2 weeks in Sri Lanka: a Sustainable & Non-touristic experience
Read my brain:
✿ Really worth doing!
✎ Not worth it, unless you have time to spare!
Introduction to Sri Lanka
This was my first time visiting a Buddhist country, and being myself a Buddhist I have to say I was captured by their mentality and way of living. I am not religious myself, and that’s why I love Buddhism. Buddhism is not a religion, is a way of life.
The way they live their daily life and approach every situation is admirable. You feel like you’ll recreate your soul here, immersed in nature and in silence and respect.
You will experience Ayurvedic medicine, which I have made myself for years now in my daily routine, but I finally got the chance to live it face to face.
You will meet wonderful calm people who are always ready to help you.
I assuere you it’s a trip you willnever forget! <3
Your perfect Plan for 2 weeks in Sri Lanka
To do our same tour, you will need 10 full days approximately.
REMINDER: This blog allocates experiences in the way that saves the most time (spent on reaching areas) and energy! Isn’t it great? <3 ).
♥ Day 1: ✈️ Fly to Sri Lanka (Colombo)
♥ Day 2: Negombo, Wilpattu National Park, Heritance Kandalama
♥ Day 3: Pidurangala Rock (Sigiriya)
♥ Day 4: Elephant Freedom Project
♥ Day 5: Sembuwatta Lake & Bambarakiri Ella Waterfalls
♥ Day 6: From Kandy to Nuwara Eliya & Ella
♥ Day 7: Tea Plucking at Pitarathmalie Estate; Odyssey Train (From Ella to Badulla); Tuk Tuk ride back home
♥ Day 8: Upper Diyaluma (Falls)
♥ Day 9: Rekawa Journey Kayak; Playa Hirikiteya; Silent Beach Beach
♥ Day 10: Secret Beach
♥ Day 11: Jungle Beach & Galle
♥ Day 12: Colombo
♥ Day 13:✈️Fly back home… or continue to Maldives! :)
If you wish to find my map pins and easily follow them, follow me on mapstr!
Who to go with:
Sri Lanka is an adventure: find your soul mate, friend, friends or partner who loves adventure too. Someone who is not afraid of changing hotel every day, moving constantly, explore infinitely!
How long:
I think 10 full days is perfect if you want to live the best spots and experiences of the island. But if you want to enjoy every experience for longer and with no rush, then I’d suggest around 15 full days!
Where to stay for the night:
This guide will guide you through every accommodation suggestion for every night. This guide will bring you on a road trip across the entire island to live the Sri Lankan vibe to the fullest!
Rent your car: ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE:
In Sri Lanka you have various options to move around:
By trains & buses: I would not recommend it for the kinds of experiences I have listed here, cause not all of them are well connected.
By Tuk Tuks: also not recommended. The driving is very dangerous in the island, plus it’s small and you won’t fit well with the luggages.
By Car: here you have two options:
Having a personal driver, it’s the most common way to move around Sri Lanka, and also, it’s also cheaper than renting your car. To give you an estimate, for 10 full days we paid 550€ for a driver, all included (gas, his nights & life), for 2 people. They follow your plan, bring you wherever you want them to and at any time.
Pros: You won’t have to drive long hours & also experience the island, but you can rest during the transfers.
Cons: You won’t have full privacy, you’ll have to sit on the back of the car, you will have to cope with their crazy driving !
Rent your car with a car rental agency and drive yourself.
We rented a car with SR Rent a Car. They are good, but just so you know: their office is not at the airport. So when you arrive, they will have a driver for you at the arrivals to bring you there (approximately 15 15-minute drive). At the airport, you can find other good car rentals, such as Casons.
In Sri Lanka they mostly drive “Sedan” like cars. You can check the Nissan Sunny, their trunk is the most spacious (for your luggage!).
YOU MUST DO AN INTERNATIONAL DRIVING PERMIT. You can register here. You cannot pick your car unless you have registered here and afterwards have sent your permit to the car rental. They will have to make a “driving permit paper” for you to bing around with you whilst driving.
Buy a SIM CARD
There are 2 main mobile services across the island that mainly operate:
DIALOG: suggested to us by a local friend we have
AIRTEL: also used by other tourists we knew.
I am attaching pics of the prices & packages they offered when we were there. I strongly suggest you to make one because it’s cheap and it will be very useful during your roadtrip!
