Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka: our review of the country where our independent Journey began. Is it worth going to the island nation of Sri Lanka? Food and meal prices. Our review after a month of traveling around Sri Lanka, our impressions of the island, pros and cons, useful information, and tips.

General information about Sri Lanka

The island nation of Sri Lanka (known until 1972 as Ceylon) covers a relatively small land area, comparable to that of Moscow plus the Moscow Region, and the country's population is roughly equal to that of Moscow. The local people, Sinhalese and Tamils, come from India. There are 3 main languages: Sinhala, Tamil, and English. The currency is the Sri Lankan rupee; at the beginning of 2015 the exchange rate was 133 LKR to 1 USD. The time here, as in all of India, is 2.5 hours ahead of Moscow.

People 4.5/5

The population of Sri Lanka comes from India. But unlike the Hindu Indians, Sri Lankans are Buddhists. This is because the island holds many important Buddhist relics, and the Buddha himself visited the island. The people are kind, smiling, open, and hospitable. They may simply come up to you, get acquainted, and tell you something, show you something, or help you, expecting nothing in return. It would have been perfect if not for the incident when a wheel and the papers for our motorbike were stolen. We give the human factor of Sri Lanka a score of 4.5 out of 5.

Prices for food/meals and accommodation 4.4/5

Sri Lanka is a fairly budget-friendly country to stay in, but far from the cheapest in Asia. The average cost of a room in a hotel or guesthouse is $17 for 2 people (minimum $10). Food and meal prices in Sri Lanka are as follows: eating where the locals eat costs from $3 for two, and a 1.5 L bottle of water costs $0.5. Public transportation (trains, buses) is cheap: a city bus ride costs from 5 rupees for 2 people (depending on the distance). The expenses related to the motorbike can be found in the corresponding post. It should also be noted that most sights charge foreign tourists an admission fee, while Sri Lankans themselves can visit them for free or for a price dozens of times lower than foreigners pay.

Nature 4.5/5

This section covers both the comfort of the weather and the natural beauty and sights. The climate in Sri Lanka ranges from rather stuffy and hot on the coasts, to comfortable on the plains in the interior of the island, to cool (down to +5°C at night) in the highland areas (Nuwara Eliya, Haputale). On the whole, the climate is pleasant.

The only thing that spoiled our motorbike trip was the rain. Downpours often caught us on the road, and they are heavy here. We kept taking shelter under whatever roofs of houses, little shops, and other structures we came across. We didn't buy raincoats, since it was warm and we dried off fairly quickly, but we did wrap up our backpacks. Backpack rain covers are a very necessary thing in Sri Lanka. As for the nature, it is stunning here. We rode past beautiful, picturesque coasts and fairy-tale trees growing in the lakes of Tissa, and the mountain views of the tea plantations are simply breathtaking.

Sunset over the lake with plants poking from the water at Tissa — Sunset over the lake in Tissa

Low clouds over forested mountains in Sri Lanka — Clouds in the mountains of Sri Lanka

Hills and villages in the valley from Lipton's Seat viewpoint, Haputale — View from Lipton's Seat

Wild elephant by roadside bushes seen from the side, Sri Lanka — A wild elephant wandering along the road

Sigiriya rock beyond a boulder from the top of Pidurangala — View from the top of Pidurangala Rock, Sri Lanka

Small wooded islet off the shore under overhanging branches, Sri Lanka — On the road

Woman on rocks by a stormy ocean in Matara — Matara

Lake among tea terraces on the way to Adam's Peak — A lake near Adam's Peak

Misty valley with a lake and mountains at dawn from Adam's Peak — View from Adam's Peak

Lone trees on the blue lake at Tissa with hills beyond — A lake in Tissa

Sri Lanka has no high mountains (the highest altitude accessible to tourists is just over 2000 meters) and no unique natural wonders, but otherwise the nature of Sri Lanka is quite diverse and harmonious.

Safety 4.5/5

Sri Lanka is a safe place, both in terms of the human factor and in terms of road traffic (Sri Lanka's road fatality statistics look 2 times better than Russia's). During our Journey we never felt any threat to our safety; nevertheless, as we already wrote, somebody swiped a wheel and the papers for our scooter.

All in all, we think the country is safe, and we were just unlucky.

Food 4/5

We gave our lowest score to the food in Sri Lanka. The national cuisine lacks any variety and can be described in two words: rice and curry. Yes, in tourist spots they will make you anything you like, and maybe even tasty, but ordinary cheap local eateries will offer only rice and curry. You might find plain fried rice with something. All in all, it's an acquired taste. While at the beginning we ate curry with pleasure, by the end of the Journey even its smell, wafting from everywhere, was unpleasant to us. Here you can also try the local flatbreads (roti), local vegetable pies (but they are quite spicy), and curd, a creamy fresh cheese made from buffalo milk; it is made and sold, most often, in clay pots, and it is eaten with sweet palm syrup. There isn't much variety of groceries in the stores either. You won't find ready-made food in supermarkets.

To sum up, Sri Lanka gets a score of 4.36 points out of 5. On the whole, we liked the country. The most obvious downsides are the high prices for accommodation, the terrible “price racism” at tourist attractions, and the not particularly impressive sea.

Also read our articles about individual places in Sri Lanka.

Video from our trip around Sri Lanka

Our movements around Sri Lanka, according to the GPS tracker: