Sri Lanka, a country that is so green that it feels like one big tropical rainforest national park. No matter where we went, we usually woke up to the music of birds. During our month long trip in Sri Lanka, there were at least five instances where we saw wild elephants near the main road.
Although there are hundreds of things to do in Sri Lanka, but here are some of our favorites and we highly recommend you consider doing some of them on your visit to Sri Lanka. Don’t stress yourself to do all of them but include only some that fit your itinerary so that you can travel at a leisurely pace and enjoy. Oh and by the way, you can check the visa requirements for Sri Lanka for your nationality here.
Things to do in Sri Lanka – Unique Experiences
01 | Enjoy a Scenic Train Ride in Sri Lanka
Me enjoying a scenic train journey – Sri Lanka Travel Tips
Train rides in Sri Lanka are so much fun that they are “bucket-list worthy”. These trains are surprisingly clean, affordable and comfortable. It felt like a mini country tour because the views outside were breathtaking. Although it is easy to get a seat but we realized that the most popular seat was the door seat. Many locals just sat by the door, eating and enjoying the view. So did we!
We saw hills that were completely covered with tea plantation, forest, waterfalls, streams, small villages, monkeys and more. It rained a little during the train ride and the forest around us looked even greener than before. After every few minutes, we would spot a food vendor selling delicious and cheap snacks inside our coach. Honestly, it was the most entertaining train ride of our lives.
We traveled by third class and bought our tickets at the station just before the ride. We didn’t even need a prior booking on a part of Sri Lanka’s most famous train route – Kandy to Ella. I met a few people who couldn’t find train tickets for the same route because they were looking for only first or second-class seats.
02 | Visit a National Park and See Elephants
Elephant at Kaudulla National Park – things to do in Sri Lanka
Do you know that Sri Lanka has around 25 national parks that you can visit? This is a big number considering the size of this island country. There is at least one national park after every few hundreds of kilometers and we highly recommend you visit one.
Yes, we did say that Sri Lanka feels like one big national park and it is possible to see the elephants on the streets, but visiting one is an experience to remember. It is different catching a quick glimpse of wild elephants from the bus as compared to an open-air jeep safari where you can get closer to them and watch them eat.
Not just elephants, but you can also see exotic birds, big lizards, crocodiles, deer, and panthers. The fee for entering most of the national parks is the same and is between $10 and $15 for a day. You will also need to pay for the jeep safari, and it’s economical if you go in a group of 6 people. We visited Kaudulla National Park, which is an hour away from Sigiriya. Depending on your itinerary, you can also visit Yala National Park, which is near Arugam Bay; Uda Walawe National Park, which is in South Central area of the island; or Minneriya National Park, which is near Sigiriya.
03 | Go Fishing with the Locals
A local fisherman in Arugam Bay
On one rainy day in Arugam bay, San and I sat next to a backwater lagoon and decided to have a lazy day. In a distance, we could see local fishermen who were trying to catch tuna with their simple net. Half an hour later, somehow we were all friends and were standing next to them as they explained their process.
After a few hours, they invited us to their house where we drank tea with their families. They invited us to join them at 5 am next day for fishing. San loves fishing and as per him, this was the best thing that he had ever done in Sri Lanka.
Munash and Nisad after fishing in Arugam Bay
Fishing is an important part of Sri Lanka’s culture because of a massive coastline and many inland lakes and rivers. Fishing provides daily income and food for many families where men wake up early to fish and women sell their catch.
If you’re visiting Sri Lanka, we highly recommend you try fishing with the locals. If you are short of time to make friends with local fishermen, try going for one of the tours. If you’re lucky, you may find the traditional stilt fishing, where locals sit on their stilts and wait for the fishes
04 | Explore the Hill Country
Explore the Hill Country – things to do in Sri Lanka
During out month long trip to Sri Lanka, our favorite area of Sri Lanka was definitely the middle part, which is called the “Hill Country”. It’s sad how many travelers miss this area and just head for the beaches because they’re in Sri Lanka for a short visit.
This part of Sri Lanka is covered with tea plantations and you can spot many waterfalls. Yes, Sri Lanka is very green but the hill country has got to be the greenest part because it rains a lot here. In fact, the coldest city here – Nuwara Eliya is also called “Little England” because of the rains and tea culture. It was very cold when we visited Nuwara Eliya but we ended up enjoying it because the weather made our experience super romantic.
San enjoying the view in Haputale – things to do in Sri Lanka
Another place that you can visit in this area is Ella, which is a backpacker’s hub. Our best experience was in a small town called Haputale in Sri Lanka’s Uva province where San and I explored the tea estates on our own and found many viewpoints. No matter where we looked, we could only see small hills that were fully covered with tea plantation.
If the above pictures are not enough to convince you, then be sure to check out this post about why you should visit Sri Lanka’s Hill Country.
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