7 Reasons You Should Visit Sri Lanka Over India

With its vibrant colors, intriguing culture, and aura of ascetic mystery that surrounds it, India seduces travelers. As mysterious as it does sound, India is also a little too overcrowded with starry-eyed tourists roaming the country in pursuit of spirituality and enlightenment. Among all this chaos, it is easy to miss the tiny teardrop-shaped island located just below the continent. This tropical island nation, otherwise known as Sri Lanka, holds many secrets just waiting to be discovered.

There are beaches everywhere

As it is an island nation, the sea surrounds Sri Lanka. And where there is sea, there will always be sand. As golden sandy beaches line its coasts all around, finding a quiet, isolated strip of beach all for yourself is not hard. And if you think that every beach will look and feel the same, you’ll have to think again. The beaches of the south are calm and soothing with breathtaking sunsets, while the beaches in the east feature white powdery sand with beautiful waves to surf.

You can explore the mountains

Trek through the forests

Moving away from the mountains and the beaches, you have the jade green rainforests of Sri Lanka. A trek through a Sri Lankan forest will bring you face to face with flora and fauna endemic to the island. This experience is one that is bound to leave you breathless.

Travel across the country in a few hours

Sri Lanka is a compact beauty; it is so small that you can travel from one end of the country to the other in a matter of hours, enabling you to experience climates, land, and geography completely different from one another in a short amount of time. Indeed, the length of the island from its furthest two points—Point Pedro to Point Dondra—is 548 kilometers (341 miles).

Sri Lanka has extraordinary wildlife

Majestic elephants, daring leopards, and bird varieties you have never encountered before—Sri Lanka is home to abundant biodiversity. Kalpitiya is an ideal place if you want to witness blue whales and dolphins, while Yala and Wilpattu will bring you face to face with lounging leopards. Elephants roam free in Udawalawe, while bird-watchers will be delighted with what the Kumana Bird Sanctuary has to offer in terms of the island’s colorful-winged friends.

The island has incredible cuisine

If you thought Indian food was exotic, wait until you try Sri Lankan cuisine. The island has fantastic dishes such as the world’s most flavorsome chicken curry; the most dubious looking—but oh so good—street food concoction named kottu; the divine pol sambol that has the crowds raving; and the ubiquitous hopper that has been making waves around the world. Sri Lankan cuisine features complex flavor profiles and surprising combinations, elegant and sophisticated in all their simplicity. If you are visiting Sri Lanka, these 12 foods are absolute must-tries.

Sri Lanka has an amazing cultural scene

From a variety of elaborately adorned Buddhist temples and towering gopurams to electric dances, you can look forward to relishing deep resounding drum beats that vibrate your very soul. The people here are rooted in unique traditions, and day-to-day life will have you witnessing a whirlwind of cultural activities that Sri Lankans take in their stride but is a marvel to anyone who experiences them anew.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.