Habarana - The Gateway to Central Sri Lanka’s Biggest Attractions
Nearby to Dambulla, Sigiriya, and Polonnaruwa as well as the National Parks of Kaudulla and Minneriya, Habarana is the gateway to some of the highlights of central Sri Lanka. Read our guide to Habarana, our accommodation and the food we ate!
Habarana in Sri Lanka’s central region is a popular rest stop or overnight stay for tourists for visiting the national parks, ancient cities and the ruins of Sigiriya rock. But what is there other than the hotels and resorts? How do you get to this convenient little town? What is there to eat there? We spent a few days getting to know Habarana and finding out its many hidden charms!
In this Habarana visitors guide:
Disclosure: This article may contain affiliate links. We will earn a small commission from any purchases made through these links.
How to get to Habarana?
After finally tearing ourselves away from spending a fortnight on Uppuveli Beach (and in Fernando’s Bar), we jumped on a bus from Trincomalee bus station to Habarana Junction.
Say what you like, you can never accuse Sri Lanka’s buses of being boring. On this journey, we had the honour of inducting two other travellers to the delights of bus riding in this wonderful country. Hopping onto one of the brightly painted blue buses, we settled in for our short two-and-a-bit-hour journey. Our two companions were worried as our bags were stored at the front (next to the driver) but their bags had been removed. This is very common, and we reassured them that their bags were still on the bus, albeit probably next to the engine! The bus was, roughly speaking, about nine million degrees centigrade as it had been sitting for hours at Trincomalee bus stop soaking in the morning sun. The large public and private buses have no air-conditioning, the temperature control is done exclusively by having all their windows and doors open. This is not a problem when the bus is moving, indeed it's actually nicer than the more expensive air-conditioned buses. However, when stationary, waiting in the baking sun, the bus becomes a giant oven. Marinating in our own sweat we eventually set off. As the engine roared to life, so did the entertainment for our journey. I turned to our friends and said: “I didn’t mention the music did I?” Sri Lankan buses blast loud music for the entire duration of the journey, this combined with the disco balls, multi-coloured flashing lights and smoking incense have truly earned them the term party buses! This all came as a little bit of a shock to our new travel friends.
After our loud, bumpy, and very fast bus journey we arrived into Habarana. A quick exit from the bus and a farewell to our travel companions, we hoisted up our backpacks and set off to check into our accommodation.
Getting to Habarana by bus
If you’re planning on heading to Habarana by bus like we did, the town is easily accessible by bus from all the major towns and cities in Sri Lanka. Whether you’re planning to head straight to Habarana from the capital of Colombo, south from the beaches of Trincomalee or north from the cultural capital of Kandy, wherever you are in the country, there’s almost certainly going to be a bus bound for Habarana!
For most of the bus routes in Sri Lanka there is no way to book tickets in advance. By far, the easiest way to buy tickets is just to head to the local bus station, ask around and it’s certain you’ll be pointed in the right direction by a friendly member of staff.
If you’re coming straight from Kandy, there are plenty of buses that ply this route. Just head down to Kandy’s Bus Station in the centre of the city, or head over to 12Go to book Kandy to Habarana mini-van tickets in advance.
Once you arrive in Habarana, you’ll almost certainly be dropped off at the Habarana Junction bus stop just off the crossroads in the middle of Habarana (found here on Google Maps). From here, you can easily hail a tuk tuk to take you on to your hotel.
Getting to Habarana by train
Habarana has a small train station that sits on the Colombo to Trincomalee and the Maho to Batticaloa train lines. You can find Habarana Railway Station on Google Maps here. If you are looking at getting a train to Habarana, just be warned that there are not many trains per day and they frequently arrive very late in the night / early in the morning. You can check out the full train schedule here.
Train tickets go on sale 30 days before the date of departure and they can sell out extremely fast so make sure you book your tickets as soon as you can. From Colombo it will take around 4 to 6 hours (depending on the train) to reach Habarana Railway Station.
There is also another train station nearby, the Gal Oya Railway Station (sometimes spelt Galoya Train Station) which is located around a 30 minute drive away from the town of Habarana.
Getting to Habarana by private taxi
For those who would prefer the luxury of travelling in a car and have someone take you straight to your hotel in Habarana, then you can easily book a private taxi online . Our recommendation is to head over to 12Go to book a private taxi in advance of your trip.
Book your private taxi from Colombo to Habarana
Book your private taxi from Kandy to Habarana
What to do in Habarana? How to visit Sri Lanka’s Cultural Triangle highlights
As Habarana sits right in the middle of Sri Lanka’s famous Cultural Triangle, the town is a perfect spot to make camp and base yourself in for a few nights or more. The central region of Sri Lanka has so many things to see and do, you could easily spend a whole fortnight just exploring this region. We managed to see a lot of the Cultural Triangle highlights ourselves, but even with our 3 months in Sri Lanka there’s still plenty more we would love to see.
