Sri Lanka is truly one of those places you’ll go to and be amazed with how diversly beautiful a small island can be. This was the first destination I travelled to post covid because it was one of the only countries with open borders, and I’m so glad I visited!
- Sri Lanka at a glance
- Where to go in Sri Lanka
- What to do in Sri Lanka
- Tips to travel Sri Lanka
- What to eat & drink in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka at a glance
A brief history: Following some wars (wow what a throwback, thanks Brits), the island was under British rule until the country was granted independence in 1948, although formally a republic in 1972.
Population: 22 million people, which is insane given the size of the island…
Capital city: Colombo
Official Language/s: Sinhala and Tamil, although a lot of people spoke English in the areas I visited, which included a lot of remote locations
Where to go in Sri Lanka
- Colombo & Negombo
- Sighiria
- Kandy
- Ella
- Weligama
- Galle
- Unawatuna
What to do in Sri Lanka
Ugh, what an insanely accessible and beautiful island! Spending 2 weeks here was not quite enough for me, honestly I would’ve loved to spend more time in the mountains
Eat your way through Sri Lanka
Honestly one of my favourite meals in Sri Lanka was breakfast, as they give you a diverse range of sweets & savoury food. But also the lunches and dinners were on point, with delicious curries and condiments.
Hang out with elephants in the national parks
You can go on safaris to one of many national parks to be up and close to the elephants, leopards and monkeys to name a few.. Yala National Park is the most well known, which was spectacular when I visited.
Climb Sigiriya Rock
An ancient rock fortress that is perhaps one of the most iconic places in the whole country. So worth the hundred of steps and the locals refer to it as the 8th wonder of the world…
Catch the train from Kandy to Ella
The iconic train that I posted on TikTok that got REMOVED because you can literally hang outside of the train windows while its moving. It’s not even that dangerous because the train runs so slow, but yes I did get my boyfriend to take 500 photos of me. Honestly though, take this beautiful train to see iconic views of tea plantations, rolling hills and locals just living their lives as you pass them through the various towns on the way.
Hike the mountains of Ella
Ahhh so lovely, if I were to go back to Sri Lanka I would definitely spend more time here. We found loads of hikes on the AllTrails app, which was super easy and safe, with usually some coconuts ready for you to drink up the top… We had a spiritual experience on one hike where a dog guided us up to the top of the hill covered in moving cloud and fog, magical.
Tips to travel Sri Lanka
Pre trip preparation for Sri Lanka
Download local maps
Service is pretty good around Sri Lanka, but its just better to have, particularly in those remote areas where signal is lacking (i.e. the mountains of Ella).
Get a local sim or e-sim
If going the e-sim version, you can prepare this prior to departing, however you can also pick up a cheap sim card at any corner store or at the airport (for a slightly higher price).
Tag on Google the places you want to visit
And understand the distances between them. Sri Lanka is fairly small, but still worth noting when planning your itinerary and any restaurants you want to try!
Download WhatsApp
This is generally how I chat to people, but alas download it if you don’t have it. They use it a lot in Sri Lanka (Airbnbs, drivers etc..).
Download Lyft
There are loads of other apps, but this one worked well. For longer distances, Lyft drivers ended up giving me their WhatsApp and we’d negotiate longer rides with other drivers in their network which ended up being around $10 AUD for 3 hours… Very cheap.
Prepare your first aid and medical kit
Yes, you can buy most things (but extras that usually are illegal lel) in Sri Lanka, but its between to be prepared your your Imodium, Paracetamol, bandaids etc because you never know when that chilli might hit you or you might get bitten by a dog (true story)…
Cost of travelling Sri Lanka
Currency: Sri Lankan Rupee (LKR)
ATM sitch? There weren’t ATMs everywhere, particularly in rural areas. Get out cash in larger sums when you can.
Card vs. cash? Most restaurants and hotels took card in the cities and towns (I used my Wise card), but in the rural places and for transport, they mainly took cash.
Visa fees? Nil for visa on arrival
Accommodation costs: $10-$20 USD for a dorm per night or $20-$50 USD for an Airbnb per night or $50+ per night for bougie resorts
Food costs: $2-$30 USD per meal or $1-$3 USD for a cerveza
Transport costs: $3-5 USD for intercity travel by tuk tuks and $10-$30 USD for travel between cities
Transport in Sri Lanka
Within cities
Tuk tuking: Tuk tuks are your best bet within cities, which can be waved down on the street, anywhere, anytime (mostly…). One of our hosts we stayed with at a home stay had his own, and he was kind enough to take us around, bless
Taxis: travelling to and from airports, taxis are usually your best bet, but make sure you find ‘official’ taxis at airports, do they don’t scam you
Between cities
Tuk tuking: lol again, some medium distances tuk tuks can be a good option, but maybe a little rough. We took some between some of the closer towns (under 1 hour), which ended up being quite cheap
Private drivers/taxis: it started out at our first hotel when we wanted to get from Negombo to Colombo, we booked a Lyft, and the driver came within minutes… He then gave us his number and him and his network of drivers gave us cheap lifts in Sri Lanka from for example to Kandy, Ella to Unawatuna… Private drivers was the easiest way to get around for me because of the short time I had to visit the country
Busing: there are buses, but they are very unreliable, slow, and uncomfortable. If you’re backpacking the country and have more time, this could be a good option
Safety in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka has often been put on the yellow watch link of nations because of its civil unrest, political uncertainty and economic hardship. When I went in 2022, this was straight after Covid where they were going through one of their hardest economic crises. During my whole stay, I did not once feel unsafe, although people from home were messaging very worried. The news made everything 10x more dramatised and the worst thing that happened to us were blackouts every few hours past 8pm.
My advice is to follow general precautions when travelling, or even being in your own home city. Oh, and wear a seatbelt on your flight because turbulence can be rough around this area.
What to eat & drink in Sri Lanka
Sri Lankan hoppers! Absolutely delicious fried batter shaped like a bowl which usually includes some kind of a curry and added with my favourite, a fried egg
Kotthu roti. Leftover flatbread fried with vegetables, egg and fragrant spices. You can get these literally anywhere, and we ate A LOT while in Sri Lanka
Arrack. The local liqueur usually blended with coconut, fairly strong so watch out!
Wellawahum. My absolute favourite (being a sweet tooth). Sri Lankan pancakes rolled up with coconut & palm sugar on the inside and usually served at breakfast
Mon's Voyage 
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