Sri Lanka is known for its green nature, wildlife, beautiful beaches, culture, history and tea plantations. You can go for a hike in the beautiful area of Ella, visit one of the many national parks, visit temples or museums or maybe go surfing to one of the beautiful beaches in Sri Lanka. There is something for everyone.
Ancient city of Sigiriya
Sigiriya is a small village which is known for Sigiriya Rock also known as Lion Rock.
Our trip started from Sigiriya where we spent 2 nights. First evening we climbed to Pidurangala Rock, where you can see the Lion Rock. The path to Pidurangala Rock was quite easy at first, however it got more challenging near to the top – more rocks and boulders to climb over.
Next day we climbed to Sigiriya, Lion Rock. The climb is pretty hard especially when it’s hot and you’re in direct sun (and there are more than 1000 steps) but it’s all worth it when you get to the top. We went there in the morning but the temperature was already high as the sun was already up. So I would recommend that you would visit Lion Rock early in the morning or later afternoon.
Kandy
We only stayed in Kandy for one night (should’ve stayed longer) so we didn’t get to see all the beatiful places that Kandy has to offer. One of the places that we wanted to see but didn’t have the time is The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic.
Train to Ella
Train from Kandy to Ella is popular and that’s no wonder. The scenery along the ride is amazing, green nature, mountains and tea plantations. Highly recommend to buy train tickets to the second class, where you can keep windows open, feel the breeze and of course take photographs along the way.
Ella is a small town and it is very popular place among travelers, there is a relaxed atmosphere, good food and beautiful scenery.
There are also many hiking opportunities for example Ella Rock, Little Adam’s Peak, Ravana waterfalls and many other places. You can also explore tea plantations and tea factory in Ella.
National Parks are a must visit
Sri Lanka has many national parks and one of them is Yala National Park. You can find various wild life animal in there such as birds, crocodiles, elephants, sloth bears and many others. If you are really lucky you get to see the most famous residents of Yala, the leopards. Best time to spot animals is early in the morning or from afternoon till evening when it’s not too hot for the animals to move around. We booked a full day ticket – day started early in the morning when it was still dark and ended around 4pm. We got to see everything that we had hoped for (and more).
Last days in paradise
We spent our last days in Galle, Hikkaduwa and Colombo.
Galle is a really well-preserved old city in Sri Lanka. We explored the old city and saw for example Galle Dutch Fort, lighthouse and of course tested a few different restaurants (amazing food).
Our next stop was Hikkaduwa which has beautiful beaches. The best part of visiting Hikkaduwa was the Turtle Beach. At sunset sea turtles swam to the beach and you could see them really close. People went close to them and it was okay to feed them – however I felt that it wasn’t right that people touched them and swam on top of/next to them.
Our last stop was the capital of Sri Lanka, Colombo. We didn’t have much time in Colombo before our flights back to Finland but we still managed to explore the city a bit.
All in all Sri Lanka was beautiful place to visit and explore and it has a lot to offer. Hopefully I will be able to visit there someday again.
Hi, I really enjoyed reading your blog post. Thank You! I really liked how to get different pages for more information, and many pictures. Post was a bit long, but not too long. Have you written a blog before? I think this was done well.