Sri Lanka: A small island full of beaches, rainforests, the kindest people, exotic animals, incredible food and Unesco World Heritage sights galore (8 of them!). We decided on this trip the year prior while at our hotel in Guilin, China: the Shangri-La made a pretty convincing argument to visit. We couldn’t shake the idea, so we booked the trip and made it our goal to see as much as possible.

We had two weeks in Sri Lanka, so after extensive research we settled on the route shown by the map below. We took a counter clock-wise route, starting and ending in Colombo. Next time we go, we’ll do things a little differently, but we are so thankful we got to see all we packed into the trip! For sake of interest, I’m posting our journey a little out of order, but it’s all here!

Our advice? I’ve got lots, but here are the top 3:

Pre- plan your transportation!! There are trains, but not to every destination and they are very slow (and rarely air-conditioned… a crucial fact, believe us). Hire a driver for the duration of your trip, if at all possible. Most of our stress on this trip was finding drivers for hire between the legs of the trip.
Mosquito spray! It’s hard to find the good stuff there and you will need it!
Don’t waste much time in Colombo. It’s a typical big city. The real magic of Sri Lanka is to be found once you get out of town!

Create your own travel map

UDAWALAWA NATIONAL PARK

We debated whether we should do Udawalawe or Yala for our safari. Udawalawe won out because it was supposed to be less touristy and have more elephants. We’re glad with what we chose, but next time we’d do Yala just for the variety. Make sure to book with a guide that has a jeep with grandstand seating, that way all of your party gets a good view. Prices can vary, but just make sure to check around and read reviews before booking your guide.

Not long after we entered the park and were desperately craning our necks hoping to glimpse an elusive elephant, this large fellow strolled around the corner toward us. The driver turned off the engine and we all held our breath as he lumbered past us, close enough to reach out and touch. It was magical.

The wildlife awe didn’t stop with elephants. Birds, all manner of 4-legged creatures, lizards, monkeys… there was a bit of everything to be seen!

A little green Bee-Eater

Evan spotted this little lizard as we were whizzing by in the jeep.

I can’t tell if this bird is from the parrot family or another bee-eater, but it’s so bright and pretty.

A Crested Hawk Eagle?

This mama and her calf were so sweet to watch.

Train from Ella to Kandy

The train between Ella and Kandy is not to be missed if at all possible. The ride itself was absolutely beautiful, but it’s a time commitment: to get from Ella to Kandy is 6-10 hours. We broke up the journey with a night in Nuwara Eliya — a tea plantation mecca and unlikely “little England,” 2.5-3 hrs into the journey. I’d definitely recommend it if you have the time.

Make sure to book ahead! While seats aren’t necessarily reserved except for “1st class,” it’s common for the train to be sold out day-of, especially in peak season. First Class is not what you’d think. It occasionally has air conditioning, but don’t count on it. The link we used to book our train tickets charged us far more than the cost of the ticket, but it was worth it to us with not being sure if we’d be able to get to a train station before our departure. You can read more about booking train tickets here. You’ve got options, but don’t wait until the last minute – you may have to wait for the next train the following day.

These sweet ladies gave us an impromptu tea picking lesson.

We arrived at the tea plantation 5 minutes before closing. These steaming hot cups of tea were consumed in record time — freshest cuppa ever.

Jetwing St. Andrews is where we stayed in Newark Eliya. There were mixed reviews on Hotels.com: some saying it was old and not kept up well at all. Some said it was charming and a lovely stay. Considering the next similar hotel jumped in price several hundred dollars, we took a chance. It was good! We saw the wear and fraying around the building, but the charm and homeliness won us over. And the gardens, of course. And the pool table.

We were on our train waiting at a stop along the journey when the peanut vendor disembarked. He saw the hungry stray dog and proceeded to give him a handful of peanuts. I didn’t get a photo of the actual moment, but that small gesture really touched me. That kindness to animals was common all over Sri Lanka. The population is primarily Buddhist, and their kindness and consideration to animals was well-evident. Made my heart happy.

KANDY

The second largest city in Sri Lanka and the cultural capitol of the country, Kandy is full of life and bustle. And Monkeys. We didn’t have much planned for the city besides seeing the Temple of the Tooth. We were roped into a cultural performance last minute could have been missed and we wouldn’t have shed a tear about it.

