Is Sri Lanka Worth Visiting? My Two Months There Plus Honest Takes From Other Travellers Who’ve Been

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My Two Months in Sri Lanka: What Actually Happened

My two months in Sri Lanka were split into two parts: three weeks exploring the hill country and the rest volunteering at a hostel on the south coast, visiting different coastal towns on my days off. I’m a slow traveller, so I know this isn’t a conventional way to see the country by any means.

By the end of my trip, I left with a real essence of what Sri Lanka’s about: the bits I loved, and the parts I was more than happy to see the back of. In that time, I’d hiked in the hill country, surfed down south, partied at music festivals and rented a tuk-tuk to go on a less-than-successful safari trip. I’ve wrapped up my thoughts into the good, the bad and the mixed bag so you can get a bite-sized taste of everything this country has to offer.

The Good

Ok, let’s start with the positives, should we, because I do love Sri Lanka, and the good deffo outweighs the bad.

The Food

If there’s anything I reminisce about the most, good god, it’s the food. Cheap, varied and plentiful, rice and curry sounds bog standard on paper but is something I could never tire of. You’ve got coconut sambal, pumpkin, dhal, papadams, and that’s before you’ve even hit any of the non-veggie curries. Most places are a buffet affair where you pick and choose what you fancy. You could stay fuelled on local food and never spend more than $5 or so a day.

If the UK has Greggs, then Sri Lanka has its equivalent in ‘short eats’ in roadside bakeries across the country. Samosas, patties, and mutton rolls, these quick bites will have your hunger curbed ASAP for no more than a couple of cents. You can switch up and go to your fair share of Western cafes too – the food quality is hardly in competition with the likes of Bali, and you’ll fork out for it too. Though I did find a couple of good spots on the south coast that were worth the splurge IMO.

As a complete foodie, one thing I found interesting about the food culture in Sri Lanka is that restaurants aren’t nearly as oversaturated as in SEA. Cooking is a home affair here, meaning locals rely less on eating out than they would at their warungs in Indonesia or street food markets in Thailand. Sometimes I found that local food still meant to the tourist palette (and its wallet), which was a disconnect I hadn’t experienced in Asia before. Still banging food, but sometimes it required a little more sniffing out.

As always, the best way to sink your teeth into a country’s food culture is by taking a cooking class! I did one in Ella and was amazed at the full-on lineup we ended up whipping up from scratch – you even shave the coconut using some crazy contraption that is a staple in every Sri Lankan home. A non-negotiable activity for foodies.

The Kandy-to-Ella Train: the Romance and the Reality

If you’ve done even half your research, you’d know the Kandy to Ella train is one of the most iconic journeys you can do in Sri Lanka. Does it live up to the hype? Hell yeah, it does, but only if you keep your expectations in check.

This is not the cool, calm, collected experience that you’d have on a train in Europe. But the beauty comes in the chaos. You probably won’t be able to get a ticket with reserved seats. You probably won’t get a seat for the first half of the journey. You’ll probably be rubbing shoulders, quite literally, with someone who smells like a cheese and onion pasty. My first few hours felt like a massive Insta vs reality moment.

But it doesn’t matter anyway, the first part of the journey is nothing of note. It’s only when the landscape opens up that the reality of being firmly in the Hill country smacks you in the face. Seat or not, hanging out of the door is a rite of passage, as the greatest things in life are always mildly dangerous. Tinkering by at a snail’s pace along some of the most beautiful landscapes in the country is 100% a reason that makes Sri Lanka worth visiting.

The Landscapes of the Hill Country

I can safely say that Sri Lanka is one of the greenest and most beautiful countries I’ve ever been to. I remember pulling over to the side of the road, awestruck at the rolling green mountains that enveloped the horizon. Ella, in particular, often gets a bad rep, as it’s too commercialised, too busy. I gotta disagree. The main ‘town’ is small and is naturally going to feel busy, but heading out of the main tourist throngs is so easy and readily rewarded.

Whether you’re into hikes or simply zooming about on your own two wheels, there is something so wholly cathartic about being surrounded by Sri Lanka’s greenery. I’ll die on the hill that you haven’t even scratched the surface of Sri Lanka if you only stick to the south coast.

A sunrise hike up to Little Adam’s Peak is one of the most worthwhile early rises you can do. Hiking up with a local is such an incredible way to explore the area and get into the real meat of the region in a way that isn’t afforded to the self-guided!

