Exploring Sri Lanka by Bike
'When we started to go into the mountains and into the jungle, I really started to appreciate how cool this island is.'
Photos: Mike Blewitt, Igor Schifris, Etienne von Rensburg
In 2020 the world changed. Our horizons contracted and for a while the thought of exploring the world just didn't seem to be that important – or possible. As time wore on through the year, plenty of Australian mountain bikers would be chomping at the bit to get out and explore. Be it beyond our shores, state lines – or even a 5km radius from home.
Travel restrictions have had an impact around the world, and many once popular travel destinations are now working hard to beat the drum to attract tourists back to their shores. My recent visit to Rotorua, New Zealand, was a timely reminder that before we all flocked to Tasmania, New Zealand was a top notch place to go and ride bikes. In January I was invited to visit Sri Lanka with 14 other cyclists around the globe, to take on a route from the northern tip of the tropical island to the southern tip over 6 days.
Sri Lanka lies in the Indian Ocean’s tropical waters, while it is barely 30km to India at the closest point, Sri Lanka has its own cultures, food, customs and beliefs. The island is about the same size as Tasmania but with over 40 times the population. Over the past decades Sri Lanka has been in the news for all the wrong reasons: from civil war to terrorist bombings, an economy that spun out of control with inflation and of course having the presidential palace burned. While I visited Sri Lanka in 2018 for the Rumble in the Jungle mountain bike stage race, Sri Lanka is not yet known for its cycling, on road or off.
I have fond memories of my visit from 2018. In that event we climbed into the highlands through rainforest, up through villages on a serpentine network of paths, farm trails, roads and goat tracks. We ate great food and shared stories with racers from all parts of the world. On this visit to Sri Lanka, the 15 of us represented riders from 5 continents. Some riders were full-time mountain bike professionals, others were gravel riders, some were lifers like me – someone who is not likely to stop travelling and riding while they still can.
On our route in January we got to ride through clouds of exotic smells: from fish frying in coconut oil at roadside stalls near the coast, past cooking fires roasting corn, and through thick clouds of incense near local stores. We rode past locals drying rice on the road, and stopped at roadside stalls where men with machetes cut open coconuts to pour the juice straight into our bottles. On other days we pedalled past stupas, statues and temples that rise out of rice paddies and lakes, or sit atop ridge lines.
We climbed to Nuwara Eliya, the centre of the world’s tea production, 1860 metres above sea level. On the way up we saw waterfalls tumbling down the valley, with stands of remnant forest exhibiting the jungle paradise that houses leopards, panthers, sloth bears and more in other parts of the country. In Ella, we saw signs for mountain bike tours, and given the rapid drop from 1300m to the valleys below, the scope for shuttled descents is immense!
On other days we rode past elephants on the roadside and ate the best tropical fruit we’ve ever tasted. We learnt of an ancient history of invention and beauty; kings who made water run uphill during the kingdom period; riches and innovations; waves of invasion and exploitation.
Sri Lankan impressions
For those of us who have made travelling to see the world by bike a cornerstone of our life, we have been quite limited in our travel in recent years – so the visit to Sri Lanka is enthralling and inspiring in equal measure.
'Everything here is a bit more luxurious, compared to my bike trips to India,' Jason English said. 'It feels like it's set up a lot better for tourism as well. The place is amazing.' Jason had travelled to India for the MTB Himalaya in years past, and found event based travel to be the ideal way to see a country. 'Safety was actually one of my bigger concerns before coming to Sri Lanka, but I haven't felt safer riding anywhere else. It's been a great way to see the country that feels safe, although we have had an escort as we are on a guided tour.'
Jason is no stranger to seeing the world from his saddle, having travelled extensively as a National 24 hour and Marathon champion, alongside being a multiple 24 hour World Champion. He doesn't need to travel to ride, but he appreciates how travel is improved by riding.
'The scenery changes when you're on a bike. And riding north to south on this island has had ongoing changes.When we started to go into the mountains and into the jungle, I really started to appreciate how cool this island is. There are a lot of cool little areas and waterfalls to check out around the highlands.'
Being part of an organised tour on this trip was a little different for how most of us travel by bike. But as Jason explained, it added to it. 'We had massage therapists organised, and a tea factory tour and all sorts of things. It was way more than just a ride. Going past temples, we had people explain the significance of the area. That's what really made this trip.'
Karen Hill is a past National Marathon champion, and an avid outdoor explorer. It wasn't her first visit to Sri Lanka, but it was a different one.
'It is so lovely to be able to travel again, and go to explore places. Coming back to Sri Lanka this second time, it has been pretty different. Coming for Rumble in the Jungle in 2018 meant I was pretty focused on the race, and didn't really take the time to look around. This time everything has been orgainsed for us, and we got to see more of the country and take it in in a different way.'
