Sri Lanka: a feast for the senses

Posted 16 September, 2026 Sasha Oelsner | This content is sponsored by Bunnik Tours

Sri Lanka may be smaller than Tasmania, but don’t let its diminutive size fool you.

The teardrop shaped island has a smorgasbord of experiences that’s getting noticed as  more Australians make the journey to see, hear, smell, taste and fall in love with the Pearl of the Indian Ocean. Is it your turn?

Sri Lanka is a country built for the senses. Here are our top picks for each one.

See: Postcard perfect Sigiriya Rock Fortress

Perched atop a sheer-walled monolith and rising almost 200 metres from the jungle floor, the UNESCO-listed Sigiriya Rock Fortress is impossible to miss. Climb 1200 steps past a pair of massive lion paws carved in the stone, which give the Sigiriya Rock Fortress it’s nickname – the Lion Rock. As you make the climb, admire the vibrant colours of the frescoes which don’t belie their 1500-year age. At the summit, you’ll find the remains of the fifth-century fortified city built during the reign of King Kashyapa I, which once boasted elaborate gardens and a moat. As equally breathtaking as the stairs is the panoramic view from the top. See if you can spot wild elephants in the plains below.

Smell: Negombo’s morning markets

The smell of salt spray in the air – the coastal town of Negombo is a seafood lover’s delight. It’s especially renowned for its lively morning fish markets – the largest of which is Lellama, which translates to ‘place of bargain’. Experience the masses of fresh fish laid out and vendors hollering their prices while buyers haggle for the best deals. Escape the action on a scenic cruise through the mangroves, tracing the old Dutch cinnamon spice routes. Feeling peckish? Follow your nose to one of many local eateries serving up lagoon crabs, thalapath (sailfish) and paraw (trevally) in traditional curries.

Taste: Nuwara Eliya: Sri Lanka’s vegetable garden

You’ll want to eat all your veggies in Nuwara Eliya, and go back for seconds. Cooler mountain air means slower-growing vegetables with gradually concentrated natural flavours that can’t be grown anywhere else on the island. Grab a bite in the region to enjoy this nutritious and delicious produce, like Sri Lanka’s crunchiest khol khol (kohlrabi) and the sweetest carrots. It’s also home to the prized ‘Champagne of Ceylon’ tea, with the region’s cool, misty climate producing a light, refined and floral brew. Sip it black (or with the tiniest splash of milk so as not to overpower the delicate notes), paired with spiced potato cutlets or crimson rathy ala (beetroot) curry from a roadside stall.

Touch (or rather, the feels): Udawalawe’s baby elephants

You can’t physically place your hands on these elephants, but witnessing the orphaned calves being bottle fed and frolicking at the Elephant Transit Home will touch your heart. Situated on the border of the Udawalawe National Park, rescued calves are cared for and rehabilitated until they’re strong enough for release back into the wild. Watching orphaned babies bottle-fed while tumbling over each other at the water’s edge will get you right in the feels. Touch here is a matter of heart rather than hands, and their impatient trumpeting will tug at anyone’s heartstrings.

Hear: Kandyan fire dance and drumming

The charming city of Kandy is home to the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic and is considered Sri Lanka’s cultural capital. Traditional Kandyan dance nearly vanished under British rule but has since been revived and watching it live is a full-body experience. Pulsing hand drums communicate complex rhythms and build the intensity as the tinkle of ankle bells and metallic ornaments accentuate the acrobatic footwork and beat of the dance’s high-energy choreography. Not to mention the fire dancing and striking, ornate dancing costumes; it’s athleticism, sacred ritual and centuries of history all in one living art form.

The Sixth Sense: Ritigala’s mystical forest

Deep in the jungle and away from the main tourist trail, you’ll find your zen among the abandoned meditation platform ruins in the Ritigala Medicinal Forest. Buddhist monks once sought stillness here to practice meditation and you can too. Take a deep breath and let the babbling streams, cool granite boulders and unspoilt forest canopy take you far away from the hustle and bustle of daily Sri Lankan life.

Discover Sri Lanka for yourself

You can experience all this and much more by joining a Sri Lankan Discovery adventure with Bunnik Tours. For 16 exciting days (plus travel time), you and your small group (never more than 20 travellers) will explore the tear-drop shaped island (almost) top to toe at a relaxed yet exciting pace.

The Bunnik Tours team have been passionately showing Australian travellers around the world for more than 30 years. They pride themselves on authentic, homegrown experiences you won’t find in a regular guidebook and even have a local Bunnik Tours office on the ground in Sri Lanka you can get to know during your stay.

With airfares, tipping, transport, accommodation and many meals all taken care of, there’s nothing left for you to do but arrive with an appetite for adventure and your senses ready to feast on all the wonders Sri Lanka has to offer.