South Coast
The south coast of Sri Lanka has something magical. It has some amazing reef breaks, the ocean is 28 degrees, eagles flying over the coast, turtles popping up in the cristal clear water of the Indian Ocean. You have fisherman everywhere in the sea or on sticks in the shallow waters. The south coast of Sri Lanka starts from Hikkaduwa until Matara. In this area you have some amazing surf cities like Hikkaduwa, Unawatuma, Kabalana, Ahangama, Midigama, Weligama, Mirissa and some hidden stops in between. Aside from surfing these cities have a big scene in Yoga with festivals, camps and so on. For bigger cities with some history and other activities you need to be in Galle, Matara, Mirissa and Ahangama. In this area you will not become bored quickly, all over there are some amazing local food shops, tasty restaurants with the best fish and some cute cafes that have the best coffee.
2. Ella, Kandy and Sigiriya
Ella, Kandy and Sigiriya are are three famous cities located in the middle of Sri Lanka. They are famous because of their beautiful waterfalls, many tempels, breathtaking hikes between the mountains, thee factories and so on. I put these three together because you can perfectly combine it and experience the full experience. So the best way is to first start in Ella, stay in Ella for two or three days that's enough to see it all and in those three days you can rent a bicycle or a scooter so you don't have to pay tuktuk's all the time. After that you take the famous train from Ella to Kandy , in Kandy you stay for one or two days. After Kandy you go to Sigiriya, it's an underrated city with a beautiful national park (more worth it than Yala national park).
3. Yala, Panama and Arugam bay
Yala has a big national park with Sri Lankan leopards, elephants and all different kind of birds. It's the most famous national park from Sri Lanka and yes I would say it's worth it, but the national park in Sigiriya is more priceworthy. Panama also has a national park it's called 'Kumana national park', it's just next to the national park of Yala. A worldly known surf spot 'Arugam bay',
4. Negombo and Colombo
If you come with the plane you will probably arrive in 'Bandaranaike airport' in Negombo. So it's a good idea to start with this trip. Negombo is a beautiful city with nice beaches and less crowded than Colombo. It's good to relax a bit before you go further, so you can get used to the heat, food, people and so on. After that you can go further to Colombo, it's a big city (the capital) with a lot of temples, parkes and so on. The streets are really busy and it can get overwhelming, I wouldn't stay to long in Colombo and go further with for example the train. From Colombo you can go anywhere with the train. You can get 1st class tickets by forehand, because if you're 2nd class there's unlimited places so it can get really crowded.
5. The north coast
The north coast of Sri Lanka is an underrated place and definitely worth to visit. There is no surf, but there are some beautiful white beaches and it is way less crowded than the south. Also the water is colder so it's pleasant to and refreshing. In the north the biggest religion is Hindu, it's nice to see all these temples and learn about this religion. Jaffna is the capital of the northern province and is the former home of the Tamil Tigers, the city is different from the rest of the country because there's a lot of Indian influences. It's definitely worth to visit. Trincomalee is at the east side of the north and has one of the most beautiful beaches in Sri Lanka. The place is really good for snorkelling, you can easily join a boat and watch whales, dolphins and so on.
