Eight Adventurous Places in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is definitely a laid-back travel destination. But some incredible places in Sri Lanka offer an adrenaline rush for those who crave it. The island is definitely a great place for an outdoor adventure. Its hill country offers more than enough opportunities for hiking, camping, mountain climbing, paragliding and even swimming in a natural infinity pool at the edge of a waterfall! On the other hand, the coastline of Sri Lanka is all about watersports. Not only can you surf, but there’s also kitesurfing, jetskiing, snorkelling, diving or, just for fun, swimming with sharks! Other adventurous places in Sri Lanka offer you the chance to zip line. Or perhaps you would like to hop on a hot air balloon to enjoy an aerial view of the landscape. Perhaps you’d like to have fun with your friends on a go-karting adventure. If you are a fan of interactive adventures, there are some escape rooms you can visit! With all of this activity to offer, Sri Lanka is definitely upping its adventure tourism game. If you are a daredevil and like the adrenaline rush, these adventurous places in Sri Lanka are sure to be your cup of tea.

Kitulgala

The churning rapids of the Kelani River as it winds through Kitulgala make the area perfect for white water rafting. The experience is both exhilarating and alarming in equal measure. However, white water rafting in Kitulgala is still tame compared to some of the best white water rafting places in the world.

Thanks to this, even newbies to the sport can dip their toes (or your paddles or oars, in this case) in. There are calm stretches where you can float along with the current and take in the views. And the rapids, when they come, are mild enough that you can navigate with just enough adrenaline to make it a thrilling experience. However, Kitulgala is not just a great place for white water rafting. There are plenty of adventures to keep you occupied. For instance, parts of the river are perfect for abseiling. If you enjoy testing your mettle, you can take part in a ‘confidence jump’. Thanks to the strong currents of the river, sections of it have natural pools deep enough to safely jump into. During a confidence jump, you leap into one of these pools from a nearby pool, while wearing safety gear. Stream sliding is yet another fun activity, and Kitulgala’s answer to water slides at adventure parks! The Kitulgala Forest Reserve houses many birds. If you can tear yourself away from the water, you can go trekking through the forest to spot them. The narrow, winding mountain roads are also perfect for cyclists to enjoy. Kitulgala is also one of the few places in Sri Lanka that offers zip lining, as well.

Arugam Bay

Surfing enthusiasts often skip other parts of Sri Lanka just to spend weeks at a time in Arugam Bay. Situated on the east coast of Sri Lanka, Arugam Bay is one of the best places in Sri Lanka for surfing. Strong winds and large waves make it a perfect spot to take out your board. The main bay has several spots that cater to intermediate, amateur and professional surfers. However, other surfing points in the neighbourhood offer mellower conditions for beginners to perfect their surfing skills. The area’s fame is such that it annually hosts a world-famous surfing competition.

One of these surfing spots is pretty close to a famous rock – Crocodile Rock. Straddling a lagoon and the sea, the area is a habitat for several crocodiles. So you can even spot one or more of these reptiles sunbathing. As long as you stay peaceful and give them their space, the crocodiles are happy to stay non-aggressive. In order for both you and the croc to enjoy your time, do not approach them. Despite the fact that you can often see crocodiles around Arugam Bay, they are still wild.

Dambulla

Sleepy little Dambulla has Sri Lanka’s largest and best-preserved Buddhist cave system. While visitors still take an interest in Dambulla largely because of this, it is no longer the same old vegetable market capital of Sri Lanka. Thanks to several companies offering hot air balloon rides in Dambulla, it is now one of the best adventurous places in Sri Lanka.

The weather conditions in Dambulla – often being temperate and predictable – are perfect to fly hot air balloons. Most of the rides take place in the early morning when the weather is most stable. As a result, you typically can enjoy watching the rising sun paint the landscape in millions of colours. If the weather conditions are ideal, the tour can sometimes take you nearly 16 kilometres away from where you start the journey! As to the height, depending on the wind currents, sometimes it’s just high enough to clear the treetops. At other times, you can go even further up so you get panoramic views of the landscape.

