Yes, Sri Lanka is worth visiting, especially if you love wildlife or history. We spent two weeks there with a private guide and driver, travelling from Colombo through the ancient cities and the hill country to Yala National Park and the south coast. We’d go back, and next time it would be for more national parks.
It isn’t the right trip for everyone, though, so here’s the good, the not-so-good, and who we think it suits.
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| Why it’s worth it | What to weigh up |
|---|---|
| Wildlife, including leopards and wild elephants | Travel between places takes time |
| Ancient sites like Sigiriya, Polonnaruwa and Dambulla | Not all safari operators are equal |
| Friendly people and really good food | Travel advice is at “exercise a high degree of caution” |
| Hill country scenery | Cyclone damage, including to the Kandy to Ella train line |
| A private guide and driver is within reach |
Reasons Sri Lanka is worth visiting
The wildlife
I loved the history and the people, but the wildlife was my favourite part of the trip. We spent three nights with Kulu Safaris at Yala National Park, heading out on game drives in a Toyota Land Cruiser 4×4. Our guide didn’t rush from one sighting to the next. Instead, they read the monkey and bird calls, and that patience paid off with a leopard lying on the track that we had to ourselves. Over our three days of safaris we saw three leopards.
Elephants are part of the journey too. In some places wild elephants are on the road, and in Yala we saw them on the main road through the park, right beside the safari jeeps. Our Kulu guides told us that feeding them is bad, because it teaches elephants to come to the road for food. Earlier in the trip we also did a game drive at Minneriya National Park, near Dambulla.
Yala and the other parks we visited pass the “life worth living” test I use for any wildlife experience. Our guides to where to see leopards in Sri Lanka and going on safari in Sri Lanka go into much more detail.
The history
Sri Lanka’s ancient sites are the other big reason to go, and the one most people will remember is Sigiriya, the rock fortress that rises about 200 metres above the plains. The climb isn’t for everyone: it’s around 1,200 steps in total, with narrow staircases and an open stairway near the top. But it’s definitely worth it to see the site and the views from the top. Rain delayed our climb by a few hours, and we got a sweat up on the way. I’d wondered whether the exposed sections would bother me, but I was more interested in the view than the height.
Around Dambulla we also visited Dambulla Cave Temple. When I walked into the caves, I couldn’t believe the size and number of statues inside. The temple dates back to the 1st century BCE, and its five caves hold more than 150 Buddha statues. I’m constantly amazed at what people were able to accomplish centuries ago.
Polonnaruwa, another of the ancient cities, is well worth visiting too. There’s a lot to see, from ruins to fully intact statues. We’d also booked a hot air balloon flight over the area, but bad weather meant it was cancelled. Our guide to Sri Lanka’s Cultural Triangle covers Polonnaruwa and the other ancient cities.
In Kandy we visited the Temple of the Tooth, where people bring colourful flowers as offerings. Our guide got us some so that we could make an offering too.
Flower offerings at the Temple of the Tooth, Kandy.
On the south coast we explored Galle Fort. Coming from a country with a colonial history of its own, it can be a lot to take in just how much impact some nations had. The Portuguese built the first fort in the late 1500s. The Dutch took it in 1640 and fortified it, and the British took over in 1796.
The people
The people we met were friendly. One day, driving through the countryside, our guide spotted a local school concert from the road and took us in. We were standing at the back when the principal spotted us. She sat us in the front row, moving the local police officer to make room, and we spent half an hour watching with the parents, teachers and kids – oh, and the local police officer too.
The food
The food was really good, especially the curries. Every meal was delicious, whether it was breakfast or dinner at our accommodation or lunch at a roadside café. On the drive from Yala to Galle we stopped at a village home to see curd made the traditional way, and on our last night in Colombo we did a food tour through the city. Neither of us had any issues with the food.
One of our favourite memories is from a hot day, when we stopped at a street vendor to buy a water and were handed a coconut with the top cut off and a straw in it. We picked up a bag of lychees there too, to take with us for the afternoon.
The hill country
From Kandy we caught the train to Ella, one of the best-known train journeys in Sri Lanka. Seeing the tea plantations from the train through the hill country was pretty iconic. In Ella we hiked Little Adam’s Peak and visited the Nine Arch Bridge.
Good to Know
Cyclone Ditwah badly damaged the railway through the hill country in late 2025, and more landslides have closed parts of the line since. As of November 2026, trains only run between Nanu Oya and Badulla, which includes Ella. The line from Colombo and Kandy is closed for repairs, with no confirmed reopening date, so most travellers go by road from Kandy to Nanu Oya and catch the train from there. Check the latest with Sri Lanka Railways before you plan the train.
A private guide and driver is within reach
We did a tailor-made trip with a private guide and driver. We preferred to leave the driving to someone who knew the roads, and it gave us more comfort than public transport and more flexibility than a tour. We had an itinerary, but we could stay longer somewhere or stop along the road, which is how we ended up at that school concert. It wasn’t overly expensive either, and it works out well against a tour if you’re travelling as a family group.
We didn’t have to fight the crowds
We travelled over New Year and into January, and we didn’t have huge crowds at any of the sites we visited, including Sigiriya, the Nine Arch Bridge and Little Adam’s Peak. Visitor numbers have grown a lot since, though, with a record 2.36 million arrivals in 2025, so it may be busier now.
The downsides to weigh up
None of these stopped us enjoying Sri Lanka, but they’re worth knowing before you book.
