Pearl of Indian ocean, that is what people call Sri Lanka. An island which has a lot to offer for everyone. Natural beauty, diversity, rich culture, amazing people and more. You can get teleported from amazing beaches to beautiful hills within few hours in Sri Lanka. A rich experience that is affordable for everyone sums up Sri Lanka. If you had missed, Sri Lanka has been ranked within the top 10 places for most affordable travel destination and most beautiful destination frequently in recent times.
It is time to explore some of the best places to visit in Sri Lanka.
Nuwara Eliya
Nuwara Eliya is a hill station in the central part of Sri Lanka. A town that is painted with natural beauty. This is a suitable lovely place to visit for people who love a cool climate. Your eyes will be treated with amazing mountain views, lakes, gardens and waterfalls.
Gregory Lake – A beautiful lake where you can enjoy by just walking along the walking trail or just sitting down and enjoying the views of garden around the lake and mountains. Also, boating options also available here for a price.
Haggala botanical garden – A nice relaxing botanical garden with variety of flowers and plants.
Bomburu waterfalls – A refreshing waterfall in Nuwara Eliya. Requires a small hike to reach have an amazing view of this waterfall.
Sigiriya
A historical significant place in Sri Lanka. Sigiriya rock and the paintings on it is recognized by UNESCO as heritage site. Sigiriya once used as a fortress of a Sri Lankan king who built his palace on top of the rock. Sigiriya has large lions paw shapes at the bottom, and ponds as well. Paintings were done during Kings era are still preserved and maintained . A view of the surronding from the top of the rock feels surreal.
Trincomalee
Trincomalee is a one of a kind place situated in the Eastern coast of Sri Lanka. Trincomalee has a harbour which is located perfectly by nature due to the bay area. Koneswaram temple and Nilaveli beach are standout attractions to visit here.
Koneswaram temple stands tall on a hill overlooking the bay area. Surrounding of this temple also feels good, specially the views of the ocean can been seen from viewpoint just near the temple. Ensure to visit inside the temple with appropriate clothing that covers shoulders and knees.
Nilaveli beach is located about 15km away from Trincomalee town. This sandy beach has crystal clear waters and one of the finest in the country. This touristic beach has several stays near it to cater tourists visit the beach. A good place for sun rise view if you stay nearby.
Ella
Ella deserves a spot on the list of everyone visiting Sri Lanka. A cool hilly place with nature at it best. Visit beautiful Ravana Ella waterfall and enjoy the views from the main road itself. No hiking is requried for Ravana Ella falls, so everyone can visit here easily.
If you love hiking, hike to Little Adam’s Peak. Hike to little Adam’s peak has modernate difficulty and won’t take more than 1 hour to reach the top. Panoramic views at the top is worthy. Won’t to get little adventerous, try the flying zipline available in the same location. There are cafeteria at the base of the peak as well to serve your hunger.
The final punch for Ella would be the famous nine arched bridge. Built for railway with stones,bricks and cement without using steel in 1921. An amazing construction which can be viewed closer to it’s foot or from its top if you are in a train passing the bridge. The ella odyssey train stops on top of this bridge for few minutes, to allow passengers to enjoy the views.
Polonnaruwa
Polonnaruwa was one of the ancient capitals of Sri Lanka. Currently it is well known for it’s ancient buildings and ruins. You can see a variety of construction by Sri Lankan kings in Polonnaruwa starting from the ruins of King’s palace to still well maintained Reservoirs.
A visit to ruins of royal palace of king Parakramabahu reminds how majestic the building was and a well planned construction. Intricate carvigns can be found in walls of the palace. This palace was built in the 12th century.
Vatage is another place of interest in Polonnaruwa. This is an ancient buddhist building that has stone carvings and statues. A beautiful, calm and historically important place that is well maintained. The circular structure and the design of Vatage stands tall as a testament for Sri Lankan architecture.
Gal Viharaya is an ancient buddhist temple that houses few large buddha statues that are directly carved out of the rock.
Colombo
The capital city of Sri Lanka. The modernized and well maintained city offers a different view of Sri Lanka. You can completely rely on public transport to get around Colombo. Following are the amazing places to visit in Colombo and it’s surroundings.
Galle face green – Not a typical very sandy beach you expect. Galle face green hits differently, greenery of grass for a large area. You can get down to beach via few steps down from the galle face green. Best thing about Galle face is the vibe, at evening it fills with small vendors selling toys and different food items and has several small food stalls as well. A lot of locals can be seen here specially during weekends. Overall a good place to get sea breeze and a bite.
Port city – Port city was relatively newly built area in Colombo. Coast of Colombo was extended and this mini city was built. This location is closer to the Galle face green. Though few new constructions are continuosly happening here, ti currently has few good offerings. You can visit an artifical beach here along with a food court in the beach. Also, new amazing food court with international vibes has opened recently where sometimes music or dance performances happen during night. Port city also has a duty free mall if you want to purchase anything.
Bentota beach is one of the amazing beaches in Sri lanka. A beautiful beach with few places to relax and with clear waters. It will take 2 hours to reach Bentota from Colombo. If you have time to explore, this is a must visit.
Yala National Park
Want to go on a Safari ? Then visit Yala national park in the southern part of Sri Lanka to a good safari experience. You can see plenty of elephants, peacocks, deers, birds, wild boars,crocodiles and a lot more here. If you are lucky, you will spot a mighty leopard during your visit. Don’t expect to see a Lion or tiger here. You can hire a vehicle with the driver for the safari experience. Local safari operators charge for vehicle, so group up with more people to reduce individual cost. Also, ensure to buy individual entry ticket to the national park.