Nightlife on the South Coast

On first glance, nightlife in Sri Lanka looks notably understated. It bears no presence of strips, nor of bars boasting cheap buckets lining the street, characteristic of other backpacker hotspots. Nightlife here is something you sniff out rather than having shoved in your face. And once your nose grows accustomed to it, you’ll find nightlife everywhere.

Each night, a different party headlines, with people pouring from all over the south coast to get there. Doctor’s house, Lighthouse, Trax are part of the resident lineup, but there’s always some impromptu party going on that you’ll find out about through word of mouth or on social media the day of.

Unlike other parts of Asia, where you soak up culture in the day and revert back to partying with your fellow suddas come dark, partying in Sri Lanka grants you access to how the locals experience nightlife too. Both backpackers and locals alike rub shoulders until the sun comes up and the dreaded tuk-tuk ride of shame home seems inevitable.

It’s varied, the vibe always changing, the crowd slightly different, and the music forever eclectic. Partying in Sri Lanka is fucking groovy, man.

Sri Lankan hospitality

The kindness and hospitality of the locals is something that always sticks out in the forefront of my mind when reminiscing about Sri Lanka. Checking into homestays always consisted of a pot of tea, fruit and sheer fascination for what brings you to their country. Breakfast is always an absolute FEAST: fruit, jams, roti, dhal, coconut sambal, coffee…your standard hostel toast and coffee won’t ever feel the same. I always started my day stuffed and feeling very, very well looked after by whatever family I was staying with.

Small acts of kindness and a few phrases exchanged in broken English show genuine appreciation for tourists visiting their country, and something I daydream of coming back to often. I urge you to get out of the backpacker bubble and spend as much time with the locals as possible, whether it’s learning to cook or surf with them or even buying a mango on the side of the road. Sri Lanka is a beautiful country, but so much of that comes from its people who want to share the beauty of their country with you too 🙂

The good: our team’s take

Nic: Senior Editor & Roaming Renegade

Sri Lanka, to me, is like a mini Southeast Asia, all with its own unique culture and cuisine. It has incredible beaches, mountains, tea plantations, temples, wildlife and waterfalls all in a compact package. It’s affordable, offers amazing diversity and it’s pretty easy to travel around the main regions.

Dani: Senior Editor & Oceanic Explorer

The vibes in the small surf town of Midigama. Life just operates slowly there. The people are kind and genuine, the surf is mega, the yoga is stretchy, and the kottu from Mama’s kitchen is out the gate. It’s one of those places that you could just keep extending your stay.

Jeff: Managing Editor & Trail Enthusiast

Watching the sunrise from Adam’s Peak over a sea of clouds was a spiritual moment, and I’m not even a spiritual person.

Alex: Editor & Adventure Junkie

One minute you’re in Kandy’s mystical bubble, walking up to a giant Buddha statue surrounded by monks in orange robes, and the next you’re trekking through Ella’s hills, or spotting elephants in Yala. There’s something for everyone here!

The Bad

Ok, ok, so not everywhere is perfect, so these are the things that I actually don’t like that much about Sri Lanka.

Local vs tourist prices

What rubbed me up the most about Sri Lanka is the sheer difference in what you’d pay to get into some attractions and national parks vs a local. I know this is a pretty common thing in Asia, but to pay $35 to climb up Sigiriya Rock when the local price is $0.35 is pretty fucking nuts to me. Sure, it might be one of the top things to do in Sri Lanka, but, nah, bro!

I am MORE than happy to pay the foreigner tax wherever I go, tourism is a good chunk of their economy after all, but it gets to a point where you can’t ignore the feeling of being a walking ATM. Personally? It was a cost too high for me to warrant, so I skipped out and went to the neighbouring Pidurangala rock for $1.50.

I was faced with the same conundrum in Nuwara Eliya, an impromptu stop I added for the sole purpose of hiking in Horton Plains. My lack of research had me stung when I realised the entry was priced at…an unknown number? Seriously, I scrolled on Facebook groups and travel threads looking for any kind of up-to-date answer, only to find that, along with the $25 entry fee, the VAT, the fee for a taxi driver to even drop you off, and the service charge can be whatever they fancy charging you on the day.

I’m used to national parks being free in the UK, so a hike in one in Sri Lanka, costing me about $50 all in, when a local can pay $0.45, was enough to put me off. I’m a broke backpacker in the sense of doing things as no frills as possible, but I rarely say no to experiences – it’s why I travel after all. This was an anomaly for me, and having to turn down experiences because the price is unjustifiable was one of the most frustrating parts about being a traveller in Sri Lanka.

Taxi mafia

As soon as you head down to the south coast, the convenience of Uber and PickMe fizzles away and haggling with drivers becomes a dreaded reality. And look, I get they have a living to make, and the difference in price is negligible to me as a tourist, but there’s an assumed level of aggression that starts to get grating after a while. Whilst not as bad as some parts of Indonesia that I encountered, tuk-tuk drivers here are super territorial on the south coast, and there have even been instances of violence with app-based drivers picking up tourists in no-go areas.

Competition aside, a top tip for Sri Lanka is to make sure you’ve agreed on a price before each journey, lest they bullshit you into paying some price they’ve pulled out of their arse that they think they can get away with. You’ll also have to get used to the constant pestering of offers for a tuk-tuk when you’re walking down the road…because why would you possibly be walking down the road? This isn’t a singularly Sri Lankan problem by any means, but just a microaggression that you’ll have to get used to.

Safaris

Sri Lanka is where I lost my safari virginity. Renting a tuk-tuk and cruising the South Coast to Yala National Park, the vibes were high. Wrapped up in bed by 9 pm, I felt like a kid on Christmas Eve, dreaming of catching a glimpse of the elusive leopard this park is famed for.

We woke long before dawn to the sound of rain. Animals aren’t fussed by a bit of rain, right? More than you think, as it turns out (maybe we should have visited at a different time of year?)

Trawling around in our 4×4, we saw a whole lot of nothing. The odd deer, a peacock feather, animals still half-asleep under tree cover. After a couple of hours of what was shaping up to be a thoroughly disappointing morning, our driver got a radio message: leopard sighting.

Jackpot.

Freshly invigorated, we made our way over to… traffic. Turns out we weren’t the only 4×4 in the park with ideas above our station. Word had spread about our leopard friend, and now everyone wanted in. I don’t know exactly what I’d pictured, but sitting in an SUV, slightly soggy, in a queue of what felt like hundreds of vehicles to squint at a leopard camouflaged somewhere up in the trees was not it.

It was disappointing. It felt unethical. It felt like a regression on my own carefully guarded stance on animal tourism. THIS was the safari experience in Sri Lanka that everyone banged on about? I know the rain didn’t help our cause, but a convoy of 4x4s harassing a single leopard didn’t feel like the spirit of a safari.

The lesson is probably to pick a quieter park, do your research, and manage your expectations. Learn from my mediocre morning, as for Sri Lanka’s safaris: not worth it, in my opinion. When I come back, I’d check out a smaller safari like Wilpattu in hopes of graduating this to ‘the good’ section! 😉

The bad: our team’s take

Nic: Senior Editor & Roaming Renegade

The only way in or out is via Colombo, which is a dirty, chaotic city with not much to see. The diversity of the landscape means that timing your trip with the different climates can be a headache. Transport can be less reliable and more janky than what you might be used to in Southeast Asia.

Alex: Editor & Adventure Junkie

Sri Lanka’s train journeys get a lot of hype for the outside scenery, but good luck if you buy at the last minute, and find you’re standing in a sweltering carriage for 7+ hours, squeezed amongst a crowd of sweaty locals and tourists alike… Buy in advance to avoid this.

Jeff: Managing Editor & Trail Enthusiast

I spent a few days at a beach resort as part of a grad school trip and felt like I could’ve been anywhere tropical in the world. Sri Lanka is too interesting a country to spend days in a place that gives you none of it.

Dani: Senior Editor & Oceanic Explorer

I’ve stumbled into more small scams than I care to admit in Sri Lanka! I’ve never fallen into them in any other country, but Sri Lankans have a way of kindly doing something for you, then asking you for a few bucks for it.

It Depends on You

We’ve had the good, the good, and now the mixed bag. These are the bits that may or may not make or break Sri Lanka for you – it all depends on you!

Value for money

Don’t get me wrong, I definitely think Sri Lanka is an affordable country to travel to. Broke backpacker approved. BUT does it have the same value for money as Vietnam or Indonesia? Not by a long mile.

