We spent five days in Sri Lanka two weeks ago, driving up and down the island, covering almost 70 percent of its territory. Our tour spanned over 1,000 kilometres, including hills, beach spots, and heritage and religious sites.

Our first stop in Sri Lanka was Colombo’s Bandaranaike International Airport. We were greeted by a warm and humid breeze when we exited the airport.

The host briefed us (a group of journalists) that heavy rainfall has affected areas across Sri Lanka since mid-May 2024. Rain and storms intensified on June 1, with the most significant effects in the south and west of the country. We were lucky to have no rain in the forecast.

On the first night, we checked into the lavish Jetwing Lake resort, an opulent sanctuary amidst the lush landscape.

The resort’s expansive grounds were a retreat, offering a glimpse of Sri Lanka's natural beauty. We feasted on delicious cuisine, every bite exploding with flavour, introducing us to the island’s famed culinary delights.

On June 7, early morning, the sun shone brightly, previewing the promise of an incredible journey ahead. We set off early the following day, eager to explore the mysteries of this enchanting island.

As we ventured further into the heart of Sri Lanka, the landscape revealed its majestic nature.

We were astounded by seeing Pidurangala Rock, a 200-metre-high granite colossus just a kilometre north of Sigiriya. The short hike to Pidurangala Rock offered breathtaking views of Sigiriya and beyond.

We climbed the steep steps and soon were rewarded with a breathtaking panoramic view of the surrounding landscape. It took us 30 minutes to climb. The sight took our breaths away and left us humbled in the presence of such grandeur.

From the top are glorious vistas of the surrounding landscape and an incredible view of the majestic Sigiriya Rock.

From there, Sigiriya Lion’s Rock is visible, standing alone. This was the place where demon king Ravana had his palace in the Treta Yuga. Believed to have been built 50 centuries ago, the palace is said to have had a unique lift for Ravana and his visitors.

Ravana imprisoned Sita in one of the caves at the bottom of this humongous boulder.

Sigiriya is a fifth-century fortress in Sri Lanka carved out of an inselberg, a hill of hard volcanic rock that soared high above the surrounding jungle.

We spent two hours atop the rock, mainly taking photographs. We descended from Pidurangala Rock, filled with awe and a sense of accomplishment.

The journey ahead seemed even more enticing as we ventured along the winding roads, heading towards our next destination.

Cash-strapped Sri Lanka plunged into its worst financial crisis in more than seven decades in 2022, with a severe dollar shortage sending inflation soaring to a high of 70 percent, its currency to record lows, and its economy contracting 7.3 percent.

Thanks to the growing number of tourists, Sri Lanka is now bouncing back.

In Jetwing Lake, we met Kasun Pradeep Somasiri, a receptionist. He briefed us that the resort is now 50 percent occupied. “That’s a better figure now as we are recovering.”

The travel and tourism sector is a significant income generator for Sri Lanka. However, the economic crisis, the Ukraine–Russia war, and China’s zero-Covid policy have jeopardised the industry.

Tourism accounted for more than 12 percent of the country’s GDP in 2019 and was the third-largest source of foreign exchange reserves, behind worker remittances and the apparel industry.

Sri Lanka was poised to be one of the world’s best holiday destinations due to its rich culture, wealth of natural resources, and diversity of accessible experiences.

However, tourism-dependent Sri Lanka suffered its first major setback with the Easter bombings 2019. This led to the collapse of inbound tourism flows as international arrivals declined by 18 percent year-on-year, and tourist expenditure fell by 17.7 percent that year. This was immediately followed by two years of pandemic restrictions. Inbound visitors fell to just 116,600 in 2021.

An acute balance of payments crisis forced Sri Lanka to preemptively default on foreign debt of over $50 billion in April 2022, triggering a crippling economic contraction with spiralling inflation.

“Tourism is gaining momentum,” says Somasiri. “The British and Chinese have started to return to Sri Lanka.”

January-August is the peak season for foreigners. “From December to April, local people travel for holiday purposes,” says Somasiri.

Before we started the tour to other religious sites, our tour guide, Sampath Mayadunne, told us, “Don't take selfies with your back to Buddha.” Turning your back on a Buddha statue and some other religious sites to take photos and videos is a strict no-no.

The most common sight across Sri Lanka is the tank cascades system, an ancient irrigation infrastructure. The system is a network of small tanks draining to large reservoirs that store rainwater and surface runoff for later use.

“These infrastructures were built by its ancient kings over 2,000 years ago to solve the water scarcity in the country’s dry zone,” says Mayadunne.

On day two, we travelled to Ranweli Spice Garden in Matale. This garden is famous for its rare spices and herbs. A tour of the gardens will show you the cultivation, harvesting, cleaning, and packaging process, as well as the health benefits and uses of the herbs.

On the way, we saw a colourful Muthumariamman Hindu temple, boasting hundreds of detailed sculptures in a rich mosaic of colour.

In Kandy, we visited the Temple of the Tooth Relic (Sri Dalada Maligawa), one of the most sacred places of worship in the Buddhist world. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1988.

The temple sustained damage from bombings by Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna in 1989 and by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in 1998. However, it was fully restored each time.

We then headed to Jetwing St Andrew’s, a luxurious 5-star property in Sri Lanka’s hill country of Nuwara Eliya, situated at 1,900 metres above sea level. During our stay in Kandy, we immersed ourselves in the city's charm and the serenity of the countryside.

On the third day, early morning, we travelled to Nuwara Eliya, the area famous for tea estates that give many Nepalis the feeling that they have come to Kanyam, Ilam, in eastern Nepal.

