The most friendly people we met so far. Almost everybody speak English and love to interact with tourists. So it’s a good opportunity to meet the locals and return every smile with pleasure.

Sri Lanka is not as exotic as we expected, but has a bit of everything to offer. Historic towns, mountains, wildlife and beaches. For us the best was the mountain region, for having stunning scenery and for being a great option to relax. But for those who like the beach you can find some quiet spots, with blue water, coconut trees and wave to entertain surfers.
A very positive side is that the country is small and easy to go everywhere, despite the fact that some journeys are longer then you would expect, so in 15 days you can make a nice tour.

What was worth it: The stunning visuals of the mountains regions.
What was not so paid off: Anuradhapura (the temples are basically stupas, with great religious significance for the locals but without much architectural interest).
What we wanted to do but we didn’t: Explore the mountains area of Ella, Nuwara Eliya and Haputale, the historical region of Sigiriya and Polonnaruwa.

A few tips:

  • TRANSPORTATION: Using public transportation is super easy. There is a large grid of options going daily to all directions of the country and you do not need to book in advance. Just be ready that a 200 km journey can last around 6 hours.
  • ADAM’S PEAK: If you want to climb Adam’s Peak, sleeping in Dalhousie is a great option. But remember to never go on the weekend or full moon holiday. Adam’s Peak is a mountain with strong religious significance and many pilgrims climb on the weekends and it gets super packed! If you arrive at the train station of Hatton its worth taking a tuk-tuk (for 10 USD) to go to Dalhousie, the view is amazing and you can stop along the way. Surely if you get the local bus is cheaper, but you won’t enjoy the same.
  • ANURADHAPURA: If you go to Anuradhapura is not really worth paying the 25 USD to visit the temples. You can see some of them without paying riding by bicycle around and many others you can see from the outside, which is enough.
Our itinerary (14 days)

We arrived in Colombo and after one day to make our visa to India we took a bus to the north, in Anuradhapura. After two days we went to Kandy, in the center, and from there we left by train to Dalhousie to climb Adam’s Peak. After we returned to Colombo for two days to check our visas and went down to the south by bus to Galle and the beaches of Hikkaduwa and Unawatuna, then returning to Colombo to catch our flight to India.

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The best of the country

Best period

Average spent/day
  • 45,00 – 55,00 US$ for the couple

Must-see places

  • The mountains of Dalhousie, Haputale, Ella and Nuwara Eliya.
  • The charming old town in the fort of Galle.

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Amazing experiences

  • Climbing Adam’s Peak at 2 am to see the colorful sunrise.
  • Interact with the most friendly people and the most beautiful smiles.
  • Swimming with giant turtles on the beach at Hikkaduwa.

Essential cooking

  • Curries and vegetables (all types as you’ve never seen before)
  • Curry Dall (the most typical curry, made of lentils)
  • Kottu Roti (roti fried and chopped with meat and vegetables)
  • Hopper (a kind of concave pancake to be eaten with egg and curries)
  • Local tea
  • Ginger beer (a type of beer without alcohol that looks more like a soda)

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