With winter just around the corner, I know many of you are looking for a warm destination to spend a few months, I have just the place for you, Sri Lanka. The dry season in the southwest region is from December to March so you better start planning.
Since Sri Lanka is a fairly unknown travel destination for many, I thought sharing our itinerary along with the accommodations where we stayed and the attractions we visited would be helpful to other independent travelers. Our itinerary unfolds diverse experiences blending ancient wonders, scenic beauty, wildlife and modern comforts while discovering a new culture.
Before we get to the nitty gritty, here’s a bit of information about this wonderful country.
Sri Lanka, nicknamed the “Pearl of the Indian Ocean”, is known for it’s tropical climate with idyllic beaches, abundant wildlife, verdant hill country, ancient archeological sites, rich history and most of all, the smiles and welcoming hospitality of its people.
This small island nation has had more than it’s fair share of issues over the last century but OMG what a gem did we discover!
After the 2019 Easter terrorist Bombings, the country was just starting to bounce back when Covid hit in March 2020, in 2022 a political and economical crisis erupted causing food, fuel and electricity shortage.
When we arrived on March 1st, 2023 we weren’t sure what to expect. It turned out that life was actually pretty normal, as tourists we couldn’t really see or feel the effects of the crisis. During the four months we were there, we never felt unsafe and never witnessed any signs of a country in crisis besides not seing to many tourists, which quite frankly we didn’t mind at all.
Sure we had a few power outages and we had to show a QR code and queue up to fill up our scooter, but food was abundant and all the tourist attractions were up and running including most hotels and restaurants.
Of course for Sri Lankans it’s a different story, the price of essentials like electricity, water and rice has sky rocketed making life extremely difficult for them. For people in the hospitality industry to see tourism slowly picking up again is a very positive sign and they went the extra mile to make us feel welcome.
We spent a total of four months in Sri Lanka, three of them in a beautiful villa in the middle of paddy fields in the Southwest and one month touring around the country’s top sites from April 12 to May 9, 2023.
After a month in this beautiful Villa in the Southwest near the little beach town of Unawatuna, we were ready to explore more of this beautiful country.
Table of Content
Visa
We (US passport holders) applied for our ETA on the official website called Sri Lanka Electronic Travel Authorization System in February 2023 and were lucky to get a six month single entry tourist visa. After looking at the updated information, the six month option is unfortunately no longer available. You can still apply on line for an ETA or obtain a VOA (visa on arrival), both options are for a 30 day period with options to extend. Visit the official website for the latest information.
Local SIM Cards
After you have been through immigration and have collected your bags at Bandaranaike International Airport CMB, it looks like you are exiting the airport but you will come out to an area where you will find the tourism information office, ATMs, Currency Exchange, travel agencies and telecommunications services providers. This is where you want to get your local currencies, Sri Lankan rupees and your local SIM card. Mobitel or Dialog both offer very affordable prepaid data and calling plans.
Unfortunately for us, the airport kiosks did not offer the eSIM options, we had to go to the Mobitel flagship store in Colombo. Our US iPhone 14’s only use eSIM technology and are no longer compatible with physical SIM cards which is turning out to be a bit of an issue in less developed countries.
Transportation
If you are planing on touring around the island, there’s a few options when it comes to transportation, a popular choice, is to hire a private car and driver. It’s fairly easy to find one on line or you can go through a local Travel Agency. Hotels and restaurants have special accommodations for drivers and they get free meals in many restaurants when you are traveling around the country. If you want to experience the famous train ride between Kandy and Ella, your driver can keep your luggage and meet you at your final destination.
Since we travel slower than most, we got a different driver in each destination because we wanted to spend three or four days in each place. Any hotel can recommend reliable drivers, just make sure you negotiate the price in advance.
Other options are: buses, trains, renting a car or scooter, you can even rent your very own tuktuk with a company called Tuktuk Rental.
In Colombo and a few other cities you can use Uber and the local transportation app called PickMe which is even cheaper than Uber but you will need a local phone number to register.
Pro tip: I used PickMe and Uber to get an idea of the cost between destinations to negotiate with drivers.
For transportation within a destination, tuktuks are the way to go, cheap and available everywhere, again always negotiate before the ride and in Colombo only use tuktuks with meters. If you stay somewhere long enough, you will probably have your own tuktuk driver that you can contact via WhatsApp whenever you need his services.
