We spent almost two weeks traveling around Sri Lanka, starting on the southwest coast before heading inland to Ella and Kandy and finishing in Colombo. We stayed roughly 2–3 days in each place. Overall, it was an incredible adventure, though definitely a mixed experience in some ways.
What we loved
Nature. Easily the island’s biggest draw. Even after researching the trip beforehand I wasn’t prepared for just HOW MUCH wildlife and natural diversity we’d see everywhere. Animals I’d only ever seen in books or zoos were casually wandering around town, let alone out in the countryside. So many fascinating birds and plants, so much color. Almost any view in Sri Lanka is beautiful by default.
Beaches. Beautiful, tropical, sandy beaches. We got lucky with a cleaner private beach at our first hotel, with no rocks, but most of the beaches we saw looked like lovely places to spend time. The only catch was the constant waves. We didn’t have a single calm day by the sea, though if you’re into surfing, that might be a bonus (we didn’t try it)
Food. I was surprised by the variety of vegetarian dishes and how creatively fruit was used. I’m usually someone who wants meat with a meal, but I kept trying vegan dishes here and really enjoying them.
Buses and tuk-tuks. I loved how much personality people gave their vehicles. Every bus was a ridiculously colorful work of art, covered in hilariously cheesy stickers saying things like “Turbo Charged Edition,” “ADIDAS,” and so on. It was quite funny and charming overall.
What we didn’t enjoy
Getting around on foot. Before the trip I saved loads of sights on Google Maps imagining we’d stroll around towns and take in the local culture. That feels pretty funny in hindsight. In practice, most places we visited barely had any sidewalks so walking meant squeezing along the roadside beside smelly diesel buses and endless tuk-tuks whose drivers seemed determined to kill both each other and us. Somehow, a two-lane road becomes four or even five lanes, and there’s definitely no room left for pedestrians.
Persistent sales pitches. To be clear, I mean people selling things or services to tourists -drivers, restaurant staff, etc. rather than people in general. But if you’re visibly a white tourist, tuk-tuks will constantly pull up beside you offering rides and tours, often refusing to take a simple no for an answer. Someone is always trying to lead you somewhere, get you into a shop, or sell you something at a wildly inflated price. It gets exhausting, especially combined with the traffic situation above. Going for a simple walk around any town started to feel like a test of mental endurance.
Extra charges at restaurants. Quite a few places listed prices without taxes, then added a service charge on top. I hate this kind of pricing. Just show me what I’m actually going to pay instead of making me do the math.
Litter. Unfortunately, we saw whole piles of rubbish along the coast and roadsides sometimes. In some coastal areas, people piled it up and burned it. It was awful to see, though the lack of public bins made part of the problem understandable. Even in Colombo, the biggest city, we could barely find any ways to get rid of thrash. Sometimes I’d finish a bottle of water and carry it around for another hour before finally throwing it away back at the hotel room.
Service. Service was often painfully slow. We usually had to flag someone down to get a menu, have dirty plates cleared, or order anything. Even a glass of water could take 15 minutes or more. And apparently napkins are worth their weight in gold here, lol. By the end of the trip, my wife and I had a running joke about how many napkins per person we’d get at the next café. Usually zero or one.
Entrance fees at major sights. I understand charging tourists to support the economy and maintain these places. Still, some tickets felt expensive. Sigiriya, for example—the famous Lion Rock fortress—was $35 per person, before transport, a guide, or anything else.
Overall thoughts
Despite the long list of negatives, I came away feeling much more positive than negative about the trip. The downsides are real, but the highlights are so spectacular that they’re worth experiencing firsthand.
My biggest regret is planning too much time around staying in towns and walking around them, which ended up being the least enjoyable part. Lounging on a beach or hiking through the hills and jungle was so much better - those were the moments when Sri Lanka really shined.
If I were planning the trip again I’d focus much more on national parks, tea plantations, Sinharaja rainforest maybe, beach time, and drinking coconut cocktails