We visited a tea factory called Damro Labookellie Tea Centre, the oldest tea centre in Sri Lanka. Due to its cold climate, it is the most important area for tea production in Sri Lanka.

In this tea factory, they make white and black tea, while the green tea is processed in another tea factory and then sent to Damro.

After the tea factory tour and the tea tasting, we headed to Galle, our next resting point.

We encountered narrow, winding, and maze-like streets and alleys in Nuwara Eliya, known as ‘Little England’. The town has preserved almost all its British-era buildings and is calm and beautiful.

On our way to Galle, at the roadside, our tour guide stopped us at the famed Sita temple, which has Hanuman's footprints and is the place where Sita, wife of Lord Rama, was held captive by the demon king Ravana after he abducted her from India.

We were at Sita Eliya, a temple named Sri Seethai Amman.

When we reached the Hindu temple, rich in vibrant colours and architectural elements, it was full of devotees. The water stream adjoining the temple is believed to be where Sita bathed. Large footprints are found on the stones in the stream, and there is a saying that those belong to Hanuman, who came spying to find Sita’s whereabouts.

In Ella, Ravana’s waterfalls are significant in the Rama-Ravana story. The cascade charms visitors from all over the globe. The waterfall is easily accessible and is known to have hidden caves at the top, which are believed to have been used as Ravana's residence.

The 25-metre-tall waterfall is a beautiful cascade that provides the perfect backdrop for a photo to remember your Ramayana trail adventures in Sri Lanka.

A short pilgrimage tour ended there, and it was now time for an adventure. Though it was not part of our itinerary, our guide decided to tour us on a train ride.

Though short, only six kilometres from Ella to Demodera, it was thrilling. Everyone screamed in unison like kids on a fair ride to hear the echoes in the dark every time we passed through the tunnels. The sound of the train is subtly different inside a tunnel. For the first-timer, the darkness and shouts inside the tunnels when the train passes would be scary, like a horror movie.

The train we boarded wasn’t crowded, but people had already filled the doorway, ready for the scenic journey.

With the shrill sound of a whistle, the train slowly pulled away from the platform at Ella, passing houses, coconut trees and green fields.

As the train progressed, tourists and locals were leaning out the windows and crowding to hang out the doors. I joined the crowd and hung out on a train. A short excitement ended there.

After lunch, we headed to Galle and reached Jetwing Lighthouse. As soon as our group entered the hotel, they shouted with excitement.

The hotel is on a rocky outcrop three miles west of Galle. Waves crash over giant boulders in front of it and produce howling winds.

We were at Galle’s 17th-century fort five minutes from the hotel on day four.

In the Bay of Galle on the southwest coast of Sri Lanka, Galle Fort was built first in 1588 by the Portuguese and lavishly rebuilt by the Dutch during the 17th century. It is a historical, archaeological and architectural heritage monument that maintains a perfect appearance even after more than 436 years.

We then reached Hikkaduwa Beach, a popular beach destination on the southern coast of Sri Lanka. On the way, we saw a 30-metre-high Big Buddha Statue. It is a replica of the 6th-century Buddhas of Bamiyan destroyed by the Taliban in Afghanistan. It was created using the earliest known sketches of the statue. It was built in remembrance of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami victims.

We then travelled through the 222-kilometre-long Southern Expressway, Sri Lanka's first expressway linking the capital, Colombo, with Galle, Matara, and Hambantota, significant cities south of the island.

On day five, we reached Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka.

Jetwing Colombo Seven hosted us in the bustling capital. We took a city tour early morning and visited Bally's Casino at night.

On day six, we returned to Kathmandu early in the morning on a Sri Lankan Airlines flight, the airline that organised the trip in coordination with Jetwing Hotels Limited, a Sri Lankan hotel chain.

National flag carrier Nepal Airlines, in its previous avatar as Royal Nepal Airlines, used to operate direct flights to Colombo during the 1980s. However, the carrier suspended operations following an armed movement by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Sri Lanka. There had been no direct air links between the two countries for decades.

In 2016, Himalaya Airlines started a chartered flight that lasted a few months due to low traffic movement between the two countries.

Sri Lankan Airlines started operating direct flights to Kathmandu in August 2021.

“The main objective of this media tour is to increase tourism in both countries for mutual benefit. We want to draw Nepalis for pilgrims and leisure activities,” says Nilina Pathirana, Country Manager at Srilankan Airlines in Nepal.

“We have understood that Nepali travellers tend to travel to Bangkok, Vietnam, Malaysia, Dubai, and Maldives. Nepalis have quite minimal knowledge about Sri Lanka and the religious connection between Lanka and Nepal. We want to promote Nepal and Sri Lanka jointly. This will be a win-win business,” added Pathirana.

The airline said it currently carries 60 percent of the passengers from Nepal to Sri Lanka and beyond destinations like Tokyo, Sydney, Melbourne, and other Middle Eastern destinations.

The return airfare for a 3.5-hour-long flight starts at Rs74,000. “We have a four-night, five-day package that begins from Rs80,000, depending on the properties and extended itineraries,” says Pathirana.

Nepalis must submit certain required documents for visa processing, like their passport copy and bank statement. Due to this government-to-government policy, only Nepalis must obtain a prior visa. Otherwise, Sri Lankans are required to have a visa upon arrival.

“The other best thing is that Sri Lankan Airlines can be involved with the visa process or facilitate the Nepalis tourists. Our main intention is to have a sustainable market in Kathmandu and make it a daily flight,” says Pathirana.