Inexpensive buses and trains are also a good option, check with your hotel or book online via 12Go Asia,
Pro tip: I used Uber to get from the Airport to our Hotel located in Colombo’s city center (LKR 5,800- $16us), a 45 minutes ride. After speaking with the driver, he gave me his WhatsApp number and a few days later I called him to drive us 2 hours away to Galle Fort (LKR 17,000-$50us) in a comfortable Toyota Prius. They will stop anywhere along the way if you need to get groceries, have lunch or use an ATM, they really don’t mind waiting and there is no extra cost.
Colombo
We started our month long trip with a week in the bustling capital, Colombo. it was our second visit, coming back to a familiar place is always nice. We met up with friends and explored the city a bit more.
Accommodations in Colombo: Hilton Colombo Residence has been our home in Colombo, primarily because I get a friends and family discount and with my Gold status we get complimentary breakfast and upgrades. There’s 2 Hiltons in Colombo, the one where we stayed is the Residence which offers spacious apartments with fully equipped kitchens and living rooms.
The location is great and we loved the large pool area with incredible views of the Lotus Tower. There’s a supermarket next door making it super easy to prepare your own food which is a big plus when you travel full-time. Most of all, we like the level of service and the friendliness of the staff. We paid $83/night including a copious breakfast buffet.
Other hotel recommendations: Marino Beach Colombo and Granbell Hotel Colombo, both have roof top pools and water views. Friends of ours stayed at these hotels and really enjoyed both.
Despite its recent economic and political crisis, Colombo is striving to become a modern city.
Attractions in Colombo:
If you want to get your steps in and don’t mind walking in the heat, all the attractions can be visited by foot or if you prefer, you can just jump in a tuktuk from place to place or better yet, hire a tuktuk for the day and tell your driver where you want to go, he will be happy to wait for you. Just make sure you negotiate the price upfront for the day or if it’s just a short ride only take tuktuks with working meters.
- Galle Face Green, a walk in this ocean side park is a must and can be combined with a stop at the iconic landmark Galle Face Hotel for high tea at The Veranda or a martini at the Traveller’s Bar.
- Pettah Market is a chaotic landmark in the heart of the old city where locals come to shop for just about everything from produce to electronics to fabric, it’s also where the beautiful Jami Ul-Alfar (Red) Mosque is located.
- Gangaramaya Buddhist Temple is the most popular temple in Colombo, it’s very colorful and even includes a museum with thousands of Buddha statues from all over the world and an antique car collection. The price of admission will not only get you access to the main temple but also to a second temple located on a floating platform, less than a 5 minute walk, on Beira Lake.
- Dutch Hospital upmarket shopping area located in a 17th century colonial building and home to the famous Ministry of Crab restaurant for a taste of the legendary lagoon crab ranging from 500g to 2kg!
- Independence Square, to commemorate Sri Lanka’s independence from the British colonial rule on February 4, 1948 after 133 years.
- Viharamahadevi (Victoria) Park, peaceful park for a stroll with a giant Gold Buddha statue located across the street from Colombo’s Town Hall which looks like the US Capitol building.
- Lotus Tower, no matter where you are in the city center you can’t miss it, specially at night when it’s illuminated. It’s possible to go up to an observation deck.
- Like most Asian cities you can also find air conditioned modern shopping malls, One Galle Face Mall, Majestic City and Colombo City Center Mall all offering high end shops, cinemas and dining options.
Sigiriya
From Colombo I used the PickMe app to get a driver to Sigiriya (LKR 22,000 – $67us) for a 4 hour drive. You can also take a very affordable train from Colombo Fort to Habarana which is about 25 minutes by taxi or tuktuk from Sigiriya. Buses are also departing from Colombo Fort.
Accommodations in Sigiriya: The Nature Park Villa was a nice place to stay for a couple of nights, they made arrangements for a tuktuk driver to take us to Lion Rock and the Cave Temple. It was nice to have a pool after a hot and busy day of sightseeing, the restaurant served good local food. We paid $58 for 2 nights with breakfast in April.
Attractions in Sigiriya:
- Sigiriya or Lion Rock (Unesco, World heritage site) an ancient rock fortress, chosen by King Kashyapa as the site of his new capital in 477-495 AD. One of Sri Lanka’s most popular attraction and definitely worth the effort of climbing the 1270 steps, just make sure you get there first thing in the morning to avoid the heat and tour groups. We got there at 5:30am when the ticket office opened and we were rewarded with a beautiful sunrise.
- Pidurangala is another popular Rock and cheaper option, the hike is a bit more involved but you get a beautiful view of Lion Rock from the top specially at sunrise or sunset.