IMPORTANT:
✿ ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ✿
BEFORE TRAVELLING TO SRI LANKA!
→ CLICK HERE TO SCROLL TO THE SECTION “ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW”.
SRI LANKA
♥ Day 1: Fly & arrive!
♥ Day 2: Negombo, Wilpattu (Leopard Safari) & Heritance Kandalama
If you wish to find my map pins and easily follow them during your trip, follow me on mapstr!
✿ Sleep in Negombo
For the first night, we decided to sleep in Negombo for 2 reasons:
The first is the fact that the Colombo Bandaranaike Airport is closer to Negombo than Colombo
The second is the fact that the road trip actually begins from Negombo and goes further up, therefore it’ll save time. Also, we will visit Colombo on the last day of this tour!
We stayed at Terrace Green Hotel because it was clean for a good price, but not too comfortable as far by foot from the Fish Market (the first destination of the day after).
✿ Fish Market
Negombo has traditionally been a fishing town, home to Sri Lankan fishermen and women who indulged in traditional ways of fishing.
The dry fish market: you will notice a huge swathe of the beach covered with large hessian sacks. Over them lie thousands of fishes (in all varieties, sizes, and shapes), neatly arranged in lines and separated by categories.
The wet fish market: Once you are inside the fish market, the experience is one of a cacophonous ride through a jungle of parakeets. It is where fresh fish is sold both retail and wholesale.
✿ Drive & Stop to buy tropical fruits
On the way towards north to proceed for our first day of roadtrip, we stopped to buy fruits at two local fruit stands:
One very small stand selling Rambutan, a very common tropical fruit in Sri Lanka. Here is where the stand was.
One big fruit market on the street, selling all kinds of fruits. We had amazing bananas, coconut water (p.s. this is not actually COCONUT for them, it’s called “Ran Thambili”, this is used for the water, whilst the coconut itself they use it for the pulp to make oils and milk to cook).
✿ National Park Safari (Leopards watch) at Wilpattu National Park
Avoid touristic Safaris (like the one at YALA) - this blog article is all about tips to avoid tourists & touristic crowded experiences and rather focus on supporting local business that treat you better!
The Leopard Den Safari was amazing. We had a jeep all by ourselves, the guide was very kind to explain to us all the species of animals that you could find, and stop wherever we liked!
The Jeep tour lasts for around 4 hours. Depending on the season you go, you can see different kinds of animals. We were there in February, and were able to see: Deers, Buffalos, Eagles, Monitor Lizards, Peacocks, Hares, Foxes, Monkeys and finally a beautiful leopard!
✿ Sleep at Heritance Kandalama
Among the many touristic hotels in Sri Lanka, this is probably the only one I’d say not to skip. For different reasons:
Monkeys will play, eat, and stay within your balcony and you can interact with them
You can be lucky like us and spot elephants eating in your garden in the evening
The food is very great and you can try out a large variety of Ceylon dishes
The service and experience is overall nice
♥ Day 3: Pidurangala Rock (Sigiriya)
If you wish to find my map pins and easily follow them during your trip, follow me on mapstr!
✿ Climb Pidurangala Rock ( to see Sigiriya)
Avoid climbing Sigiriya Rock: it’s chaotic and full of tourists, it’s a very touristic and guided climb with stairs that don’t feel natural and real. Instead, do like us, climb Pidurangala Rock, and from the peak, enjoy the beautiful shape and presence of Sigiriya Rock which seen from far away is even more beautiful and stunning! Pidurangala is located a few km away from Sigiriya and will provide a far more challenging climb perfect for the more adventurous of travelers like us, it’s approx. 1h climb.
You park at the vehicle parking area, and from there, get inside the Temple. You’ll have to pay a very cheap ticket (around 2.5€ per person), cover your shoulders and legs to cross the temple, and afterward, you are free to proceed to climb Pidurangala.
Get to the top for the view of the green land! Don’t forget to bring something to drink (the stairs to climb up really hit you!) and eat to enjoy a picnic at the top.
A few words about Sigiriya, it’s one of Sri Lanka's seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites. This rock-top fortress dates back to the fifth century AD. The atmosphere is more spiritual than militant: in its time, it has acted as a royal palace and a Buddhist monastery.
✎ Skip the Dambulla Rock Temple
For many reasons:
It’s very touristic and full of people
They make you pay for every little thing. beside the ticket: to leave the shoes before entering, to get a veil, to have them explain to you…
The overall experience doesn’t leave you much, as it’s an agglomerate of Buddha’s statues in caves. I honestly
✿ Sleep at Margosa Mountain Villa
We found this place in the middle of the jungle owned by a local family, Margosa Mountain Villa. The owner, Ravi, is very kind, sympathetic, and welcoming. You’ll stay in a villa in front of nature, with no sound or noise, you can see beautiful sunrise and sunsets, and walk across their vegetable garden!
They also have a cute restaurant on a wooden stage, so ask information for about the dinner!
The rooms are not perfect but the rest is anyway worth the stay!
♥ Day 4: Sembuwatta Lake & Bambarakiri Ella Waterfalls
Before telling you some details about this day, I have to let you know that actually I have skipped the destinations for this day for two main reasons:
I did not find them curious enough to do them unless I had some spare time. They are not those non-touristic & sustainable experiences I was hoping to do during this trip; but they are definitely nice things to see and do!
On this day, I was invited by a local family & friends I had in Sri Lanka for a very traditional lunch at their home. This, for me, was the most interesting experience of all, as I can say I have been in touch with the real Sri Lankan world, traditions, manners, and habits of their culture, which you can only live when you literally and philosophically enter their homes (and not the touristic attractions). I will put some pictures of this day here, not only because I wish to keep them within this article, but also to show you a real Sri Lankan lunch, set table & home.
One of the most interesting things we found out is that original and traditional Sri Lankan families have this habit of “serving” you water (so literally bring you a glass of water or a bowl of water at the table) to let you know the table is set and you can now start your meal. It’s a unique and very polite way to invite yout to enjoy what they prepared for you.
✿ Sembuwatta Lake
Note: this lake was strongly suggested to us by locals, so even if we did not go and I cannot give you my personal opinion, I can tell you locals believe it’s worth your time, and I always trust locals!
Sembuwatta Lake is a hidden paradise in the hill country, ideal for nature lovers like me! This is a man-made lake created from natural spring water at Elkaduwa plantations in Matale. The lake is situated at an elevation of 1,140 m, bordered by Cambell’s Land Forest reserve and lush green tea estates. The beautiful green mountains with towering thick pine forests and lovely tea plantations make a wonderful picturesque background for the lake.
The lake is a top leisure travel destination since various activities are available such as zip-lining, swan, and motorboat riding. The pine forest is famous for hiking in the area. The lake is fairly deep around 9 -12m, hence bathing and swimming in the lake is not allowed.
You can also reserve the holiday bungalow with all modern facilities to stay over at night. The misty and chilly atmosphere with pine trees and tea-covered slopes surrounding the lake is breathtaking and looks very relaxing. If you like to capture some epic nature shots of Sri Lanka, you’ll love this place. Certainly, Sembuwatta Lake reflects the beauty of nature as its most magnificent and you will enjoy every moment of this journey.
✎ Bambarakiri Ella Waterfalls
This is a hidden gem in a tranquil and peaceful place, set amidst the mesmerizing greenery of the Knuckles Mountain range.
This is a fall of 10 m, which cascades into three parts. Water comes crashing down to earth at a high speed in the rainy season making this fall a wonderful sight. The major highlight of this waterfall is the photogenic suspension bridge spanning the falls. This bridge offers the opportunity to capture wonderful shots of this beautiful waterfall. As well, the rock pool at the base of the waterfall is ideal for a safe dip during the dry season. But it’s very dangerous during the rainy season, due to the high water volume and slippery rocks.
Note: I also did not go here, but this was quite inspiring for me!
✎ Sera Ella Riverston
Sri Lanka is home to more than 400 waterfalls dotted all over the island. Out of them, some are hidden gems, located far from major tourist streams. One such gorgeous waterfall is Sera Ella located in the Knuckles Forest Reserve. You can see this beautiful Sera Ella during your hiking to Riverston Peak in Matale. It measures 10 m in height and approximately 15 to 20 m in width, which is wider than the height.
The unique feature of this waterfall is the natural cave in the rock, located behind the falls. You can reach this cave safely along with the steps on the rock. This is a wonderful opportunity, where you can walk into that cave and stand behind the crumbling water of the fall. This cave is a secure place even when the fall is at full flow. This is an extremely rare occasion to see a fall from behind. Remember to visit this astonishing hidden gem, while waterfall hunting in Sri Lanka.
