Our Honest Opinion of Sri Lanka (and the Best Things to Do)

Top things to do in Sri Lanka blog. Listing 10 of our favorite things to do in Sri Lanka!

We spent two weeks in Sri Lanka recently en-route to Europe. And, while we did like Sri Lanka we didn’t love it. Let me explain why – there’s been some serious hype surrounding Sri Lanka, on Instagram all you have to do is search #SriLanka and you’ll be inundated with images of yellow sand beaches, turquoise oceans and colorful cities.

Every travel influencer and their mother seems to have visited Sri Lanka of late, and so as a result the world wide web is chocka-block with articles waxing lyrical about Sri Lanka. The truth is we believed the hype, were overly excited by it, and so expected too much from Sri Lanka and were left feeling a little underwhelmed.

READ NEXT | the most photogenic places in Sri Lanka

Would We Visit Sri Lanka Again?

Yes, we probably would, but we would do it a little differently. For us, Sri Lanka is one of those countries that you would really enjoy if you had money, and we were on a tight budget considering we still had two months of travel ahead of us. Honestly, it was a lot more expensive than we expected. There’s some gorgeous hotels on the island but they are pricey, expect to pay up to about $100 USD a night for a nice hotel.

Plus, we didn’t have much luck with Sri Lanka’s famous train journeys. So, if we were to return, we would be inclined to pay for private transfers the majority of the time. An exception to this rule is the Kandy to Ella journey, which truly is gorgeous.

Anyways, despite our mixed view on Sri Lanka I urge you to go and see it for yourself – it is beautifully colorful with epic beaches and friendly locals. And who knows it may turn out to be one of your favorite places in the world.

Without further ado, here are our top suggestions of things to do in Sri Lanka.

The Best Things to Do in Sri Lanka

1. The famous train journey from Kandy to Ella

This trip didn’t go quite as we had planned. We booked a first-class ticket after our sweaty/packed-like sardines experience on a second-class carriage from Colombo to Kandy a few days before. We showed up to the train station bright and early and took our comfy seats in the air-con carriage. When, 30 minutes after we were scheduled to depart there was still no sign of movement I got up to see what the delay was.

Turns out the engine was broken. Queue lots of panicked workers running back and forth trying to fix it. Alas, after two hours, it was determined that it couldn’t be fixed, so we had to wait for an incoming train from Colombo to take its engine. We eventually departed about four hours late.

Oh well, the journey to Ella was as gorgeous as predicted, and we took lots of photos. However, be warned: one silly girl dropped her phone while hanging out the doorway to take photos, and we were told by a local that a couple of people had fallen out trying to take the perfect photo. They were unhurt, thankfully.

2. Relax on Rekawa beach

Instead of choosing the crowded beaches of Tangalle or Mirissa we suggest spending your lazy days on Rekawa beach. Particularly, the gorgeous Seven Turtles Resort – the beach here is pretty much deserted save for a few local fishermen and through the months of October to April you may be lucky enough to witness baby turtles hatch.

There are so many gorgeous beaches in Sri Lanka, you could easily spend a month or more exploring them all.

3. Visit the Halpewatte tea factory in Ella

This was unsurprisingly Paul’s favourite activity of the trip, being an englishman he LOVES his tea. It was fascinating to see tea processing up close at the Halpewette Tea Factory a short distance from Ella. Plus, we got a behind-the-scenes look at the factory at work.

We got to try all different types of teas and the tasting room has epic views of the valley. We could have sat there all day sipping our tea (fruit tea only for me) and admiring the view.

4. See Sri Lankan elephants in the wild

Udawalawe National Park was my number one reason for visiting Sri Lanka . I’m beyond obsessed with elephants and I’ve never seen one in the wild, that was until Udawalawe, where we saw not one but 30 elephants and even a teeny-tiny baby that was just one month old.  Udawalawe is home to over 250 Sri Lankan elephants and is the third most visted national park in Sri Lanka behind Yala National Park and Minneriya.

Udawalawe absolutely lived up to its hype. Seeing these gorgeous animals in their natural habitat was one of the best moments of my life to date.

5. Get lost in the cute & colourful streets of Galle

Galle is a fortified city built by the Portuguese  and many of its buildings show the influence of Portuguese architectural style on Sri Lankan traditions. It is certainly a unique place and so inherently different to other cities in Sri Lanka.

Most of the best things to do in Galle can be found along the fort which runs the length of the town on the coast – here, be sure to check out the famed Galle lighthouse, the Galle Fort Clock Tower and Flag Point. Not too far from the Galle Lighthouse you’ll find the Dutch Hospital an old hospital which now houses some of the best restaurants and boutique stores in Galle.

Galle is a UNESCO heritage site and if you’re to add any city in Sri Lanka to your itinerary it must be Galle.

6. Walk along the famous Nine Arches bridge in Ella

Surrounded by lush green jungle, the famed Nine Arches bridge is truly a sight for sore eyes and well worth the uneven, sometimes steep hike there. There was a swarm of deadly bees terrorising tourists on the tracks below so we didn’t quite make it all the way across the bridge for obvious reasons. Oh and Paul got bitten by a leech.

Anyways, we got some great photos but missed the train coming across the bridge which would have made for an incredible snap.

7. Spot some ‘photogenic’ local fishermen

Sri Lanka is famed for its stilt fishermen (I’m sure you’ve seen the photos on Instagram/ Pinterest and the likes), unfortunately, we didn’t get to witness this on our trip but we did see these guys catching fish in the middle of Udawalawe National Park and this epic example of team work on Rekawa beach. Anyways, supposedly the stilt fishermen is a scam!

8. Photograph Galle’s gorgeous lighthouse

Not only is Galle famous for its gorgeous lighthouse which is located on the southern end of the fort, there are lots of things to keep you busy in Galle. Including golden sand beaches, shopping & excellent restaurants. But, the lighthouse is top of most people’s Galle itinerary and for good reason – it’s eyecatching! Did you know the original lighthouse was burned down in 1936 and had to be rebuilt?!

9. Relax and watch the sunset

The coastal city of Negombo – not too far from the capital Colombo is renowned for its epic beach sunsets. We spent every evening in Negombo watching the sunset from our hotel balcony. Bliss! To us, Negombo is the best spot to watch the sunset in Sri Lanka.

The other best area’s to watch the sunset in Sri Lanka:

• Adam’s Peak in the Central Highlands of Sri Lanka

• Arugam Bay on the east coast

• Sigriya Rock – also known as Lion’s Rock

• Galle Fort in Galle

Is Sri Lanka Worth Visiting?

Yes, we definitely think Sri Lanka is worth visiting. For one, it’s one of the most stunning countries in Asia and it’s a cheap destination too – your monely will go along way here. Plus, there’s heaps of bucket-list-worthy things to do in Sri Lanka with my personal favorites being a safari in Udawalawe National Park and the train ride from Kandy to Ella.

Do we regret visiting Sri Lanka?

No, not a single bit. It is a beautiful country I will give it that, but our one mistake was believing the Instagram hype before we’d even stepped foot in the country. We sure won’t be doing that again. If you do visit Sri Lanka – take it for what it is, enjoy the madness and forget about getting that insta-perfect shot. Although we did get some pretty pictures eh?!

Tell me – what did you think of our things to do in Sri Lanka blog?

PIN IT FOR LATER!