The pearl of the south was not an intended stop on my travels, but I kept seeing wonderful things and opted to swap Malaysia for Sri Lanka the day before departing - one of the perks of being a last minute planner (you backpackers know what I’m talking about). I knew a little bit about the country, but was completely in awe when I arrived at each new destination.

As someone who typically travels a bit slower, I only had 16 days (dramatic, I know) as I had to get back to Thailand (dramatic, again I know). I still wanted to see as much as possible and was aware that travel between my stops would also account for a handful of hours whenever I was moving.

It seems that most people move through the country in a circle - whether it be clockwise or counter. I took the clockwise route as I knew if I started out in the south surfing I wouldn’t want to leave. And boy, am I more than pleased with the journey I took.

My Sri Lanka Itinerary:

View of Ella Rock from Little Adam’s Peak in Ella, Sri Lanka

→ Colombo

→ Sigiriya

→ Nuwara Eliya

→ Ella

→ Hiriketiya

→ Mirissa

Day 1: Colombo

If you’re flying internationally, I am 99% sure you will arrive at Colombo Bandaranaike International Airport, situated on the West coast of Sri Lanka - make sure you have your visa done prior to arrival. I landed at 9am on the 27th of January after sleeping in the Kuala Lumpur airport and was pleasantly surprised by the ease of immigration, obtaining an eSIM, exchanging cash, and catching the bus to downtown Colombo. Truly, all of this together took about 90 minutes - if you want to see more about logistics, click here.

Since I had the entire day I opted to only stay for one night in Colombo, which felt like plenty of time to see the city. This time of year it’s very hot, so plan accordingly. I took the 187 bus from the airport and got dropped off right in the city center near Colombo Fort. My hostel, Colombo Downtown Monkey, was a 20 minute walk from the station - if you want something easy, affordable, and convenient then this is the place for you. The staff was wonderful, the beds were comfy, plus they provided free breakfast!

Other than getting my bearings and organizing for the following day, I didn’t have too much planned. Here’s my highlights: Jami UI-Alfar Mosque, Pettah Market, trying local cuisines (kottu and currys are everywhere), and watching the sunset from Galle Face Beach - I had never seen the sun so large before.

Day 2-3: Sigiriya

To get here I took the train from Colombo to Habarana (the closest train stop, about 20 minutes via tuk-tuk) which was absolutely stunning. I didn’t hear anybody talking about this particular train, and to be honest it was my favorite - and much less crowded than the more famous trains around Ella. The third class fan was way more comfortable than I had imagined it to be. There were bathrooms on board (I didn’t have to use it) and vendors that periodically come through selling coffees and snacks. On top of all this, you get the most stunning views of utterly vibrant, green landscape - and all for the price of 1200 LKR. Not a bad deal if I say so myself. The only potential downside is there isn’t a ton of luggage storage, so if you are traveling with a suitcase it may be a bit of a hassle.

Upon arrival, Sigiriya is a relatively small and easy town to see. I started with hiking Pidurangala Rock - you can take a tuk-tuk from town, but I opted to walk with some friends as it wasn’t too far. Lion Rock is the more famous of the two in town, and trust me, you’ll see them both as they tower above the otherwise flat plains. I opted for the Pidurangala as it’s a fraction of the cost (1,000 LKR compared to 10,000 LKR), plus you get a lovely view of Lion Rock with the town behind from the top of this one. It’s important to note that you do pass a temple at the start of the hike; please be curtious and either bring your own or use the wraps provided to cover your knees (yes, this includes men as well).

Bottom to top the hike took roughly 20-30 minutes including stops. If you are regularly active and walk, you’ll have no problem getting up. Once you reach the top there’s plenty of space to relax and take in the views, but limited shade.

After the hike, we ventured to Thalkote Lake View point - and yes you can swim here! It was a 45 minute walk from the base of Pidurangala Rock and there is one very obvious entry with steps into the water. It was quite the refreshment after walking in the midday heat. We even had a free little spa treatment with the small fishes nibbling on our toes (no it doesn’t hurt).

On our walk back we heard the singing tuk-tuk, a sign the bread man is close by! I absolutely adore the treats and pastries they have, plus they are incredibly affordable. Just wave them down and you have the perfect midday snack - my favorites were the sweet jam and savory potato.

The day ended with a lovely view of the sunset from Roccia Panoramic Parco, a quick 10 minute walk from the hostel. We capped off the evening with dinner at Mother Queen Restaurant where I had a delicious dahl set and a Sri Lankan dessert called Watalappam; a sweet, coconutty, jelly like - well, I can’t quite describe it but I loved it. (If you’re a coconut lover, Sri Lanka is the place for you!)