Travel between places takes time
Sri Lanka is a small country, but you need to build travel time into your plans. Distances on the map look short, but the roads are narrow and winding in places, traffic can be slow, and in some areas wild elephants are on the road as well. If you’re expecting smooth highways between every stop, it isn’t that kind of country. Smartraveller also warns that driving in Sri Lanka is hazardous, which is one reason we preferred to leave the driving to someone who knew the roads. Our guide to getting around in Sri Lanka covers your options.
Not all safari operators are equal
Sri Lanka’s national parks are a highlight, but the operator you choose makes all the difference. In Yala, it was annoying to see the safari jeeps bunched together around sightings. We were lucky to have a great guide, so we spent a lot of time in the park away from other vehicles, including going into areas others couldn’t. We also saw other safari drivers rushing from place to place and crowding around leopards. Choose the wrong operator and that could be your experience.
Lisa’s Tip
Do your research and read reviews before you book a safari. It’s the same in a lot of countries: the guide shapes the whole experience, from where you go in the park to how long you get with a sighting on your own.
Parts of Yala also close for a few weeks in the dry season. In 2026, Blocks 1 and 2 closed from mid-September to mid-October, so check which areas are open for your dates.
The travel advice
Check your own government’s travel advice before you book. Australia’s Smartraveller, for example, currently advises travellers to “exercise a high degree of caution” in Sri Lanka because of the threat of public demonstrations and security risks. The security risks include an ongoing threat of terrorism, which may target places popular with tourists, and the advice also covers petty crime and scams, severe weather and road safety. It was at the same level when we went. Our approach to demonstrations was simple: stay away from them, and walk the other way if we saw one. Our guide to safety in Sri Lanka covers this in more detail.
We never travel overseas without travel insurance, and we had Cover-More for this trip. Whoever you insure with, check your policy covers the activities you have planned.
The cyclone is still being felt in places
In late 2025, Cyclone Ditwah brought severe flooding and landslides. The hill country around Kandy, Nuwara Eliya and Ella was hit harder than the coast, and landslide warnings can still be issued in some districts. Most of the country is open for visitors, but check how your route has recovered, including the train (see the Good to Know box above).
Things to expect (that shouldn’t put you off)
Some things that turn up on other lists of Sri Lanka’s downsides didn’t bother us at all. They’re worth knowing about, but we wouldn’t call them reasons not to go.
Tourist prices
Some sites charge tourists more than locals. You see that in a number of places around the world, and the difference wasn’t significant for us. We were happy to pay what we did to visit places like Sigiriya.
Haggling and tourist stops
You’ll haggle. We haggled with a tuk-tuk driver over a price, and in the markets, but for us that’s part of the fun and part of the experience of travelling somewhere like Sri Lanka.
Then there are the usual tourist stops you get anywhere in the world. In Sri Lanka, one of them is the spice garden, where you tour a garden full of herbs and spices and finish in a shop. Yes, it’s set up for tourists, but it’s interesting to see and it helps the local economy. We bought some spices and brought them home. Our guide to tourist scams in Sri Lanka covers the ones worth knowing about.
Heat and humidity
We live in Australia, so heat is normal for us, but there was some heat and humidity, and we definitely got a sweat up climbing Sigiriya. How much it affects you depends on when you go and whether you choose a drier season. Our guide to the best time to visit Sri Lanka covers the seasons.
Not every elephant is wild
Most of the elephants you’ll see in Sri Lanka are wild, and capturing them is a criminal offence. The country does still have around 200 registered captive elephants, kept by licensed custodians including temples. They can be used in religious processions, some work and tourist rides. We didn’t see anywhere offering elephant rides on our trip, but if you come across one, rides don’t pass the “life worth living” test, so we’d steer clear and watch elephants in the national parks instead. Our guide to where to see elephants in Sri Lanka ethically covers where to see them in the wild.
Who Sri Lanka suits (and who it might not)
Sri Lanka is a great place for anyone who wants culture and history, wildlife, or both. It rewards travellers who want to immerse themselves in the country: its history, its culture and its food.
It’s probably not the right trip if what you want is a relaxing 5-star holiday where everything runs smoothly. Sri Lanka is still developing, and that shows in things like the roads. It does have 5-star hotels, but to really experience the country you need to get out of the major cities, to places where you won’t be staying in 5-star hotels. If you’d rather not try Sri Lankan food, see the wildlife or explore the history, there are better places to spend your holiday.
But if you go with an open mind and take Sri Lanka as it is, it gives a lot back.
If you’re heading there for the first time, our Sri Lanka travel tips for first-time visitors cover the practical side.
How we’d do it again
Our route took us from Colombo to Dambulla, Kandy, Ella, Yala and Galle, then back to Colombo. We stayed in a mix of places, from a tented camp with Kulu Safaris in Yala to the Galle Fort Hotel and the Galle Face Hotel in Colombo. We finished with a resort stay in the Maldives on the way home, putting the relaxing part of the trip at the end.
Next time, we’d go to more of Sri Lanka’s national parks. If you’re planning your own trip, our 7 day Sri Lanka itinerary and 10 day Sri Lanka itinerary for wildlife lovers are good places to start.
If wildlife or history is what draws you, Sri Lanka is well worth the trip. Everything else we’ve written about it is in our Sri Lanka travel guide.
Last updated: 8 November 2026. Travel advice, train services and park closures in Sri Lanka change often, so check your own government’s travel advice before you go.
Until next time… keep wandering.
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