✿ Sleep at Kandy
We stayed in Kandy because it was a mid-way location to reach the next destinations!
✿ Ayurvedic Massage at Green Chaya Spa
Before leaving Kandy, enjoy a real Ayurvedic massage. For those of you who don’t know about Ayurvedic medicine, it is one of the world's oldest medical systems and remains one of India's traditional healthcare systems. Ayurvedic treatment combines products (mainly derived from plants, but may also include animal, metal, and mineral), diet, exercise, and lifestyle.
Sri Lanka, as a true Buddhist culture, values Ayurvedic medicine a lot.
We found this local Spa, Green Chaya, owned and managed by locals, that’s offering you ayurvedic treatments for a very cheap price.
I will attach here the massages they offer. We did the total body massage together with the Sheerodhara using oil streams on a very sensitive area of our head to relax our body. This was very very relaxing, apart from the fact that the oils stayed in our hair for a long even after washing them. Nevertheless, it was worth experiencing their culture again. Avoid touristic spas, they charge you a lot of money and translate and deviate the messages & treatments towards international techniques and lose the local knowledge.
P.S.: fun fact: the spa was decorated in a very very unique (let’s call it this way) way, and we counted more Winnie the Pooh (or Pooo as they call it) stuffed animals than Buddha statues here! 😂
♥ Day 5: Elephant Freedom Project
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✿ By local spices & coconut oil in Wahawa (Rambukkana) Village
Wahava village is a very small village Wahava, in Rambukkana where you can find the cheapest spices and products in Sri Lanka. We were suggested to go here by a local and could buy very cheap and good black pepper and other spices.
Rambukkana itself, instead, is very famous for its coconut oil, don’t forget to pass by and buy some! Just ask a local where to find the best one :)
✿ Clean, feed, walk and spend time with free Elephants at the Elephant Freedom Project
One of the most beautiful experiences you can have when traveling is being in touch with nature and locals. This experience allows you to do both.
There are many Elephant orphanages, Reserves, and Parks across Sri Lanka but they all keep elephants hostages for their own good: tourism (many keep elephants with chains to have you ride them), agricultural forced labor, etc.
This project is family-run and gives shelter for captive elephants. When we visited them, two elephants were staying with them, their names were Kumari and Menike. For many years they had to work in the harsh tourist riding industry, but now they are safe.
Here, there is no elephant riding - never. Just accompanying on walks.
You can choose to do a half-day experience in the morning, or afternoon, they have both slots! They will offer you a very savory lunch!
First, you can go by the river with the elephants and learn how to clean them using coconut as a sponge to brush away all their dirt. You can feed them leaves and branches (they don’t like it if you play games though, just feed them!).
Afterward, you can walk with them on the hill, climbing the mountain with the Mahoots as their guide.
What I’d have done if I did have one more day, that you can do on day 5:
✿ Cooking course at the Elephant Freedom Project
At the end of the Elephant’s experience, we asked the family to spend dinner time there at their home, cooking with them, and learning how to make their local dishes. It was a very non-touristic experience, we had the chance to meet locals and see how they treat their kitchens and how they use spices, seeds, leaves, and more. They taught us how they make their coconut oil and milk. We prepared a variety of meals like chicken curry, potatoes with mustard seeds, and dahl curry.
Overall, I’d suggest you contact them and ask for this cooking course experience, they are super open and friendly and will be happy to do this for you.
You can also spend the night at their accommodation, but I wouldn’t recommend it unless you wish to save money.
♥ Day 6: From Kandy to Nuwara Eliya & Ella
✎ Kandy
Note: the reason why it’s marked as ✎ is that I honestly did not like Kandy. It has nothing unique, it’s very chaotic, and there is not a street to walk in where you can get the vibe of the city. The only attraction there is the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, which is housed in Kandy's teeming temple complex. Wars have been fought over this relic, believed to have belonged to Buddha himself. You can join the devout to add your petal offerings and light votive candles.
Besides that, they consider the Big City Centre Mall as their city center; so there is nothing more.
For this reason, we tried walking around a little but left after a few minutes and departed for the next stops of our trip. The only nice part of the city is where the central open-air Municipal Market is, at this location here.
