Sri Lanka has it all – beaches, mountains, wildlife, cuisine, culture and history.
Our Sri Lanka Top 10 Activities list is just the startā¦
No 10 –Ā Eco Living
Try out a tree-top cabana. Everywhere you look in Polwaththa, you’ll see a wealth of fascinating insects, butterflies, giant squirrels and birds. Thereās also an abundance of edibles growing like weeds in the surrounding jungle areas.
No 9 –Ā Temple of the Tooth
The celebrated Temple of the ToothĀ is where they keep one of Buddhaās teeth as a holy relic.Ā The relic isĀ regarded as a symbolic representation of the living Buddha and is the focus ofĀ a daily series of offerings, rituals, and ceremonies.
No 8 –Ā Jungle Beach
Jungle Beach is well worth the 40-minute walk from UnawatunaĀ town. AĀ perfect place for swimming and snorkeling. If the beach restaurant doesnāt get too busy, thereās good food to be had as well: the barracuda & salad went down very nicely.
No 7 – Hilltop Tea Plantations
From Polwaththa, we took a tuk-tuk to one of the many tea plantations in this area of the mountains.Ā Here, we toured the factory, observing the successive stages of tea production from plant to tea leaves. There are a lot of processes involved and a dedicated machine for each process. Don’t forget to buyĀ a couple of packs of Ceylonese tea to take with you!
No 6 –Ā Soursop & Woodapples
In Sri Lanka, don’t miss out on theĀ exotic fruit: wood apple, jack fruit, red bananas, and ourĀ personal favorite ā soursop, a custard-textured tangy delight.
No 5 –Ā The Indian Hut, Galle
The good news about Galle is that thereās an excellent restaurant close to the lighthouse called The Indian Hut.Ā This relaxedĀ Indian restaurant makes mouth-watering mutton masala and chicken tika masala, as well as delicious fruit lassies, all at reasonable prices. AĀ nice break from the ubiquitous Sri Lankan rice and curry.
No 4 –Ā Knuckle Mountains
Trek through the thickly-jungled mountain areas surrounding Kandy. Emerging into a clearing, youĀ can see the Knuckle Mountain Range bathed in mist in the far distance.
LocalĀ residents simplyĀ refer to them as Dumbara Kanduvetiya meaning āmist-laden mountain rangeā.
No 3 –Ā Tangalle Beaches
Tangalle boasts some terrifically long, unadulterated beaches. We literally walked for hours from our Guesthouse base. Tangalle beach itself stretches forĀ around 8 or 9 kms eastwards as far as Turtle Point.
No 2 – ClimbĀ Lion Rock
The name āSigiriyaā (literally āLion Rockā in Sinhalese) refers to an ancient fortress palace built on top ofĀ a massive column of rock. The rock is nearly 200 metres high ā so quite a steep climb. You need to be in reasonably good physical condition and obviously not afraid of heights.
No 1 –Ā World’s End
From the Worldās End plateau, the cliff plunges down dramatically for 870m.Ā The early morning (between 6am and 10am) is the best time to arrive at the plateau, before the clouds roll in. If youāre lucky, this will give you an unencumbered view south towards the coast.
For a full Sri Lanka itinerary see our Sri Lanka Travel Plan – Central & South. Just looking for inspiration? Ā See also: