Sri Lanka: Insider’s Guide

The insider advice on this page is from one of Wendy’s Trusted Travel Experts for Sri Lanka: Miguel Cunat of Sri Lanka in Style.

Trusted Travel Expert

Miguel Cunat

Miguel, who has been living with his family in Sri Lanka since 2003, founded his boutique travel company to provide visitors with insightful, engaging experiences in this logistically tricky but enchanting country. He plans tailor-made itineraries for travelers from around the world, designing each one based on the company philosophy of “traveling in style.” For Miguel that means getting off the beaten path without sacrificing comfort or charm, and meeting the colorful local characters who provide a real sense of place (authors, architects, even the Leopard Man). His goal is for his travelers to return from their trip “feeling rested, relaxed and pampered, if that’s what you seek, but also fulfilled and inspired.” Having watched Sri Lanka undergo so many changes in the past two decades, Miguel is deeply committed to conservation and is certified in Sustainable Tourism by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council; this brings to bear in every recommendation he makes, from the hotels he chooses to the strategies he employs for keeping his travelers far from the tour-bus crowd.

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Expect trips orchestrated by Miguel to start at $500 per day for two travelers.

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Where to Stay and Eat

Best bang-for-your-buck hotel
Why House in Galle. Set inland from the beach in Thalpe and run by a delightful manager who will spoil you rotten, Why House offers much better value than any of the hotels on the beach itself. From the picture-perfect images of the tropical seaside south of Galle, one could easily be forgiven for thinking the beaches are entirely swimmable—they’re not. The oceanfront is a massive coral reef, so counterintuitively, it makes more sense to stay inland and take a short tuk-tuk ride to Wijaya Beach or Unawatuna Beach for a swim. Moreover, at Why House the only sounds you will hear in the morning are the birds singing. If you stay in one of the hotels on the beach, keep in mind that a busy main road runs behind all the sea-facing properties and you may hear the occasional horn.

Restaurant the locals love
The Royal Bar & Hotel in Kandy is a small, colonial-era property situated near the Temple of the Tooth, on the other side of the road from the Queens Hotel. Its atmospheric bar serves the most delicious rice and curry, as well as other simple dishes, and the hotel has a wonderful collection of old photography depicting Kandy’s history.

Dish to try
Murunga, the green, bean-like fruit of the horseradish tree. Simply delicious in a curry! It’s best served in local homes and restaurants that specialize in authentic Sri Lankan cuisine, but any good boutique hotel could whip this dish up on request.

Meal worth the splurge
Ministry of Crab in Colombo. The Sri Lankan lagoon crab has always been a southern Sri Lanka delicacy systematically exported to Singapore, Malaysia, and other parts of Asia. A few years back, celebrity cricketers Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara and fellow foodie Dharshan Munidase decided to open the Ministry of Crab, a lively restaurant situated within the old Dutch Hospital, a 17th-century Dutch building recently restored in the heart of Colombo. Try the chili-garlic crab and the butter soy prawns—possibly the best prawns ever.

What to See and Do

A tea-plantation view of the conical Adam’s Peak, also known as Sri Pada. Photo: Shutterstock

Don’t miss
The 22-day, 185-mile Pekoe Trail is a new, contiguous hiking route through Sri Lanka’s tea country. Miguel spent the better part of ten years developing this trail, now funded by the EU and USAID; if you don’t have time to trek the entire thing, he can weave a section or two into your trip. Developed to encourage the preservation of the diverse cultural and natural heritage of tea country, this epic trail crosses over seven valleys, many tea plantations, and some of Sri Lanka’s most stunning mountain terrain, including spectacular waterfalls where lovers leapt to their deaths and gold was hidden under giant boulders in ancient times. The Pekoe Trail also connects many culturally interesting spots, from important hill-station towns to villages with ancient festive traditions, from old colonial train stations to tea museums telling the human story of the region.

Visit a cinnamon plantation. Ceylon cinnamon was found growing wild on the hills of southern Sri Lanka when the Portuguese arrived at the turn of the 16th century, and it remains a major export of the country. A local cinnamon planter will show you how the cinnamon is painstakingly peeled and the oil extracted; you’ll also hear about the uses and healing properties of cinnamon and its grading.