The hotel we stayed in, Hotel Radh, was one of the nicest of our stays. We also used their car services to drive to Anuradhapura/Ulagalla and it was perfect.

Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic

The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic supposedly houses a tooth of the Buddha himself. It’s very heavily guarded and the tooth itself is not shown even though tourists and devotees can walk near it during offerings and prayers- which is when we arrived. The relic supposedly lies in a gold casket within a series of 6 other caskets, each diminishing in size. It is behind the gold door in the picture below.

Not entirely pictured: the massive group of people lined up behind the yellow ropes for the Ceremony of the Temple of the Tooth. We didn’t stay for the entire thing, partly due to claustrophobia and partly due to loosing interest.

Ancient Cities

Sigiriya

Oh, Sigiriya. Reading about visiting the actual site on Lonely Planet sounded extremely over-priced, roasting hot and crowded with tourists. We decided on climbing a neighboring peak that would give us a good view of Sigiriya.

Sure, we missed out on the lion sculpture and the ruins on the top, but instead had no crowds to fight on our ascent, climbed most of the way in the shade, paid zero dollars for the climb and happened to meet a stray dog and a reclining Buddha. In hindsight, we’d make the same choice again. In the last photo you can see the lines of pilgrims slowly climbing the stairs of Sigiriya… slow torture in the heat and humidity.

Note of caution: the ascent is not easy: bouldering, steep stairs, contortions and leaps over deep ravines are involved. Best for the young or agile and adventurous.

Bodhi Tree Shrine

The Sri Maha Bodhi Tree is sacred in both the physical and spiritual sense. Legend says it was grown from a cutting brought from India and is the oldest historically documented tree in existence. Its origins are traced back over 2000 years without a break in caregivers. Pilgrims to the site wear white and come carrying their offerings.

Anuradhapura

We arrived at Anuradhapura tired, hot and too late in the day to see all three of the magnificent “stupas” that it had to offer. We settled for a couple really fast self-tours, including sweet-talking the guards to allow a quick run into a closed – to- tourists area for a few snaps.

You could say once you’ve seen a few stupas, you’ve seen them all, but that wouldn’t really be true. They are amazing feats of construction from the ancient world, with only the pyramids of Giza surpassing them in size.

The Ruvanvelisaya Dagoba.

Can you spot the monkeys on the dome in the picture to the right?

The Lowamahapaya, or “Brazen Palace” was built more than 2000 years ago with 9 levels and accommodations for 1,000 monks and their attendants. This was the place I was able to run into after visiting hours and grab a few photos without a single other tourist in sight.

Monkeys were EVERYWHERE. Charming at first, a little gross after a while.

Ulagalla- a slice of heaven

Our very favorite place we stayed, so we ended up extending our stay.. I only wish it could have been longer. Reading about the Lotus Eaters in Homer’s Odyssey makes so much more sense now!

The location, the accommodation, the staff, the libations and food, all perfectly harmonized to make you never want to leave…

Upon arrival, a small ceremony is performed where you ring the bells to begin your stay.

The most tasty drink, Mazagrin: coffee, lime juice, sugar and magic.

My favorite Buffalo curd and honey = heaven.

Our Villa…

…that came with its own pool, peacock and cow…

…and our own bikes. Great way to get around the compound and see all the local wildlife.

This precious little pup adopted us while we were there. It just about broke my heart to leave her, but I ended up connecting with another guest who had been there recently who also loved and fed her.

I contacted the facility several times and they said they ended up adopting her as a hotel dog due to her popularity. I can only hope that is true and that sweet soul is doing well.

Monkeys are absolutely everywhere in central Sri Lanka.

Polonnaruwa

This was our very last ruins stop and I think we were a bit “ruined” out. Everything was very impressive and old, but we were hot and tired and missing the land of the Lotus Eaters. This place is huge. We spent a good solid day and still only scratched the surface. If you already happen to be nearby, it’s worth spending time for a visit.

Note of advice: Many of these Dagobas are considered sacred, which means no shoes. In 100 degree, scorching sun, that sand gets real warm. I had read a recommendation to bring socks and boy-oh-boy am I thankful for that. Even with socks, we still almost burned the bottom of our feet. Pack socks!

Feels a little Lara Croft Tomb Raider-like, especially with huge iguanas stalking about…

Dambulla

Honestly, we hadn’t even planned to stop here, but our driver insisted we’d want to see the big Buddha. He was very big.