We only left our comfy accommodation in Habarana as we had a stay booked in Roy’s famous hostel in Sigiriya but next time we’re in Sri Lanka, we’ll plan to base ourselves for longer in Habarana.
To get to all these sites we’ve listed below, you will need to arrange a tuk tuk driver or a tour. You can easily book this through your accommodation, or just head down the main Habarana strip and pop into any of the tour agencies.
Here’s our recommendations on everything there is to see and do close to Habarana:
Spot elephants on a safari in Kaudulla National Park
A short drive away from Habarana (around 30 minutes) you’ll find two of Sri Lanka’s National Parks: Kaudulla National Park and Minneriya National Park. Depending on the time of year, you can easily arrange a 4x4 safari to take you around the park where you’ll get the chance to spot some of Sri Lanka’s amazing elephants! We did just this and had an epic afternoon spotting hundreds and hundreds of elephants. To find out all you need to know about taking a safari in Sri Lanka, head over to our Kaudulla National Park guide.
Explore the hidden jungle ruins of Ritigala
Some of the best moments when travelling is when you go somewhere where you have absolutely no idea what is there! This was Ritigala for us. After hastily scribbling down just the name before we departed, we were scrolling through Google Maps and spotted Ritigala on the map. We quickly arranged a tuk tuk driver to take us there and honestly, our day out in Ritigala was one of our most favourite memories of the whole of our trip to Sri Lanka. For those who don’t know, Ritigala Mountain is home to the ruins of Ritigala Monastery. Hidden on the slopes of the forested mountain, a small path snakes its way up passing by ancient ruins. We won’t spoil it any further but if we’ve intrigued you, make sure you take a look at our full Ritigala travel guide.
The Lion Rock of Sigiriya
Honestly, if you’re planning a trip to Sri Lanka, the one place you absolutely must visit is the Lion Rock of Sigiriya. Nothing quite prepares you for this incredible ancient fortress. The fortress sits on top of an impossibly tall rock that from the top has incredible 360 degree panoramic views out over Central Sri Lanka. We honestly loved our time at the Lion Rock that we ended up visiting twice during our 3 month stay in Sri Lanka!
If you’re planning a trip, check out our full travellers guide to the Lion Rock of Sigiriya where we share everything you need to know including ticket prices, what not to miss and more.
Pidurangala Rock
Sitting almost opposite, Pidurangala Rock is the little sister of the Lion Rock. Once you’ve made it to the top of Pidurangala, you’re greeted by sweeping views out over the ancient fortress of Sigiriya. If you’re after the best view of Sri Lanka’s most famous attraction, Pidurangala has it! The best time to visit is at sunrise; to read all about our sunrise trip, check out our full Pidurangala Rock guide.
The Royal Cave Temples of Dambulla
The Dambulla Royal Cave Temples are a vast set of temples that sit carved into a rocky cliff that looks out over the town of Dambulla. The caves are fascinating and are adorned with some of the most amazing Buddhist statuary we have ever seen! To find out everything you need to know about visiting the caves, including our own experience, head over to our complete Dambulla Cave travel guide.
The ancient ruins of Anuradhapura Ancient City
Sitting an hour’s drive to the northwest is the ancient city of Anuradhapura. Sitting scattered over a vast site, the ruins of Sri Lanka’s first capital are amazing! The best way to see everything the site has to offer is to hire a bike and pedal your way around Anuradhapura. We did just this and had a brilliant time. To read more about our day exploring Anuradhapura and hear all about our bicycle escapades, make sure you check out our full Anuradhapura travel guide.
If you cannot make it to Anuradhapura, then there’s also another ancient city. The Polonnaruwa Ancient City is another hour's drive away from Habarana, this time to the southwest. Unfortunately, we didn’t make it here, but it’s definitely on the next time we’re in Sri Lanka list as if it's anything like Anuradhapura, we really need to see it!
Head to Sri Lanka’s cultural capital of Kandy
Kandy forms Sri Lanka’s southernmost point in the Cultural Triangle. Although not exactly close by (it is around a 3 hour drive away from Habarana), the cultural capital of Kandy is an absolute must stop on any Sri Lanka itinerary.
The city is home to the world famous Temple of the Sacred Tooth as well as a bustling market, botanical gardens, great food and plenty of other hidden treasures. Over our 3 month trip to Sri Lanka, we ended up visiting and staying in the city 4 times. To find out all there is to see, do and eat in the city, make sure you take a read of our full Kandy travel guide. From Kandy it’s only a short drive to the terrifyingly tall Ambuluwawa Tower!
