Sri Lanka or Thailand? Your answers

Last week, we asked for your help - should one anonymous Detour reader travel to Sri Lanka or Thailand?

The results are in, and overwhelmingly, the winner is Sri Lanka, taking 61% of the vote to Thailand’s 39%. (Congrats, Detour reader - let's get you on that Colombo flight!)

But that's not all. You also very kindly offered up a spate of your own recommendations for awesome locations, accommodation and more in both countries.

Let’s dive right in:

Sri Lanka

Adam's Peak at dawn

🙋 “I loved the clockwise loop from Colombo: Kandy, Adam’s Peak, Nuwara Eliya (World’s End, Horton Plains National Park), Ella, Yala National Park, Tangalle, Mirissa, Galle, Colombo. 3 weeks filled with temples, hikes in the hill country, safari, beaches, yoga and lots of Kottu!”

Jack’s notes: Worth a quick explainer here. Adam’s Peak is a magnificent 2,000-metre mountain in the heart of Sri Lanka, which is said to hold the Sri Pada, or footprint of the Buddha, imprinted upon the rock near the summit.

About a four-hour drive to the east, you’ll encounter Little Adam’s Peak, about half the size of its little brother, and an easier climb with some stunning views.

World’s End is equally stunning - a steep 880 metre cliff with astonishing views across Horton Plains. (Although if you have vertigo, be warned that there’s no hand-rail.)

🙆‍♂️ “Visit Gal Oya and do a boat safari. Huge crocs, raptors everywhere and lots of elephants. You may even see them swimming. For a beach break, highly recommend Kalpitiya instead of the sometimes crowded south west. It can be windy, but the sea is warm and there are some lovely places to stay. Finally, don't forget to do the Dutch Fort walk in Galle.”

💁‍♀️ “I spent an amazing month in Sri Lanka in 1977 ... 45 years on I want to see how much it has changed. Highly recommend visiting Hambantota Fishing Bay. Eat in one of the elevated restaurants - overlooking the fishermen bringing in their catch of giant king prawns - and have them straight off the boat, onto the open air grill, and liberally sprinkled with chilli. I can still taste them!”

Jack's notes: Hambantota was sadly hit incredibly hard by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, with 4,500 deaths in the local community, so I’m extremely sorry to say that the fishing bay is likely to have changed a great deal from this reader's memories. The Sri Lankan government has been putting money into rebuilding the town, however, and there are once again a number of delicious-sounding restaurants in the area.

🙋‍♂️ “ The train journey to Ella is probably the most stunning in the world. And the nighttime climb up Adam's Peak during a religious festival was an experience I'll never forget.”

🙆 “Sri Lanka feels like an adventure. You can chat with locals, they might even invite you home! Recommend a treehouse hotel with open walls near Yala, and sleeping open air in SkyCamp above the cloud-line in the mountains near Kandy. Best places I've been in Sri Lanka - all the national parks, but Bundala when all the birds are breeding there is wonderful.”

Jack's notes: The best visiting period for Bundala National Park’s migrating birds is considered to be September to March!

🙋‍♀️ “Don’t be afraid to try curry for breakfast, especially if you have a packed day of safaris or surfing. It will wake you up and set you up nicely for a day of fun!”

Jack's notes: “Spicy curry breakfast before a day spent in a jeep in the middle of a national park?! It sounds delicious, but from a bathroom perspective, all I can think is this.”

South coast tips:

• Tangalle: Good Karma Ayurvedic Resort. “Right on the beach.”
• Galle: Apa Villa Illuketa. “An amazing, unique boutique hotel!”
• Get down to Unawatuna - such a chilled vibe, gorgeous beaches and super warm sea to swim in!

West coast tips:

• Waikkal: “Highly recommend Hotel Club Dolphin!”
• “Finish your holiday on a relaxing note by staying a few days north of the airport in Negombo.”

East coast tips:

• Trincomalee, north-east: “Nilaveli up by Trincomalee is my favourite beach.”

Thailand

🙆‍♂️ “Love the town of Prachuap Kiri Khan. Wonderful beach on an actual air base.”

🙋‍♀️ "It's my favourite country in the world, can't wait to go back for a third time! Swimming at night with bioluminescent phytoplankton near Krabi was one of the best experiences I've ever had (twice, three years apart - so hopefully it's still there). Check out Bananas Bungalows, it's a hidden little gem not to be missed!”

Bioluminescent plankton light up the sea in Krabi

🙆‍♂️ “It's a tough choice but Thailand just swings it for me - mainly down to the beaches and diving at any time of year. Even in rainy season, the islands of Koh Tao, Koh Phangan offer great beaches and diving while Sri Lanka is just too windy to be in the sea during the monsoon.”

Jack’s notes: My understanding is that Koh Phangan’s (in)famous Full Moon Party is running again, which is good news for party animals! As a couple of other readers have noted, you should always do your research around island-hopping on the busier destinations like Koh Tao and Koh Phangan and read up on some safety advice ahead of travel.

Koh Phangan

💁 “I would recommend visiting Koh Lanta Island; it's beautiful and less touristy than the main cities. Also, Thai food is incredible: you have the classic green and red curry, mango sticky rice, and my favourite - the chicken coconut soup with galangal.”

🙋‍♂️ “Do a bike ride around the back streets of Bangkok.”

Jack’s notes: Grasshopper Adventures run night-time bike tours through Bangkok’s back streets, which is a great shout for seeing the city while avoiding the crowds and heat!

🙆‍♂️ “I have been to both, and both are beautiful, but I love the variety of Thailand, there’s so much depth and personality to the landscapes, so many things to see and so much to eat (or drink)!! Plus the people are lovely! I recommend the stunning little island of Koh Lipe in the far South West and, of course, the luscious Chiang Mai. It definitely gets my vote… can I come!?”

Jack’s notes: Group trip? Group trip!

Why not both?

And there we have it, readers - an epic contest between two incredible destinations, but your votes clinch it for Sri Lanka.

Of course, you could always follow the wise advice of one Detour reader and have it both ways:

🤷‍♀️ “Do what we did: 10 days all over Sri Lanka and then 4 days in southern Thailand next to a beach relaxing!”

Looking for advice on an upcoming trip, or interested in seeing a country covered in an upcoming Detour? Just let us know!

Our Pick of the Clicks

All the important (or silly, or strange) travel news from across the web this week.

• Fancy a move abroad? The island of Montserrat is looking for remote workers, the BBC reports. (See you at the airport.)
• If you’ve ever watched a flight safety video and dreamt of going ‘Wheeeee’ as you jump down the evacuation slide, then CNN has just the article for you.
• After four long years, the President of Mexico has given up on selling his luxury Boeing jet - so instead he’s opening it up for weddings and parties.
• Here are some of the best train journeys in Europe (so says Lonely Planet).
• According to Wallethub, these are the most and least stressed states in the USA - so if you want a relaxing break, maybe head to Utah, not Louisiana.
• And a bit grim, this - 500 ‘ghost flights’ flew out of the UK in October-December 2021, piling up carbon emissions unnecessarily.

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