Nuwara Eliya

Romantic Nuwara Eliya is picturesque and looks as though it belongs among the pages of a fairy tale. However, this Hill Country town has a LOT of adventures in store for those who seek it. For instance, Nuwara Eliya has many hiking trails that take you to stunning places. One such trail leads you to the Lovers Leap Falls, from where you can gaze at the town spread out below. Other trails, winding through the Horton Plains National Park, take you to the World’s End, and several waterfalls. One of the most famous – and extreme – trails in Sri Lanka also happens to be close to Nuwara Eliya. Its name? The Devil’s Staircase. There are actually several Devil’s Staircases in the world. Some people believe that the one in Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous of its kind. Whether or not that’s true, the trail (more than 10 kilometres long) has a steep ascent and dizzying zigzags. As a result, it’s more suitable for experienced hikers. Alternatively, you can use a 4-wheel drive to navigate the route. But a bit of the thrill goes away if you do so. Best of both worlds? Using a mountain bike. But that may be even more dangerous if the mist rolls in while you are driving. Nuwara Eliya also offers a fantastic opportunity for paragliding aficionados. The area is perfect for cross-country paragliding. Take off from the central mountain region and glide your way to the south of Nuwara Eliya. The views are amazing as you travel through the air.

Kalpitiya

In Kalpitiya, you can enjoy yet another wind-related sport. This time take your surfing skills to the next level and try your hand at kite surfing. Kalpitiya is a famous area for kite surfing in Sri Lanka. The strong winds can lift the surfer up several inches into the air. At the height of the season, you can see dozens of kite surfers riding the winds.

One of the best draws of Kalpitiya is that the tiny town borders the sea and also claims a large lagoon by the same name. So kite surfers have a choice between surfing the choppy waves of the sea or the calm surface of the lagoon. There are lots of kite surfing schools in the area. You can rent your equipment from one of these schools. If you are new to kite surfing, you can receive training from one of the instructors as well. There are two distinct seasons for you to enjoy kite surfing in Sri Lanka: summer and winter. The summer months span from May to October, whereas the winter season begins in mid-December and ends in mid-March. So for most of the year, you can head to Kalpitiya to kitesurf. Kalpitiya is also one of the major whale-watching destinations in Sri Lanka. So in between kite surfing, you can also head on a boat ride to watch whales as well.

Bentota

Bentota is the ultimate water sports destination in Sri Lanka. The resort town down south has carved a niche for itself when it comes to water sports. One of the most adventurous places in Sri Lanka for water sports enthusiasts, it has something for everyone. Let’s say you’d like to start your day with some sightseeing, with minimal drama or adventure. Simply hop on a boat to enjoy a boat ride along the Bentota River. The river safari is one of the tamest options that the town has to offer when it comes to activities. If you want to take it up a notch, you can rent a jet ski and have some fun with it. In fact, jet skiing is one of the most popular visitor activities in Bentota!

If you want to get your blood pumping, you can also try water skiing or perhaps wakeboarding is more your speed. The winds are also perfect to try your hand at windsurfing or kite surfing. You can also snorkel or dive. There are some colourful coral reefs nearby so you can explore the marine life that lives among the corals. If you feel like you are spending too much time on the water, Bentota has you covered. Instead of water, take to the air and experience paramotoring. One of the only places in Sri Lanka to offer this activity, Bentota is still starting out with the sport. Already there is a marked interest in the sport, so maybe Bentota may branch out to include more air sports into its offerings?

Colombo

If you’ve been to Colombo, you may be scratching your head now. Colombo, while cool in its own way, is not what you would call one of the adventurous places in Sri Lanka. There’s a sad lack of adrenaline-inducing activities you can get up to in the city. But if you know where to go, you can enjoy a mysterious adventure. Colombo has one of the few escape rooms currently operating in Sri Lanka. It may not be as adventurous as some of the activities we listed. But come on, who has not dreamed of running around solving a mystery?

Ella

Beautiful Ella is a stunner in terms of its scenery. Lush tea estates, soaring mountains, thundering waterfalls and mist-covered forests all cast an enchantment to the landscape. At once romantic and utterly charming, Ella is another adventurous place in Sri Lanka. For one thing, there are the many hiking trails that sneak through tea estates and narrow mountain passes. A simple hike can lead you to a viewpoint that opens up to breathtaking views. For another, Ella has several waterfalls in its vicinity. So you can explore these cascading beauties. And one of these waterfalls offers an adventure that is not for the faint of heart. Do you like infinity pools? Well, Diyaluma Falls offers an infinity pool with an edge! At 220 metres, Diyaluma is the second-highest waterfall on the island. By itself, the waterfall is attractive enough for a visit. But there are numerous natural pools the rapids have carved onto the river bed before it plunges to the waiting pool of water below. And one of these pools happens to lie right at the edge of the cliff over which the water cascades down. During the dry season, the water level goes down just enough that the cliff acts as the unseen wall of an infinity pool. So you can play in the water and have gorgeous views in front of you and look down to see the water flowing down to the ground level as well. There’s also an amazing zip lining adventure to be had in Ella, not to mention the scenic train ride to Kandy. But before you leave Ella, be sure to check out the Nine Arch Bridge!

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