Besides this, few words about the city. The last capital of the ancient kings of Sri Lanka, and a popular getaway for colonial administrators looking to escape the heat, Kandy is a pretty place – tucked beside a lake in the country’s central highlands.
✎ Drive across Nuwara Eliya
At the heart of Sri Lanka's tea industry, this charming throwback to the country's colonial years is rich with the heritage of home-county England.
Overall, we did not stop by to do a Tea Tour across plantations because we have been told by locals that these are very touristy and not worth it at all! Check the next points of this article what’s our Tea tour and plucking experience suggestion!
✎ Cheap lunch at Natural View
Stop for a very cheap and quick lunch at Natural View Point restaurant along the way.
✿ Visit Ella & Have an early dinner at White Rabbit
Enjoy a walk through Ella, it’s very small and cute and much more worthwhile than Kandy! BUT on the backside, it’s also very very touristic, you can see it from the restaurants and bars being very international and curated.
I’d only enjoy its vibe for what it has to offer!
We had dinner at the White Rabbit, it’s very nice inside, full of nature, and the food is also great!
✿ Sleep in Ella at 98 Acres
Disclaimer: we did not stay at this hotel because it was fully booked, so reserve in advance. I believe it’s nice but I can’t give you my word!
♥ Day 7: Tea Plucking at Pitarathmalie Estate; Odyssey Train (From Ella to Badulla); Tuk Tuk ride back home
If you wish to find my map pins and easily follow them during your trip, follow me on mapstr!
✿ Tea Plucking at Pitarathmalie Estate
I promised you I’d suggest a super great and local experience plucking tea: here it is!
We were suggested to go to Pitarathmalie Estate by locals. This area, Haputale, is very well known by locals for tea estates (and it’s far from being touristic!).
You shall go here in the early morning, cause that’s when the local families pluck tea!
Here, local families share fields of tea granted through rent from the State. “Share” because each family has specific rows of plantations assigned: they have to pluck them every day. Every day, they have to pluck at least 20kgs of tea leaves, under the sun with no stops. They work every day, except one day a month (on Buddha’s Day).
For this reason, helping these families pluck tea is far more important than having touristic tours across these plantations.
Helping them is the best thing you can do, as this job is the least lucrative in the island: they get 1000 rupees per day (which is is around 2.5€ per day).
We went to this family and asked to help them pluck tea. They explained us many things about their work and the plantations and learned how to pluck (you pluck the leaves on top only, because they are fresh and keep a good taste along the treatment process). The family we helped was very traditional and still plucked tea by hand; other families used axes to be faster (this though, ruins the plant after use).
At the end of the experience, you can gift them some money. For us, it’s a small offer, for them, it’s weeks of salary!
✿ Take the Odyssey Train (From Ella to Badulla)
Drive back to Ella and take the lunchtime train from Ella to Badulla. Why this route? Again, it’s to avoid tourist experiences! you are welcome!
Some key information:
You can book your tickets online, or directly at the station in Ella
The ride Ella-Badulla theoretically lasts 1 hour (in practice, there are always delays and slowing downs!)
Take the 2nd class! ABSOLUTELY!
Third class is the most exciting, as locals are here, they play instruments, sing and dance. However, it’s very crowded and uncomfortable
The first class has closed windows because there is A/C on. Therefore, you miss the view and cannot take pics.
Second class instead, it's the most comfortable, with open windows and open doors to take the iconic picture of you hanging from the train!
Yes, this route passes on top of the Nine Arches Bridge, BUT do not expect what you see online. The bridge is full of locals & tourists waving at you or passing by, so you hardly see the bridge!
This route HAS NO TOURISTS; only locals ride it. The reason is that it stops along the way at various small and poor local villages & towns.
At the station in Ella, if you are lucky, you can see locals singing and dancing!
In Badulla, you won’t see 1 tourist I promise. There is no tourism.
✿ Visit Badulla
Not a touristic city, therefore not much to do, bu you can visit the local Temple to finally experience what a traditional (and not touristic) template is like!
✿ Ride a Tuk Tuk back home!
Try the Tuk Tuk to finally have this local experience!
You can rent a tuk-tuk everywhere in Sri Lanka, literally on every corner of every street of the land, but if you really can’t find one, you can also book one through Uber!
It’s very cheap, and you can bargain the price. For 40 min ride on tuk tuk, we paid around 3€!
