Negombo (2 Days)

When you fly into Colombo airport, you are actually closer to Negombo. I stayed at Reggie’s Guesthouse in a 4 bed dorm for $13 USD a night. This cute little hostel is located only 20 minutes away from the airport and sits right on the beach. Not only that, it offers a full service restaurant surrounded by hammocks so you can enjoy your breakfast while lounging on the white beach.

I arranged a half-day tour with Reggie’s and hopped on the back of a tuk-tuk for a local to show me all the main sites. We visited several churches, mosques, and Buddhist temples and you can see the improving infrastructure everywhere. From there, we stopped at a near by fish market that was located right on the beach. There were hundreds of rows of gutted fishes being laid out to dry, and dozens of fishermen hard at work. Our last stop was a herbal botanical garden where we learned about holistic medicine from Michael, and Indian, Buddhist doctor who started these tours to raise money for poor children to give them an opportunity to receive a proper education.

The day ended with a delicious bowl of sambal, shaved coconut with onion and chili, dhal curry, and fresh slices of local bread with a hot pot of tea.

Kandy (2 Days)

Kandy is home to the temple of the Tooth, this off-beat city surrounded by hills didn’t really capture my inspiration but the temple is one of the most visited attractions in the country. Skip this town if temple relics, overcrowded streets, tourist traps, and tuk-tuk scams are not your thing. I took a super expensive 3 hour taxi ride here from Negombo and the road conditions were pretty awful. The streets are narrow and bumpy, and crazy taxi drivers often swerve between cars to pass huge trucks on these narrow, curvy roads.

The Temple of the Tooth was not worth the expensive 1,500 SLR entrance fee in my opinion, there are far more beautiful temples throughout Sri Lanka to visit. When you enter, be prepared to immediately be greeted by someone offering a guided tour. Even though you refuse, they will still follow you around and “guide” you through the temple. It seems harmless but they will demand money from you at the end and cause a huge scene. It always ruins the experience for me when someone tries to make a profit off religion. Unfortunately Kandy was not for me, I only spent 2 days here before moving on.

Ella (2-4 Days)

The Kandy to Ella train ride is named as one of the world’s most beautiful and scenic train journeys. I can only half agree with that. Due to its popularity, it is almost always over booked and unless you can snag a seat right at the door, you’ll often find yourself standing right beneath a guy’s smelly arm pits! If you’re lucky enough to grab a spot at the doorway, only then will you be able to appreciate the magic in this train ride. Clinging to the open doorways and dangling your feet over the edge is where you can find some of the best views as the train winds along mountainsides through the heart of the country. The scenery is lush as it passes jungles, bridges, and waterfalls along the way. Which quickly transforms into acres and acres of beautiful tea plantations. Grab a dahl donut and some roasted peanuts from the train conductors and enjoy the ride.

I stayed at the Hill View Homestay for $30 a night for double bed room and the best views of Little Adam’s Peak. Every morning you’re greeted with a hot pot of tea and the most amazing views of the cool mountain peaks of Ella. This town is definitely catered to tourists though, and filled with a bunch of bars and restaurants with tuk-tuks waiting outside each of them to charge ridiculous rates for a ride to any of the tea plantations. I couldn’t resist checking out Lipton’s Seat, the birth place of Lipton tea, and immediately regretted spending 5,000 SLR for the ride.

Although the view is incredible, the winding road leading up to the top of the tea plantation is extremely narrow, with not enough room for two cars to pass, resulting in an insane amount of traffic on the way up. The view is almost just as beautiful from the bottom and a hike to the top would have been a better way to go. There’s a view point at the top where you can enjoy a cup of tea with delicious samosas and rotis for 300 SLR. If you’re lucky you can even catch some of the ladies picking tea leaves in the fields below.

