Navigating Your Way Around Sri Lanka

A combination of national parks, ancient ruins, geological wonders, colonial history, trendy city living and plush beaches make up this tiny, yet fascinatingly diverse island of Sri Lanka.

Why Sri Lanka?

Not only is there a lot to see and do here, but the climate and terrain is as varied as the sights themselves. One day you could be sunning yourself along the stunning sands of South Coast, the next you could be trekking the mountainous green grasslands of the rainy Hill Country. Due to Sri Lanka’s relatively small size, you can cover great distances in short amounts of time; making your trip whatever you want it to be. Another plus is that the country is very much unspoilt by tourism, so you do feel like you’re getting an authentic experience.

Fitting Sri Lanka into your travel itinerary

Sri Lanka is a great stop off between India and Australia, and can easily be reached via South East Asia as well. Many making romantic getaways to the Maldives also drop by before heading to the paradise island itself; as you can get direct flights from the capital Colombo.

Where to go

When exploring the country, you can think of Sri Lanka in terms of its varying regions and assemble your plans accordingly. They can be divided into the following categories: the West, South and East Coasts, Hill Country, the Ancient Cities and the North, with each offering something different for every kind of traveller.

As there is only one international airport, located on the West Coast in Colombo, you may want to explore the city at the start and end of your trip. The West Coast is also home to a large number of beautiful beaches, popular for surfing, diving and spotting wildlife.

The South, also awash with stunning beaches, is where you can take part in whale watching and turtle spotting. The famous fort town of Galle is located here also. Additionally there are a number national parks housing a variety of animals including big cats, elephants and crocodiles.

The East Coast however is generally more deserted – still recovering from the 2004 tsunami and the country’s war torn days – and is filled with magnificent beaches waiting to be discovered, as well as vibrant wildlife to spot too. Further inland is the Hill Country, made up of tea plantations, national parks, a must-see elephant orphanage, pilgrim mountain site Adam’s Peak and Sri Lanka’s cultural capital Kandy.

North of Hill Country are the Ancient Cities, home to medieval ruins, sacred sights, decadent temples and a few more impressive national parks. North of here is the colourful Tamil region, aptly known as the North. Here you will find more strikingly beautiful beaches and landscape, as well as vibrant Hindu temples and a contrasting Tamil culture – the rest of Sri Lanka is Sinhalese Buddhist. There is strong military presence here too, as the place is still a little raw from its past conflicts; only recently being made accessible to tourists again.

So, depending on your preferences, you can focus your trip on an area or maybe several. Often people combine the beaches with the national parks, while others may stick to the historical and cultural elements further north. Below is a route exploring Colombo and the coast, followed by jaunts in the Hill Country and Ancient Cities, spread over a couple of weeks. It really is amazing how can be done in a short space of time here. To give yourself enough time, spend half your time along the West Coast and Hill Country and the other half in the Ancient Cities.

Two weeks in Sri Lanka: Things to do and see

It is very straight forward and inexpensive to navigate your way around Sri Lanka. The trains and buses have great connections to all the major points of interest, making it convenient for people wanting to backpack their way around.

Colombo and the coast

As you’ll be flying in and out of Colombo, this can form the basis of your plans, by enjoying the city either side of the trip. Mixing colonial Dutch influences with modern city life, the capital reflects the many vibrant facets that Sri Lanka has to offer. Spend a few days checking out the city’s museums, Buddhist temples and diverse neighbourhoods. From here you can also take day trips by train to the city’s nearest beach, Mt Lavinia and further south to Galle. Here you can wander along the crumbling old walls of this quaint fort town, as well as enjoy the bohemian boutiques and cafes. There are also many nearby turtle hatcheries that are doing wonderful conservation work, so worth a visit too.

Kandy and the Hill Country

From Colombo you can catch the train to Kandy, home to the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, housing what people believe to be Buddha’s actual tooth. There are also a number of temples, monasteries and museums to also visit in this picturesque city, all situated around a serene lake. As well as the British Garrison Cemetery and two arts centres, where you can see traditional Kandyan dance performances, fire eating, hot coal walks and many other weird and wonderful activities.

From the city you can also take a day trip to the wonderful Pinnewala Elephant Orphanage. Home to around eighty elephants, enjoy opportunities that include bottle feeding baby elephants, feeding fruit to others and watching these genteel creatures bathe in a nearby river. This is an experience not to be missed if you’re an animal lover.

Ancient Cities

When visiting any of the Ancient Cities, try to make your way around everything in a day. This is because the entry fees are extortionate, ranging from ten to twenty pounds each – which is extremely high when compared to similar sights in India and other Asian countries. You can cover each place easily by foot if you set off early. Alternatively you can hire bikes when you get to the towns.

From Kandy, a two-hour bus journey will take you to Dambulla, famous for its Buddhist cave temples. Filled with paintings and giant Buddha statues, spend the day exploring the ancient temples; before taking a forty minute bus ride to the geological site of Sigiriya. Hike this soaring giant rock, filled with wall carvings, monastery ruins, cave paintings and striking views of the surrounding landscape. The rock is also surrounded by pretty gardens filled with rock formations, bathing pools and an informative museum too.

From Dambulla, take the bus to Polonnaruwa, which is just a couple of hours away. Spend the day wandering around this former royal capital, filled with the spectacular ruins of palatial grounds, temples, shrines and monuments. You’ll also come across legions of monkeys roaming the grounds while you’re exploring the site too.

A three-hour bus journey from here will take you to Anuradhapura, another former royal capital filled with ruins of palaces, temples, monasteries, water tanks and more. After spending another day covering all the sights on this vast trail, you can take a five-hour train ride back to Colombo for your final days on the island. Alternatively you could easily head towards the east or north, depending on how much time you have.

Words and images by Sandy Dhaliwal

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