✿ Sleep at Jetwing Kaduruketha, a sustainable hotel!
This was our favorite hidden gem hotel in Sri Lanka!
The rooms are bungalows, you get a lot of privacy and intimacy! Bungalows are immersed in nature, with peacocks waking you up in the morning and walking in front of your door!
This hotel is fully sustainable"! I loved their culture!
They also give each client mountain bikes to ride across the land in front and around the hotel, beautiful idea!!
They give you two Sarong, their typical large tube or length of fabric, often wrapped around the waist. You can wear it to experience the local clothes!
They have a beautiful pool in complete silence and nature. I’d have stayed in this hotel for tons of days!
♥ Day 8: Upper Diyaluma (Falls)
✿ Hike to Upper Diyaluma Falls
220 m tall Diyaluma waterfall in Badulla is one of the most famous waterfalls in Sri Lanka. It is the second-highest waterfall, which attracts visitors with its tall, towering appearance. The waterfall is famous not only for its enchanting beauty but also for the gorgeous landscape around the area.
Although many enjoy this majestic waterfall, only a few know about the more impressive hidden gem in upper Diyaluma Falls. Upper Diyaluma is home to some of the best natural infinity pools in the world. You can enjoy a wonderful dip and a refreshing swim at these pools.
You have 2 options to get to the Upper Diyaluma.
Park here, locals will welcome you and offer you a Tuk Tuk ride to the trek start point, and guide you to the top. The way is not highlighted therefore you may get lost. It’s 20 min tuk-tuk ride, and 20-30-minute trek, very easy.
Otherwise, arrive at the trek start here: you should be able to start your trek and hike there by yourself, it’s a 1 h trek. As I did not do this option, I’d not know what to say more, but ask locals!
✿ Have some fruits & coconut water at the trek end
If you hike with option 1, you will see on your way back this little shop owned by a local family: they have very good fruits, coconut water, and some refreshments. I think it’s always nice to support these families that depend on us.
✿ Option 1: Sleep at Tranquil Wild
I did not manage myself to stay at this hotel, because they had a last-minute issue and I had to cancel. But this was my first choice. Why? Tranquil Wild is owned by a local family and they offer activities like fishing with them at the lake, learning how to cook with Chef's traditional Lankan dish, you can having bbq at the lake.
✿ Option 2: sleep at Heaven in Satinwoods
We booked last minute and we were quite happy with this in the end! The best part was their mango juice!
Besides that, they know the locals and can help you and guide you to all you ask. We asked them to bring us to the beach for a turtle watch, and they drove us with their scooters there when they knew turtles were there! Check the next point to know more about this!
✿ Turtle Watch in Rekawa
Be aware of the Turtle Hatchers across the island, especially those in the Kosgoda area. A friend of mine who has been there before for a volunteering project to help turtles has escaped from these Hatcheries because of the unsustainability of their techniques. They force turtles to hatch against their natural flow for tourism scopes.
Instead, the project I went to, Turtle Watch in Rekawa, was suggested to me by locals. They don’t force hatcheries or eggs laying. We got notified by the locals that a turtle was at the beach ready to lay eggs, and we just went there to watch her!
It was a nice experience, but I’d strongly suggest you go there with locals who know about this and can bring you there without tourist tours. You can text my Sri Lankan friend Lakith, he has connections that have information about when turtles should hatch on the beach and where and can bring you there!
Here is his number: +94 714556760
His name is Lakith (he is the owner of the next experience I will tell you about - Kayak Journey).
♥ Day 9: Rekawa Journey Kayak; Playa Hirikiteya; Silent Beach Beach
✿ Kayak with Rekawa Journey with Lakith
I think one of my favorite experiences in Sri Lanka was this: waking up at 5 to start kayaking at 6 to enjoy the sunrise from a silent lagoon was magical!
The owner of Kayak Journey, Lakith, organizes sunrise & sunset lagoon kayaking lasting 1 hour. You can kayak across the lagoon, it’s an experience where you’ll be in total touch with nature, in the mud, in the mangroves, with total unharmful monitor lizards and Lakith’s dog Bucha!
Interesting fact about mangroves: the are two types of Mangroves. Red Mangroves and Black Mangroves. They have long pending fruits from the branches, when they are mature they weigh so much that they fall and end up in the lagoon. They then grow within the andy ground, put roots, and make new mangrove trees.
