The Best Beaches In Sri Lanka

Technically speaking, this post should be called "The Best Beaches on Sri Lanka's South Coast", as all of the beaches I will be including are located in this region. After spending two weeks exploring the northern and central provinces of Sri Lanka, I finally headed to the infamous South Coast for a couple of weeks of beach hopping. We did the South Coast in proper backpackers fashion; literally hopping from beach to beach via the bus service that runs directly alongside the southern coastline!

The Hill Country, Sri Lanka

The Hill Country refers to inland Sri Lanka, where stunning peaks and tea plantations dominate the landscape and it is an area often favoured by tourists because of the (slightly) cooler climate. It is home to the ever popular towns of Kandy, Ella and Nuwara Eliya; where there is no shortage of stunning scenery, lovely people and incredible things to see and do!

Sigiriya, Sri Lanka

The Sigiriya rock fortress was probably the single most impressive site I saw in Sri Lanka and one of the most unique landscapes I have witnessed during my travels. The rock juts out two hundred metres higher than the surrounding forest, and the remains of a palace and or monastery are present outside and on top of the fortress. It is easy to sympathise with former rulers who would have perhaps viewed this rock as "godly" and miraculous, and I too found myself in awe of the magical placement of this rock emerging from the jungle.

Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka

After spending a couple of nights acclimatising to Sri Lanka's tropical climate in Negombo, we decided to hop aboard a north bound train heading for the ancient city of Anuradhapura. This city is historically very significant as it was the capital of Sri Lanka for well over a thousand years, until it was overthrown by Southern Indians in 993. The ancient Buddhist city was supposedly "rediscovered" by British rulers in the nineteenth century, and since then the ancient ruins of temples, Dagobas and bathing pools have slowly resurfaced.

Jaipur, India

After a heavily delayed train journey from Jodhpur, we finally arrived in Rajasthan's colourful capital city. No visit to Rajasthan would be complete without a trip to Jaipur, a thriving city known for its incredible history, architecture, shopping and overall exuberance.

Jodhpur, India

Jodphur, otherwise known as the "blue city" is one of the most spectacular places I have ever seen. Towering above the cities blue washed walls is the mighty Mehrangarh Fort, which is carved into the rock and completely dominates the skyline of the city. A combination of the blue painted walls and the grandeur of the fort is what draws thousands of people to this city, as it is one of the most unique places in the world as well as in India.

Udaipur, India

Udaipur was perhaps one of the cities I was most looking forward to visiting in India. After seeing countless beautiful pictures of lake Pichola on some of my favourite Instagram accounts, my expectations of this city were high, but I can safely say I was not disappointed! It is pretty hard not to fall in love with Udaipur and I would argue that even the most India sceptic travellers would adore this place.