December is one of the best months to visit Sri Lanka due to the traveller’s friendly climate, the weather in the month of December is very suitable for outdoor activities, especially the west coast, southern coastal belt and most other tourist hotspots like the cultural triangle, mountains have dry weather during this period.

Where to go in Sri Lanka in December

If you plan to go to Sri Lanka in December, you might be wondering where to go to Sri Lanka in December. Sri Lanka is a popular holiday destination among the travellers in Europe and “where to go in Sri Lanka in December?” is a popular question to them because a large number of travellers from Europe choose December toSri Lanka package. In fact, we receive many emails every year with a question like “where to go to Sri Lanka in December?”, “where to travel to Sri Lanka in December?”. Therefore we thought of making this article that revolve around where to go in Sri Lanka in December.

Unlike most other exotic places, Sri Lanka is a year-round holiday destination. However, the peak period of tourist arrivals on the island is from November to April, largely due to the upbeat of foreign travellers from European countries, parallel to the winter season of the northern hemisphere. A large number of travellers from European countries choose the island to escape from the cold winter. That’s the reason why a large number of travellers from Europe asking questions like “where can we go in December?”, “What is the weather like to be in December?”, “Where to go to Sri Lanka in December?”.

The tourism industry in Sri Lanka is well developed and Sri Lanka is a destination for beach holidays, wildlife holidays, adventure holidays, camping, rainforest exploration, bird watching tours, and Ayurveda holiday packages as well.

Activities like wildlife exploration, adventure activities, visiting historical monuments, rainforest exploration are optional activities for most travellers and they invest only a few days on them. But, the saltwater activities are mandatory for almost every traveller that visit Sri Lanka. Therefore every traveller asks for a few days of beach stay in the program.

Where to go in Sri Lanka in December for a beach stay

If you are also a traveller that visit Sri Lanka in search of warm tropical weather and wondering where to go in Sri Lanka in December, I would recommend you west, and southern coast beaches right away as your base for the Sri Lanka tour.

December is one of the best months to visit Sri Lanka due to the traveller’s friendly climate, the weather in the month of December is very suitable for outdoor activities, especially the west coast and southern coastal belt has dry weather during this period. Usually, most travellers engaged in outdoor activities during their holidays and therefore having dry weather enables them to visit many interesting places and explore the tourist hotspots while engaging in interesting activities.

As I have mentioned earlier Sri Lanka is a leading beach holiday destination in the tropics and engage in saltwater activities such as snorkelling, diving, swimming, fishing, boating, sunbath is in the bucket list of every traveller. Therefore choosing a beach with best weather conditions is key to the success of the holiday of most travellers. In fact, there is a large number of traveller who spends their entire holiday on the beach and does a few occasional day tours to break the boredom.

West Coast and the southern coastal belt is the best holiday destination in the month of December while the east coast and north coast beaches are coming under torrential rain during this period. Due to the lack of rain and absence monsoon wind make the sea off west and southern coast is very calm and risk-free for swimmers. Even the water is crystal clear allowing the travellers to see through without any trouble, means that December is very suitable for diving and snorkelling in the west and southern Sri Lanka.

However, the sea off Wast and north coast of Sri Lak is very rough and not suitable for activities during the month of December due to the underwater current and influence of the North-East monsoon. Therefore the travellers, who choose December to travel to Sri Lanka should choose west or southern coast of Sri Lanka as their base for a beach stay.

What are the beaches suitable for a beach holiday in December?

• Negombo Beach
• Wadduwa and Kalutara Beach
• Bentota and Beruwala Beach
• Hikkaduwa Beach
• Galle and Unawatuna Beach
• Matara and Mirissa Beach
• Hambantota and Tangalle Beach

This extraordinary island is only 65,610 square kilometres in extent but it shows the highest diversity of landscape, weather conditions, fauna and flora across any given country of its size in the world. The highest point of Sri Lanka is called Pidurutalagala, which is 2524 meters above the sea level. The temperature variation between coastal areas and the cities in the mountains are great.

Usually, the temperature in the month of December over the coastal area is about 32C˚ while the temperature in the mountains drops nearly to 0C˚. What is interesting in the case of December is, it is just a matter of four-hour drive to reach the lowest temperature places like Nuwara Eliya from the pristine beaches of the west coast or from Colombo, where the temperature hovering around 32C. December is the coldest month in the mountains, where the temperature drops to minus occasionally.

Where to go in Sri Lanka in December for activities?

