Sri Lanka is an island in the Indian Ocean off the southeast tip of India, with tropical and warm climate. It`s a country packed with beautiful beaches, high mountains (over 2000 m), tropical forest and lots of wild animals like elephants, leopards, sea turtles (see the video from our sea turtle rescue mission!), dolphins and whales.
The island is encircled by beaches, and from space, it actually looks outlined in white! Pretty cool! You can rarely travel anywhere along the coast without bumping upon a stunning stretch of sand, and many of them deserted! Sri Lanka is great for water sport like diving, snorkeling, kiting and surfing. Inland you can stretch your legs taking hikes among tea plantations high up in the mountains above 2000 m.
Sri Lanka`s culture is influenced by India, Portuguese, the Netherlands and of course United Kingdom (it was a British colony until 1948). Unesco has recognized eight World Heritage Sites in Sri Lanka, pretty impressive for a relatively small island!
When To Visit Sri Lanka
High season for visiting Sri Lanka is December – March (dry season in at the west coast). Shoulder season is April and September – November, while low season is May – August.
Our Journey Through Sri Lanka
We have been to Sri Lanka several times over the years, and have visited these places:
1. Colombo – 2. Bentota – 3. Galle – 4. Unawatuna – 5. Mirissa – 6. Tangalla – 7. Yala National Park – 8. Ella: Ella Town – Hiking In Ella – Hiking Little Adam`s Peak – 9. Nuwara Eliya – 10. Kandy: Train Trip Ella To Kandy – Kandy – 11. Sigiriya – 12. Polonnaruwa – 13. Kalpitiya – 14. Negombo
Check out our recommended Sri Lanka Itinerary
Travel Guides
We used the Lonely Planet`s Sri Lanka travel guide on our trip. You can get that and other great books by clicking on the pictures below which will take you to Amazon.com (affiliate links):
Articles About Sri Lanka
Facts
- Population: 20 million (2012)
- Capital: Colombo (commercial)
- Land Area: 65 610 km²
- Language: Sinhalese Tamil / English
- Religion: Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam
- Currency: Sri Lankan rupee (LKR)
- Time zone: UTC+5:30
- Drives on: Left (sometimes it’s hard to tell)
Recent Sri Lanka Comments
Lisandi Senara
on In Search Of Buddha’s Tooth – Kandy
Hi Maria I am from Galle, Sri Lanka. I have visited Galle Fort many times. It is amazing. I think you must have seen the beauty of it too....
Meet
on Sri Lanka Itinerary – The Best Of Sri Lanka In Two Weeks
It's appreciable to see that it was your first solo trip, Prem? Now if I just ask you, how many solo trips have you done during these years after 2017?...
Kamal
on Breathtaking Hikes Above 2000m in Ella
Hi Maria, I am a Sri Lankan living in SL. Glad that you have had a tremendous influence on your readers with your wonderful memories in Sri Lanka. I too...
Suren Salgado
on The World`s Most Beautiful Train Trip? – Ella To Kandy In Sri Lanka
Planning to visit Ella in Sept '20 by Train.
Thanks for great tips by many travellers n clear information given by them.
Waiting to enjoy the trip to Ella.