- Sri Lanka won the spot
as Lonely Planet's number one country to visit in 2019,
and, after spending a month there, I can certainly see why.
In today's video, I'll be breaking down 10 reasons
why Sri Lanka should be top of your travel bucket list,
especially with their borders opening back up for tourism next month.
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The first reason you'll love Sri Lanka is for the wildlife.
From peacocks to cheetahs, to deer, to elephants, to whales,
the biodiversity on this island is absolutely insane.
The best part is that you don't need to go to a zoo or book a tour
in order to see these incredible animals.
You can literally find yourself sharing the road with a wild elephant
or swimming with giant sea turtles right off some of the main beaches.
Which brings me right into reason number two,
the beaches.
We visited countless uncrowded, clean, white sand beaches
along the southern coast.
The water is clear, warm, and a gorgeous turquoise blue color.
You can find calm swimming spots as well as incredible surf spots
with large but gentle waves.
Sri Lanka actually has quite the up-and-coming surf scene,
with a few beaches that are perfect for beginners.
I was traveling with my friend Rick,
and it was both of our first time really giving surfing a go,
and, after a two-hour lesson, we were both standing up.
I would personally love to spend a few weeks
on a coastal town like Weligama
just really learning how to surf, renting a board,
and getting out there every day.
My third reason to add Sri Lanka to your bucket list
is because of the climate.
With the exception of the monsoon season, which happens over the summer months,
you can expect sunny days with a range of temperatures,
depending on where you are on the island.
It's hot along the coast line,
which is perfect for spending days on the ocean,
and then, if you head up into the mountains,
it's actually surprisingly cool.
You'll find the temperature drop by between 10 and 15 degrees.
The cool mountain air and lower temperatures
are perfect for hiking.
And, if hiking is something that you enjoy doing on your travels,
then you will love the mountains of Sri Lanka.
Driving just a few hours north of the southern coast beaches,
you'll find yourself in the mountains with countless hiking options
accessible to any fitness level.
If you like to explore or you're a history buff,
you will be pleasantly surprised
by Sri Lanka's cultural heritage and iconic sites.
You will find eight -
eight -
UNESCO World Heritage sites scattered around the country.
Some of them have paid entry and then will offer you a tour,
while others you can just go and explore on your own.
Getting from site to site, or around the country in general,
is also incredibly easy and pretty cheap.
You have so many options, with buses that cover most of the country;
multiple ridesharing apps, including Uber;
and the train, which is considered an attraction in itself
due to the gorgeous landscapes en route.
We ended up renting a tuk-tuk for the month that we were there
and driving ourselves around the country.
So that's also another option.
You could even hire a private driver to drive the tuk-tuk for you
and get you around the country, joining you on your trip.
And then, regardless of where we went,
we were welcomed by friendly locals with big smiles
and lots of curious questions.
They weren't trying to sell us on anything,
they were just so many great conversations that kept coming up.
Now, there's no denying that Sri Lanka has had a pretty rocky past,
but Rick and I, whether we were alone or together,
were treated with so much respect
and never felt like we were in any danger or unwelcome.
And, while English is not the primary language,
we found that most of the locals we met
could speak at least basic or conversational English.
This really added to just enriching the experience,
because we could make those deeper connections
and have conversations that were more than just surface level.
The majority of Sri Lankans that we met also had so much pride
and so much excitement to share about their country,
specifically about the food.
The food.
The food is absolutely, hands down unreal.
I don't understand how Sri Lankan cuisine is not a thing around the world.
I had never really heard of it, I didn't know what to expect,
but... Oh, my goodness! You will love it.
There are so many options,
and it really doesn't matter if you're vegetarian,
vegan, pescatarian, gluten-free, or any other specialty diet;
you will have no trouble finding something to eat.
Rick and I ate out for every single meal
during the month that we were in Sri Lanka,
and we never got bored or sick.
Rick's favorite was one of the staple dishes, kottu,
which is a flatbread stir fry
with a ton of spices and whatever meat you want.
My favorite was probably the curry sets.
You order one main curry, which can be vegetarian or meat,
and then it's served with rice
and about five other smaller vegetarian curries,
so you get to try a little bit of everything.
Also the barbecue seafood
and the fruit,
fresh and delicious.
The portion sizes are also massive,
especially for how delicious and cheap the food is.
And that brings me to reason number nine of why you will love Sri Lanka,
the cost...
of pretty much everything.
It's very inexpensive to eat,
to get around, to head to the spa, or surf,
to stay in nice places.
You have options for accommodations, from hostels to resorts,
and, while the fancier places
are obviously going to cost you a little bit more,
you are getting amazing value for your money.
I can follow up with a full cost breakdown if you're interested in the specifics.
Just let me know in the comments.
And last but certainly not least,
reason number 10 that you should add Sri Lanka to your travel bucket list
is because of the variety of things to do.
There is honestly something for every type of traveler.
You can have a chill beach vacation, engage in a ton of adventure activities,
spend day hiking in the mountains or visiting cultural sites;
you can even check out the yoga scene or tea plantations.
It doesn't matter what your travel style is,
because the country, the landscapes, the people,
it's all so diverse that you will be able to find what you're looking for,
and a heck of a lot more.
A good friend of mine, Johnny, has spent the last few months living in Sri Lanka
and makes these incredible vlog-style videos
that I think you will really enjoy
if you want a better idea of what to expect when you're there.
I'll link to his channel in the comments down below.
Sri Lanka is set to officially open their borders back up for tourism
as of mid-August, 2020.
The decision to travel is yours
but, when the time is right and you feel ready,
I highly recommend you add Sri Lanka to your travel bucket list.
If you are considering travel, just make sure that you do your research
and get your travel insurance.
Mine is less than $40 a month,
and they recently announced that they will be covering COVID,
which is both really surprising and really awesome,
because not very many travel insurance companies do.
I'll leave the information for who I use in the description.
Let us all know in the comments section
if you are interested in traveling to Sri Lanka.
I honestly never gave the country much thought
and then was completely blown away by the experience.
Such an underrated country.
Thank you so much for watching.
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Thanks again and have a good one.
Bye.