I recently spent one month in Sri Lanka, marking the start of my backpacking journey through Asia.
Originally, the plan was to spend around 10 days in the country, but we ended up extending this to almost four weeks in total.
Sri Lanka surprised me a great deal, and I learnt a lot in those 26 days around the island. Here’s what I took away from my time in this beautiful country:
Top tip: for mobile data around Sri Lanka, we used the Airalo eSim which was super handy and easily installed onto our phones as soon as we landed in Colombo Airport!
1. Sri Lanka is hot
I knew this coming into Sri Lanka, but we actually arrived during their summer and during the hottest month of the year to visit the country. Typical for us really, considering I can’t spend two minutes in the sun without getting burnt to a crisp.
But yes, it’s hot. Although, we saw different temperatures as we travelled through the country. In the midlands of the country around Kandy and Ella, we noticed it was less humid and tended to rain at least once each day. But once you made it to the south beaches, it was a very different story.
The south beaches were some of the hottest places I’ve ever experienced and I didn’t tend to step outside too often because the ground was like lava. Even the Sri Lankan people kept commenting to us about how hot it was.
2. The wildlife in Sri Lanka is incredible
This was definitely one of my favourite things about our time in Sri Lanka, seeing so much wildlife in the wild. I’ve been to a few zoos before of course, but there’s nothing like seeing monkeys swinging from trees (or playing around on our balcony), elephants washing themselves in the river or even leopards strolling around – yes, really!
It was so cool to see a lot of the wildlife around Sigiriya and Ella, and then to go on my first ever safari in Yala. These are the things that will definitely stick with me after I leave Sri Lanka.
Related blog post: 15 Essential Tips & Advice for the Kandy to Ella Train, Sri Lanka
3. Sri Lanka is cheap
We knew South East Asia was going to be cheap and we were enjoying how cheap everything was in Sri Lanka, whether it was eating out for dinner, grabbing a tuk tuk or public transport.
However, I don’t think we realised just how cheap Sri Lanka actually was until we came to Thailand. Like I said, we knew that South East Asia was cheap, but Thailand almost seems expensive compared to Sri Lanka.
It would cost us less than £1 to travel via bus or train for a few hours at a time to make our next destination. Tuk tuks cost around 80p per journey. But in Thailand, we’re spending around £5 on taxis, and £10 on ferry rides. Which I know doesn’t sound like much, but feels like we’re blowing our budget after coming from Sri Lanka.
4. It was the best place to start our backpacking journey
Sri Lanka seems to have become popular in the last 12 months or so for backpackers. It’s only recently come out of a civil war, so hasn’t been a popular spot for tourists on this side of the world for many years.
Now though, it seems like everyone is making their way through Sri Lanka or planning a trip there. I’m so glad we chose to start our backpacking journey here and not skip it and go straight to Thailand.
It was a great introduction to backpacking for us, navigating public transport, hotels and a different language and culture. Plus, as it’s not as popular as the likes of Thailand or Vietnam when it comes to tourism, it still felt a little untouched and off the beaten path which we really enjoyed.
5. The country has some of the best beaches I’ve ever seen
I wouldn’t consider myself a beachy gal, considering I didn’t grow up somewhere that was close to the beach. Saying that, I spent every summer in Rossnowlagh in County Donegal which in my opinion is one of the best beaches I’ve ever been to and I could easily spend all day there.
One thing Rossnowlagh Beach doesn’t come with though, is 30 degree heat. Some of the beaches in Sri Lanka were small, but they were beautiful. White sand, gorgeous blue waters and even turtles swimming along the shore!
You had your pick of coconut trees, swings, lounge chairs and cafes that were right on the beach front. If you’re dreaming of a holiday that’s just sun, sea and sand, head to the south coast of Sri Lanka.
6. Public transport is chaotic but something you need to experience
The public transport in Sri Lanka is probably one of my most memorable experiences after spending a month there.
The buses and trains are simply chaos in the best possible way and something I’d so recommend experiencing if you’re travelling in Sri Lanka. It’s also an incredibly cheap way to travel around the country, but it’s not the comfiest, that’s for sure.
Related blog post: How to Navigate Public Transport in Sri Lanka
The buses will pull up alongside you (but not stop) and you basically have to run and jump if you want to get on, and try to hop off while the bus slows down (but doesn’t stop).
The trains are also as chaotic with passengers sitting in the open doorways, hanging outside and hopping on and off when they feel like it.
Like I said, it’s definitely an experience!
7. Sri Lankan people are so lovely and always willing to help
We encountered so many kind and welcoming people on our journey around Sri Lanka. The people were so friendly and always willing to help.
Especially when we found ourselves a little lost or confused with the public transport system or directions, they made sure to point us in the right direction and let us know when to jump off the bus.
8. I can see it becoming the new digital nomad hot spot
There’s already been some chatter online about Sri Lanka becoming the new Bali, aka the new digital nomad hot spot, and I can definitely see why.
Having been to both places now and experiencing what Bali is like, I can really see the beach areas of Sri Lanka heading the same way with very aesthetically-pleasing cafes popping up on the beachfront, as well as co-working spaces.
We spent the day in Ahangama and it felt very similar to Canggu with its brunch cafes and WiFi friendly coffee shops. Not to mention the surf scene was thriving here too.
Related blog post: Checking In: Morven Hotel, Colombo, Sri Lanka
9. I wish I could have spent longer here
When planning our backpacking route and travels, we had initially thought we would spend around 10-14 days here. In the end, we actually spent a total of 26 days on the island.
And I would happily have spent longer. The tourist visa for Sri Lanka is only 30-days long, so we made sure not to overstay our welcome and could only spend a month exploring. However, there was so much more we could have explored and there were areas that I would have happily spent a few weeks in alone.
10. I’ll definitely be back
I know for sure that I’ll be back in Sri Lanka again. We have our home-away-from-home in Negombo now, and if flight prices align, we might even head back to Sri Lanka before our backpacking travels come to an end.
I loved Sri Lanka a lot more than I thought I would, since I didn’t really have any expectations going into the country, but can’t stop raving about it since I’ve left.
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