I skipped this, but you can also book safaris in Sigiriya. Many places offer early or late excursions to see wild elephants and more - though if you’re lucky, you might be able to see them from your accommodation like I did!

Day 4-5: Nuwara Eliya

Nuwara Eliya was probably the biggest surprise to me in all of Sri Lanka - a cozy, cool, mountain town tucked up around 7,000 feet. It was full of pine trees and tea plantations and moody, low-hanging clouds. It’s not a stop everyone makes, but one that I really loved. The highest point in all of the country is here - though you have to book a tour to reach it.

To get here from Sigiriya, I split a private taxi (the most expensive part of my trip) with someone I met on Hostelworld. Now I usually never use the Hostelworld chats, but in Sri Lanka they were an essential for me - whether it be finding unique things to do, split ride costs, or get advice, these chats had them all. Since both of us were in a rush and the trains were down, this was the best bet for us. Plus, with the car we were able to make stops along the way including some temples in Dambulla and Kandy, while still arriving to our end point at a reasonable time.

In Nuwara Eliya I stayed at a hostel called C’est La Vie - recently opened and quirky as it reminded me of a college frat house. But in all honesty I’m not picky and I quite enjoyed the place and people who were there during my 2 night stay. If you aren’t searching for the cheapest option like I, there are a ton of other options here.

Visiting a tea plantaion is something I highly recommend, and this is the perfect place to do it. There are so many to choose from, but I went to Labookellie Tea Lounge. They provided a free guided tour, showing us the tea making process from start to finish: picking the tea leaves, how they made it green tea or black tea, the drying process, and all the things in between. As someone who didn’t know anything about the production, I came to find the process so cool to learn about - especially coming from a country where coffee dominates. A big plus was the free tea tasting at the end that was just WOW. I also purchased the tea cake, and my oh my, I couldn’t recommend it more.

Modern day technology can sometimes be so cool; a stranger snapped this of me and airdropped it from the other train car.

Nuwara Eliya is definitely a quiet town with no huge attractions, but the amazing weather and welcoming-ness made it the perfect place to just wander and be. There’s a lot of good hiking (Sugar Hill, Peoke Trail, and Adam’s Peak if you have more time and money), waterfalls like Lover’s Leap, the cute, iconic red bricked post office, and parks all around the town.

This is the perfect place if you’re looking for some relaxation, nature, and quiet time - just grab a delicious Masala Chai tea and soaked up some of the late afternoon sun. There is a lot of great local food, so make sure to try some of the stands on the street!

Day 6-7: Ella

Since the iconic Kandy to Ella train was closed, I did take the Ambewela (close to Nuwara Eliya) train to Ella. This is still in the mountainous region and is more famously known due to the scenery. This train was much more crowded than the first one I took, and though still stunning, I found it to be a bit overhyped. I will say, it’s definitely still worth it for the price of travel if you are able to nab a ticket!

Watching the train pass over 9 Arch Bridge

Ella is quite similar to Nuwara Eliya, but a bit more crowded and built out for tourism. Here you have the iconic 9 Arch Bridge where you can watch the train pass - I prefer standing on the side where you are opposite the tunnel (I’ll post a photo so that makes more sense). It gets quite crowded here, so try and come early if you want some photos or to walk around on the railway.

Close to city center you also have Little Adam’s Peak which is lovely for sunrise, and even better if you go all the way to the very very end. There’s about 3 false “ends” and it can be a bit steep at some points, but all in all it took no more than 45-60 minutes. Some people told me this hike was a bit overrated, but I really enjoyed it.

For my stay I landed at Bunk Station Hostel after a whoopsie with my first place, but I was more than ok with the swap. This hostel was seemingly brand new, quiet, and had easy access to all the things I wanted to do - a 1 minute walk from Little Adam’s peak trailhead and a 15 minute walk to 9 Arch Bridge.

There are a TON of restaurants here, and plenty of Western options if that’s what your looking for. One thing I tried that completely blew my mind was this frozen curd with honey - an absolute 10/10 for me.

Some other things that I wish I had more time for were the Ella Rock hike (opposite to Little Adam’s peak), exploring the waterfalls, and paying a visit the Sri Vivekaramaya Buddhist Temple.

Day 8-9: Hiriketiya

I had seen a ton about Hiriketiya online and was curious to see if it lived up to the hype. Although absolutely stunning, it was a bit too crowded and posh for me. After getting an absolute steal of a deal for a 4 hour bus ride (400 LKR total) down, I arrived to town. There are a ton of beautiful cafes and restaurants here, but things definitely lean on the more expensive side.

If you want to surf, I would personally recommend another area as the bay here way completely packed. And when I say packed, I mean both the beach front and the water - I was actually a bit shocked to see so many people trying to learn to surf on one little break. In liue of all this, I opted to surf at Kudawela (10 minute ride), made a stop over in Tangalle, and watched the sunset from Dikwela.

