Are you looking for the best day by day experiences and suggestions for your next trip to Sri Lanka?
Sri Lanka is by far one of the most beautiful destinations in the world. This tropical island set in the Indian Ocean has stolen our hearts.
The beautiful landscapes, picturesque beaches and rich cultural heritage is something we are glad we were blessed to experience during our trip.
As travellers, we love meeting new people,exploring new places, cultures and of course enjoying the beauty of nature, and guess what? - this beautiful island has it all!
Think about- magnificient waterfalls, tea plantations, wildlife, tropical beaches, gorgeous monuments and temples. How exciting does that sound!? By the end of this blog post you will get all informations from our day-by-day experiences in this country and potentially help you plan a visit to Sri Lanka.
get ready to explore the incredible beauty of Sri lanka!
Days suggested: 2-3 weeks
Best time to visit: North: May to September
Center: January to April
South: September to March
Getting around: Car, tuktuk, bus or Train
Airports: Colombo International Airport
Currency: Sri Lankan Rupees
Language: Sinhala, Tamil, English
all infos in a
Glance
After reaching Colombo International Airport, depending on your arrival time, you’d may have two considerable options: plan a night stay in the closest village of Negombo or jump on a transport and head directly to your first incredible stop of this amazing trip.
Negombo is the perfect town where to look for a cheap stay with swimming pool and where to relax a bit after the long flight before jumping into your adventure!
If your flight doesn’t arrive to late in the evening we then suggest you to grab a driver outside of the airport and head immediately to your first adventure’s stop: Sigiryia
Day 1: relaxing in Negombo or sigiriya
welcome to sri lanka!
Day 2-5: Sigiriya (3 nights)
Find a local driver to take you by car to your first stop of this incredible trip: Sigiriya, close to Dambulla town.
Your ride will take around 3 and half hour leaving the west coast and heading to deepest part of Sri Lanka.
Sigiriya area is an archaeological site that belongs to the famous “Cultural Triangle”, where you can find all most beautiful temples, ceremonies & ancient cities nestled in the wild jungle.
We suggest you to spend three nights in this area in order to have time enough to enjoy each sunrise and sunset without rushing too much and being able to relax a bit during the hottest hours of the day.
Things to do:
one
Hike Lions Rock & Pidurangala Rock at sunrise
Hike the famous Lions Rock during the late afternoon to enjoy the view from there over the beauty of this incredible area. For sunrise head to Pidurangala Rock, hike for around 20 mins and enjoy the view of the sunrise over Lions Rock!
two
Visit Avukana Buddha Statue
Take part to the visit of the tallest Buddha Statue of the entire country!
three
Visit Polonnawura Ancient City
Immersed int he deep Sri Lankan jungle, the ancient capital of Polonnawura is a place of mystery to be explored through its ancient temples and ruins.
four
Jump on an early morning Safari at Kandulla National Park
Take part at one of the many Safari sessions of this area. Kandulla National Park counts the biggest number of elephants of the entire country. You will be able to see them bathing, eating and moving in groups in their complete freedom!
Day 7 Kandy ( 1 night)
You wanna know about the train from Kandy to Ella? We have you all covered!
Days 8-10: Ella (2 nights)
Plan at least two nights here to have enough time to visit all beauties of Ella. This town is a blissful and natural place between huge mountains. Find a hilltop guesthouse where to enjoy the view when waking up in the morning, a perfect base where to start your daily explorations. Climbing the Adam’s Peak, the Ella Rock or visiting the Nine Arches Bridge are just few of the many activities you may find in this area! Adventures in the forest will take you to huge waterfalls like Diyaluma Falls
Get lost and start exploring this incredible area of Sri Lanka...
Days 10- 12 (2 nights): Yala National Park
Leave Ella and drive all way down to Yala National Park and find a nice stay close by the Park where to spend the next days going on Safaris.
Yala National Park is one of the most know places in Sri Lanka where to jump on safaris, and believe us these are going to be unforgettable days!
During our visit here, we stayed at Leopard Safaris by KK Collection and everything turned into an incredible experience!
Days 12 - 14: Unawatuna and Mirissa area
Reach the south-west part of the island and spend 2 nights in Unawatuna. Unawatuna is mostly known for it’s laid-back hippy vibe, for coconut palm trees, nice bars, coffee shops, surf and beautiful beaches!
The time here is just about slowing everything down, enjoying sunsets on the beach, jumping on a boat for whales watching and eating yummy Sri Lankan food at one of the many restaurants.
Don’t miss beaches like Wigan Beach, Marissa Beach, Secret Beach in Marissa and Unawatuna Beach. Visit Galle and its Fort, spend some time at the Coconut tree Hill, jump on a surf session and watch the fishermen fishing at sunset.
We took the chance to relax and spend a lot of time at Kahanda Khanda by KK Collection
Days 14 - 16: Hikkaduwa
Taking the road again and getting always closer back to where everything started.
It’s now time to explore the area of Hikkaduwa!
Hikkaduwa isn’t just about the beach and surf, there are beautiful coconut tree forests to explore, a lot of local shopping to do, and endless great restaurants where to enjoy fresh fruits bowls and grilled lobster!
These will be the last days of this incredible trip in Sri Lanka, so nothing better than the beach and some good food to relax before jumping on your flight back!
Getting around in Sri Lanka
By Car
easiest and careless way but...
Hiring a driver is for sure one of the easiest solution that most of the tourists decide to do. A driver will cost you around 50 euro per day and will allow you to move in total freedom and taking your luggages easily with you.
By bus
Buses are a very cheap options!
If you’re willing in traveling on a really low budget, this might be for sure your best solution. Remind that buses are usually packed without air conditioning so this could easily turn into a real strong adventure!
Renting a car
confortable way of moving around
Rent & drive your own tuktuk
To bring all your belongings with you in the safest way but although you are a good driver an d used to drive in foreign countries, this way of moving around could get hard when getting closer to bigger cities were traffic can get crazy!
yes, you read correctly!!
Have you ever though of renting and driving a local tuktuk? if interested, click on the button below to find all informations you might need to rent and drive your own tuktuk during your time in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
You need a Sri Lanka visa to be allowed into the country, a very easy process that will take you just few steps before getting a valid permission to enter the country. There are three different kind of Visa you can apply for: Sri Lanka Visit Visa, Sri Lanka Transit Visa and Sri Lanka residence Visa. If you're traveling to the country for tourism reason, the first one is the one you want to apply for. Remember: you can also get your visa directly at the airport when you arrive in Colombo, but this will take you time and extra 5$. We suggest you to get your Visa online then!
Sri Lanka Visa Requirements
The requirements to get a Sri Lanka visa are:
Sri Lanka
Visa
how to get it