Here is his number: +94 714556760
His name is Lakith (he is the owner of the next experience I will tell you about - Kayak Journey).
His instagram.
✿ Have lunch at Playa Hiriketiya
This beach is the place you want to go to to find some music, good food and many activities.
We had lunch at La Playa Hirikitiya restaurant, the vibe and location are both beautiful and relaxing. The food was great, we had 2 (and ordered even one more) pizzas, and the dough was unexpectedly good!
They also have a nice inside pool.
✿ Relax at Silent Beach
Goyambokka and Silent Beach (next-door neighbours) are the perfect slices of paradise in the south and have remained largely unaffected by the overdevelopment affecting every other inch of this region. They are both worth a visit!
Choose your favorite. Ours was Silent Beach; the neighbor beach is Goyambooka.
There’s not a lot here other than beautiful sand and water and a few little places to eat and drink. It’s the best-hidden gem in Sri Lanka if you just want to sit around on the beach.
Silent Beach was indeed very silent, you are alone in a very huge, large beach that’s not crowded at all!
✿ Have a drink at Aga Surf View
Aga Surf View bar was suggested to us by a local, you should try it!
✿ Have dinner at Break Point
You can have dinner at this restaurant, Break Point: we did not go there as we had other personal plans, but it looked very nice passing by!
✿ Sleep at Casa Tharin
Casa Tharin was created by Emanuela, an Italian woman who married a Sri Lankan man and together launched this project.
The house is very cute, they opened recently a beautiful Cafè opened half a day making the best brunches I have ever had!
Feel free to text her to reserve your stop, and ask for the ocean-view room! You can tell her you were referred by me!
Note: she is a yoga and meditation teacher, ask to join one of her classes on the rooftop, amazing experience!
Emanuela’s whatsapp number is: +94 705772657
♥ Day 10: Secret Beach
✿ Relax at Secret Beach
What I love doing when visiting a place is avoid touristic beaches & find secret ones to escape to!
The charming Secret Beach is around 2 km from the main Mirissa Beach, very crowded and tourist indeed!
Secret Beach is far less crowded than the main beach and the best place to chill out and catch some waves. Secret beach is wonderful for relaxing, soaking up in the sun, and taking a dip in the blue waters. Although the waves are rough here, there are three secured places to discover on the secret beach. They call as blue lagoon, Shelly Beach, and palm cove. There is a wall of rock that creates a lagoon, where the water is shallow and calm enough to swim making this one of the best beaches in Sri Lanka.
You can swim in the crystal-clear rock pools there. Its clear waters and lively waves make this beach ideal for enjoying a sea bath. Secret Beach is one of the most inviting hidden beaches on the island. Therefore, don’t forget to visit this paradise beach while visiting southern Sri Lanka.
✿ Eat italian at Komorebi
The owner of Casa Tharin suggested us this new italian restaurant, called Komorebi, around the corner to try. It was opened by an italian guy so we went to support his project.
The location is nice and the food is good as it’s imported from Italy. If you are looking for a break from Sri Lankan food, I’d suggest you to try it out!
♥ Day 11: Secret Beach & Galle
✿ Relax at Jungle Beach
This was my favorite place! I have never found such a peaceful beach and I can say for real, this is immersed in nature. The background of this beach is indeed the jungle, so you see green aqua blue water, sandy beach, and green jungle, a beautiful palette of colors!
To get there, you will have to cross the jungle from this spot, wear comfy shoes!
Spend the whole day here cause it’s worth it!
✿ Shop at Brandis Boutique
I honestly had difficulties finding a nice fashion store with local materials & patterns. I found this one, Brandis Boutique, where I bought a beautiful blouse here made of Indian Silk. It’s worth it if you are looking for a nice clothing piece memory!
✿ Shopping in Galle
Galle is very cute to walk around, do some shopping and eat dinner!
Some of my favorite shops here:
Boutique KK: here you can buy nice souvenirs and artistic pieces!
The Spice Shop: I bought so many species from this cute local man, anything you are looking for, he has!
✿ Dinner in Galle at Aqua
We found an amazing Napolitan Pizzeria in Galle that had amazing pizzas with imported ingredients. This place is definitely worth the time and to spend a dinner here!
The pizzas were delicious and you can eat at the open-air room in the back with pizzaioli making pizzas in front of you!
