Country book · Asia

Sri Lanka

A teardrop island of ancient kingdoms and endless coastline

Sri Lanka packs 2,500 years of Buddhist kingdoms, colonial hill stations, leopard-dense national parks and a coastline of surf towns into an island roughly the size of Ireland. This book is Sri Lanka today — the people, the truths, the myths, the food and the towns worth the detour.

Myths

What's true, what isn't

Actually true

It genuinely has one of the highest biodiversity densities on Earth
Sri Lanka has more species per square kilometre than almost anywhere in Asia, including leopards, elephants and blue whales just offshore.
Ceylon tea really is grown at altitude in the hill country
Nuwara Eliya and the surrounding highlands, planted by the British in the 1860s, remain among the world's premier tea-growing regions.
Sigiriya really was a 5th-century royal fortress atop a rock
King Kashyapa built a palace on top of a 200-metre granite outcrop, complete with frescoes and mirror walls, in the late 400s CE.
Cricket is treated as a near-religion
Sri Lanka's 1996 Cricket World Cup win remains one of the most celebrated moments in the country's modern history.

Commonly believed, wrong

"Sri Lanka is part of India"
Sri Lanka is an independent island nation with its own language (Sinhala), history and government, separated from India by the Palk Strait.
"It's still unsafe due to the civil war"
The civil war ended in 2009, and the island has been a stable, popular travel destination across nearly all its regions since.
"It's a small, culturally uniform place"
Sinhalese, Tamil, Muslim and Burgher communities each bring distinct languages, food and religious traditions to the island.
"The food is the same as Indian food"
Sri Lankan curries use different spice bases, more coconut milk and pandan leaf, giving the cuisine its own distinct character.

Highlights

The best of Sri Lanka

Sigiriya rock fortress

A dramatic ancient citadel on top of a sheer granite outcrop with surviving 5th-century frescoes.

The hill country and tea trains

Slow scenic trains through misty tea plantations between Kandy, Ella and Nuwara Eliya.

Yala National Park

One of the best places on Earth to spot wild leopards, alongside elephants and sloth bears.

The southern coast beaches and surf towns

Mirissa, Weligama and Galle Fort combine colonial history with world-class beach life.

Culture

Cultural riches

Buddhist temple traditions

Ancient stupas like Anuradhapura and the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic anchor daily religious life.

Kandyan dance

A vigorous traditional dance form with drumming and elaborate costume, performed at temple festivals.

Ayurveda and traditional healing

Sri Lanka has its own long-standing Ayurvedic medical tradition, distinct from but related to India's.

Mask carving

Ambalangoda's devil-dance masks, carved from kaduru wood, are used in ritual exorcism performances.

Food

What to eat

Rice and curry

A spread of small coconut-based curries and sambols served with rice, the everyday national meal.

Hoppers (appa)

Bowl-shaped fermented rice-flour pancakes, often served with a fried egg in the centre for breakfast.

Kottu roti

Chopped flatbread stir-fried with egg, vegetables and meat on a hot griddle, a beloved street-food sound and dish.

Pol sambol

Fresh grated coconut with chilli, lime and onion, served alongside almost every meal.

Ceylon tea

High-grown black tea from Nuwara Eliya and Ella, exported worldwide since the 1860s.

History

Important people in history

King Dutugamunu

161–137 BCE

Ancient Sinhalese king celebrated for unifying the island under one rule.

D.S. Senanayake

1947–1952

Sri Lanka's first prime minister after independence from Britain.

Sirimavo Bandaranaike

1960–1965, 1970–1977, 1994–2000

The world's first female prime minister, serving three terms across four decades.

Cities