Ayubowan, ‘may you have the gift of long life’, is the traditional greeting in Sri Lanka. This is a country where hospitality isn’t just a tradition, it’s a way of life. Known as the ‘Pearl of the Indian Ocean, every smile, greeting, or shared cup of tea in Sri Lanka reflects its people’s genuine warmth. This is a place I could happily return to time and time again.
Here are the highlights of my latest visit, and I can say without hesitation, that every single one of these places deserves a place on your Sri Lanka itinerary.
Negombo
At around 8km from Colombo’s Bandaranaike International Airport, Negombo is a great place for tourists looking for a gentle welcome to Sri Lanka, while avoiding the hustle and bustle of the big city. There’s a cluster of beach resorts here, ideal for those flying into Colombo, or those who want to take it easy in before flying home.
Where to stay
Perched on the banks of a lotus-filled lake within easy reach of the international airport, The Notary’s House in Makandura is an ideal first or final stop on your island adventure. This luxury boutique hotel, set amidst large gardens and a coconut grove, is conveniently located just 45 minutes from the airport and 30 minutes from Negombo.
The house was designed with the wide open spaces of nature in mind and is a careful balance of luxury and relaxation. Each of the six high-ceilinged rooms overlooks manicured gardens and the calm waters of the lake, while the fusion of contemporary architecture and quirky antique decor adds oodles of character. Remnants of the original house, including an impressive frescoed Buddhist shrine have been carefully preserved.
Wilpattu National Park
At 130,000 hectares, Wilpattu National Park is Sri Lanka’s largest and oldest wildlife sanctuary. Wilpattu means ‘natural lakes’ in Sinhala and ’10 lakes’ in Tamil. The entire park is dotted with natural lakes that attract wildlife, especially during the dry season. Visitor numbers are low, even in high season, giving the park a genuine sense of wilderness. You do have to work a little harder for animal sightings, this is a place for the more dedicated safari-goer, but you’ll (hopefully) find an array of wildlife, including leopards, sloth bears, spotted and sambar deer, wild pigs and crocodiles.
Home to approximately 149 bird species, including residents, migratory birds, and endemic species birders, in particular, will love Wilpattu.
Where to stay
Adjacent to Wilpattu, Thamaravila Wilpattu is perfectly positioned for visits to the park. Thamaravila is glamping in style – 5 luxury tented chalets, built on stilts with thatched roofs, wooden decks and plunge pools.
Safaris can be arranged and Nadeesha Deemantha, the resident safari guide, is extremely professional and knowledgeable.
The north
The north is a world away from the rest of Sri Lanka. Closer to southern India than to Colombo, the region was settled in around the 2nd century by Tamil migrants from southern India and has retained a unique character and culture, one which owes more to Hindu India than Buddhist Sri Lanka.
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Jaffna
Unlike anywhere else in Sri Lanka, Jaffna in the northern tip of Sri Lanka, offers a fascinating insight into the island’s Tamil culture, as well as many reminders of its colonial and civil war past. Jaffna was the capital of a Tamil kingdom for centuries before it was conquered by the Portuguese in 1619. A bastion of Hindu culture and tradition, Jaffna is off the usual tourist trail, but you’ll find both a warm welcome and a wealth of history here.
When visiting Jaffna, start with the town’s immense fort. Built by the Portuguese in the 17th century, and later occupied by the Dutch and the British, the pentagon-shaped fort is the largest in Asia and overlooks the Jaffna lagoon.
Next head to the huge Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil temple. Dating from 1734, this is the most impressive Hindu temple in Sri Lanka. Crowned by a towering god-encrusted, golden-ochre entrance tower, the huge compound is full of decorative brasswork, larger-than-life murals, pillared halls and a colonnaded holy pool. Cacophonous pujas are held seven times a day and the temple is the focus of the spectacular Nallur Festival, which runs for 25 days in midsummer.
Pass by the Jaffna Public Library. Burnt down by pro-government mobs in July 1981, during the build-up to the civil war, the library was an important Tamil cultural and historic institution. Its world-renowned collection, destroyed in the fire, once included more than 90,000 volumes, most irreplaceable. The library was one of the first major buildings to be rebuilt after the 2002 ceasefire.
Near the library is another architectural curiosity that’s worth a quick look. The spindly Clock Tower was erected in 1875 to honour a visit by the Prince of Wales. In 2000 the then Prince of Wales, now King Charles, donated new clocks, to replace those damaged in the war.
Set back from the road, Mantiri Manai, now derelict, its walls covered in graffiti, is a keeper of secrets. There’s much debate about its background. Some say it’s from the Jaffna Kingdom, others place it in the Dutch or Portuguese colonial era, while a few claim it was built as recently as the 1890s. Whatever its history, the dilapidated mansion seems to encompass both colonial and Hindu architecture and is worth a visit.
