17 Photos That Will Make You Want to Travel To Sri Lanka monkeysandmountains.com /sri-lanka-travel-photos

Rather than tell you why you should travel to Sri Lanka, I’ll show you. Check outthese photos that highlight the wildlife, UNESCO sites, beaches, culture, people andfood of Sri Lanka

Wildlife of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is one of the world’s 25 biodiversity hotspots. It has one of the highest rates of endemic species (not foundanywhere else) anywhere in the world! 23% of all flowering plants are endemic and 16 mammals. My personalfavourite of course is the Toque macaque.

It’s a paradise for wildlife and nature lovers. Yala National Park has the highest density of leopards on the planet. I.e. ifyou really want to see a leopard, head to Sri Lanka. I visited Yala three times and was fortunate enough to see one oneach of my visits. I’d previously been to Africa four times and while I’d seen leopard tracks, the actual leopard alludedme. Every. Single. Time.

Sri Lanka is also a great place to observe elephants in the wild. With over 5000, there are more Asian elephants foundhere than anywhere else in Asia. Minneraya National Park is famous for the “gathering”. Approximately 300 elephantscome together each year during the dry season. Even if you’re not travelling to Sri Lanka at this time, on our Wildlifeand Cultural Highlights of Sri Lanka Tour, you’re guaranteed to spot elephants. Numerous times!

I got some great photos from observing them in Kaudulla National Park. Of special importance and something nearand dear to my heart is that the best place to see elephants in Sri Lanka is in the wild. Please don’t visit them at one ofthe elephant orphanages. The article explains how terrible this is for the elephants.

1/19

Yala National Park is the best place on earth to spot a leopard.

2/19

Look closely. Leopards are masters at camouflaging themselves in trees.

3/19

Mother elephant and her calf seen in Kaudulla National Park.

4/19

Sri Lanka provides lots of opportunities to observe elephants in the wild.

5/19

My group of travellers observing elephants herds in Kaudulla National Park.

6/19

Toque macaques are one of the 16 mammals that are endemic to Sri Lanka

7/19

Toque macaques get their names from the tuft of hair on their heads.

Beaches of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka has 1340 km (1833 miles) of coastline. Your hardest challenge won’t be finding a beach but choosing whichones to visit. If you’re there between November and April hop in a boat for a chance to spot the largest animal on theplanet. I’m talking about the blue whale. They can reach lengths of up to 30 m (98 ft). Check out what the NomadicBoys thought. Needless to say, I’m beyond jealous!

8/19

Sri Lanka has some gorgeous beaches.

UNESCO Sites of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka has eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites. That’s pretty incredible when you consider how small the countryis. We visit three of them on our Wildlife and Cultural Highlights of Sri Lanka Tour. You’ll find photos of two of them, theancient city of Sigiriya and the Old Town and fortifications of Galle, below.

9/19

The ancient city of Sigiriya is one of Sri Lanka’s 8 UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

10/19

Your climb to the top of Sigiriya is rewarded with a panoramic vista.

11/19

The fortified Old Town of Galle dates back to the 16th century. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Culture and People of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is a mix of modern and traditional. You’ll find many regional differences. And also rich traditions of music,dance, art and indigenous holistic medicine. I was fortunate enough to experience this firsthand by staying at anAyurvedic Retreat. It was intense. And honestly, there were times I hated it. Still, the science and philosophy behind itis fascinating. And I did feel better afterwards.

Sri Lankans are warm, friendly and seem to be always smiling. They’re shy but do like to dress up for specialoccasions when they put their shyness aside.

12/19

Sri Lanka is a mix of modernity and traditional living.

13/19

14/19

Learning to make Coconut Sambol from a local.

15/19

A local rowing a traditional dugout canoe.

Sri Lankan Cuisine

The national dish of Sri Lanka is rice and curry. Coconut, rice and spices are staples in Sri Lankan cuisine. Anotherpopular dish and my personal favourite, Coconut Sambol. It’s a paste made of ground coconut with peppers, dried fishand lime juice. I ate this every single day in Sri Lanka and sought it out. It’s SO good.

Sri Lanka is also an easy place for vegetarians to travel. There are many vegetarian curries available and lentils arealso frequently used in cooking.

16/19

17/19

Coconut sambol is my favourite Sri Lankan dish.

I enjoyed my time in Sri Lanka so much. The biodiversity and cultural wealth for sucha tiny island is incredible. That’s why I collaborated with a local tour operator to offeryou a Wildlife and Cultural Highlights of Sri Lanka Tour. You can check it out here:

18/19

LaurelLaurel Robbins is the founder of Monkeys and Mountains, an adventure travel blog and companythat helps people plan their active holidays in a sustainable way. Although Canadian, she lives inGermany. You can find her in the mountains on most weekends.http://monkeysandmountains.com

19/19