When you go to the Sri Lankan highlands, there are tea plantations, endless shinning rows of leafy bushes in the brightest and deepest shades of green you can imagine. But, to keep everything green it has to rain all the time. I woke up at 6 AM hoping to beat the crowd to the Nine-Arch bridge, and walked along the train tracks in the drizzling rain. It’s a 45 minute walk from the town of Ella to Demodara and I didn’t mind it one bit. The rain resulted in misty views of the plantations and houses below and it was truly magical. Even though I was drenched from head to toe, my heart was so full as I was completely surrounded by nature in its purest and most beautiful form. At the end of the day, I rewarded myself with a delicious meal at Ak Ristoro, located away from the tourist strip, and offered the best pumpkin pasta dish I’ve ever had.

Hatton (3 Days & 2 Nights)

I hopped off the train from Kandy to Ella, and made a quick stop at Hatton first. I checked into the River View Inn for $15 USD a night for a private room. They were small with no fan or A/C and the wifi was almost non-existence. In each room was a small balcony, letting in a nice summer breeze once the curtains were drawn, and behind the house was a beautiful waterfall view and kitchen where the family cooked us the spiciest and most delicious khottu dish (chopped flatbread mixed and mashed together with chicken and vegetables and lots of aromatic spices). There isn’t much to do in Hatton, but most people only make a stop to take on Adam’s Peak.

I stumbled out of bed at 1 AM to the sound of my alarm clock and headed off with the rest of the group to reach the base of Adam’s Peak by 2 AM. This massive rock that is an important pilgrimage site for Sri Lankans of all faith. Buddhists believe that the foot print at the summit is Buddha’s left food, Hindus believe that it belongs to Lord Shiva, and Christians believe that it was Adam’s first step after he was exiled from the Garden of Eden. Either way, hundreds of pilgrims join you on this spiritual trek, singing and chanting along the way. Locals even do this hike in their flip-flops or barefoot. Some ladies take on the trek even in their 70s! The entire path is lit and filled with food stalls where you could stop for a warm cup of milk tea or delicious veggie samosas. There are also several temples and buddha statues along the way. We reached the top, after over 5,000 steps, in just under 2 hours. At the peak, you’ll find hundreds of pilgrims preying and lighting candles and incense, waiting for the sun to rise. It gets really cold at the top so bring a blanket and grab some snacks with you and you’ll be rewarded with the most spectacular sunrise. The sky slowly changes to different shades of red and orange to replace the moon and all the stars in the horizon.

Polonnaruwa (1-2 Days)

At 10 AM I set off to Polonnaruwa which was quite a journey. You first have to take a bus back to Drambulla and then transfer to another one which doesn’t run that frequently. I arrived by 1 PM and checked into Thisara Guest House. $20 USD got me a clean and comfortable private room. The host even welcomed me with a delicious banana and yogurt shake, and loaned me a bike to get to town. Biking there was an incredibly terrifying experience, however, and I saw my life flash before my eyes! Tuk-tuk drivers and massive trucks are weaving in and out around you as they’re driving on the left side of the road, which takes some getting use to. Once you got the hang of it though, you can purchase a ticket at the museum and do a self guided bike tour around the ancient city of Polonnaruwa and explore the temple ruins surrounding the city. The bikes were a blessing and allows you to cover more ground in the scorching heat of the sun.

800 years ago Polonnaruwa was the medieval capital city of Sri Lanka, and consists of impressive temples, statues of Buddha, and religious buildings. Everything was still in pretty good condition and the bike path was absolutely beautiful as you pass overgrown trees, deer grazing on the grass, and monkeys swinging on restored structures.

Sigiriya (3 Days)

I took the public bus to Sigiriya for 40 SLR a person! It was hot, crowded and took longer than a cab ride but it wasn’t too bad and part of the experience. When arrived, I checked into the Hotel Chanara. It’s a little off the path but only $20 a night for a clean room with 2 beds, wifi, and the sweetest housekeeper who brought me fresh watermelon juice and made me breakfast everyday. The hotel was a 30 minute walk and the entrance fee was a crazy $30 USD! I recommend going at sunrise when there’s less people, or sunset for the best views. This unique landscape was created in the 5th century A.D. by king Kashyapa as his new capital and became a UNESCO heritage site in 1962. The insane climb up takes you through spiral stair cases built along the edge of the rock. It takes you through a cave with poems and wall paintings of Buddha, as it was used as a monastery up until the 14th century. Once you reach the very top, you’ll see an entire palace built by this ancient king. The views of the city, jungle and mountains, and the garden surrounding the structure is incredible. As you descend you’ll find yourself at two massive lion’s paws carved into the rock.