Freshly picked tea leaves in Sri Lanka’s tea country.

Don’t bother
The Elephant Orphanage at Pinnawella. With the increase in human population density, changes in land use, and the recent war in Sri Lanka, elephant habitat has been considerably reduced in the past decades. As a result there are various organizations that work for the protection and welfare of elephants. The most established of them, the Elephant Orphanage, has been not just an orphanage but a nursery and captive breeding ground for elephants since 1972. Unfortunately, it has also become a very popular tourist attraction, and on any given day busloads of visitors flock around the orphanage and cram together to see baby elephants being fed at certain times.

Most underrated place
Most guidebooks will tell you to avoid Kandy or minimize your time there. One book goes as far as saying Kandy is a “fearful dump with appalling traffic.” Not so. Kandy, Sri Lanka’s second biggest city and the island’s last royal capital, is well worth at least a two-night stay, with one full day to explore. Don’t miss the Royal Botanical Gardens, one of the most impressive gardens you’ll see anywhere, or the sacred Temple of the Tooth, the most important Buddhist shrine in Sri Lanka.

Best for thrill-seekers
Canyoning on the Kelani River. The river, which runs west from the central highlands to Colombo, has a densely forested section called Kitulgala that’s ideal for rafting and canyoning. The Laxapana Falls, one of Sri Lanka’s highest and most spectacular waterfalls, is also found on the river, and there are a few truly amazing hidden gorges to rappel, jump, and slide down. (Film buffs might recognize Kitulgala as the location of the 1957 film Bridge Over the River Kwai).

Bragging rights
Depending on which aspect of Sri Lanka you’re particularly keen to delve into, Miguel can arrange get-togethers with all sorts of engaging local experts or connoisseurs in Galle or Colombo. For example, you might share a meal with Malik Fernando, owner and CEO of Dilmah, Sri Lanka’s premier brand and largest exporter of tea. Or camp at the borders of Yala National Park and dine in style with Noel Rodrigo, a prominent wildlife expert otherwise known as the Leopard Man. Or stroll the Royal Botanical Gardens in Peradeniya, near Kandy, and stop for lunch with botanist Bandara Palipana. You can also choose to meet prominent local architects, writers, photographers—whatever tickles your fancy.

Sigiriya Rock Fortress is Sri Lanka’s most impressive archeological site. Photo: Pixabay

Instagram moment
Sigiriya Rock Fortress is Sri Lanka’s most impressive archeological site and the biggest visitor attraction in the Cultural Triangle. Approximately 100 meters north of Sigiriya stands Pidurangala Rock, a massive rock similar to Sigiriya in size and height. One can climb to the top of Pidurangala to contemplate Sigiriya from a distance. At sunset it’s absolutely magical, and there’s no one around. Hardly anyone climbs Pidurangala because the climb is a little tricky toward the latter part—it involves lifting yourself up over a couple of rocks. It’s not suitable for everyone, but most fit people can do it—and it’s well worth the effort.

The souvenirs
The Barefoot shops in Colombo and Galle are part boutique and part bookshop, where you’ll find the finest and most stylish handloom fabrics in town, as well as an excellent selection of books by local and international authors. Barefoot’s alfresco café also serves the best black pork curry in town. You’ll find any number of souvenirs there, but I always recommend the beautiful sarongs. The sarong is an incredibly comfortable garment and beats the track suit in style any day—and your kids will eventually get over seeing Dad wearing a “skirt” around the house.

How to spend a Sunday
Go for an early-morning stroll around Galle Fort before the heat sets in. One of Sri Lanka’s eight UNESCO World Heritage sites, the fort was first built by the Portuguese in the 16th century before being extensively fortified by the Dutch in the 17th century. It’s a quiet maze of little streets and alleyways. Around lunchtime, take a tuk-tuk to Why Beach, a small café in Thalpe, south of Galle, that gives access to a semi-private beach and rock pool. The owner is Italian and takes pride in serving the freshest pasta; you’ll need a reservation. In the afternoon, take another short tuk-tuk ride inland to Yatigala Temple, a quiet and little-visited temple that looks out over paddy fields and hamlets. Head back to Galle for a treatment at the spa at Amangalla, and dine at the Galle Fort Hotel or the Aman itself.

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