UltimateGuide Sri Lanka
Our favourites

The magazine

Stories from Sri Lanka

Every story, long read and guide in the ULTIMATE Sri Lanka Guide, in one place.

Start here: planning your first trip to Sri Lanka

New to the island? Begin with the season, the visa and how to get around, then pick an itinerary for your trip length: 2 or 3 days in Colombo, 7 days, 10 days or 14 days.

Turquoise water and rocks in the bay at Mirissa, with Parrot Rock’s headland beyondPlanWhen to goThe two monsoons, month by monthTuk-tuks parked in Galle FortPlanVisa, money & essentialsThe ETA, rupees, SIMs, apps and etiquetteA train crossing the Nine Arches Bridge near EllaPlanGetting aroundRoutes, travel times, trains and drivers
  1. ItinerariesItineraries by trip lengthFrom one day to two weeks

Walk the ramparts of Galle at sunset

Inside the Dutch walls of Galle Fort, the lanes are lined with old houses, churches and cafés, and the ramparts look straight out over the Indian Ocean.

The ramparts of Galle Fort, with the lighthouse and the Meeran MosqueThe south coastGalle Fort & the rampartsPlan your visit

History

History, heritage and the people who shaped it

Ancient kingdoms, spice traders and three European empires; Geoffrey Bawa’s tropical modernism; and Otara Gunewardene, who built ODEL from a car boot.

The National Museum of ColomboHistory & heritageFrom Anuradhapura to Geoffrey Bawa: Sri Lanka’s heritageKingdoms, spice traders and three European empiresThe main bungalow and frangipani tree at LunugangaIn depthGeoffrey Bawa and tropical modernismHis life, Lunuganga, Number 11, Kandalama and a route to see them allA street dog resting on a rock above Ella, in the hill countryIn depthODEL and Otara GunewardeneFrom a car boot to Colombo’s department store, then Embark and the street dogs

Our advice

A night in a Bawa building

Book the Number 11 and Lunuganga tours as soon as your dates are fixed, then spend a night in at least one Bawa building: the best way to understand what he did with light, air and landscape. Geoffrey Bawa

Sri Lanka town by town

Start by the airport in Negombo, then Colombo and the west and south coasts: Bentota’s river, beach and Bawa gardens, and the ramparts of Galle.

Palms, the pool and the beach at Jetwing Beach, NegomboTown guideNegomboYour first night, by the airportColombo by nightTown guideColomboThe capital by the seaCinnamon Bentota Beach, on the site of Geoffrey Bawa’s Bentota Beach Hotel, and its lagoon pool among the palmsTown guideBentotaRiver, beach and Bawa gardens
  1. Town guideGalleRamparts and beaches

Our advice

A day in Colombo

Give Colombo at least a day: start in the Fort and Pettah markets in the morning, cool off in a museum, and end on Galle Face Green at sunset. Colombo: ports and forts

The hills and the ancient cities

Kandy, the tea country, Ella and the rock fortress of Sigiriya: the hill capital, estates in the clouds, the bridges and walks of Ella and the cave temples of Dambulla.

The Temple of the Tooth, KandyTown guideKandyThe hill capitalThe racecourse and town of Nuwara Eliya below the hillsTown guideNuwara Eliya & HattonTea estates in the cloudsTown guideEllaBridges and hill walks
  1. Town guideSigiriya & DambullaThe rock fortress and cave temples

Beaches, surf, the north and wildlife

The south and east coasts and the national parks: surf and whales at Mirissa, the wild beaches of Tangalle, Trincomalee’s harbour, Arugam Bay and the far north.

Turquoise water and rocks in the bay at Mirissa, with Parrot Rock’s headland beyondTown guideMirissa & WeligamaSurf, whales and palmsGoyambokka Beach and its palms near TangalleTown guideTangalleWild beaches and hideawaysThe beach at HikkaduwaTown guideHikkaduwaReef, surf and nightlifeUppuveli beach, north of TrincomaleeTown guideTrincomaleeTemple, harbour and beachesThe beach at Arugam BayTown guideArugam BaySurf from April to October

Sri Lankan culture

Food, music, cinema, books and art: the island’s creative life, and where to see it.

Kandyan dancers and drummers on stage in KandyCultureAll our culture guidesFood, music, film, books, artCultureSri Lankan cinemaFrom Rekava to CannesThe Mirror Wall at SigiriyaCultureLiteratureTwo Booker winnersThe Esala Perahera in KandyCultureMusicBaila to Manike Mage HitheUnawatuna’s crescent beach seen from the jungle hillside aboveCultureDuran Duran in Sri LankaThe 1982 Rio videos

In depth

Sri Lanka in depth: kingdoms, tea and tropical modernism

Christmas on the island, rice and curry, how to watch its wildlife well, the main routes and the hill-country railway.

Galle Face Green and the Indian Ocean at sunsetColomboChristmas in Sri LankaCarols in Colombo, St Lucia’s Cathedral and Sri Lankan Christmas cakeA Sri Lankan leopard at the edge of the forest in Yala National ParkIn depth: nature & wildlifeWild Sri LankaLeopards, elephants and whales, seen responsiblySri Lankan curries, sambol and papadums in clay pots on a bright checked clothEatSri Lankan CuisineRice and curry, hoppers, kottu and where to taste them

Kandy to Ella

Travel in the morning, when the light on the tea country is softest, and break the journey for a night in Nuwara Eliya or Haputale.

  1. ULTIMATE Rail JourneysKandy to Ella by trainThe hill-country line and the Nine Arch Bridge

The ULTIMATE letter

Sri Lanka in your inbox

An occasional email with new places, festivals, regions and our latest in-depth articles. No spam, ever.