- Rangiri Dambulla Cave Temple (Unesco, World heritage site) the largest and best preserved cave temple complex in Sri Lanka housing more than 150 beautiful buddha statues including massive Reclining Buddhas. Very impressive.
Trincomalee
After the big city and lots of sightseeing we set off for a few days of beach relaxation. We chose Uppuveli Beach outside of Trincomalee on the east coast.
It’s a perfect spot to relax, swim, long walks on the beach and observe the local fishermen empty their humongous nets.
The east coast of Sri Lanka has a different rainy season than the more popular southwest region. The best time to visit is from April to September. Another popular option, on the southeast coast, is Arugam Bay, especially if you like surfing.
Accommodations in Uppuveli Beach: French garden Prakash Beach Hotel we loved this modest hotel for its excellent location, right on the beach. The swimming in front of the hotel is one of the best I have ever experienced and the restaurant served surprisingly excellent food. Every thing in this small area is called French Garden so make sure you use the link above to get the beach front location. We paid only $35 per night not including breakfast and stayed 3 nights in April.
Kandy
A major city in the central highlands, Kandy, (Unesco, World heritage site) was the last capital of the Sinhala kings until the occupation of Sri Lanka by the British in 1815. A sacred city, Kandy is known as Sri Lanka’s cultural capital.
We opted to stay two nights outside the city to take advantage of the many beautiful hotels with mountain views and one night in the city center to visit the attractions and be close to the train station for the Kandy to Ella train journey.
Accommodations outside Kandy: Elegant Hotel we really enjoyed this mountain view hotel with excellent food, impeccable service and dreamy pool. We visited the Royal Botanic Gardens while staying in this area. We paid $75/night with breakfast and got a complimentary upgrade to the Presidential Suite!
Accommodation in Kandy’s City Center: Hotel Casamara perfect for a night in Kandy, walking distance to the Temple of the tooth and the dance performance at the cultural center. You can ask the front desk to reserve your seats for the dance show. The next morning we took a tuktuk to the train station. We paid $44/night with breakfast.
Attractions in Kandy:
- Sri Dalada Maligawa, Temple of the Tooth Relic (Unesco, World heritage site) one of the most sacred sites in Sri Lanka, even though you can’t actually see the tooth because it is kept in a golden casket. The Temple is housed in the Royal Palace complex of the former Kingdom of Kandy.
- Kandy Lake, take a stroll around the lake.
- Dance Show at the Kandyan Cultural Center, nice immersion into the local culture through dance and music.
- Royal Botanic Gardens, we really enjoyed our visit to the Gardens and spent a few hours walking around.
Train from Kandy to Ella
Considered one of the most stunning train ride in the world, it was at the top of my list of things to do in Sri Lanka. Even though it’s a very long ride, about 7 hours, I wouldn’t hesitate do it again. The scenery along the way and the interaction with the local is priceless and where else can you hang out on the side of a train taking pictures without getting in trouble?
Note that the whole route starts in Colombo at 5:30am and ends in Badulla at 4:00pm which is a few more stops after Ella. The most popular option is the Ella Odyssey Train which is a special train that stops at scenic photo locations along the way but you can take any train along that route.
Buying your tickets can be a bit tricky. There’s four options:
1- Directly from a major railway station
2- On line via the official website for the Sri Lanka Railway it’s important to note that you need a local sim card to secure your booking and that you should reserve well in advance, but no more then 30 days, because the seats sell out quickly, you also have to pick up your tickets at one of the major railway stations and you must show your passport when doing so. We paid $13 for 2.
3- If you have a Mobitel local sim card, you can dial the 365 hotline, make sure you have sufficient credits.
4- Through a local Travel Agency. which is probably the easiest and more practical option. The price will be higher but it’s still worth it if you can’t figure out the official website or if your preferred dates are not available. I heard that resellers buy most of the available seats when they become available a month out, that’s why it can be difficult to book on the official website. Booking with a travel agent is also your best option to ensure you get a first or second class reserved seat and often time they will deliver the tickets to your accommodation at no extra charge.
If your schedules allows it, highly recommend braking up your train ride in two sections.
1- Kandy to Nanuoya station
2- Nanuoya Station to Ella.
The Nanuoya Train Station is located about 8km from Nuwara Eliya where you can stay a couple of days to enjoy the cooler temperature, beautiful hikes and tea plantations.
When we did our train ride from Kandy to Ella, we had to hire a car to drive us back to Nuwara Eliya, it would have been a lot cheaper and faster to just get off the train spend a few nights and get back on the train to Ella.
