Adorned with natural scenic beauty, Sri Lanka is one of the most beautiful islands in the world. With picturesque and unspoiled beaches, it is a perfect place for a tropical beach vacation. The lush green central highland is a paradise for nature lovers. Moreover, it is one of the best wildlife hotspots in Asia, full of wild elephants, leopards, and tropical birds.
Above all, Sri Lanka is a small country, where you can drive from a tropical beach to lush green tea plantations in Hill Country in less than 3 hours. As well, Sri Lanka has an extremely diverse culture with very friendly and helpful people. Thus, here we show the 10 major reasons why you should add Sri Lanka to your bucket list in 2024.
1. It is a top destination for digital nomads.
With the newly introduced digital nomad visa, Sri Lanka is emerging fast as one of the best digital nomad hubs in the world. It is among the cheapest destinations for digital nomads and stands out as the best value for money, boasting an average monthly living cost of USD 624.
Since the number of remote workers is increasing each year, the digital nomad community is rapidly growing on the island. Currently, Sri Lanka has a lot of coworking spaces and they’re cheaper than anywhere else in the world.
2. There are a lot of cheap accommodations.
Sri Lanka is quite famous among budget travelers as a low-cost destination with many cheap accommodation options. You can find some wonderful hostels, Airbnb rentals, and homestays at a fraction of the cost of luxury hotels.
You can save plenty of money and travel in style by staying in these budget-friendly places. Moreover, these places help to bring like-minded travelers together and experience fun times as well as build everlasting friendships.
3. It is an emerging place for wellness tourism.
Visitors from around the world visit Sri Lanka as it is one of the best wellness tourism destinations in the world. According to the Global Wellness Institute, Sri Lanka incudes in the top five destinations for wellness tourism and ranked as the fourth world’s top wellness tourism destination for 2021.
Sri Lanka is well known for traditional Ayurveda treatments and spiritual healing by yoga and meditation. There are many wellness retreats to aid you with a healthy routine to get rid of the stress of modern daily life.
4. It is the best safari destination outside of Africa.
The amazing wildlife is one of the most exciting experiences you can get in Sri Lanka. It is famous as the best safari destination outside of Africa to see different kinds of wildlife. It is a wonderful place where you can see all the Big Five which includes Sri Lankan Elephant, Leopard, Sloth Bear, Great Blue Whale, and Sperm Whale.
Sri Lanka has 26 National Parks to preserve this precious wildlife. Among them, Yala National Park is the most visited park followed by Wilpattu and Udawalawe National Parks. Particularly, Yala has the highest density of leopards in the world while Udawalawe is home to large herds of elephants.
5. You can enjoy the world’s most scenic train ride.
The Kandy–Ella train ride in Sri Lanka is famous as one of the most beautiful train rides in the world. This 7-hour scenic ride is a must-do activity in Sri Lanka. The stunning landscapes and mountain views along the train route are purely breathtaking. This scenic train ride is among the major reasons to visit Sri Lanka.
The ride continues over the bridges, through tunnels with an exciting view of beautiful green hills covered with tea plantations, gorgeous waterfalls, and misty mountains. The entire scenery through your window will be fantastic.
6. The great wildlife spectacle Elephant Gathering.
Mentioned as one of the 10 Greatest Wildlife Wonders of the World by Lonely Planet, BBC, and CNN, the elephant gathering is a sight to behold in Sri Lanka. This unique phenomenon of nature can be witnessed in Minneriya National Park.
This is the largest annual migration of Asian elephants in the whole world. For nature lovers, this is an incredible moment to see hundreds of elephants in one place. This is not only a simple elephant migration but also they congregate to feed, socialize, bathe, and even find mates.
7. Sri Lankan Cuisine is delicious and flavorful.
Sri Lankan cuisine is world famous as flavorful and delicious with an endless number of various yummy dishes. Although the Sri Lankan food scene highly focuses on rice and curries, there are many delicious side dishes to combine with it. You’ll see that Sri Lankan banquets are extremely colorful with dishes in various hues.
With all these traditional dishes, visiting Sri Lanka gives a good experience for food lovers with tasty food indulgence in mind. Also, street food tours are becoming highly popular among tourists who like to enjoy mouthwatering local dishes.
8. It is perfect for a tropical beach vacation.
If you are dreaming about soft white sand and turquoise blue ocean in tropical warm weather, look no further than the charming beaches in Sri Lanka. Particularly, Unawatuna, Mirissa, Hikkaduwa, Bentota, Galle and Tangalle beaches on the southern coast are highly popular among tourists. The beach restaurants along the south coast offer delicious seafood dishes.
On the other hand, the eastern coast is relatively undiscovered and ideal for a relaxing holiday for romantic couples. It is the most scenic and picture-perfect shoreline on the island. Particularly, Arugam Bay, Trincomalee, Passikudah, and Nilaveli are quite popular among beach lovers. If you like water sports, Sri Lanka has a large number of prime spots along the coast for surfing, diving, snorkeling, and swimming.
9. It is one of the best places for ecotourism.
With the rise of the global concept of ecological conservation and responsible traveling, ecotourism becoming a growing sector in Sri Lanka. Filled with different types of ecotourism hotspots, it is an undeniable ecotourism destination. They range from mountaintops in the hill country to spectacular beaches in coastal areas.
There are many world-class ecotourism hotspots in Sri Lanka. The pioneering hotspots include Heritance Kandalama, Uga Chena Huts, Wild Coast Tented Lodge, and Ceylon Tea Trails. You can travel to these beautiful eco-resorts and enjoy the beauty of nature while protecting the environment.
10. It has thousands of years old great culture.
Sri Lankan civilization started thousands of years ago and the ruins of many Buddhist temples are still preserved in the sacred city of Anuradhapura and the ancient city of Polonnaruwa. These cities are revered as some of the greatest ancient sites in the world. These wonderful ancient World Heritage Sites are one of the major reasons to visit Sri Lanka.
In Anuradhapura, you can see the world’s oldest human-planted tree called Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi. The colossal ancient stupas such as Ruwanweliseya, Thuparamaya, Jetavanaramaya, and Abhayagiriya are wonderful sights to witness in Sri Lanka.
As well as, numerous colorful festivals give life to ancient traditions and spiritual practices of the country. The major highlights are Kandy Esala Perahera held in August and the Vesak festival held in May.
To sum up, here we have mentioned 10 major reasons to visit Sri Lanka in 2024. You’ll see there are various family-friendly activities available that suit both kids and adults. On the other hand, there are a lot of action-packed extreme adventure activities available for thrill seekers. Furthermore, it’s super travel-friendly and fits every budget. If you haven’t discovered the wonders of Sri Lanka yet, it’s time to put it at the top of your bucket list. Welcome to Sri Lanka in 2024!
Text by Magnificent Sri Lanka. Images from Wikimedia Commons, Facebook, Twitter, and Kandyesalaperahera.com. All the copyrights are reserved by the original authors.
