With a wide spectrum of landscapes ranging from golden sandy beaches to lush green central highlands, Sri Lanka is a paradise for nature photographers. Indeed, the natural beauty of the country is astounding with an impressive number of photogenic locations. Although Sri Lanka is a small island, there isn’t any shortage of beautiful Instagrammable spots in the country. If you love to explore nature, you are going to enjoy every second of your stay in Sri Lanka. In this post, we are going to show you a few of the mind-blowing nature photographs of Sri Lanka. When you are traveling this lovely island, you can see these beautiful spots that you’ll never forget even after the trip.
1. Rice Terraces in Meemure
Rice terraces in Vietnam are world famous for their epic photogenic beauty. Do you know Sri Lanka also has similar rice terraces spread in the hill country? Usually, rice is grown on flat plains in Sri Lanka. But in the hill country rice is grown in spellbinding terraces that carve up the mountainsides. These striking rice terraces in Meemure are unarguably the most spectacular in Sri Lanka. They are located within the Knuckles Mountain Range and stretch as a green carpet as far as your eye can see. The lush greenery of the rice fields and surroundings creates a wonderful opportunity to capture the ultimate natural beauty of Sri Lanka.
2. Buthawa Lake in Yala National Park
Yala National Park is the most popular safari destination in Sri Lanka. It is world-famous for its amazing wildlife, including leopards. Although the biggest pull is obviously the wildlife, the nature inside the park is also quite impressive. This is such a breathtaking shot captured at Buthawa Lake in Yala National Park. The lonely elephant is wading through the water in search of food, while the scenery around him is quite magnificent. You may capture this kind of awesome shot of nature in Sri Lanka while enjoying your safari trip to Yala National Park.
3. Tea fields in Nanu Oya
Sri Lanka boasts premium tea plantations spread throughout the hill country of the island. You’ll find the perfectly manicured tea bushes blanket the rolling countryside for miles. Certainly, this spectacular scenery is picture-perfect and yields idyllic photographs of tea country. This picture shows the ultimate beauty of tea estates in Nanu Oya, closer to Nuwara Eliya city. The overall greenery combined with golden rays of light creates one of the perfect Instagrammable shots in the hill country. The bright sunlight filtering in through the lush green tea bushes is an iconic sight of Sri Lanka.
4. Tranquility of Madu River
Madu River is an estuary and a RAMSAR wetland near Balapitiya town in southern Sri Lanka. It is an ideal spot for a day trip from Colombo. Madu River flows through a terrain where it creates a large number of islands, and the ecosystem creates a beautiful wetland. You can enjoy a boat ride through the canals in the estuary to see the unique flora and fauna in the area. Without a doubt, the tranquility and calmness of the area will fascinate you. This is a great shot that shows a single boat floating through the lush mangroves of the Madu River. Certainly, Madu River is one of the best places to take nature photographs of Sri Lanka.
5. Spectacular Kadiyanlena Falls
Kadiyanlena Falls located in Nawalapitiya is a gorgeous hidden treasure in the hill country. The surroundings of the fall are simply stunning amidst the lush green mind-blowing setting. There is an arch bridge that makes Kadiyanlena Falls one of the most scenic waterfalls in Sri Lanka. This Fall consists of three cascades. Two steps of the fall are on the upper side of the bridge and the last part of the fall is on the lower to the bridge. This is a spectacular waterfall with remarkable beauty, that you should definitely try to capture with your lens while visiting Sri Lanka.
6. Historical Matale Alu Viharaya
Just 3 km from the hill country city of Matale, lays the historical Alu Viharaya Rock Temple. This is one of the ancient Buddhist Temples in Sri Lanka. Constructed between boulders and cliffs, this temple is located on a huge rock. The distant view of the golden statue of Lord Buddha on the huge rock makes a picturesque scenery. Ascending to the site of the stupa at the summit of the rock renders an excellent view of the topography of the surrounding area. This is one of the most historical temples in the country, where you can capture a marvelous shot of Sri Lankan culture and heritage.
7. Stilt Fishermen in Koggala
Stilt fishing is a unique fishing practice that is available only in southern Sri Lanka. If you travel along Galle – Matara main road, you’ll see the stilt fishermen catching fish in the shallow waters of the ocean. They sit on a pole some 20-30 m from the shore to catch fish for their livelihood. This is an extraordinary sight, where you cannot see such a fishing practice anywhere else in the world. Here we have shown a wonderful capture of a lonely stilt fisherman on Koggala beach. The picturesque coastal line painted with golden rays of sunset with the stilt fisherman is a unique sight of Sri Lanka.
8. Mini World’s End at Riverston
Riverston Peak is one of the best hiking trails located in the Knuckles Mountain range. The Mini World’s End at Riverston is located on a huge cliff that gives spectacular views over the surrounding valleys. If you like to capture the ultimate natural beauty of Sri Lanka, this is one of the best places in the country. As you can see in this marvelous photograph, the views are unparalleled anywhere in Sri Lanka. The peak with its peaceful and beautiful surroundings offers a great opportunity for nature lovers and photographers to capture the best shots. The view from Mini World’s End is simply stunning and produces wonderful nature photographs of Sri Lanka.
9. Sunset in Yala National Park
Without a doubt, Yala National Park is one of the best places in Sri Lanka for nature photographers. Visiting Yala during golden hours gives the opportunity to capture the ultimate beauty of the wilderness. The dawn and dusk are the perfect times of the day to capture stunning images of nature in Yala National Park. You can see the golden rays of a setting sun paint the sky with shades of red and blue. This photograph shows a lonely peacock perched on a dry twig of a dead tree, while the background is adorned with the fiery colors of sunset. This is a marvelous picturesque scenery to capture at Yala National Park.
10. Secret Beach in Mirissa
Surrounded by the Indian Ocean, Sri Lanka’s coast is adorned with palm-lined, golden beaches. Among the stunning beaches in Sri Lanka, this photograph shows one of the gorgeous hidden beaches in the country. This is the secret beach in Mirissa, a place with mind-blowing scenic beauty. There is a pure white strip of beach and waves coming from both sides make this beach a unique one in the whole of Sri Lanka. The serene atmosphere found here is ideal for relaxing, as well as taking pictures. If you are using a drone, you’ll be able to catch such a gorgeous shot of the secret beach.
In this post, we have shown 10 mind-blowing nature photographs of Sri Lanka. Definitely, your Sri Lankan trip will be rewarded with some amazing sceneries, you cannot find anywhere else in the world. Remember to walk in off the beaten path and get use of your best photography skills. Welcome guys, Hope you all capture some mind-blowing shots of nature in Sri Lanka.
Text by Magnificent Sri Lanka. Images from Wikimedia Commons and Facebook. All copyrights are reserved by the original authors.