I ended up cutting my time here short and moved onto my last stop. Again, some people love it, so take my recommendations with a grain of salt. Some good restaurants and cafes to note: Lemon Grass Cafe (get the Sri Lankan Rice and Curry set) and Cafe Moon (get the Cool Cinnamon Milk Tea).

Day 10-16: Mirissa

What was only supposed to be a 2 day stop ended up filling the remainder of my time in Sri Lanka. I truly fell in love with this area! Mirissa is a large town that is fixated right in the middle of a bunch of other places. Within a 30 minute drive either direction you have Ahangama, Weligama, and Matara. It wasn’t a one off road lined with new wellness shops, but rather a seemingly nice blend of traditional Sri Lankan shops and stores with some newer ones as well - I guess what I’m trying to say is that it still felt like Sri Lanka.

I was able to split a tuk-tuk with someone from Hiriketiya and it took about 1 hour to get to town. Here I stayed at Mirissa Surf Hostel, a brand new place with HUGE rooms and an absolutely stellar vibe - plus it was a literal 60 second walk to the beach! It wasn’t just a hostel, but a place that truly felt like home upon leaving. We did everything from family dinners to surfing to darts to volleyball to partying together - the workers included! A truly wonderful and wholesome time that I couldn’t recommend more.

Connected to the hostel is Chuty’s Surf School where I took lessons, and boy was that a time. They offer beginner to advanced classes, provide boards and transport (sometimes an extra cost), and have discounts for multiple lessons. I got paired with the ever so lovely Imalki - we surfed a handful of places, but my favorite was Jungle. If you are a newer surfer like I, I definitely recommend going out with some locals to learn the breaks and make sure you keep yourself and others safe. There are a ton of shallow reef breaks, and well, you don’t want to cut your trip short, do you?

Aside from surfing, I spent some time trying delicious food - Dulnetha, No. 1 Dewmini Roti, and Shady Lane all offer a variety of foods ranging from Western to Sri Lankan. To be quite frank, the place I went most often was Perera & Sons (P&S) - it’s a local chain that offers quick cheap Nescafé coffee and a plethora of pastries and snacks. I often visited twice a day. There’s also more fresh fruit than you can imagine, so make sure to stop for some of those as well!

There’s so much to do in this area that it’s hard to summarize, but here’s my short list: you can head over to see the sunset at Secret Beach, head to Weligama for long beach stretches, go snorkeling, or head over to Matara where the infamous Doctor’s House bar is. They host parties every Wednesday and Saturday, but know that there is a cover and it closes at midnight. They do offer an after party next door that goes into the early hours, but there is separate cover for that party. There a little bit of something for everyone here, so make sure to put Mirissa on your list for a lovely stop in Sri Lanka!

Sunset at Mirissa Lighthouse, close to Secret Beach

Well, that loosely sums up my 2 weeks in Sri Lanka. So…are you ready to book your adventure?

Honorable mentions:

Arugam Bay: Eastern Sri Lanka and big surf spot
Yala National Park: busy safari area but possibilty of seeing leopards
Uluwadawe: much less crowded than Yala, but fewer animals as well
Galle: Southwestern coastal town with the historic Galle Fort
Kandy: inland town that has temples and a train to Ella (this was closed when I was visiting, so make sure to check)

Logistics & Helpful Tips:

eSIM: I purchased the Hutch 125G plan for roughly $10 USD. I visited the stand at the airport and they had it done and set up within minutes.
PickMe: similar to Grab or Uber. This is a newer thing in Sri Lanka (I had a few drivers tell me I was their first client, so cute!), but be aware that it does cause a bit of tension with Tuk Tuk drivers. Sometimes my driver would cancel or not show up due to them knowing the Tuk Tuk drivers hung out in the area. It is also only used in larger cities, so smaller places have very few drivers. Just be smart when it comes to traveling and knowing if you can get in and out of places without too much hassle.
Sri Lankan drivers license: I did not want to drive there, but many people opt to. It’s important to note that every place requires you to have a license (can be easily bought upon arrival at the airport) to rent a motorbike or tuk tuk. The police there don’t mess around, and I always saw numerous check points through several cities.
Cash is king: do not expect to be able to use a credit card anywhere. A few more popular cities in the south did have card access, but just always have cash. Plus, the people there prefer it [cash] as they don’t get taxed for credit card transactions. Less stress for you and better for the locals!
Hostel Stays: Most hostels I stayed in do not have curtains on bunks - it’s not something that bothers me, but just be aware of the accommodations you're booking. Things here might be a bit different from other countries, even a bit different from other places in Southeast Asia.

2 Weeks in Sri Lanka on a Backpackers Budget