Sri Lanka is now becoming an increasingly popular gap year travel destination in Asia. It makes sense when you consider that this island nation offers exotic dancing, elephants, rock fortresses, granite Buddhas and more. There are plenty of wonders in Sri Lanka. The holy elephants of Kandy, the tea plantations in the cool highlands, the cave-temples and holy sites.
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Sri Lanka Backpacking & Gap Year Travel Guide
A small island off the south coast of India, Sri Lanka is a country of stunning scenery, delicious food and lush rainforests. If you are looking for options for how to spend a gap year or backpacking adventure, you could volunteer, teach, surf, intern, do yoga or just book an adventure tour.
Highlights:
Yala National Park: You could spot a leopard on safari!
Unawatuna Beach Resort: With beachfront bars and guesthouses at around £4.00 a night, this is a popular destination for backpackers. The Lonely planet writes that it’s “a place of dreams, a banana shaped bend of boiling sand massaged by a gentle sea of monsoon blue.”
Pinnewala Elephant Orphanage: Pinnewala was initially created to protect abandoned or orphaned elephants. Currently, there are around 80 elephants of all ages there. Visit to bathe and care for baby elephants – a magical experience.
Safaris at Uda Walawe National Park: Many tourists seize the opportunity to see sambar deer, crocodiles, leopards and a great variety of birds, as well as huge herds of buffaloes and elephants at Uda Walawe National Park.
Ancient Anuradhapura: Hire bikes and cycle around Anuradhapura, the cultural centre of Sri Lanka, amidst crumbling thousand year old monasteries and sacred Buddhist stupas. There are hundreds of magnificent Buddhist ruins Sri Lanka has to offer, and Anuradhapura is one of the top locations.
Other ideas: surfing at Arugam Bay, whale watching in Mirissa, visiting tea plantations in the hill country and shopping in Colombo.
Top Tip: Feast on Sri Lankan curry and visit Sigiriya, an ancient rock fortress which locals refer to as The Eighth Wonder of the World.