Best 11 Things To Do In Sri Lanka (The Ultimate Sri Lanka Bucket List)

Last Updated: December 2 2020

Sri Lanka is a beautiful country, full of amazing landscapes, wildlife and plenty of things to see. In this blog post we will go through the ultimate Sri Lanka bucket list! This includes a safari, swimming with sharks and the most popular Sri Lanka attractions.

If you are wanting to tick off some bucket list experiences, Sri Lanka is the perfect country to do it! We love this beautiful country, and can’t wait to explore more of it.

In no particular order, here are the top bucket list things to do in Sri Lanka!

The Ultimate Sri Lanka Bucket List

These are some of the most famous places in Sri Lanka, and no doubt you will have heard of some of them.

Hike Pirdurangala Rock

Pidurangala Rock is found in Sigiriya and offers arguably the best view in all of Sri Lanka. It is situated across from the famous Sigiriya Rock which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

We were looking for things to do in Sigiriya and came across Pidurangala Rock. Most people head to Sigiriya Rock to see the ancient fortress, but the downside? the price is pretty expensive.

We were travelling on a budget, so £30 each was a bit too steep for us. Pidurangala Rock costs just £3 each, and the views are outstanding.

We headed up to Pidurangala Rock for sunrise and got an incredible view of the lush green forest that surrounds Sigiriya. You can see for miles, and you also get an insane view of Sigiriya Rock.

Standing at 200m high, Pidurangala Rock is a must for any Sri Lanka bucket list! The beauty of the area is unparalleled, and there is a small Buddhist temple and a lying Buddha at the base of the rock which you can explore.

We stayed at a place called Pidurangala Rock Homestay and started the hike at 5:30 am.

Click HERE to read our full guide on Climbing Pidurangala Rock.

Explore Galle Fort

Galle Fort is a Portuguese fort built-in 1588 and worked on extensively by the Dutch in 1649.  The fort is of great historical and archaeological importance, with the local people even trying to make it a new wonder of the world.

Exploring Galle Fort and the lighthouse is a must because the architecture is incredible. It still stands in incredible shape considering the effects of the 2004 tsunami.

One of our favourites spots in Galle Fort is the sea wall where you can look out to sea, and get great views of the fort. If you are lucky, you might even get to see some sea turtles!

Make sure to bring your camera so you can get great shots of the lighthouse, and especially the All Saint’s Church. Galle Fort is an iconic part of Sri Lanka and one not to be missed! A great way to see this place is to do it as a day trip from Unawatuna.

Whale watching in Mirissa

If you love wildlife like us then this experience needs to be on your Sri Lanka bucket list! We had always wanted to go whale watching, and in our opinion, Sri Lanka is one of the best countries to do it.

Sri Lanka is known as one of the best places in the world to see the blue whale – the worlds largest mammal. We went on a whale-watching trip in Mirissa, on the south coast of Sri Lanka.

You have an incredible chance of seeing a blue whale here, sometimes you even have a 95% chance of seeing them depending on the time of year. Not only can you see blue whales, but you also have a chance of seeing sperm whales, orcas, whale sharks, sea turtles, and lots of dolphins among other species.

Whilst whale watching in Mirissa, we were lucky enough to see two blue whales, a pod of at least 15 short-finned pilot whales and lots of dolphins.  We chose to go with Raja & the Whales, and it was one of our most memorable experiences to date!

Raja & The Whales try to give you the best opportunity they can for you to see a whale. The boat trips can be as long as 10 hours, and if you don’t see a whale they will take you on another trip free of charge. You will just have to pay the harbour tax fee.

You get plenty of food and drink throughout the day, and they have an awesome photographer. He will take photographs of the whales on the day, and email you the next day which is pretty cool.

Click HERE to read our full guide on whale watching in Mirissa.

Go on a Safari in Sri Lanka

Staying on the topic of wildlife, Sri Lanka has some incredible safari experiences and an abundance of wildlife. Elephants, leopards, water buffalo, crocodiles, and jackals just to name a few can all be found here.

We had always wanted to go on a safari, and Sri Lanka was were we fulfilled that dream. Yala National Park and Udawalawe National Park are two of the most popular places to go on a safari in Sri Lanka.

Yala is much bigger, and leopard sightings seem to be more popular here but it is also a lot busier. We chose to go on a Udawalawe safari, and it was magical.

On our trip to Udawalawe National Park, we got to see at least 15 elephants, jackals, crocodiles and water buffalo to name a few. Our safari lasted a couple of hours and cost us 14,500 LKR (£60) for the two of us. We had the jeep to ourselves too which was special!

Click HERE to read our full guide on a Udawalawe Safari

Take a ride on the Ella to Kandy train (or vice versa)

The Ella to Kandy train is known for being one of the most beautiful train journeys in the world. The train ride runs through the lush mountainous areas of central Sri Lanka.

This train route is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Sri Lanka, so tickets can sell out pretty quickly. People travel from all over the world just to experience this magical train journey.

The route takes you through lush forest, little villages and beautiful tea plantations. The route from Ella to Kandy (or vice versa) takes around 7 hours, so bring plenty of snacks and drinks.

We bought second class tickets and believe this gives you the best experience. There is plenty of room and access to a large window and you can move between carriages.

The tickets can be bought from any train station, but the cost will vary depending on which class you choose. We recommend buying the tickets in advance, so you can guarantee the ticket class you want.

Click HERE to read our full guide on the Kandy to Ella train. 

Ride a local Sri Lankan bus

Sri Lanka’s bus system is incredible, and can get you everywhere you need to go. Travelling in one of the local buses provides you with a great local experience. They are also super cheap, and very frequent.