Where to stay
The Thinnai was Jaffna’s first five-star boutique hotel. Offering 39 suites and warm, authentic northern Sri Lankan hospitality, the hotel is great for travellers who want to unwind in what can be a slightly chaotic town.
There’s a special emphasis on sustainability here, with the fresh produce used in the kitchens coming from the hotel’s organic farm, located just a few km away, or local farmers and fishermen.
Join the hotel’s chefs for an engaging cooking demonstration and discover the secrets behind Jaffna’s rich and diverse cuisine – a speciality is the traditional crab curry, a local favourite.
The east coast
Sri Lanka’s east coast is a mirror image of its west. When it’s monsoon season in the west, the sun is shining in the east; where the west coast is predominantly Sinhalese, the east is largely Tamil and Muslim; and while parts of the west coast can be rather crowded with tourists and a surfeit of hotels, the east coast remains largely untouched and tourist-free.
Kalkudah Beach
If you’re looking for a tropical paradise with swaying palms, endless sandy beaches, and a relaxed, easy-going vibe, you’ll love it here. Kalkudah Beach stretches as far as the eye can see and is lined with coconut palm estates and cashew nut plantations. Aside from a sprinkling of resorts, the beach is otherwise completely undeveloped.
You can walk for miles along soft sand without seeing a soul, except for local fishermen casting their nets into the sea.
Where to stay
Set on a former coconut plantation, Karpaha Sands is a luxury boutique hotel with 17 tented suites, tucked away in lush gardens. Enormous rooms with soaring canvas roofs, huge beds, deep bathtubs and fantastic outdoor rain showers.
Quirky artwork is dotted around the property and the food is fantastic – a blend of Sri Lankan and Mediterranean, featuring locally sourced ingredients, with seafood being caught by the local fishermen.
The Cultural Triangle
Central Sri Lanka served as the cradle of the country’s civilization for almost two thousand years – from the establishment of the first Sinhalese capital in about 400 BC to the final abandonment of the city of Polonnaruwa in the thirteenth century. For centuries these great cities lay forgotten, reclaimed by the jungle, until rediscovered by the British in the nineteenth century.
The spectacular citadel of Sigiriya rises sheer and impregnable out of the plains, sitting atop a huge outcrop of rock towering 200m above the surrounding countryside. The shortest-lived but the most extraordinary of all Sri Lanka’s medieval capitals, Sigiriya (Lion Rock) is a World Heritage Site and a remarkable archaeological site.
The great ruined capital of Polonnaruwa is one of the undisputed highlights of the Cultural Triangle, indeed of the whole island. In the twelfth century, Polonnaruwa was one of the great urban centres of South Asia. Within a century though, the city had been abandoned to the jungle, where it remained hidden for seven centuries.
The atmospheric Buddhist rock temples of Dambulla are filled with hundreds of statues and decorated with the finest murals in the country. Meanwhile, the ruins of the ancient city of Anuradhapura are one of Sri Lanka’s most compelling historical sites, and Mihintale is revered as the place where Buddhism was introduced to the island.
Minneriya National Park offers a change of scenery for those saturated with ruins. This is one of the best places in the country to see wild elephants. This relatively small park has a good range of wildlife, including deer, langur monkeys and macaques, buffalo, the occasional leopard, and a myriad of different birds, but it is most famous for elephants. Large numbers of elephants are found here year-round, but during the dry months (July – October) herds of elephants move through the park in search of water and fresh grass. Minneriya Tank is a man-made reservoir built in the 3rd Century. Known as ‘The Gathering’, as many as 300 elephants can be spotted at the reservoir during the dry season, making it the biggest concentration of wild Asian elephants in the world.
Where to stay
Water Garden Sigiriya overlooks the ancient rock fortress of Sigiriya. The grounds are an oasis of lakes and streams, paying homage to the ancient water gardens of Sigiriya fortress.
The 30 freestanding villas, several with private pools, feel extraordinarily spacious and are arranged around the birdlife-rich lakes.
The south coast
Sri Lanka’s south coast is glorious, golden sand beaches, set against emerald paddy fields, coconut groves and sleepy villages.
Galle
Perched on the coast close to the island’s southernmost point, Galle is Sri Lanka’s most perfectly preserved colonial town, its historic Dutch quarter hidden behind the enormous ramparts of Galle Fort.