To reach Kandy, you can either catch a local bus, mini-van or arrange a private taxi.
To check out all our Cultural Triangle articles, check out the widget below.
Guided tours and organised experiences
For those short on time and who want to pack a lot into their itinerary, then why not arrange a guided tour or organised trip from Habarana. The town is perfectly based within 30 minutes drive of the Dambulla Royal Cave Temples, the Lion Rock of Sigiriya and Pidurangala Rock and around an hour’s drive away from the ancient cities of Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa. Being so close to all these attractions means you can pack a lot into a short amount of time. Check out some of the experiences available from Habarana below:
🛺 Hop into a private tuk-tuk and explore the Sigiriya Fortress and the Dambulla Royal Cave Complex all in one day!
🐘 Jump into a 4×4 jeep and spot elephants on a private safari through Kaudulla National Park.
🍳 Learn how to cook up a Sri Lankan curry banquet with a local family and enjoy a traditional banana leaf curry feast.
🪷 Relax and enjoy a traditional Ayurvedic massage with lunch included at a local spa retreat.
To look at all the tours available and book your trip in advance, take a look at what is available on the GetYourGuide widget below:
Hotels, hostels and accommodation in Habarana
As we’ve mentioned throughout this article, Habarana is conveniently located near all of Central Sri Lanka’s most popular attractions and as such, it is well provided for in terms of places to stay. Whatever your budget, from basic backpacker to boujie boutique, Habarana will have somewhere for you to rest your head. Just note that some of the accommodation is set quite a long way out from the main strip in town, so if you’re wanting to be close to the main town of Habarana, plan accordingly.
Our favourite hotel - Dudley’s Nature Resort
📍Find Dudley’s Nature Resort on Google Maps
After ten days in the lovely, but very cheap and basic accommodation of the Wanderers Hostel in Uppuveli, we decided to splash the cash a little and treat ourselves to a nice room with a pool.
Dudley’s Nature Resort is a short, fifteen minute walk from the main Habarana strip. Set in lush jungle, with flowering orchids, an abundance of birds and the occasional langur monkey, Dudley’s was a calm little oasis. We say we splashed the cash, but honestly the accommodation, regardless of bougieness level, was still so cheap costing us only £22 a night for the both of us including breakfast!
The hotel gardens were beautiful; it was like a secret garden with winding paths that snaked past hidden hammocks, seating areas set next to small ponds before opening out to a large swimming pool. The pool itself was lovely, not heated, but in the central Sri Lankan sunshine there was no need for it to be. The pool was a welcome respite after a day out in the sun. Down another path was our nicely secluded room. The room was large, with two double beds (one for us and one for our pampered bags), a decent bathroom and air-conditioning. Breakfast was served in the garden in a reed thatched building open on all sides. Dudley himself is a retired chef, and the breakfasts served were incredible. Every morning we were treated to a different lavish feast; from the usual eggs and toast to string hoppers, roti, dals and sugary Sri Lankan treats.
Dudley’s was brilliant and after our frugal (but still lovely) beachside accommodation in Uppuveli, it felt like we were staying in the lap of luxury. After spending 3 months exploring Sri Lanka, the hotel is up there as one of our favourites in the whole of Sri Lanka.
Book your own stay at Dudley’s Nature Resort.
Other hotels and guesthouses in Habarana: Booking your own stay
Whatever your luxury needs, there’s a hotel or guesthouse for you. For an upmarket, luxurious stay in Habarana, check out the Habarana Village by Cinnamon or for a cheaper, more budget friendly guesthouse check out the Habarana Dulwan Guest House.
For all accommodation and to book your own stay during your trip to Sri Lanka, check out our handy accommodation map below.
Where to eat and drink in Habarana?
Habarana is unkindly (but not entirely inaccurately) written off in many tour guides as somewhere you stay, not somewhere you go. There are many, many resorts, guest houses and hotels, but not a lot of restaurants, bars or local attractions within the town itself. Habarana is well located and seems to be generally used as a base for expeditions to the surrounding area. The town runs down from a busy crossroads, along one main strip where you can find local street eats rubbing shoulders with more tourist friendly cafes and restaurants. Just off the main crossroads you’ll find a couple of ATMs, pharmacies and a small Cargill’s Express Food City to pick up any necessities.