The buses in the UK are always running late, and very expensive yet the rickety old buses in Sri Lanka are somehow more reliable! These colourful buses also play local music on a video player, and the exteriors are usually decorated with jazzy colours.

You may spend up to 6 hours at a time on the buses, but we never found it too uncomfortable. The only problem we had was with our backpacks if the luggage section was full.

Swim with wild Sea Turtles

One of our most memorable experiences in Sri Lanka was swimming with wild turtles. You can find sea turtles all over Sri Lanka including Mirissa, Trincomalee and Hikkaduwa.

Hikkaduwa has it’s very own resident sea turtles, so you have a great chance of seeing them. You can head into the water and pick up some seaweed from the seafloor to see if they will take it from you. However, you have to be careful because you aren’t allowed to touch them!

Some tourists are ignorant, and even try to pick up the sea turtles and grab their flippers! This is awful, and we can’t believe that people would do this. Luckily there are local workers on the beach that will shout at anybody who bothers the turtles.

The experience in Hikkaduwa is special, but it is so much better swimming with turtles when there are no other tourists around. We saw sea turtles in both Trincomalee and Mirissa and enjoyed the experience more because there fewer people.

Swim with Sharks

Swimming with sharks is another must for your Sri Lanka bucket list! Seeing two baby blacktip reef sharks piqued our interest, and we started looking at the best places to snorkel in Sri Lanka.

We spoke to some other travellers, and they suggested snorkelling in Trincomalee. We headed there and booked a 4-hour snorkelling trip from a diving company found in town.

It was an incredible experience, and one we won’t soon forget. The boat took us to two different locations, where we got to spend some time snorkelling. We saw 6 0r 7 blacktip reef sharks, a sea turtle and lots of tropical fish. Swimming with sharks is a must for any Sri Lanka travel itinerary, and we would recommend it to everyone!

Hike up Ella Rock

Ella is found in central Sri Lanka, in the more mountainous region of the county. There are so many incredible things to do here, and hiking is one of the most popular.

The hike up to Ella Rock starts just off the main road through the town. The walk is 8km long and fairly easy. The only difficult part is the last 15 minutes or so as it is quite steep.

The views from the top make the walk well worth your while, trust us! There are two different viewpoints, which offer different perspectives of the lush countryside. On the first viewpoint, you get incredible views over Ella and there is even a drinks stand here.

The second viewpoint is just past the cabin and offers beautiful views of the waterfalls below. The walk takes around 2 hours, and the views are incredible!

Beach hop along the South coast of Sri Lanka

The south coast of Sri Lanka is where you will find all the beautiful beaches. If you are dreaming of white sands, turquoise coloured waters and palm trees, then the south coast of Sri Lanka is for you!

We spent a week or two travelling the south coast of Sri Lanka and exploring all the little beach towns. This is the route we took.

Hikkaduwa-Unawatuna-Mirissa-Tangalle

Each of these towns offers the opportunity to swim in tropical waters, sunbathe on beautiful beaches and witness some incredible sunsets.

In our opinion, Unawatuna and Mirissa have the best beaches and were two of our favourite places in Sri Lanka. Mirissa is home to the infamous coconut tree hill that sticks out from the coast. This spot is famous with Instagrammers who flock there to get ‘the shot’. Unawatuna is where you will find the famous Sri Lanka rope swings!

Make sure you spend plenty of time soaking up the sun, eating delicious Sri Lankan food and looking out for sea life.

Visit the Nine Arches Bridge in Ella

The Nine Arches Bridge is one of the most iconic spots in Sri Lanka. The Nine arch bridge is found in Ella and is where the Ella to Kandy train crosses.

It is one of the most popular Sri Lanka tourist spots, with many people heading there daily to see the blue train heading over the bridge.

The architecture of the bridge is incredible and sits in a thick forest. We visited the bridge two to three times because there are so many different perspectives you can get! We recommend that you head to the bridge in the morning to watch the train come over, before climbing down the bank to get some beautiful shots from underneath.

Where to stay in Sri Lanka

We travelled through Sri Lanka on a budget, and have written a post on all the budget accommodation options we chose. If you are looking at where to stay in Sri Lanka on a budget, you can find our post HERE.

When booking accommodation we always try to use Booking.com.

To compare the latest deals click HERE.

Booking.com

We hope you have enjoyed this Sri Lanka bucket list! There are so many beautiful places in Sri Lanka and incredible things to do, that it can be hard to decide where to visit. We hope this post has given you some inspiration, and that you enjoy these experiences as much as we did.

Is Sri Lanka on your bucket list? or have you already been and are dying to get back? just like us haha!

P.S If you want more travel tips, you can find our Pinterest HERE.

Thanks for reading,
Jack & Abbie

MORE SRI LANKA BLOG POSTS

Where To Stay In Sri Lanka (The Best Budget Accommodation)

Kandy To Ella Train – Sri Lanka’s Best Train Journey (Info & Tips)

Backpacking In Sri Lanka (The Ultimate 4 Week Sri Lanka Itinerary)

10 Amazing Things To Do In Ella (The Ultimate Guide)

11 Great Things To Do In Mirissa (A Must For Any Sri Lanka Itinerary)

Udawalawe Safari Guide (Seeing Wild Elephants On Your Sri Lanka Safari)

15 Sri Lanka Tips That You Need To Know

The Sri Lanka Beaches That You Have To Visit 

Whale Watching In Mirissa & The Company You Should Choose

Climbing Pidurangala Rock In Sigirya (The Best View In Sri Lanka)

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