As the temperature varies so are the fauna, flora, landscape and scenery. Sri Lanka mountainous area gives you the most scenic views of the mountains, valley, tea plantations and patches of forests. Many travellers love to do mountaineering during the holiday and drive to the inland from the coastal areas to engage in interesting activities such as rainforest exploration, making safari jeep tours, water rafting, hiking, trekking, visiting historical monuments, mountain climbing, rock climbing, mountain biking, camping and many other activities.

The month of December is very suitable for all activities mentioned above and it is very easy to reach those places from Colombo and beach resorts and it takes only a few hours of drive to reach them. Most importantly the weather in December is very favourable for outdoor activities, where those places are concentrated to.

Exploring historical monuments in December

If you love to explore the historical monument of Sri Lanka, December is one of the best months to visit cultural triangle of Sri Lanka, which harbours 90% of important historical hotspots such as Sigiriya, Dambulla cave temple, Polonnaruwa and tooth relic temple. 5 of the 7 UNESCO world heritage sites of Sri Lanka are to be found in the cultural triangle of Sri Lanka and one of the places you need to consider if you are wondering where to go in Sri Lanka in December.

What are the historical places that we can explore in December?

• Anuradhapura
• Polonnaruwa
• Sigiriya rock fortress
• Dambulla Cave temple
• Tooth relic temple
• Galle Fort
• Adams peak

Exploring Fauna and Flora of Sri Lanka

Here in the 65,610 Square kilometres island, about 24% of the surface is covered by the natural green canopy. The diversity of plants, palms, trees, bushes, mangroves and all other floral elements are immense on the island, therefore Sri Lanka is rank among the countries with top Bio-diversities in the world. The primaeval rainforests such as Sinharaja are on par with Amazon and Congo with regards to the bio-diversity.  Sinharaja is declared as a world heritage site by UNESCO due to its contribution to the country’s environment.

The elephant can be described as the most common animal you would see, during a wildlife tour in Sri Lanka. Numbering more than a dozen, Sri Lanka national parks and reserves harbours many species of animals, amphibians, bird, vertebrates, insects and many other creatures. Unlike many other national parks in the region, here you get a chance to spot many species of animals within a short period of time.

What are the best places to explore the Fauna and Flora of Sri Lanka in December

• Sinharaja rainforest
• Minneriya National park
• Udawalawe national park
• Yala national park
• Wilpattu national park
• Rainforest Kithulgala

Places for adventure activities

This tropical island has a large number of rivers and other perennial water resources. These rivers make beautiful waterfalls in the mountains before they drop into the ocean. The number of beautiful waterfalls in Sri Lanka exceeds many dozens. Waterslide, water rafting, kayaking, canopying, boating, fishing, are some of the activities that can be done in the inland water resources of Sri Lanka. These water resources are very clean and free of water worms or piranha. Therefore these warm waters at 27C˚ are suitable for any type of water-based activity.

Every city in Sri Lanka is a shopping boulevard and giving you access to souvenir, cloth, gems and jewellery, restaurants and bars. Well developed tourism infrastructure can accommodate any type of traveller, who spend a holiday in Sri Lanka. Whether you are high-speed travellers looking for luxurious facilities or budget-conscious holidaymaker, Sri Lanka has something for you. So, if you have any interest in doing a holiday in Sri Lanka, Seerendipity tours are always prepared to help you.

Where can we do adventure activities in Sri Lanka in December?

• Kithulagala
• Bentota
• Nuwara Eliya
• Kandy

Seasonal tourist hotspots

Many seasonal tourist hotspots like Adams peak that are located in the west and southern part of Sri Lanka attracts the attention of foreign and local travellers, it is mainly due to the improved weather condition over the region, with the end of the rainy season those sites become safe to explore and no need to worry about sudden landslides, floods and lightning. Hiking trail of Adams peak is one of the most popular places to travel among nature lovers and it opens its door from November to April for the visitors and this 5 hours trek culminates with reaching the pinnacle of the third highest mountain of Sri Lanka.

Here are few places to go in Sri Lanka

Negombo

Negombo is a cosmopolitan beach holiday resort on Sri Lanka’s west coast.  Negombo is a dream destination for the picky vacationers. Negombo has a gorgeous stretch of sand along the Indian Ocean is the most important reason for its popularity in the travel world so is the pretty old fishing village Negombo that shows colonial influence with colonial buildings, such as the fort, churches, and big houses.

