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Colombo, Sri Lanka
Spend your one full day in Colombo visiting the National Museum, the biggest in the country and the perfect spot to learn about the country’s culture and history before exploring the rest of the country. Then, have lunch in the Old Dutch Hospital – said to be the oldest building in the city, it dates back to 1681! There are lots of stores here and some great restaurants, too. We ate at Harpo’s Colombo Fort Cafe and it was good but a little pricey.
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Kandy, Sri Lanka
As the second biggest city in Sri Lanka and one of the most beautiful, it’s no wonder Kandy is so popular with tourists. We loved walking around Kandy Lake also known as the Sea of Milk, a stunning spot a short walk from the city center and one of the best spots in the city to watch the sunrise or sunset. The walk around the lake is 3.4 kilometers long.
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Ella, Sri Lanka
A small town with chilled-out vibe, Ella was one of our favorite places to visit in Sri Lanka. Four nights in Ella is the perfect amount of time as it will allow you to relax and tick off the area’s best things to do. We spend our three full days here hiking to Adam’s Peak, snapping photos of the social-media-famous Nine Arches Bridge, and visiting a tea factory.
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Udawalawa, Sri Lanka
My favorite part of our Sri Lanka trip was seeing elephants in the wild at Udawalawe National Park. Sure, there are lots of amazing national parks in Sri Lanka but I did my research before arriving and decided on Udawalawe because it has the highest number of elephants (over 500). Udawalawe is also less crowded than the more famous Yala or Minneriya national parks.
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Galle, Sri Lanka
Galle is a fortified city in the Southwest of the country. It was built by the Portuguese and many of its buildings show the influence of Portuguese architectural style on Sri Lankan traditions. It is certainly a unique place and so inherently different to other cities in Sri Lanka.
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Rekawa West, Sri Lanka
Instead of choosing the crowded beaches of Tangalle or Mirissa, we suggest spending a lazy 3 days on Rekawa beach in the South (close to the more popular Tangalle). The 4 km golden sand beach here is pretty much deserted save for a few local fishermen and through the months of October to April you may be lucky enough to witness baby turtles hatch.
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Negombo, Sri Lanka
Your final stop on your 3 week Sri Lanka itinerary should be the coastal city of Negombo, which is in fact the closest city to the airport (at just a 15-minute drive away!)
Negombo – not too far from the capital Colombo is renowned for its epic beach sunsets. We spent every evening in Negombo watching the sunset from our hotel balcony. Bliss! To us, Negombo is the best spot to watch the sunset in Sri Lanka.