You can do Sri Lanka cheaply, but your dollar doesn’t stretch as far here. That bougie room you can get for ten bucks in Hanoi with a private balcony and smart TV can only get you a basic fan-only room in Sri Lanka with a questionable bathroom. It’s still doable, you just have to lower your standards or accept you’ll be forking out a bit more for the pleasure.

Your money will go further up north than on the south coast, but even then, the quality of accommodation hasn’t yet caught up to its more tourist-centric southern counterpart. It’s really not the end of the world, though – I stayed in great little homestays like this one in Sigiriya, and whilst not a 5-star villa, the hospitality won me over 10 x more than an infinity pool ever will.

As with any country, eating local food is the cheapest way to go. When you do want your home comforts, you’ll be forking out more for them than you would in Bali, say. I’d also avoid the restaurants clearly catered to tourists as there’s a massive difference even for your bog standard rice and curry compared to that of a restaurant catered to locals. If you’re coming to Sri Lanka on a hella tight budget, you’ll have to be mindful of small things that can steer your budget off course fast.

Safety as a woman

To be clear: I do think that Sri Lanka is safe for solo female travellers. However, there were more instances of feeling uncomfortable here than in other countries in Asia. I also can’t talk for the collective female experience, as I travelled with a man. Who knows how my experience would’ve differed if I were completely solo?

I also met other backpackers who, unfortunately, had some negative experiences that obviously play a part in shaping my perception of travelling this country again solo.

I think Sri Lanka is one of those countries where you just have to have your wits about you a little bit more. I got my phone stolen at a festival here, some odd looks on public transport and conversations with men that I was itching to get out of. It’s nothing that would make me dissuade other women from experiencing Sri Lanka for themselves, but I’d definitely encourage them to err on the side of caution.

As with any country, I think so long as you are making sensible choices, you’ll be fine. Stay with your friends on nights out, don’t take a ride with a stranger at night, and drug-taking is a general no-go (as much as I hate to be the killjoy).

The travel-time reality check nobody tells you about

Before heading to Sri Lanka, my travel strategy consisted firmly of 12Go Asia and hostels to sort out my onward travel. There ain’t any of that here, partner. It’s both simpler and more complicated at the same time. You have to rock up to a bus station and hope that you A. get on the right bus, and B. said bus even shows up. This concept made me sweat the first time, but by the end of my trip, it was second nature.

Sri Lanka is an island after all, so it’s pretty fair to claim that island time rules here. If Google Maps says a journey will take an hour, double it. If the internet tells you it’s a direct journey, don’t take it as gospel. Getting ferried off a bus and onto another is pretty standard here.

I always got where I needed to, though. It’s okay to put a good amount of faith in locals to point you in the right direction and follow them blindly. After a five-hour journey from Colombo to Dambulla, the driver even remembered to shout our stop to us to get off!

You’d be mistaken to think an island this small correlates to short travel days. Factor in travel accordingly; most of the time, a full day is dedicated to getting from A to B. If you’re running on a tight itinerary, you could be stung by a missed bus, a late train or a taxi that never showed up.

Depends on you: our team’s take

Nic: Senior Editor & Roaming Renegade

Sri Lanka is compact and has a lot to offer in a short trip, but trying to fit it all into a couple of weeks will be hectic and frustrating, given some of the transport options. It’s somewhere that needs more time than you might imagine for its size and planning out properly if you’re visiting for a short time.

Alex: Editor & Adventure Junkie

Sri Lanka was my first ever country outside Europe and the USA. I almost wasn’t allowed into the country as I had no accommodation booked, and got scammed by a tuk-tuk driver on my first day in Colombo. Thankfully, Uber is there now, so you can dodge this.

Jeff: Managing Editor & Trail Enthusiast

As a first-timer with a week on the clock, I thought finding genuinely local food took more legwork than I expected. It’s there, and it’s worth the effort, but don’t assume it’ll find you.

Dani: Senior Editor & Oceanic Explorer

7 hours on a busy, rickety train was a tad too much for me. Sure, hanging out of the window was pretty wild, but a few hours in, things were getting sweaty and uncomfortable. The sweet man selling chai got me through. But it’d opt for a shorter route next time.

Who Sri Lanka is Is Worth Visiting For

The idea of Sri Lanka makes your ears prick up, but how do you know if it’s truly worth a visit for you? If you see yourself in any one of the adventurers below, you can safely say that Sri Lanka is worth giving a rekkie.

