Is Sri Lanka on your radar? It should be.

Sri Lanka snuck up on me stealthily and unceremoniously. It happened in stages. First, the sierra-coloured sunset in Negombo on the evening of our arrival wooed me. It was the perfect sunset for the first day of our second honeymoon. The sky looked like it was on fire. I took Liebling’s hands into my own and pulled him onto the beach, wet sand squelching under our feet, the Indian Ocean lapping at our toes playfully. We watched the sun’s embers flicker until they gave way to twilight.

Next, I fell for the people. I found Sri Lankans easy-going and unbothered, quick to smile and forever willing to help.  They were genuine in a way I haven’t experienced in a while: time and time again, locals peered at me, making a pointing motion toward themselves and then at me, indicating that we were the same, that I was home. One man verbalized this as he joined me while I strolled along the beach on our second day in Negombo. “Welcome, sister,” he said, flashing the bright white, even-toothed smile characteristic of nearly all the Sri Lankans we met on the trip.  He touched his mahogany arm with his index finger, and then reached over and touched my chestnut one.  “You have Sri Lankan skin”.

Finally, I was blown away by the diversity of the country and its stunning sights.  For a small island nation, the landscapes differ greatly and the cultural historic attractions are impressive and abundant.  There are beaches and large seated buddhas, gigantic rocks and vast national parks where elephants roam.

7 days in Sri Lanka: our itinerary

We were here for a week but you could easily stay for a month, langourously taking in the country’s attractions. As I mentioned above, we started our journey in Negombo, after flying into Colombo’s (the capital) airport. From there we headed east, to the city of Dambulla, home of the Rock Temple and the Golden Temple. This World Heritage Site is incredibly old — dating back to 1st century B.C., the temples, comprised of five caves, are a shrine to Buddha and his image is found throughout.

Sigiriya, or Lion’s Rock, is perhaps the most awe-inducing of Sri Lanka’s sights. The imposing column of rock is 660 feet high and juts out of the ground, lonely, stubborn, and out of place, dwarfing the thick vegetation that surrounds it. We climbed to the summit, atop which only the ruins of an ancient royal palace remain.

In close proximity to Sigiriya is Minneriya National Park, where we did an elephant safari in an open-roofed jeep.

Further east still lies the ancient royal city of Polonnaruwa, once the second capital of Sri Lanka (after Anuradhapura, which we sadly didn’t get to visit, was destroyed in the late 10th century).  This is one of the apexes of Sri Lanka’s cultural triangle. Wandering along its expansive ruins reminded me of my past trips to similar places: Ayutthaya in Thailand and Pompeii in Italy.

Our final stop was the walled city of Galle, all the way in the south.  The flavour is Eurasian: Dutch colonial-style buildings dot the craggy landscape and the little artisan shops and cafes lining the streets recall old world Europe.

And then, just like that, our seven days were over. With so few days in the country, we missed out on the historic city of Kandy (also part of the country’s cultural triangle) and the tea plantations up in Nurawa Eliya, which we were told over and over are a must-see.

Food and accommodation

Sri Lankan cuisine is tasty and cheap. Similar to southern Indian food, its main staples are rice, coconut, and (you guessed it) fragrant spices that will leave you with a memory of what you ate long after its ingestion(!). As Sri Lanka is surrounded by water, many of the dishes contain seafood, though one of its most popular, hoppers, is pancake-like, and made primarily of rice meal or wheat flour. Yes, Sri Lankans adore their carbs, so rotis and crispy pappadum, along with the rice I mentioned above, feature heavily on the menu. As for price, we ate at a number of roadside restaurants for less than I have ever eaten for before: $4 USD for a buffet lunch or dinner!

After eating yourself into oblivion, you can rest your pretty little head in one of the many hotels and guesthouses found in the country. More and more, Sri Lanka caters to tourists, so a wide range of accommodation at all comfort levels and price points can be found.  That said, even at the upper end of the range hotels are pretty good value for money. As it was our (second) honeymoon, we decided to go for higher end accommodation and were impressed at what we got for the money: for example, we spent just under $150 USD a night for a sprawling three-room villa at the Elephant Corridor Hotel in Sigiriya!

A few parting tips
Get a driver.

If you are short on time and can swing it financially, get a driver. Since it’s common practice for tourists to do so, there are many reliable drivers and they are easy to find. While you can reserve a driver in advance (just ask your hotel if they have any contacts or do a quick google search to find prospective chaffeurs), it is also possible to secure one once you hit the ground. On our first day in Negombo we simply inquired at hotel reception and within 10-minutes we had procured a very knowledge and personable gentleman who took us around the country for the week. Expect to pay about $60 USD per day for this service; the fee includes gas and parking. Most hotels provide accommodation for drivers, but should your hotel not offer this (as was the case with our hotel in Galle), be prepared to give your driver additional cash so that he can secure lodging for the evening (typically to the tune of $10-$15 USD). The added benefit of having a driver is that he is intimately acquainted with the area and thus can provide informed insights on the country, culture, and people .

Be flexible with accommodation.

We booked all our accommodation in advance; in retrospect, this was a bit limiting. We went to Sri Lanka at the beginning of its rainiest season — while the only place we really experienced bad weather was Galle, it still would have been nice to have the possibility of tweaking our itinerary to avoid it. Additionally, once paired with our driver, we realized our tragic error in not scheduling a visit to the tea fields. Because we had already booked and paid for hotels in other cities we were unable to diverge from our original plan, much to our dismay.

Go now, the country is becoming more expensive by the day.

As word spreads about the beauty and diversity of Sri Lanka, tourism and prices are increasing exponentially. I found entrance fees for sites particularly expensive: we paid $25 USD to visit the Polonnaruwa temple complex, for example.

Lauren Pope