My favorite part was seeing the monk with the kitten. How predictable am I?

On the same car ride past Dambulla, our dear driver insisted on showing us a local treat. We pulled over at a local roadside stand and he introduced us to Buffalo Curd. I was mildly horrified as he pointed out the round clay pots that were stacked in the sun (without refrigeration) that I had been seeing all along the road. This is Buffallo curd and we were going to eat some. They top it with “nectar” which we found out later is a syrup made from coconut flowers.

Hot yogurt with a black hair in it was the last thing I wanted to eat, but our guide was so excited for us to try it. I took a bite. And another. And another. And before I knew it I had a new favorite food. The yogurt I’m used to eating in the States tends to give me a bit a bit of gastric distress, but the Buffalo curd never upset my stomach at all, despite sitting out all day in baking heat with who knows what kind of bacteria adding to its composition.

Another unique dish in Sri Lanka is the Egg Hopper. It’s a thin, bowl shaped pancake that has an egg cracked into it. It’s usually served by street vendors, local-attended eateries, or in private homes and is absolutely delicious.

Galle

Galle is an abosolute gem. The city is a Unesco World Heritage site and is perfect for a day of exploring on foot. It’s construction began in 1663 by the Dutch and their influence in design is everywhere. Ancient churches, mansions, old Dutch Colonial buildings — there’s something to see around every corner. And being a walled fort in design, you’ve got a few corners to explore. It’s surrounded on three sides by ocean and fun fact, the fort has a intricate sewer system that is flushed out daily by the tide. No swimming for us, thanks very much.

We really enjoyed our two-night stay. And two nights was just about perfect to see most of the fort sights.

One of the highlights in Galle is the Town Walk, a self-guided tour that Lonely Planet has in their guide book. Definitely worth the 3-4 hrs total for the stroll.

This clock tower actually always shows the right time! Thanks in part to the success of Big Ben (at least I’m guessing there’s a connection there), and its British creators from 1882 that engineered the giant mechanism.

The Dutch hospital – once filled to the brim with patients suffering from the plague.

The old city gate that has the date, 1683.

Not all of the Fort was built by the Dutch. The Portuguese contributed construction as well. You can tell the difference between their work because the Dutch made the walls so much wider to allow for cannon usage. They also used coral along with stone and mortar – we saw a lot of that.

We stayed at The Fort Printers thanks to a Lonely Planet recommendation. So glad we did! Everything was top-notch, including the service, the endless glass water bottles and the minimalistic comfort. Built in 1825, it was once housed printing presses. I loved that we were able to stay in a piece of Galle’s history.

An oasis in middle of the city.

Sunsets in Galle are phenomenal.

Weligama

Beaches in Sri Lanka are usually mostly deserted, beautiful and clean for the most part. There were other beach retreats we wanted to stay at, but due to time and logistics Weligama made the most sense. We didn’t love our accommodation here, so I won’t recommend it, but there are so many other options and something for everyone.

Most places are rather secluded, so it’s best to make sure you have a driver who is familiar with the area, unless you are heading to a large commercial hotel.

Our bungalow for the birthday guy.

Since we’ve now done the ancient cities, next time we’d make a closer study of the beaches in Sri Lanka. We’ll definitely be back to finish what we started.

Colombo

Oh, Colombo. As cities go, it’s just fine, but nothing extraordinary. It’s convenient to stay after or before a long flight, but I wouldn’t recommend staying there purposefully for more than half a day.

We stayed at the Shangri-La in Colombo and it was lovely.

A week to the day after we left Sri Lanka, the 2019 Easter bombings happened. One of the targets was the Shangri La — the very breakfast room that we had been sitting in exactly one week prior, to the hour. It was such an immense tragedy and so sobering to think of those who lost their lives, some who we may have looked in the eye days before.

The country as a whole is very peaceful, but Sri Lanka has been defined by that tiny minority that is trying to destroy the honest, good and kind soul of the land.

Sri Lanka is an ancient place that has weathered worse storms and come through thanks to the strength of its people. I have no doubt they will rise from this, stronger and more determined to maintain their peace for another several thousand years.

So thankful to have been a part of it for a small while.

This was where we sat at breakfast at the Shangri La. I took the picture because I loved the chairs and wanted to find out who the vendor was. Little did I know in 1 week, this would be the center of the blast.