If Galle Fort could talk it would be Shanjei Malraj Perumal. Shanjei gave up a career in advertising to become a walking tour guide, though he’ll tell you “I don’t do tours and I’m not a tour guide. I’m an entertainer and what I do is experiences”. Join one of his Gale Fort Walks and you’ll not only have an interesting mobile history lesson of ‘tall tales and true’, but you’ll spend a couple of hours wandering the fort’s charming, cobblestoned streets, learning about everything from colonialism to architecture, politics to street food, and probably stopping along the way for a beer in a classic Sri Lankan dive bar – the perfect introduction to local history and culture.
Rathgama
The southwest coast of Sri Lanka is full of hotels and a fair share of ‘tourist tat’, but there’s a stretch, just north of Galle, that’s largely unknown. Rathgama, a small coastal town, is home to a beautiful beach, where palm trees wave in the salty breeze and fishing shacks replace big resorts.
Where to stay
On the pristine beaches of Rathgama, Aditya Rathgama is a small luxury hotel, set in a shady, hammock-strewn garden, on a stretch of deserted beach.
The hotel is small and intimate, and its light, airy rooms feature antiques and artwork from across the subcontinent.
There are private plunge pools, expansive balconies overlooking the ocean, and a spa is renowned as one of the best wellness retreats in Sri Lanka.
The west coast
The west coast of Sri Lanka stretches from Galle all the way to Colombo.
Kalutara
Located just 43km south of Colombo, Kulutara has a colourful cultural heritage. Particularly worth a mention are the Warakagoda Gallena Rajamaha Viharaya, a historic Buddhist cave temple, and Fa-Hien caves, the largest natural stone caves in South Asia, inhabited since prehistoric times.
Where to stay
Glenross Living is a 160-year-old colonial manor house, on a former tea, rubber and cinnamon plantation. Set on a misty hilltop, amid tropical forest, this boutique hotel is a haven of wellness. With a holistic approach to healthy living, on offer are guided meditation sessions, yoga classes, Angampora classes (an ancient martial art), and fitness sessions. Add to this a luxury spa, an in-house nutritionist and organic dining. This is the perfect place to focus on your well-being.
The old manor house at the heart of the estate has been lovingly restored, and a short distance away, three stand-alone striking modern villas cling to the hillside, with private infinity pools and 180° panoramic views.
Colombo
About two-thirds of the way down the west coast, Sri Lanka’s sprawling capital, Colombo, is usually low on visitors’ list of priorities, however, beneath its unprepossessing surface lies a colourful and characterful city.
Sign up with Colombo City Walks for a personalised, leisurely 2-3 hour walk, that will take you through the hidden treasures of Colombo’s heritage. Take the pulse of the capital city with Colombo by Jeep and cruise through Colombo’s streets on a city tour in an open-air vintage jeep. Immerse yourself in centuries of history and discover some of the city’s hidden treasures, all while riding in jeeps that once carried presidents and soldiers.
End your day at Galle Face Green – take a stroll along the seafront promenade, grab a street food snack or head for a sundowner at the historic Galle Face Hotel.
Where to stay
The Galle Face Hotel is situated along the seafront and facing Galle Face Green. Built in 1864, this is the city’s most famous hotel and an oceanfront landmark, with bags of colonial charm and quirky character. The hotel embraces its history and traditions, right down to the bagpiper who serenades the lowering of the national flag at sunset daily, on the hotel’s oceanfront terrace.
The rooms may be a little faded, but they are atmospheric and no visit to Colombo is complete without staying at this iconic hotel.
Sri Lanka is a world in one island. Palm-fringed beaches, rice paddies and lily ponds, ancient cities, lush rainforests, fabulous national parks and warm, generous welcoming people; this tear-drop-shaped island definitely doesn’t disappoint.
Choosing a good travel planner for Sri Lanka
This was my second visit to Sri Lanka. I’d loved my first and was keen to return, and once I’d met Sheri Fazleabas, I discovered just how much I’d missed out the first time.
Born in Sri Lanka, Sheri’s love for travel started young. “My family was always travelling, we spent weekends and holidays exploring every corner of the country.” After time at boarding school in England, Sherri returned to Sri Lanka and began a career in travel planning that has spanned decades.
Now living in the USA, Sheri’s connection to her roots remains strong. “Sri Lanka is home. I go back every year, making it a point to explore the country all over again – there’s always something new to discover.” Today her company, A&S Signature Journeys, is known for crafting bespoke travel experiences. “It’s not just about booking flights and hotels,” she says. “We dive deep into understanding what our clients want. Are they foodies? History buffs? Adventure seekers? Every itinerary is tailored to their interests and budget.”
Sheri not only planned the perfect itinerary, but she also gave me the kind of insider tips and recommendations that you just don’t find in any guidebook.
Ayubowan, Sri Lanka!
Sarah Kingdom
Sarah Kingdom is a travel writer from Sydney, Australia. When she is not climbing or traveling, she lives on a cattle ranch in central Zambia.
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