A few issues fill me with dread: pressured enjoyable, Trump supporters and the tyranny of small speak. Sadly, when you be part of an organised group trip, it’s potential you’ll encounter all three, as I rapidly realised inside hours of the primary day on a 12-day tour of Sri Lanka booked by means of one of many group journey firms working out of the UK, Australia, Canada and the USA.
I’d signed up as a part of an project on the rise of group journey, selecting Sri Lanka as a result of – in additional than 20 years of solo journeys to locations resembling Georgia, India and Colombia – the teardrop island had by some means eluded me.
Other than the occasional seashore break with mates or household, I’m happiest travelling alone, for lengthy stretches of time, in locations that really feel totally faraway from the UK, the place I grew up. However I used to be curious: why have been group excursions extra widespread than ever? Notably amongst millennials, resembling myself. So, I signed as much as one, which I deliberate to bookend with a number of solo days in Colombo firstly, and a few weeks on the finish to journey independently round components of the nation the tour would miss.
Learn extra: Sri Lanka travel guide: Everything to know before you go
Escaping the UK’s chilly March days in 2024, I touched down in Sri Lanka to the balmy warmth I so adore; the magic of the island was evident instantly. It’s a rustic the place picture-perfect coconut palms punctuate a lot of the coastal stretches; life feels a lot slower in tempo; bright-white Buddhist stupas rise majestically out of the jungle; and there are limitless idyllic seashores to discover. To not point out, the myths and legends of historic kingdoms rapidly captured my creativeness.
Over the following 12 days, I used to be within the firm of 5 girls and 4 males – the bulk from the USA, together with a number of Brits and an Australian, all aged from early 30s to late 40s – and our tour information, Suranga. He showcased the perfect of his nation with unrivalled ardour, deep information and unwavering persistence.
We zipped from Negombo and its famed fish market as much as the unimaginable historic metropolis of Polonnaruwa, down by means of Haputale and Ella (house to the long-lasting 9 Arch Bridge), and later having fun with a safari in Yala National Park – the place leopards and sloth bears are sometimes noticed – earlier than spending the evening in historic Galle Fort, and later ending up on the seashores of Kosgoda.
All through the whirlwind tour, Suranga’s dry, often under-the-breath humour hinted he’d seen all of it earlier than. When a few of my fellow travellers requested inane questions, resembling whether or not sunscreen could be obligatory that day, he paused, smiled, and answered with no flicker of irritation. I discovered myself captivated as a lot by his measured reactions as I used to be by the landscapes.
On day eight we took a dusty drive by means of Yala Nationwide Park, the place I delighted in recognizing all method of beautiful birds, from blue-tailed and little inexperienced bee-eaters to pied kingfishers and Asian paradise flycatchers. Then that night, as I used to be returning to my bed room following a gaggle dinner, I dropped and smashed my telephone display.
Managing to message Suranga by means of the shattered display, I requested whether or not there is perhaps a spot to repair it throughout our tightly-packed itinerary. There wasn’t. So we ended up navigating the bustling streets of Pettah, a well known Colombo neighbourhood, a number of days after the tour had ended, trying to find a telephone restore store.
Suranga had kindly insisted on serving to me, and so we made a day of it. We swung by the long-lasting Barefoot Backyard Cafe a brief drive away to drink thæmbili (the king coconut that’s native to Sri Lanka), have espresso, and revel in some lunch after dropping off my telephone. We talked continuous for the whole lot of our time collectively.
Free of the construction of the tour, the dynamic shifted, and on the finish of that day, I realised I felt fairly unhappy about saying goodbye to him.
Over the following few weeks, we met a pair extra instances, and I made a decision to increase my journey since I used to be eager to go as much as Jaffna, within the far north of the island and take a look at some little-visited statues, together with a seventh-century limestone Buddha hidden within the jungle in Maligawila, near Monaragala. And naturally, I couldn’t come to Sri Lanka with out visiting the traditional metropolis of Anuradhapura.
Learn extra: I’ve been to more than 120 cities – these are the six best in Europe for a solo summer break
As my keep prolonged to a couple solo months on the highway, Suranga and I texted or talked day by day, often assembly when our schedules aligned. There was positively one thing particular simmering underneath the floor, however we have been treading evenly, each reluctant to place ourselves on the road.
Then, round six months after we first met, we determined to make an actual go of it. To navigate differing cultures, expectations and the sensible issues that include each.
Greater than two years later, I’m nonetheless right here, and our relationship continues to evolve. We’ve travelled to many extra locations collectively, each eager to discover the little-showcased or written about components of the nation collectively. He launched me to curious Mannar, with its roaming long-eared goats, and the place the place Sri Lanka’s largest baobab tree will be discovered. We’ve additionally explored the nation’s largest Nationwide Park, Wilpattu, waking at 4am to {photograph} birds and mischievous monkeys.
Suranga’s dry humour and the breadth of his information continues to encourage me each day; whereas he jokes that I now know extra individuals within the nation than he does, since I journey across the island lots for work.
Sri Lanka confirmed that group journey positively isn’t for me. I’m not an enormous fan of inflexible, structured journeys, and revel in travelling at a slower tempo – seeing websites away from the same old vacationer trails. However stepping outdoors of my consolation zone and experiencing a special method of doing issues led me to somebody I might by no means in any other case have met.
It simply goes to point out that generally taking the unsuitable path can lead you to precisely to the place you might want to be.
Learn extra: Solo travel is mainstream – here’s why solitary travel takes more nerve
How you can do it
The information of a licensed nationwide information is extremely really helpful when visiting Sri Lanka’s cultural triangle, taking a safari or mountain climbing in distant components of the nation. A full record of chauffeur guides and nationwide guides is out there at Srilanka.travel and every supplies an enormous array of historic and cultural information.
SriLankan Airlines flies direct from London Heathrow to Bandaranaike Worldwide Airport in about 11 hours, from £787 return.
The place to remain
A increase in well-designed boutique inns now implies that selecting lodging will be overwhelming. After staying in over 60 of the nation’s most lovely inns, there are a number of that I at all times advocate to fellow solo travellers.
In Colombo, Ishq has a handful of rooms and supplies an intimate metropolis keep. Whereas Galle Fort Hotel has a swimming pool and good meals. Meraki on the south coast is one in all my favorite inns near the seashore. The Warden’s House is the place to e-book for quieter safaris by means of Yala Nationwide Park. Kalkudah Beach House on the East Coast supplies flawless stays from begin to end. Nine Skies close to Ella provides tea plantation views with out the crowds. Lastly, for a homely haven in Jaffna, attempt Jetwing Mahesa Bhawan.
This piece was first revealed in August 2026 and has been revised and up to date