In January, my family and I traveled to Sri Lanka. I could not wait to explore Sri Lanka, the country where I was born because this was the first time I had been back since my parents emigrated to Australia when I was three. Even though I was born there, I was still very much a tourist as I could not speak the language and I really did not know what to expect. I only had my imagination to go by, put together through the countless stories that my parents told me as I was growing up.

I have so many images from my trip that I couldn’t possible share them all. So here are a select few. I do hope you enjoy them. If you are thinking about traveling to Sri Lanka I am more than happy to give you some advice. Just hit me up in the comments section below.

Mt Lavinia Beach near Colombo

It turned out to be a great time to travel because several relatives had also come from Sweden to spend their Christmas and New Year holidays. I met some cousins for the first time and also my Uncle (Dad’s brother) who my dad hadn’t seen for 38 years. It was definitely good to be BACK!!

Explore Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is only recently coming out of a terrible civil war (1983-2009) where it is estimated over 100,000 people were killed. Not surprisingly it has not been on the radar for travelers as a great tourist attraction and for those who tried to explore Sri Lanka during that time, they were mainly confined to the south and central parts. However since the ceasefire this has been slowly turning around. The Lonely Planet has listed Sri Lanka as the top tourist destination in 2013 (http://www.lonelyplanet.com/themes/best-in-travel-2013/top-10-countries/). Based on what I experienced I am sure that its appeal will continue to grow for many more years to come and more people will come to explore Sri Lanka and discover what this small island country has to offer,

Elephant Poo Bath -Millenium Elephant Foundation

Giant Sea Turtle – while snorkeling at Hikkaduwa

The wonderful thing about exploring Sri Lanka is that for a country so small (it is the same size as Tasmania) it has something for everyone. A mix of experiences that can be sampled in various pockets around the country. Experiences that you will usually see featured in glossy travel brochures promoting other countries around the world.

When you think of a tropical island the first thing that comes to mind is beaches and sun and yes Sri Lanka has plenty of that. With over 1,700 km of coastline how could it not! But there is so much more. Firstly there is Colombo, the capital. With all the hustle and bustle, the noise, colour and smells, Colombo is like a city in India without the steroids.

Shipwrecked – Trincomalee

Fisherman mending net – Trincomalee

Head further inland and you will come to the Hill country. This is where you will find Sri Lanka’s booming tea industry. Amazing vistas of one tea plantation after another greet you as you travel high up into the mountains.

Tea Pickers, 2000m above sea level – Nuwara Eliya

As you continue to explore Sri Lanka, further north you will find a region known as the Cultural Triangle. A series of ancient cities with ruins and other significant archaeological sites. One of the cities, Anuradhapura, was Sri Lanka’s first capital. Although not as grandiose as the temples of Angkor in Cambodia, the ruins date back to the 4th century BC, over 1,000 years before any temples in Cambodia were constructed.

What about a taste of Africa? No worries! With numerous national parks and wildlife reserves safaris are a popular activity. On our safari through Yala National Park, I was hoping to see leopards. However they were too elusive for us but we were entertained by many other animals especially these wild elephants with their 4 month old calf who grazed right near our jeep!

Mother and baby – Yala Safari

The far north of Sri Lanka saw the most fighting during the civil war and has only recently been opened up to foreign tourists. The major northern city is Jaffna. The people here are so friendly. However there is always something to remind you of the horrible past be it military checkpoints, bullet riddled buildings or locals clearing an estimated 1 million unearthed land mines, sometimes only meters from the main highway. Don’t let the land mines deter you, these areas are well cordoned off.

School children head home after school to their fishing village – Jaffna

Bullet riddled and shelled building – Jaffna

Locals trained to uncover land mines near the roadside.

Traveling around Sri Lanka was amazing. We covered the whole island and although I considered myself a tourist I still somehow felt that I belonged! However the best part of the trip was catching up with relatives and seeing family members for the first time. I can’t believe I left it for so long! It was very emotional for me and I dealt with it in my own way. I will not be making that mistake again.  Sri Lanka, see you soon!!!

Beach cricket Sri Lankan style

Water sports – Dambulla

Update 14/8/19: The guys at Inspire Sport have recently quoted some of this article for their piece on The Ultimate Guide to Sri Lanka.