Sri Lanka

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With its diverse landscapes and unaffected environment, Sri Lanka is the ideal location for outdoor activities during holidays. Water sports like surfing and diving are well-supported as are mountain biking, trekking, ballooning and yoga. Depending on your time, you may even be around to join the national favourite of watching Sri Lanka’s cricket team. This is something not to be missed.

Cricket

          Despite the long period of British colonialism, cricket is still a firm favourite among Sri Lankans as it is in India and Pakistan. Children do not allow the lack of bats, balls and wickets to deter them either in enjoying this sport; they play it in any area and improvise the gear from sticks and cloth while the rest of the country follows games with great enthusiasm and excitement.

          There’s no doubt that Sri Lankan team’s success is something that unites the country and of which they are all proud. Traditionally, the squad is dominated by Sinhalese players, but the country’s best player, Muttiah Muralitharan (nicknamed “Murali”) is Tamil. As one of the most accurate spin bowlers in the world, Muralitharan had captured an incredible 800 wickets in tests before his retirement in 2010. It’s highly unlikely that this record will ever be broken. Top-rated batsment mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara are two more high-profile players from Sri Lanka.

Surfing

          The country gets many of its waves from Antartica and thus offers some incredible opportunities for surfing. Arugam Bay in the east is by far the best location and is internationally renowned for its surf among serious surfers. Midigama, a village on the south coast, Medawatta near Matara, and Hikkaduwa are some of the other surf spots to head to for prime surfs. All of these locations offer boards for rent while surfing tours can be arranged in places like Arugam Bay and Hikkaduwa. Arugam Bay’s surf season runs from April to October while Midigama and Hikkaduwa see their season from November to April ensuring year round surfing opportunities in the country.

Whitewater Rafting and Other Watersports

          Kitulgala is the place to go if you want to do whitewater rafting as it has grade 3-4 rapids strewn with boulders where the Kelani Ganga River bursts from the hillside. It’s possible to arrange trips in advance or locally and you have the option of doing kayaking and canoeing trips with many of the reputable operators that offer whitewater rafting trips.

          The lagoon at Bentota is the quintessential place for watersports such as speed-boating, waterskiing, jet-skiing, inner-tubing, banana-boating and windsurfing. With such magnificent waters, it’s easy to see why it’s the country’s capital for watersport activities. It’s also possible to arrange these activities through a variety of operators in Negombo as well as the Jetwing Beach Hotel. For kitesurfing, Negombo and the Kalpitiya peninsula offer the best conditions while Negombo and Hikkaduwa are best for the still relatively new wakeboarding.

Diving and Snorkelling

          Sri Lanka is not the first place that comes to mind when thinking of diving locations in Asia, but there are certainly a number of attractions that make it worthwhile to consider doing some diving while touring in the country. Even better is the fact that Sri Lanka is extremely cost-effective for learning to dive; you’ll find schools in Bentota, Beruwala, Hikkaduwa, Unawatuna, Weligama and Uppuveli. Single dives run at about $30 while an Open Water, three-day long PADI course will cost you about $375.

          You’ll find a thoroughly developed network of dive schools and sites on the west coast where there’s extensive aquatic life, a series of wrecks and underwater caves to explore. In comparison, the east coast offers relatively little for divers although there have been a few new sites and interesting wrecks that have opened up here recently. An example of these is the 270m-long aircraft carrier Hermes, near Batticaloa, which lies at a depth of 60m and was sunk during the Second World War.

          The west coast’s season for diving is from November to April, which is in contrast to the east coast’s season, which runs from May to October. Out of season, most dive schools are closed, but it’s sometimes possible to find a person to take you out where the water may be a bit rougher with lower visibility.

          Sri Lanka is not ideal for snorkelling because the coral can seldom survive in its waters; however, the area does have an abundance of tropical fish that visit from time to time. For the best snorkelling opportunities, head the beach at Polhena, Pigeon Island and Uppuveli; the Coral Sanctuary at Hikkaduwa is also good, but more crowded with boats.

Trekking

          The hill country in Sri Lanka is ideal for hiking as it offers amazing landscapes and views with a moderate climate that are in contrast to the lowland jungles that are dense in wildlife. The country has enormous opportunity for trekking, but this has yet to be exploited. Eco-lodges and hotels often organize short guided walks with their own guides. For other local guides, we recommend:  Sumane Bandara Illangantilake and Ravi Desappriya in Kandy, and Neil Rajanayake in Nuwara Eliya.

Cycling

          Away from the main highways, which are extremely dangerous, Sri Lanka has rather pleasant opportunities for cyclists. The diverse scenery and comfortable dimensions, particularly in the hill country, are excellent options for touring with their fairly quiet roads and cooler temperatures. However, it’s imperative that you pay attention to your safety as truck and bus drivers will not consider your safety at all. In most instances, it’s actually safer to ride on the dirt beside the road rather than the tar where drivers will expect you to get out of their way very quickly – from both sides of the road. Many drivers think cyclists do not belong on the road.

          If your guesthouse doesn’t have bikes for you to use, it’s possible to hire one if you’re in a tourist town. It’s also sometimes possible to hire mountain bikes that are of a high quality and while the rental prices do vary considerably from place to place, it’s usually only a few dollars or less per day.

Yoga and Meditation

          While less established than it is in India, many Ayurvedic centres in Sri Lanka have started to offer classes that may or may not require an Ayurveda course. Other than this, you will not have many options. If you’re serious about doing yoga, Ulpotha is a fantastic remote retreat near Embogama. It’s near the Aukana and Sasseruwa Buddhas in the Cultural Triangle and regularly attracts renowned yogis. A week-long, all-inclusive course (meals, classes and lodgings) starts at $1,300 per person. Kandy is the place to go for meditation courses.

Other Activities

          Consider doing a balloon trip over the island for an enthralling view of the island. There are several companies that offer such trips – especially in the Dambulla and Sigiriya areas in the Cultural Triangle – but there are also some flights to be taken on the south coast. Most flights cost approximately $165 per person and are usually an hour in length. Adventure Island is the pioneer operators on the island, but Air Magic and Sun Rise Ballooning are other options.

          Sri Lanka Horse Safaris offers day-trips for horseriding as well as longer trips that start at $200 per person per day. Locations include: Dambulla, Sigiriya Nuwara Eliya, Tissamaharama, Kalpitiya and Bentota.

          For golf, Colombo, Kandy and Nuwara Eliya are the three magnificent golf courses on the island and golf tours can be arranged through various tour operators.