Sri Lanka’s most beautiful!

Sri Lanka, without a doubt, is one of the most beautiful countries I have visited yet. The landscape here is so green that most of the journey feels like one is crossing unendingly beautiful jungles. If you love forests as much as I do, this country deserves to be right at the top of your travel wishlist. 

The locals are warm, its culture and cuisine will stoke your interest, Lankan roads are smooth, and beaches and marine life are something you cannot stop marvelling at—Sri Lanka has it all. 

Of course, it is one of the easiest and easily affordable international trips that you can plan from India. A Sri Lankan visa is also one of the easiest to get for Indian passport holders; I got mine within an hour of applying. If you are planning an easy international trip from India, these beautiful places in Sri Lanka make for a great case!

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Pigeon Island National Park & Nilaveli

That is, if you do not mind diving underwater. The fascinating marine world, at its most pristine, awaits you at Sri Lanka’s Pigeon Island National Park. The entry fee is an impressive USD 50 per person here but surely worth the expense. This is also where you can dive in and can swim with Black Tip Reef Sharks and turtles! So much so that a couple of baby sharks frolicked close to us as we roamed at the beach. Nilaveli is one of its closest towns and is perfect if you wish to get far away from the crowd, to bask in tropical sun and beach life that Sri Lanka offers.

Trincomalee

Most first-timers to Sri Lanka skip Trincomalee for the more popular beach getaways such as Mirrissa and more. Trincomalee lies on the country’s northern coast, considerably away from the more easily accessible places. Yet, if you are keen on an unforgettable beach escape, this is the place that I will bet on for my readers. When here, I recommend a stay at the quaint Janas Blue Water Corner; it’s a homestay at perhaps Trincomalee’s most beautiful spot, nestled in rocks at one end of the beach. The folks here are warm and you can sit contentedly with a cup of homemade coffee, a plate of fresh fruits or nice, homemade food.

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Nuwara Eliya

I prefer exploring cities that have whiffs of cold even as I fondly write about places as beautifully summery and profoundly tropical as Trinco. That is where Nuwara Eliya scores so well. Winter fog comes rolling in as you drive around Nuwara Eliya and its famous tea estates. A charming place that you’ll remember often and fondly.

Kandy

A whole lot of vintage cars, a gorgeous skyline, lazy lakeside strolls and the very famous Temple of the Tooth—some wonderful experiences await in the city of Kandy. This is also the less colder gateway to Nuwara Eliya. Evenings are best spent around the Kandy Lake, taking a stroll or heading to the Kandy Cultural Centre for some engaging performances by the local artists.

Hikkaduwa

While Trincomalee is for those who love slow, solitary travel, Hikkaduwa is its more upscale cousin in North Sri Lanka. A resort town, it is a hit with surfers and those interested in diving down among turtles! It is also home to some luxurious stay options and lavish experiences.

This is also one of the places that were badly hit by the 2004 tsunami that wreaked havoc here as well as in Trincomalee. There’s a community centre dedicated to those who lost their lives and their families here, including a coach of the train that was wrecked during the tsunami. The train accident is now one of the largest single rail disaster in the world, and claimed more than 1700 recorded lives. It is also a stark reminder of people’s resilience and sheer guts for building their lives back from a disaster as humongous as this.

Dambulla (Sigiriya)

It might read like an oddity, but the very simple Dambulla and the easy village-life around the enticing Sigiriya Rock was where I fell in love with Sri Lanka. Its warm, tropical vibes, the surrounding national parks, wild elephants by the roads and its proximity to Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa makes Dambulla irresistible.

The villages around Sigiriya Rock are also some of the most beautiful places in Sri Lanka. You can also go on a village tour here if you are short of time and explore the local way of life, their cuisine and lifestyle, flora and fauna as well as hop aboard a ferry and go picking lilies in the one of the many lakes here.

Ella

You can enjoy one of the world’s prettiest train journeys from Kandy to Ella and land in the charming, hippie haven that Ella is. This is also where the famous Nine-Arch bridge is. They say that the Ravana Cave at Ella goes all the way to Sigiriya via a tunnel that is closed now! Well, who knows. A couple of waterfall hikes get you to some unforgettably gorgeous views. Ella is often hailed as one of the most places in Sri Lanka, and rightly so.

Galle and Yala National Park are also great if it is your first trip, two of the most famous and beautiful places in Sri Lanka. While Galle is a reflection of the Portuguese’s time here, Yala will astonish you with its landscape. The national park borders the Indian Ocean and you can spot elephants splashing around by the shore if luck favours you. Galle is for those who love history and architecture as it is home to Asia’s largest remaining fortress that was built by European occupiers. 

My great love, out of all these, remains Nilaveli, Hikkaduwa, Mirissa and Nuwara Eliya. The latter is probably where you can head off to at the end of your Sri Lanka itinerary to cool off at a breezy, lakeside hill town that comes with endless tea estates and a slow, laidback life.