While you’re in Sigiriya I recommend checking out Kaudulla National Park. It’s a $22 USD entrance fee but an additional $60 fee for the jeep to pick you up and drive you around the safari. The experience was absolutely wonderful and absolutely worth it. This was one of my favorite national parks since it isn’t so touristy and way less expensive and busy than Yala National Park. At Kaudulla National Park, you’ll see so many wild elephants in their natural habitat. It’s the best place to see these magnificent animals without so many jeeps around.

Tricomalee (3 Days)

There’s only one direct bus that runs at 10:30 AM from Polonnaruwa to Tricomalee for 401 SLR per person. Making a short stop at Habarana, the entire journey took about 3 hours. I love sitting in the back of the bus by the window and watching it pass beautiful green rice fields, busy streets, and local markets with pungent smells of dried fish that immediately hits you as the breeze brushes your nose. The ride is fast and bumpy and reminds me of when we were little and wanted to sit in the back of the yellow school bus, right by the wheel, just for that tiny any rush of adrenaline, as you’re lifted into the air with every speed bump and pothole. Your senses are heightened with the paralyzing sounds of car horns and music blasting on the bus that’s playing from a tiny television. The wind is screeching through the tiny window crack as the bus flies down the road, cutting sharp turns at full speed and locals staring at you uncomfortably, asking for awkward selfies.

Once arrived in Tricomalee, I checked into the Rest Way Inn, a bit of a walk from the bus stop in the heat. But the room was only $18 a night and located on the top floor with a private balcony, and a beautiful view of the city and mountains in the background. The nice family, who owned the inn, gave us a lift to Uppuveli beach. Even though the beach was filled with resorts, restaurants, and litter, the views of the Indian Ocean was incredible and just what I was missing. I bumped into a couple of buddhist monks on a spiritual retreat. One had spent seven years of solitude in the forest and told me stories of his journey, while another placed a bracelet on my left hand and sent me off with a blessing.

Before leaving, make sure you stop at every backpacker’s favorite place, Fernando’s Bar. Chill out at this spot right in front of the beach and enjoy the best plate of Moroccan Shakshuka. On the other side of the beach, you’ll find fishermen and their colorful boats little crabs scurrying along the sand, and a bunch of unfinished, abandoned resorts.

Arugam Bay (4 Days)

It’s a 3 hour journey to Arugam Bay from Ella. The drive was incredible scenic though, as you pass farms, rice fields, tea plantations, and waterfalls all along the way. Unfortunately it was off season so nothing was really going on and most restaurants were closed. (Tourist season is in March). I stayed at the Forcus Cabanas for $35 a night. It was a private bungalow right in front of the beach, surrounded by hundreds of pesky mosquitos. The beach was filled with fishermen and their bright colored boats and huts. I ate at Gekco, which had a pretty chill, laid-back vibe, just like this entire town. Even though it was monsoon season, it was nice not having tourists around.

Some afternoons I would splurge and use the pool at the Roccos Resort. $13 included access to the beautiful pool and a delicious chicken burger lunch. I spent the entire afternoon doing absolutely nothing but watch the waves in the background with birds flying above, and laughing at the sweet old man driving away the crows with his sling shot.

Mirissa (1 Week)

After relaxing in Arugum Bay, I headed southbound to Mirissa. The cab driver stopped at a random food stall where we shared a local meal consisting of string hoppers (rice flour pressed into noodles, woven into a flat disc-like shape and steamed), a bunch of different types of curries, and boiled egg. It was a 6 hour drive in the pouring rain but we shared stories and laughed the entire way. The rain created a calming atmosphere, the mountains are covered in clouds, and tiny droplets are tap dancing on the rooftop of the car. And so was my heart in that instance.

Along the road you’ll pass Udawalawa National Park and a bunch of wild elephants. There are thin wires along the side of the road to keep them in the jungle where they can roam free. You can buy bananas from the stalls close by to feed these cuties as a treat. You’ll make a friend for life!

Once I arrived in Mirissa, I checked into the Welcome Inn Mirissa. The cost was a crazy $40 a night but it had a/c (a huge treat in Asia), and the best shower I’ve had so far on this entire trip. It was only a 5 minute walk to the beach yet still nicely tucked away from all the noise and foot traffic. I even woke up to the most delicious breakfast consisting of avocado, mangos, passionfruit, papaya, and egg hoppers (a coconut based pancake with an egg in the center).

I rented a motor bike and explored a couple of beaches. The first was called Secret Beach, even though it wasn’t exactly a secret. The roads leading up to it is a bit rough and unpaved for unexperienced drivers so be careful! The beach was filled with rocks and coral and wasn’t great to swim in. From there I drove to Weligama Bay, passing authentic stilt fishermen along the way. I say authentic because since boats have taken over, you’ll rarely these guys out. Instead you’ll find a bunch of fake fishermen posing with tourists and charging them for photos. Weligama was my favorite beach, for its super chill vibe and white sand. It was perfect for swimming and not overly crowded like Mirissa beach. Mirissa beach was the main beach where there are plenty of bars and restaurants to grab a happy hour drink and relax. Zephyr’s was the tourist hot spot on this beach, but I was not a big fan. The food and drinks are great but the service was awful and staff was incredibly rude! This was surprising since the Sri Lankan people have been so friendly and hospitable throughout the journey. Instead, I recommend Brizo’s where you can find cheap cocktails and get to pick out your own fish and they’ll grill it right in front of you. Service was wonderful and the owner even came out to say hello!

Unawatuna, Galle, Matara & Tangalle (A Day Trip)

I spent the last week of my journey at the southern beaches. Arugam Bay was a surfer’s paradise, with huge waves and pristine water. Mirissa was a backpacker’s haven for endless sunset cocktails on the beach that made for the perfect way to chill out after long hikes. I was more than excited to hop on my motorbike and set off on a day trip to explore the famous Unawatuna beach. But first, I made a stop at Galle, an hour away from Mirissa. Along the way, I passed dozens of stilt fishermen and breathtaking views of the open, endless ocean.

Galle Dutch Fort was different from the other beach towns and had a pretty interesting landscape. The actual lighthouse was surrounded by tourists that I had recently passed along the way, who were all taking turns to pose with the stilt fishermen. Driving the opposite way, I passed Matara beach, filled with fishermen in their colorful, narrow fishing boats. The moment I passed Dinkwalla the air changed, and immediately stank of pungent, dried fish. From there, Tangalle was another hour away. The beach was almost postcard perfect! The sand was white and water was crystal clear with hardly any waves, making it the perfect spot to take a swim.

Unawatuna is beautiful and offers the best sunsets in all of Sri Lanka, but it wasn’t my favorite. In fact, I found it to be extremely touristy with overpriced resorts and preferred Mirissa much more. I spent my remaining days back at Mirissa and Dalawella Beach. I even made it a habit to stop at Shady Lane for brunch everyday where I had the best avocado toast and smoothie bowl in my entire life!

Add Sri Lanka to your bucket list!

I’m so grateful to have had the experience to travel to Sri Lanka. It’s a beautiful place with a vibrant culture. It will always make me think of the warm and friendly people, the beautiful scenery, the spicy curries and fresh coconuts. I can still hear the tinkling sound of Fur Elise and know that a bakery tuk-tuk is around the corner. I still miss watching families hang their laundry to dry on rocks near the train tracks, seeing all the school girls in their beautiful white dresses, black shoes, and red ribbons in their long, braided hair. I’ll miss the country’s unique smell. The air damp and heavy, and mixed with smells of curry leaves, cinnamon, mingled with the smoke from burning leaves rising from small fires; all mixed with the pungent aromas of dried fish, all scents competing for airspace. And like all places, I’ll miss the people most of all. Their warm smiles, curiosity, and eagerness to see the good in everyone. Sri Lanka has captured my heart in every way.