Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka is the Asian alternative to the African Big 5.
This section will share our extensive guides to self-planning a budget safari itinerary focused on finding leopards and wild elephants in the lesser-known Minneriya National Park. We will also detail the best local spots for responsible whale watching and share our tips on snorkelling in Nilaveli—a perfect low-impact escape. For now, please read our latest travel diary posts.
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Business class planes to third class trains…
Since my time travelling South East Asia previously, I had the dream to visit Sri Lanka. The Pearl in the Indian Ocean, with lush jungles, stunning beaches, a variety of wildlife and especially delicious food, it seems like a Paradise island! I semi-planned a trip here last year but I waited too long to book…
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Steps in Sigiriya
The train to Sigiriya was long and bumpy, but interesting and fun. We rushed to get there and to get a ticket in time, so didn’t have a chance for breakfast, that meant our only option was to sample the on-board snacks. Sellers would get on at one stop and off at the next, walking…
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Hiring a bicycle in Polonnaruwa
From Sigiriya we took a tuk tuk across to Polonnaruwa, one of Sri Lanka’s ancient capitals. It was first declared the capital in 1070 by King Vijayabahu. There are many ancient buildings and temples there that were built between 1500 and 800 years ago, most notably, the ones by King Parakramabahu who placed irrigation systems throughout the region…
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Shark spotting in Nilaveli
After riding a train, hiring a moped, getting a tuk tuk and a taxi, we decided the time for a bus was here and boarded a bus to Trincomalee from Polonnaruwa. The buses here are, in a single word, crazy. They are usually by far the fastest things on the road, constantly beeping, overtaking everything…
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Avoiding tourists in Kandy and Ella
It was calming and relaxing on the beach at Nilaveli, but after just an hour of snoozing in the sun, Pete piped up that he ‘was bored’ haha. I think this was a slight exaggeration, but it motivated me to look at the next leg of the trip and make a final decision about which…
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Exploring Sri Lanka’s Southern Beaches
After doing some research about Sri Lanka’s south, we decided just to take the plunge and see for ourselves… You can read blogs and articles and reviews, but at the end of the day, everyone’s opinion is different and sometimes you just can’t beat trying it out for yourself. So we jumped into a taxi…
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Thunderstoms and history in Sinharaja
From Dikwella it was a long bus or car journey back to Colombo for our flight, so we looked for somewhere in the middle to stay for a night to split up the journey and see a little more of the stunning island. Having spent a good few days on the beach we opted for…
