The best spots to watch the Sunrise and Sunset in Sri Lanka

It’s been super rainy the last few months in Sri Lanka, so I decided to dedicate this post to the sun! It’s not often that one interrupts their busy schedule to appreciate a good sunrise or sunset…  but when the stars align and you are at the right place at the right time, a bright and colourful sunset is a captivating moment.

Here are a few spots around the Sri Lanka where you have the chance to witness an exceptional rise or setting of the sun. Don’t forget to add these to your travel bucket list!

Adam’s Peak

Adam’s Peak, also known as ‘Samanala Kanda’ [butterfly mountain] is a mountain that is known for the ‘Sri Pada’, the sacred footprint. The climb is most often done in the night time to avoid the midday heat. You would start at around 10 PM so that you reach the top in time to get a cloud’s view of the sunrise which is nothing short of breath-taking. Check out this time lapse video and imagine how it’d be to see it first-hand…!

Sigiriya

The view from the top of Sigiriya Rock, where King Kassapa built his fortress is gorgeous enough as it is… add an amazing sunset and you’ve got perfection!

View of the sunset from on top of Sigiriya Rock

Jaffna

You don’t need great seas and mountains to make a beautiful sunset… watching it go down over Palmyra palms is more than satisfying…

The sun setting over Palmyra Palms

Galle Face

Galle Face in Colombo is a popular place for the romantics to cuddle up and watch the sun set over the horizon. Whether is it from the terrace at Galle Face Hotel, on the pier at Galle Face Green or from the steps of the Buck Light House, everyone shares the same remarkable view…!

Watching the sunset from the Galle Face Green Pier...

Arugambay

Arugambay, one of the best beaches for surfing in the world is a good spot to watch the sunrise as well. Although you need to wake up early to see it, you won’t be alone because the surfers rise early to catch the best waves at dawn.

An Abay Sunrise!

Galle Fort

The Fort, an enchanting attraction in Galle, with its heavily Dutch influenced architecture takes you back in time to when the country was under the Dutch rule. Watching the sunset from the top of the Ramparts it a definite ‘must-do’.

Sunset from the Ramparts

Trincomale and Passikudah

The East Coast Beaches are among the best places to watch the sun rise while swimming in the sea…

Sunrise over the infinite pool at Maalu Maalu Resort in Passikudah

Marine Drive and Mount Lavinia Beach

These two options on the West Coast are perfect for the sunsets too!

Mount Lavinia Hote and the sunset

Ella Gap

Ella gap is a very picturesque sight… Adding a Sunrise into the mix makes it a thousand times better…!

Sunrise over Ella Gap

Top 10 reasons why you should visit Sri Lanka

There are hundreds of reasons for you to visit Sri Lanka… But here’s my list of the top 10 reasons that would make you want to book your flight right now!

1) Heritage

 

The Vatadage in Polonnaruwa

Did you know that Sri Lanka has more UNESCO World Heritage sites than Egypt? That’s pretty impressive for such a tiny Island… Our rich history left us with an incredible collection of ancient ruins that date back to the 1800s. Most of which are adorned with some of the most intricate stone carvings you will ever see. Just that is enough reason for anyone to book a holiday to Sri Lanka.

2) Wildlife

Sri Lanka boasts of its ‘Big Five’ which include the Blue Whale, the Sperm Whale, the Asian Elephant, the Leopard and the Sloth bear. But it’s not just that, we’ve got a lot more to see here. Our jungles and forests are home to a varied collection of animals and bird life as well as insects and reptiles. You don’t have to be a wildlife enthusiast or a naturalist to be awed by what you see on a game drive at one of our many national parks and forests.

The Wildlife at Yala National Park

  

3) Beaches

Wadduwa Beach

Now this I’m sure you already know about. When someone mentions Sri Lanka, most people would immediately think of its beaches. Why wouldn’t they? We are an island after all and our beautiful country is surrounded by miles and miles of unspoiled beaches. And it’s not just that, you won’t be disappointed when snorkelling and diving off our coastlines because we are home to many beautiful coral reefs and some interesting ship wrecks.

4) Religions

The four main religions in Sri Lanka are Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism and Islam. Each of them hold a big place in Sri Lanka’s history and there are many beautiful establishments that you will love to see no matter which religion you follow. Kataragama, a religious town in the Southern part of the country has a few Hindu Kovils, a Buddhist Temple, a Mosque and a Church all of which are a short distance from each other. The Sita Amman Kovil in Nuwara Eliya is a place that plays a huge role in the famous story of Rama and Sita.

The art on the pillars of the Temple of the Tooth Relic in Kandy

   

5) Tropical Climate

One of the things I personally love about Sri Lanka is its climate. Being a tropical country, most of our days are sunny and bright. Most travellers love to show off their holiday tan once they go back home. Sri Lanka is the best place for that. If it’s rainy while you’re here…  that’s still pretty great because if you’re anything like me, I love a nice walk in the rain! It isn’t cold like the winter rainfall that I had to deal with when I was in England!

6) Arts and Crafts

Sri Lanka’s got a lot of art and handicrafts that been around for generations. Whether it is colourful mask [ves-muhuna] that is used to ward off the evil eye or a shopping bag woven out of straw… We’ve got some useful and decorative souvenirs for you to take back to decorate your home with. You’re definitely going to want something to remember the amazing time you had in Sri Lanka!

A Ves-Muhuna

A local form of crochet called Biralu

Purses made out of coloured straw woven together

 

7) Food

I’m a big time ‘foodie’… So you can trust me when I say, Sri Lanka has so many different and delicious dishes that everyone must try at least once in their lives. There are so many amazing curries, vegetables, fruits and ‘short eats’ that you could spend your entire holiday eating, but you still would not be able to taste all of it! It’s not just Sri Lankan food that you should try either. We’ve put our own spin on food from other countries as well. The Chinese food here might not taste anything like it does in China, but it is so good that you tend to over eat and open the top button of your trousers to give your tummy more space!