• Adventurous backpackers: As a backpacker who is happy to get down and dirty with long travel days, questionable toilets and the odd subpar hostel, Sri Lanka suited me down to a T. Saying that, it has a good balance of Western comforts and opportunities to spend time with local families and get off the beaten path.
• Those who want the best of both worlds: If you want to head up north and try to avoid tourists for as long as humanly possible, you can. If you’ve got the taste of Bali and want surf, sun and a good smoothie bowl, you’ve also got that here. Your experience of Sri Lanka is completely shaped by how much time you have to see different corners of the country, as there is such a wide spectrum in such a small lil country. My time in the central province feels like a completely different country compared to when I was kicking it back on the south coast.
• Surfers: It goes without saying that Sri Lanka and surfing go hand in hand. If you’re here for one reason and one reason only, surfing is a bloody good one.
• Foodies: As a fellow foodie, Sri Lanka has my heart (and stomach) singing. No one curry and rice is ever the same as it’s a proper family afair. I wholly recommend checking out a cooking class to sink your teeth into its dishes, spices and the significance of coconut in it all!

Who Sri Lanka Is NOT Worth Visiting For

Sri Lanka isn’t for everyone, and that’s a-okay. It’s worth knowing beforehand that no one wants to feel let down on a big trip!

• The flashier holidaymakers: If you want a completely polished experience, you might feel let down by Sri Lanka. It does often get compared to a mini Bali, but that doesn’t mean it’s quite up to the bells and whistles of beach clubs and luxury villas just yet. And honestly, I dread to see the day it does get up to that point. Sri Lanka’s beauty lies in its rough edges. If that’s not your idea of a good time, a quick trip in the Indian Ocean over to the Maldives might suit you better.
• Those short on time: Unless you’re planning on visiting a select few places, you might find that a whistlestop tour feels more frustrating than fulfilling, especially if you have a couple of long travel days thrown into the mix. If you want to see both the south coast and hill country, you really need to factor in at least two weeks at an absolute minimum.
• Animal lovers: I was oftentimes upset with the states of some of the stray dogs on the streets, the shady ethics of turtle sanctuaries, and the elephants chained up in backyards. I love animals, and this wouldn’t dissuade me from coming back, per se, but I know others may take a firmer stance.

Our team’s final verdict

Nic: Senior Editor & Roaming Renegade

Sri Lanka is one of the best places to visit in the world, if you’re looking for an all-in-one package, a country that delivers such diversity, beauty, culture and authenticity beyond the crowds. It’s also perfect for those wanting to experience the subcontinent without having to deal with the sheer scale and chaos of India. It’s the perfect bridge between Southeast Asia and India, in my opinion.

Alex: Editor & Adventure Junkie

Colombo sucks, so get out of the capital ASAP, but aside from that, Sri Lanka is one of my favourite countries in the world. Mystical Buddhism, beautiful scenery, world-class wildlife, decent beaches, friendly people, and so much more, all for super cheap prices.

Jeff: Managing Editor & Trail Enthusiast

Worth it, but a week is not enough given how much there is to see and how long it takes to get between places. If you have more time, take it.

Dani: Senior Editor & Oceanic Explorer

Sri Lanka is one of my favourite places to travel, I’ve visited three times now! It’s a step up from the likes of Thailand and Bali – but it’s got a magic to it that keeps you coming back.

My Sri Lanka Worth-It Scorecard

Do I think Sri Lanka is worth it? Abso-bloody-lutely. It stole a piece of my heart, and I’ve been plotting to go back ever since. My heavy hitters for travelling are about food, people and scenery, and Sri Lanka wipes the board with all three.

For all the geeks that need a numerical value put to my emotional experiences, I’ve kept you in mind. I’ve given each aspect of Sri Lanka a score out of ten. You can see what I think of the stuff that’ll matter to you on your trip to decide whether YOU think Sri Lanka is worth visiting.

But as with anything, I’d urge you to refer to the age-old motto of: fuck around and find out. Maybe Sri Lanka is worth visiting, maybe it’s not…I’d argue the answer is irrelevant either way. Go for the experience, the memories gained, the food eaten, knowing that you’ll come out a more worldly, wiser human on the other side anyway. Everything is ‘worth it’ when the experience is the goal in my books.