9 Reasons to Visit Sri Lanka This Year (2023 Guide)

Over the last few years I’ve had the pleasure of visiting Sri Lanka multiple times and it’s honestly one of my favourite countries in the world.

It’s just been named as the Number One country to visit for 2019 by Lonely Planet and for me, it’s easy to see why.

Here are my 9 reasons to add Sri Lanka to your list.

1: The People

The Sri Lankan people are some of the friendliest and most welcoming people I’ve ever come across. Besides always greeting you with a smile,they will actively go out of their own way to make you feel at home and try to help you if youre ever in need. This has been my experience every time I’ve been. 

For example, we were in the middle of a village in the North of Sri Lanka and got invited into a local families house to have lunch with them. We didn’t even speak the same language but it was all smiles and offering for us to eat more. We tried to help with the cooking, but clearly they knew what they were doing. 

2: The Food

If you know my videos by now then you know that good food is a must for me to love a country. And if you don’t know my videos yet, then subscribe now to see more from around the world.

Sri Lankan cuisine if one of my absolute favourites from my travels so far. The blend of spices in a Rice Curry is something you have to try and btw, its different whereveryou are in the country so make sure to try it in more than one place!

The food also has influences from some of the most delicious places from around the world including India, Indonesia, Netherlands and South East Asia. A perfect combination!

3: The Beaches

If you’ve seen anything about Sri Lanka before then you’ve probably seen images of their beautiful white sand beaches. Well I can tell you that seeing them in realitywill definitely not dissapoint you. Sometimes it’s hard for places to live up to your expectations after those perfect photos you see on Social Media. But in Sri Lanka, that’s not the case.

You can walk along relatively untouched beaches, jump into the Indian Ocean and not 100 yards away will be a group of sea turtles you can swim with. For example in Mirissa, each time I went outfor a morning swim, I’d be joined by a sea turtle. Just make sure to get out at sunrise for the best chance and the least people around too!

Check out the FULL video on Youtube here:

4: The Wildlife

One thing you may not know about Sri Lanka is that there are Nature reserves all around the island, which are home to Elephants, leopards, wild boars, sloth bears, buffalo, crocodiles, 1000s of tropical birds and much more.  There are currently estimated to be over 5,800 wild elephants roaming about and there is also the biggest concentration of leopards in the world!

They parks are inexpensive, fairly accessible from wherever you’re staying and a lot of them can be done in a day trip. For example, Udawalawe is home to 100s of Elephants and you’re pretty muchguaranteed to see a family roaming through the reserve at sunrise. Then in the afternoon, you can either stay in a tent or be back to your hotel ready to chill.

5: The Tea Trails

No trip to Sri Lanka would be complete without getting into the central area and experiencing the epic tea plantations, such as Ella Rock and Newara Eliya. There is lush greenery absolutely everywherethat you can walk around at your own leisure or you can also take a guided tour and sample some of the tea as well.

One experience not to miss is the hike and view up to the top of Mini Adams Peak, where you can see for miles all around. So how do you get there? That brings me to… 

6: The Trains

Sri Lanka has some of the most scenic, if not THE MOST scenic train jouneys in the world. The journey going from Kandy to Ella is particularly beautiful and relatively inexpensive. Book a seat beforehand and look out the window as some of the most epic scenery in Sri Lanka rolls on past you.

Likely you would’ve also seen photos of people hanging out of these trains and while I did it to get these shots, it’s not reccommended and you could easily get hurt. Just be careful! Don’t risk it all for that Instagram shot.

7: The Surfing

This is a huge reason that some people travel to Sri Lanka, as it has some of the best beginner and advanced surfing in the world. In fact, it’s actually the first place I learned to surf. And I say learned, I stood up.

I’m still not the best surfer and so I can’t pretend to know what I’m talking about, but I know that there are surf beaches here to cater for every ability level. If you’ve never tried it before then give it a go,and afterwards if it’s not your thing just chill on the beach with a cool King coconut.

8: The Culture

Sri Lanka has a rich culture and history to learn about, with influences from all the world. If you’re looking to learn more about the country and it’s people, then make sure to check out the Dutch colonial town of Galle ,the Temple of the tooth in Kandy or the Northern town of Jaffna which was up until recently very difficult to access for foreigners.

There is definitely more to Sri Lanka than meets the eye, more than just beautiful beaches and wildlife. If you have any questions about Sri Lanka’s culture and history then make sure to ask a local person, they will be more than happy to tell you. 

9: The Epic Landmarks

There are two must see landmarks in Sri Lanka in my opinion. The First one is Sigiriya, or Lion Rock, which is home to ancient rock fortress and is truly impressive to see and climb up. And the second is the ascent to the top of Adams Peak – an epic climb that most Sri Lankans will complete in their lifetime.

They both have their own individual wow factor and you’ll just have to get there to see why for yourself. 

Bonus – The People Again.

If I had to choose any of these points to really emphasize then it would have to be the people.

I can’t say enough how welcome I’ve felt every time I’ve been there and it’s one of the main reasons that I’m sure I’ll be back time and time again!

I hope that helps make up your mind where you want to travel to for next year and if you think I missed anything then let me know in the comments below!