Rediscovering Sri Lanka

After a tumultuous past, this island country is finally making its way back onto adventurers’ must-travel lists.

Photography by Kyle Weeks

The Pettah neighborhood of Colombo is a hive of activity, its narrow cross streets jammed with bleating tuk-tuks, barking pomegranate hawkers, and bearded men balancing enormous carpet rolls on their shoulders.

WHILE SRI LANKA’S written history reaches back 2,550 years and the island is world famous for exports like tea, cinnamon, and blue sapphires, even adventurous travelers struggle to find the country — né Ceylon — on a map. Hint: It’s located in the Indian Ocean, just south of Tamil Nadu in India and northeast of the Maldives.

The ancient rock palace of Sigiriya, built by King Kassapa I in the fifth century to be his new capital, towers 590 feet above the jungle in Sri Lanka’s Central Province.

Sri Lanka’s relative obscurity is a lingering PR problem. A civil war raged for three decades in the Jaffna Peninsula and the Vanni, pitting Tamil Tiger separatists against the Sinhalese-dominated government. By the time the war ended in 2009, an estimated 100,000 people had died. And in 2004, a tsunami ravaged the country’s east and west coasts, wiping out entire towns. Tourism was slow to rebound, as travelers feared for their safety and worried about the lack of infrastructure.

Clockwise from top: a local’s decorated van in Habarana; Dambulla Cave Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, consists of a complex of five caves carved out from a vast overhanging rock; the intricately designed interior of Dambulla Cave Temple.

But that’s changing — and fast. Just last year, nearly 130 percent more Airbnb guests trekked to Sri Lanka than the previous year, indicating an extraordinary jump in bookings.

“We’re known for our great hospitality,” says superhost Rukmal Lahiru, who has listed his jungle tree house in Habarana on Airbnb for three years. Though the city itself is tiny, it’s the perfect jumping-off point for sites throughout the Cultural Triangle, including Sigiriya and Minneriya National Park. Lahiru is a committed host, escorting guests on jeep safaris to nearby wildlife reserves, joining them on hikes to millennia-old forest monasteries, and inviting them to feast on home-cooked meals prepared by proud neighbors. His hope for a brighter future is palpable.

When the Minneriya Tank, a man-made reservoir at Minneriya National Park, recedes in the dry season, hundreds of wild elephants come to feed on its grassy banks.

Hop on the train — a second-class ticket invites a more local experience than first-class observation cars — and it’s clear this hope permeates a country full of resilient, kind people. At each station stop, snack vendors come aboard to sell coconut roti, crispy vadai (curried lentil fritters), and chilled bottles of Milo, a chocolate-malt beverage. Try everything. Talk to everyone. This is an experience unlike any other.

From left, Gangaramaya, one of Colombo’s oldest Buddhist temples; Jami Ul-Alfar Masjid (also known as Red Mosque), an architectural wonder in Colombo.

The colorful Arulmihu Sivasubramaniya Swamy Kovil temple in Colombo is crowded with Hindu deities.

Whatever your preferred mode of transport, it could take months to comb the pastoral and historical riches of this 24,954-square-mile island, but the bustling commercial capital should not be overlooked. Cafés, shops, galleries, and indie magazines are popping up in Colombo, driven by a youthful optimism. Galle Face Green, a colonial promenade, is a gathering spot for people from all walks of life and a microcosm of the country’s newfound live-and-let-live ethos: Schoolkids in pressed uniforms fly neon kites; googly-eyed couples shyly hold hands on park benches; Muslim families spread out elaborate picnics; and camera-wielding tourists stroll the waterfront in search of king coconuts and deep-fried prawn cakes.

Airbnb superhost Chitrupa de Fonseka and his mother have hosted more than 300 travelers in Borella, a Colombo suburb, since July 2012. Breakfasts with the family are multicourse affairs, full of lively conversation, and de Fonseka delights in helping travelers plan their countrywide itineraries. His biggest reward? “Guests tell me they learned to smile after visiting Sri Lanka,” he says.

A food cart serving traditional Sri Lankan foods in Colombo.

Eats

Sri Lankan cuisine — influenced by the Dutch, Portuguese, Brits, and Moors, among others — is complex and unique. Three must-try dishes:

Rice and curry: Often made with spicy deviled fish, lentil dal, or meaty jackfruit, with coconut sambal on the side.

Kottu roti: Indian-style paratha bread, hacked to bits and stir-fried with vegetables, cheese, chilies, eggs, chicken — you name it.

Hoppers: A crispy-edged, crepelike pancake sometimes served with a fried egg in the center.

Mirissa Beach is a sandy crescent fringed with coconut palms about an hour south of Galle.

Surfers catch six-foot swells on the west end of Mirissa Beach, while snorkelers scope coral in the cove around Parrot Rock.

The Best Beaches For…

Diving: Off the coast of Colombo, electric rays, whale sharks, and soft coral can be spotted in the sunken remains of the Pecheur Breton cargo wreckage.

Snorkeling: The national park off the coast of Nilaveli called Pigeon Island is lousy with tropical fish, sea turtles, and reef sharks.

Surfing: On the southeast side of the island, Arugam Bay is considered one of the best surf points in the world. Surfing is great between May and October.

About the author: Ashlea Halpern is the co-founder of Minnevangelist and editor-at-large for AFAR Media. She edited New York Magazine’s pop-up travel blog, The Urbanist, and writes regularly for Airbnb Magazine, Condé Nast Traveler, Bon Appétit, and Artful Living. After spending almost four years traveling Asia, Australia, the Arctic, and North America, she settled in Minneapolis, MN — the most underrated city in the lower 48, bar none. Follow her adventures on Instagram at @ashleahalpern and @minnevangelist.