It also offers stylish restaurants and plenty of opportunities for shopping. Negombo is conveniently located near the international airport of Colombo and the journey between two locations takes only 15 minutes. Therefore it is the perfect spot for Sri Lanka holidays when you have limited time. So need to taste the Sri Lankan life in a short period of time then Negombo.

Mirissa

Mirissa sits near the southern tip of Sri Lanka. Mirissa is an unpopular and calm beach holiday resort to visit. Mirissa is known for surfing, natural beauty, pristine beaches, affordable accommodation and tasty seafood. Mirissa is the set-off point for whale watching tours on the island and provides easy access to whale colonies in the ocean near the southern border of the country.

Anuradhapura

Covering a part of Sri Lanka’s dry-zone, Anuradhapura is a world heritage site on the island. It offers a large number of natural and man-made historical attractions. Anuradhapura is famous for ancient Sinhalese culture, engineering feats of ancient engineers and arts and crafts scene – Anuradhapura is a top-notch travel destination.

Kandy

Kandy is a tropical paradise characterize by rainforest cover and ancient Sinhalese as well as colonial-styled buildings. Kandy is certainly one of the most picturesque cities on the island. Highlights include the temple of the tooth, Udawattakele sanctuary, Peradeniya botanical garden and many historical Buddhist temples.

Ella

This entire region south of Nuwara Eliya is a beautiful environment made of mountain, escapements, rocks and caves. Ella gap which lies between two gigantic mountains is the deepest and longest gap in the country. It is about 1000 meters deep and 10 kilometres long. Here you can have a stunning panoramic vista and adventurous trek through the isolated patches of forests.

Jetawanarama

Jetawanarama is a UNESCO world heritage site and located North-West of Sri Lanka. Anuradhapura stands as a testament to the great Sinhalese civilization. The archaeological site of Anuradhapura is dominated by hundreds of ancient construction such as Buddhist temples, palaces, parks, schools etc. most of these historical constructions are more than 2000 years old and regarded as structures with extreme archaeological interest. Jetawanarama is a stunning historical building in Anuradhapura, which dates back to 1^st century BC. It was built of brick and contains millions of bricks. This massive dagoba was as big as the second pyramid in Giza. And it was the largest Buddhist building in the old. When planning a Sri Lanka holiday make sure have time to visit this historical place.

Diyaluma waterfall

Diyaluma waterfall in Badulla draws a massive number of nature lovers. This massive waterfall has a great sheet of water and massive power. It creates a huge smoke-like mist when the water touches the ground. Diyaluma is one of the most photogenic waterfalls in the mountains and it is surrounded by beautiful mountains, escapements, tea plantations and rock formations. Therefore surrounding area s also highly praised by the nature lovers and adventure enthusiasts. Badulla is the nearest city to the waterfall and provides plenty of opportunities for a comfortable overnight stay. Book a hotel in Badulla and choose from trekking, hiking, walking, mountain climbing, rock climbing.

Pigeon Island

This natural jewel is located in eastern Sri Lanka about 200 kilometres from Colombo. The short boat ride from the beach resort Nilaveli brings you to the pigeon island. This small island has interesting rock formations and sand dunes. It is surrounded by coral reefs and rock that inhabited by thousands of exotic sea creatures. Swimming, snorkelling, diving and beach hopping are the favourite activities here.

Bentota Beach

Perhaps Bentota beach is the most popular tourist hot spot on the island and travellers love its sandy palm-fringed beaches. It has the best atmosphere for beach holidays and water sports. The highlight of Bentota is the wide sandy beaches and a beautiful river that flows along the eastern border of the beach resort. The southern border of the resort sits at the meeting point of the Bentota river and the sea. Don’t forget to take a boat ride on the Bentota River and experience the fascinating riverine environment of Bentota River.

Sinharaja

Sinharaja is a heaven for the nature lovers and located in the wet zone of the country. It is undoubtedly the most precious natural asset of the people of Sri Lanka. This verging rain forest is a UNESCO world heritage site. It is the oldest patch of rainforest in the country and it is millions of years old. Sinharaja is a valuable rain forest with one of the highest Bio-diversities in the world and accommodates hundreds of thousands of species of fauna and flora and it has the largest concentration of endemic Fauna and Flora of the island.

Blow hole

This is the second-largest natural fountain in the world. It is created by a sea cave on the beaches of the southern coast. It is an attraction not to miss when visiting Sri Lanka. This natural cave lies at the same level as the sea; the tidal surge creates a massive fountain that rises up to 30 meters from the ground. The massive spouting accompanies the sound”Hooo hooo”, which heard miles away from the beach.