Like Jason, Karen really enjoyed the highland area with such a range of activities to do, such as hiking and safaris. Although with the route finishing on the coast at Galle, there were options to go surfing, or unwind with a yoga class. One of the elements of travel that Karen enjoys is how one trip feeds another, especially in the networks you build.
'A lot of adventures and races I have done have been in developing countries, I started with the Tour de Timor stage race in 2016. Meeting people there meant I ended up going to India, Nepal and then Sri Lanka. Nepal had the biggest impact for me, when I raced Yak Attack. Everything from the mountains, to the people to the riding is really amazing. You can find adventure anywhere you go with your bike, and you see things in a completely different way.'
While Karen has plenty of adventures at home, especially since moving to Tasmania, visits further afield helps her push her boundaries. 'It adds an additional sense of adventure as there are so many other unknowns, and you need to adapt and change on the fly. And I love learning about other cultures, how people live and the food they eat.'
While riders from around the world on this tour to discover Sri Lanka, Yuki Ikeda, from Japan, was perhaps the rider who had visited the most previously.
'Sri Lanka is one of my favourite countries to visit, and this is my fourth time visiting. 'I love almost everything here. The food, the culture and the people. Japan and Sri Lanka actually have a long history of helping each other. Lots of Japanese volunteers come to Sri Lanka to help build the infrastructure.'
Sri Lanka has had a lot of foreign investment in infrastructure, since the end of the civil war. From incredible motorways, through to building a vast variety of accommodation for tourists. Given the island's size, there's lots of places to stay, and always near something new to see. Tourism has taken a big hit since 2020, but on our visit we can see foreigners are coming back to the island. And as Yuki said, there's always more to see.
'I still see new sights each time I visit. Travel is about experiencing new things. You live only once, so I just want to see as much as I can. For cycling, you see more things because of the pace you move. You go through towns, it is easy to stop and take photos and talk to people.'
On our trip, Yuki often stopped at road side stalls to meet the owners, top up his water bottle with a coconut, or even to stop for a selfie with friends like Jason English or Cory Wallace. As a professional rider for the Topeak-Ergon Team, Yuki can call travelling the world to ride his job! And he has some ideas about new adventures in the future.
'I really want to visit Tasmania and New Zealand, I haven't been to either of them yet. I'd like to go to India, as I like the culture and the impact Buddhism has. I want to experience more and learn more about other places. Every time I visit somewhere, my perspective changes as I understand more about the country. So it's really fun to experience new places. It teaches me to be more flexible, it improves my world view.'
Imogen Smith lives in Queensland, and has travelled extensively around Australia, to New Zealand and Europe in search of the coolest mountain bike events. But Sri Lanka was all new – and a fresh chance to see the world again after Covid travel restrictions.
'We were able to have some adventures near home in 2020, as we're lucky enough to live near some mountains and beautiful places to explore. But I just love getting on a plane and discovering something new, seeing new things and having experiences that were beyond my everyday world.'
'Sri Lanka was really different, partly as it wasn't event base travel. It was one of the first times I've ridden my bike a lot in a developing country. It was all very bright and colourful, and one of the things that made the trip so different. I have really nice memories of getting to know other bike riders from around the world. There was huge excitement being in a really exotic place, seeing an elephant on the side of the road, and monkeys, colour and craziness. It's so vibrant, which is a great memory for me. But it's the local people that stand out. People were so happy to see us. Kids would come and wave, everyone was smiling at us. There's so much joy and happiness, even for a weird collection of foreigners on bikes.'
Like everyone, Imogen is committed to seeing the world by bike, despite the difficulties it can create.
'Lugging a bicycle around the world ensures your luggage is heavy, you're grumpy, and you're always hustling. But I think it's the only way to travel. Once you get on that bike, you'll see things you won't see form a car, and probably not on foot. You get out there and have adventures – it's exciting.'
All of the riders I spoke to were enthusiastic about returning to ride some off-road routes on this island paradise. Sri Lanka is a heavily cultivated land, without the same style of vast expanses we enjoy in Australia. Some of the National Parks have very restricted access due to safety, thanks to elephants, leopards and crocodiles. But I sense the welcoming nature of Sri Lankan people, their hospitality and network of farm trails and off-road paths in the highlands will see some stunning mountain bike adventures soon – and there are a whole host of adventurous cyclists who'll want to check them out.
Getting there
We travelled as guests of SriLankan Airlines, who fly to Colombo direct from both Sydney and Melbourne.
Find a tour
Our tour was put together by George from Infinity Vacations. They specialise in Sports Tours, and can easily create a bespoke riding trip for you, including all the transfers, accommodation and directions required. They also specialise in luxury travel – if you want to make it a true holiday. Having an organised itinerary is likely the best option unless you're a very experienced traveller.
Don't miss
- Hike up Lion's Rock in Sigirya
- Visit the mountain town of Ella and relax at Ravana Pool Club
- Explore the highlands from Nuwara Eliya
- Relax in Galle, and go surfing