✿ Sleep at Srilax
We found this sustainable house in Colombo you can sleep in, do activities with, and have breakfast too inside at Cafe Kumbuk!
It’s beautiful inside, full of nature and gives you the feeling of slow living!
See what activity they offer in the next day!
They also have a nice shop inside with nice t-shirts & souverirs!
♥ Day 12: Colombo
✿ Explore the city of Colombo throguh TropiQuest
Srilax organizes this “different” way of exploring the city throguh riddles and secrets. We didn’t have enough time to do it, but I’d really have loved to try it out. If you are inspired check it ou!
✿ Shop Ayrvedic medicines at LinkNatural
I love their products, you can visit their store and ask the ladies all they have to offer!
✿ Explore Pettah
Can you imagine New York in the smallest and all-condensed version? Well, this is what I thought of Pettah. It’s a neighborhood where all the life explodes, so crowded and full of colors, panels, advertisements, stands selling any kind of product…
An experience you cannot miss!
You can find souvenirs at Lakarcade, it’s very big. I usually don’t like these places but if you have to buy a magnet for your grandma like me, this is your place!
SRI LANKA
Key information on the country:
Capital city
COLOMBO
Official language:
SINHALESE
Population
22 MILLION
Religion
BUDDHISM
Currency
SRI LANKAN RUPEE (LKR)
Weather
TROPICAL
Nationality
SRI LANKAN
All you need to know:
1)
The currency is Sri Lankan Rupees.
1 euro equals approx. 400 rupies! (as for when we were there, 2024).
2)
There exist 14 types of bananas in Sri Lanka! You can taste them all if you are lucky :)
3)
All the fruits you should taste:
Rambutan,
Mangosteen,
Bananas,
Mangos,
Baby Pineapples,
Duria (this was horrible! But you can taste it to experience it yourself… ahah it’s rotten onions),
Passion Fruits,
Jackfruit,
Star Fruits,
Wood Apple.
3.1)
All the spices, herbs, and plants you’ll want to know before going there: they are at the base of every recipe in Sri Lanka!
Our favorites:
Curry Leaves (used everywhere)
Mustard Seeds (used on potatoes)
3.2)
All the local recipes you should try! We had the list made by one of our friend who lives there and is truly Sri Lankan from a very traditional family. They welcomed us with 50 recipes and we were so amazed. Here are some of them!
3.3)
Arrack is the local drink: a very strong liquor!
Older locals love it and drink it daily, but younger generations hate it, at least the friends we have there! You should try it!
4)
It’s a tradition here to offer fresh flowers to Buddha in temples, you can buy them at the exist of temples!
5)
Up north in the island, you can see ceiling cats (we saw them at Margosa Villa): they are basically Civet Cats and they wander in the jungle. They are not harmful, you can also pet them like we do with our cats.
6)
You will see locals chewing constantly and having red teeth and tongues. They are chewing betel but! Why? Because cigarettes are very expensive here and the locals are poor!
Betel nut is the seed of the fruit of the areca palm. It is also known as areca nut. Betel nut is a stimulant drug, which means it speeds up the messages traveling between the brain and the body. Betel nut chewing, also called betel quid chewing or areca nut chewing, is a practice in which areca nuts (also called "betel nuts") are chewed together with slaked lime and betel leaves for their stimulant and narcotic effects, the primary psychoactive compound being arecoline.
7)
Cigarattes are very expensive here, it’s around 10€ per package. Local cigarettes are GoldLeaf & Dunhill.
8)
Sri Lanka was originally called Ceylon. This is why their culture is ceylonese, and their recipes are ceylon food!
9)
There are 2 languages spoken on the island:
Sinhalese: the local language.
Thamil: this is a language imported by Indians who moved to Sri Lanka to find jobs a long time ago to work in plantations. This is why, poor people in tea plantations speak this language.
10)
In Sri Lanka, you will see tons of free dogs on the street. They don’t have our tradition of taking dogs at home like pets. They live on the street and are constantly starving. Their species is “Pariah”.
11)
You will see many black pepper plants across the island. You can taste them or buy them at spice shops!
12)
Every month, one day is full moon day. It’s considered a sacred day here, the Buddha Day. It’s a public holiday so most things are closed and people don’t work!
13)
Stuti ස්තුතියි means “thank you” in sinhalese.
Nandri means “thank you” in thamil.
Ayubowan means “hi”.