My Mom's delicious crab curry

 

8) People

I know that I’m biased when I say this, but Sri Lankans are very friendly and they most often go out of their way to be hospitable. They would always greet you with a warm Sri Lankan smile. If you’re planning on meeting some friendly people and making friends while on holiday, head down to Sri Lanka and you won’t be disappointed!

The warm Sri Lankan smile!

9) Cheap

One of Sri Lanka’s lesser advertised selling points is how cheap it is to travel here. The food, transport and shopping are far cheaper than most other countries and it is absolutely worth it. It’s only your flight expense that will weigh down your budget. Once you get here though, you’d be pleasantly surprised by how affordable things are.

10) Compact

Reading about all of these reasons to make Sri Lanka your next holiday destination, you might be thinking that it can’t all be done in one holiday. If that is the case, you’re wrong! Unlike India, where everything is so spread out, Sri Lanka is a tiny island. This allows you to see and experience almost all of the things I mentioned. You could be relaxing on a beach and in a few short hours be in the middle of a thick jungle or in the chilly hill country…

Sri Lanka is an amazing country with so much to offer. Come and experience it!

4 Day Weekend

I’ve said this before, and this wouldn’t be the last time; I love being in the tourism industry because I get to travel and experience a variety of things all the time. A few weeks ago, I had to check out some hotels down south and on the East Coast. So I planned a four day weekend where I would travel along the south coast, cut across to the east coast and end up in the jungle. 

Ever since the Southern Expressway opened up, I haven’t been taking the coastal route down south because it takes 3 times as long to get to Galle. But I do miss the old road, which is much more scenic and interesting. Day one on my four day weekend wasn’t too exciting because I had a lot of hotels, villas and bungalows to inspect along the way. Some were horrible, some were mediocre and some were very interesting because of their great locations, unusual architecture and unique interior. I find that most of the beach hotels and villas that I visit have a very similar design and theme. That is why I love it when I find ones that are a complete contrast to the norm.  I also got to see some nice private beaches that day. One of those that stood out was the beach in front of Villa Maggona [a very comfortable and private villa with great staff]. It was a wide stretch of beach and there were no other people to be seen. It was the kind of beach you see pictures of in glossy travel magazines.

The Beach front at Villa Maggona

The poolside at Roman Lake

Roman Beach poolside in Hikkaduwa

The bar at Roman Beach

The living area at Tamarind Hill

The bar at Tamarind Hill

Day two of my 4 day weekend was far more interesting. We drove from Tissamaharama to Arugambay via Monaragala. The road was amazing. It’s one of my favourite drives in Sri Lanka. There were hardly any other vehicles on the road and the lush jungle on either side made us feel as if we were on safari! We even got to stop and watch an elephant that was peacefully having his breakfast on the side of the road. Although it had been a rainy couple of days the sky was a bright blue with fluffy white clouds scattered across it. 

The empty road and the crisp blue sky

The elephant we saw on the way

A very scenic route

Another interesting feature on this stretch of road is the migration of butterflies towards Adam’s Peak. This occurs at the start of the Adam’s Peak pilgrimage season which goes on from December to May. This mountain, the tallest in Sri Lanka is also known as Samanala Kanda [Butterfly Mountain] because of the thousands of butterflies that make their way towards it during the season. On our drive to Arugambay, we saw hundreds of butterflies crossing the road and flitting towards the hill country as well as dozens of small birds waiting on the other side of the road to swoop down and grab a quick and easy butterfly snack.

We got to Arugambay in time for lunch at one of the small restaurants on the ‘A-bay Stretch’, a small surfing village version of the Vegas Stretch! It is a little known fact that Arugambay is one of the world’s top 10 surf spots. It is a gem, hidden away from the spotlight with an amazing beach and great surf vibe. The surf season starts at around June and goes on till around the end of September. This is the best time to be there as the small town is alive and buzzing with surfing enthusiasts from all over the world. Alternatively, if you visit during the off-season, you would find a quiet town that waits with baited breath, counting down the days till the season comes around again. There would still be plenty to see however because the area is also popular for wildlife and bird watching. Unfortunately our afternoon on the beach was dampened because of the rain and we couldn’t even take a dip in the sea.

A-bay Beach

A surf shop and our lunch spot on the stretch

A few surfers were still around even though the season was over

The next day, we had delicious hot paratas for breakfast and a tea made with condensed milk at a small restaurant on the side of the road called Makkal Hotel [not really a hotel!] in Pottuvil and made our way back towards Tissa.

The guy who made our tea and the parata guy at Makkal Hotel

The front view of our breakfast stop and our yummy breakfast

Which way to Monaragala again?!

After checking out a few more hotels in the area, we made our way towards Yala National Park and got into the Kulu Safaris Jeep that took us to our luxury campsite inside the park. The weather wasn’t that great when we were on safari that afternoon and even though we got thoroughly soaked, we didn’t give up and head back to camp. Instead we soldiered on; keeping an eye out for whatever animal that would cross our path. I was hoping to see a sloth bear, because I have not encountered one in years. But we seemed to be out of luck as all we saw that day were a few elephants, wild boars, buffalo, some birds and leopard pad marks.

The pool at Chaaya Wild, Yala

The view from a cabin at Chaaya Wild

Our Kulu Safaris camp site

Lunch, luxury camping style!

Leopard pad marks

Baby, it's a wild world

I wasn’t disappointed though, because the campsite, the food and being in the wild made up for what I missed out on while on safari. Just being outdoors is enough to get me excited and think about how it really is a wild world out there….