or any other national park around here) is all about going on safaris, it’s really easy to arrange it. You’ll have no problems booking it at your hotel or guest house, and you’ll be picked up from there!
Mirissa
Time for relaxing and sun bathing! With plenty of beautiful golden beaches, trendy restaurants and tourist spots to visit, Mirissa is a great place to settle down for a view days after traveling through the whole country. Mirissa has a very central location in the south of the island, so it’s easy to do little day trips from here. Rent a motorbike or take a tuktuk and get exploring!
Go swimming at Talalla or Herikitiya beach, take an iconic picture at coconut tree hill (best to do this early in the morning) and have dinner at one of the (seafood) restaurants right on the beach.
Try to spot some whales and dolphins on a whale watching tour (if you’re here between November and April) and watch the sunset at Dikwella beach!
Unuwatuna
Unwatuna is another small coastal town, ideal to spend a few days and explore the area. It’s smaller than Mirissa, and has a beachy and chill vibe about it. We ended up staying for almost a week, and loved our stay here.
About 6km away from Unawatuna you’ll find the small town of Galle. The old part of the city is actually a fortress that was built by the Portuguese, and later occupied by the Dutch. It’s full of colonial buildings and cute little streets that reminds you of southern Europe and it’s just a really nice town to walk around in.
Sri Lanka is a popular surf destination, and one of the reasons is that it has surf all year round. The southwestern coast is best for surfing between November and April, but no worries if you happen to visit between May and September, than the eastern coast will be perfect for surfing. In Unawatuna, which is in the south, we recommend Bonavista beach and Hikkaduwa for learning how to surf.
Other activities to do around here include snorkeling (go on a tour or rent a snorkel and go by yourself at jungle beach), checking out turtle hatchery Harabaduwa and visiting the Frog rock at Dalawella.
Back to Colombo/Negombo
From Unawatuna you can easily take a taxi, train or bus back to Colombo or Negombo in order to catch your flight out of the country!
Hi! We're Sara & Arjen!
In 2018 we quit our jobs and decided to travel around the world. 5 Years later we’re still at it and now we’re sharing our experiences and tips with you!
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