7 Travel Tips - Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka has been top of Steve's 'must visit' list for years, and he finally got to travel there at the end of last year. Here he shares 7 travel tips for anyone visiting the country:

1. The travelling time between places will be longer than you expect. This is predominantly due to a combination of twisting and sometimes very steep, roads and generally heavy traffic. The sights on the way more than make up for the journey time.

2. Climbing Sigiriya Rock is not too difficult. It's a steady climb until you reach the lions feet where you are confronted with a metal staircase for the final part of the climb. If you don't like heights then you might want to avoid this, but if you do make it to the top you will be rewarded with magnificent views.

3. Take the train from Ella from Nanu Oya. This journey takes around two hours and winds through the clouds which cling to the sides of mountains, offering fabulous views of vast tea plantations below. If you’re brave enough to stick your head out of the window (or lean out of an open door!) you’ll get some fantastic photos.

4. Galle lighthouse is well worth a visit. Sri Lanka's oldest light station, the lighthouse dates back to 1848 and is situated within the ancient Galle Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage site.  Galle town has walkable cobbled streets with restaurants, galleries and souvenir shops

6. Situated in the centre of the country, the hugely impressive Dambulla Cave Temple is a must-visit. Also known as the Golden Temple, Dambulla is home to over 150 Buddha statues with cave paintings dating back to the first century BC.  This is an interesting temple situated at the top of the hill. It’s well worth climbing the steps to view the Buddhas and admire the spectacular view from the top. You’ll also meet a few monkeys during your time here.

7. Finally, it's worth noting that Sri Lanka celebrates a lot of public holidays. As many of these holidays revolve around the full moon, hotels can become busy and expensive if this falls on a weekend, so it's worth chatting to someone in the know before booking!