Nuwara Eliya
At nearly 2,000m (6,500 ft) above sea level, it is Sri Lanka’s highest city. Nuwara Eliya is nicknamed Little England, it use to be a hill country retreat where the British colonialist could escape the tropical climate and immerse themselves in their favorite pastime such as fox hunting, polo, golf and cricket back in the late 1800’s up until the independence in 1949. Today you can still find colonial style bungalows and manicure gardens.
Accommodations in Nuwara Eliya: The Hill Club a unique experience for sure in this member only club that has been in operation since 1876. All of the 800 members now are all Sri Lankan and allow foreigners to stay outside of their peak occupancy. We splurged on a half board package that included breakfast and a multi course dinner. We paid $314 for two for a two night stay.
Men have to wear a coat and tie for dinner, they have a whole closet full of jackets to choose from, that’s definitely not something we have in our backpacks. It was fun to dress up and play aristocrats for a couple of days in this gorgeous setting. They even put hot water bottles in our beds while we were having dinner.
Attractions in Nuwara Eliya:
- High Tea at the Grand Hotel
- Hakgala Botanical Gardens
- Boat tour on Lake Gregory or strolling in the beautiful walking trails around the lake
- Take a walk in Victoria Park
- Hike to Lover’s Leap waterfall
- Climb Adam’s Peak
- World’s End Hike in Horton Plains National Park
Ella
Accommodations in Ella: Lavendra Paradise. With only two rooms I highly recommend this little mountain paradise with the best breakfast ever prepared by the young owner’s mom. Ten minute walk to the town and Shan will give you all the recommendations you need for a great stay and explore the area. We were there for three nights but could have easily stayed a week in this charming guesthouse. We paid $32 a night for the room plus $5 per person for a lavish breakfast, we had so much food that we kept left overs in the small refrigerator in our room to snack on later.
Attractions in Ella:
- Nine Arches Bridge Sri Lanka’s iconic landmark and definitely a must see, it was built entirely out of brick and cement without a single piece of steel in 1921 because of the lack of steel caused by WW I.
- Little Adam’s Peak easy and well marked hike.
- Ella Rock Hike, beautiful view point in Ella, 10km round trip.
- Uva Halpewatte Tea Factory: Built in 1940 during the British rule, the factory is perched 1,230 meters above sea level in the Uva region, 6 km from Ella. They offer Factory and Plantation Tours.
- Cafe Chill an institution in Ella, you have to read their story of resilience during the pandemic.
Udawalawe
A tour of Sri Lanka is not complete without at least one elephant safari in one of their many National Parks. Yala National Park is the most popular especially if you want to see leopards in the wild. We opted for a smaller park with less visitors, Udawalawe National Park where we saw deers, water buffaloes, crocodiles, jackals, tons of birds and of course many elephants on a five hour private tour for only $120 including park fees.
Accommodations in Udawalawe: on booking.com it’s called Mansala Safari House on Google Maps it’s called Mansala Safari House – Udawalawe Safari Jeep.
Small, family owned guesthouse, the owner Tiron arranged our private safari tour, our driver Nadeera picked us up at five am at the guesthouse and were back by ten to enjoy the delicious breakfast included with our accommodation. Other meals are available on demand, we had one of our best dinner at Mansala House prepared by Tiron’s wife and his mother. We loved our two nights at Mansala Safari House. Tiron also arranged private transport to Mirissa. We only paid $40 for 2 nights including breakfast but keep in mind that was during the low season in early May.
Attractions in Udawalawe:
- Udawalawe National Park, smaller and lest busy National Park than Yala
- Udawalawe Elephant Transit Home: a rehabilitation center for young, orphaned elephants with a viewing platform where you can observe feedings of baby elephants a few times a day
Mirissa
Mirissa is probably the most popular beach town in the Southwest, it has a great swimming beach and attracts surfers and a younger chill crowd. Lots of restaurants, cafés, and hostels. We visited a couple times and really liked the vibe and could have easily based ourselves here.
Accommodations in Mirissa: Mamma Mia Mirissa. We stayed at Mamma Mia on our first visit and enjoyed the minimalistic decor and view over the fishing boats but I think the price is high for what you get and if you don’t have your own scooter it is a bit to far to walk to town. We paid $48 per night including breakfast at the end of March .
Randiya Sea View Hotel, we stayed at the Randiya in the shoulder season and got a super deal just walking up to the desk. We liked the location and the pool, the restaurant not so much but there is so many options near by that we didn’t care. We paid only $25 a night without breakfast because we enjoyed breakfast at our favorite Café in Mirissa, Shady Lane Café.
I would suggest booking a night or two in advance and just walking around to find the accommodation that suits you best. You will get a much better price and won’t have any bad surprises if you are planning to stay a while
Attractions in Mirissa:
- Coconut Tree Hill
- Parrot Rock
- Secret Beach
- Fisheries Harbor
- The Doctors House
- Shady Lane Café
Galle Fort
Predominantly built in the mid to late 1600s by the Dutch, the old town and its fortifications were awarded Unesco World Heritage status in 1988. Galle Fort is the largest remaining fortress of its kind in Asia.
Some historians believe Galle may be the Tarshish of biblical times where King Solomon obtained his gems, no wonder there’s a jewelry store on every corner…
When we first arrived in southern Sri Lanka we spent a few nights in Galle Fort and absolutely loved it, after moving in our villa we visited again and again since it was only a 20 minute tuktuk ride away.
Accommodations in Galle: Arches Fort highly recommend this small hotel in the heart of the old town. We paid $75 for two nights including breakfast at the beginning of March.
It’s the perfect little place for a stroll specially at dawn and sunset. Boutique hotels, art galleries, souvenir shops, art market, lots of jewelry stores, Mosques, Temples, Churches and great restaurants, including Aqua Pizza where we found the most delicious Neapolitan style pizza.
On weekends the tiny streets become the back drop for photoshoots for young couples celebrating engagements.
While walking the ramparts it was fun to see locals play cricket, fly kites, enjoying each other’s company or ordering food from one of the many street vendors. My favorite was the chick pea cart.
Unawatuna
Our home for three months, Unawatuna, was a great place to live. Beautiful palm lines beaches, accommodations tucked away through paddy fields, easy to get around by scooter or tuktuk, plenty of hotels, restaurants, supermarkets and a good location to explore nearby Galle, Mirissa, Hikkaduwa.
Best tour: Idle bikes offers wonderful guided bicycle tours through the paddy fields
Best yoga studio: Sri Yoga Shala
Best Beach Hangout: Kingfisher Hotel and restaurant
Best Café: Skinny Tom’s Deli, Wild and the Sage
Favorite restaurants: Persian kitchen, Wijaya Beach Restaurant, Sri Gemunu Beach Resort, La Boheme, Why House
Best supermarket: Sea Fair Food City, Arpico
Attractions:
- Japanese Peace Pagoda,
- Mihiripenna Beach,
- Unawatuna Main Beach,
- Jungle Beach,
- Koggala Lake Tour,
- Stick fishermen,
- Rope swing at Delawella Beach
Accommodation in Unawatuna: Handugoda House
Unfortunately the beautiful villa where we stayed is no longer available for rent. It was rented long term when we left in July 2023. There is a lot of options through Airbnb, and Bookings or even staying in a hotel for a few nights and look locally, though it could be a little tricky during high season. Maybe ask for a video tour before you commit for a month. We’ve seen a lot of places in desperate need of tlc because they were left empty during the pandemic and economic crisis.
We paid $1500/month for a 3BR 3.5 bath with a private pool including a staff of three, Wi-Fi and electricity. It was located in the middle of paddy fields in the tiny village of Heenatigala, a fifteen minute tuktuk ride to Unawatuna Beach.
If you don’t mind being a bit out of town, our friends Mary and Guy have an outstanding property called Sri Mathie, they offer a couple of beautiful newly built bungalows with kitchens and a few rooms in the main house full of antiques and curated art pieces. The estates is located in Habaraduwa, 2 km from Koggala Beach, it is surrounded by a teak forest, fruit trees, manicured gardens and a shared pool. WhatsApp +94 77 280 9977. Tell them Joe and Josee sent you!
I hope this article has sparked your interest in Sri Lanka, I highly recommend adding it to your travel plans.
Let me know if you need further information about traveling through Sri Lanka I will be happy to help.
Don’t hesitate to leave us a comment, we always love hearing from you.
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In 2014 we decided to sell everything we owned to embark on a Journey to discover the world. After five years of overland travel through the Americas driving from Alaska to the tip of Argentina, we traded our expedition vehicle in 2020 for two backpacks … we have been roaming slowly through Europe, Africa, Asia and are currently in Oceania
Who knows where the wind will take us next!
The more you travel the more you realize how little you have seen 🌎 🌍 🗺