Our favourite restaurants and cafes in Habarana
If you’re looking for somewhere to eat and drink, here are some of our favourite places we ate at:
Inspire Restaurant
📍Find the Inspire Restaurant on Google Maps
Shortly after jumping off our bus from Trincomalee, we stopped in at the Inspire Restaurant en route to our guest house. Our rumbling tummies permitting no further exertion until after they were satisfied. We ordered two vegetable rice and curries and two large bottles of water. We were swiftly presented with our plates and ushered towards the curry buffet. As with so many of our rice and curry meals, it was spicy, rich and hearty. Also much to John’s delight the buffet was unlimited! After many second helpings, we handed over 1600 LKR (a total bargain for the amount of food we consumed!). Fed, watered and energy restored we headed onto Dudley’s Resort.
Magic Food
📍Find the Magic Food Restaurant on Google Maps
Recommended by our hotel owner, Magic Kitchen is one of the larger restaurants on the Habarana strip and we ended up dining here twice.
The first time we ordered the devilled chicken and a chicken kottu. The chicken kottu was generously portioned, very filling and came out crowned with a fried egg. The devilled chicken was very much like a Sri Lankan sweet and sour chicken. We’re not sure where the “devil” was meant to be as it certainly wasn’t spicy, but the chicken was tender and tasty. The second time we visited, it was the anniversary of the opening of the restaurant and to celebrate we were treated to a massive buffet of nine clay pots of delicious curries. The curries on offer included vegetables (there was a great potato dish), fish and meat offerings as well as crispy poppadoms and steaming rice. The meal was finished off by a Sri Lankan take on a creme caramel; instead of sugar, it was doused in sweet coconut syrup. Of the limited dinner options available in Habarana, Magic Food is definitely a reliable choice!
Other restaurants in Habarana
For an upmarket take on a rice and curry buffet (but still equally delicious) head over down the road to the aptly named Curry and Rice Habarana Restaurant which serves both vegetarian and chicken rice and curry plates alongside other Sri Lankan favourites. If you’re after dinner with a bottle of Lion Beer, head over to Mom’s Kitchen Restaurant who serves up kottu and roti alongside the backpacker favourites of fried rice and noodles.
Local Sri Lankan eats in Habarana
Enticed off the street by a smiling elderly gentleman, we stepped into a darkened local restaurant (there is no Google listing for this one - it is on the street opposite Cargills supermarket).
The elderly owner who seemed overjoyed at successfully bringing us in, immediately set about laying a table. Washing his finest crockery and even unboxing a new set of glasses he then served up some very delicious hoppers (both egg and plain) accompanied with a spicy chilli sambal.
This place really won our hearts and we wish we had found it earlier in our Habarana trip as we would have definitely eaten here more than once. The people were so friendly and the food was absolutely not watered down in any attempt to accommodate “Western” tastes - in other words the sambal was deliciously spicy! Before leaving, the wife of the owner suddenly appeared with a tiny bouquet of flowers from her garden and proudly gave them to Ellie. This was all after we had paid the bill (the heady sum of 800 LKR) and was such a lovely surprise!
Throughout all of our Sri Lankan adventures, the very best of our food discoveries have always been in the local restaurants. Don’t ever be put off by the darkened interior, the basic furniture or open kitchens, these are always the best places to eat. At the time of writing, in the nearly three months we’ve been in Sri Lanka, we have eaten at scores of these restaurants and (touch wood) have never had even the slightest hint of a dodgy belly.
Sri Lankan street food and snacks in Habarana
Opposite the Magic Food restaurant is a small bakery that was very popular with passing Sri Lankan tour groups. Seeing how popular it was with the locals, we decided we needed to try it, so one afternoon we popped in to pick up some snacks. We bought samosas, egg rolls and vegetable rotis. The owner checked that we were okay with them being very spicy and we of course said yes, although this may have been slightly over confident on our part. The egg rolls were delicious and at some point in the next hour we began to regain feelings other than fire in our mouths. Okay that was a slight exaggeration, but the food was delicious, very spicy and filled to the brim with potato and vegetable curry. Inexpensive and filling, this was a definite win.
In the evenings, there are several food carts that open up along the strip. Calling these carts may be a little misleading; imagine somebody built a shed that was exactly big enough for one man to stand up in, and you’ve got the idea. These stalls sold delicious crispy treats, usually variations on the theme of deep fried chickpea flour with chilli, salt and assorted vegetables. These were super cheap and really moreish! Surprisingly the dried deep fried chillies weren’t too spicy, but were smoky and crunchy. We could imagine these deep fried snacks would make excellent drinking food.
Final thoughts
Habarana is an excellent staging post for the surrounding attractions within the Cultural Triangle. We used the town as a base to take a safari trip and to venture up to the Ritigala Monastic ruins. Although there isn’t much to Habarana itself we think it’s unfair to write it off completely. There’s so much to do in and around the town, that it’s a fantastic place to make a base plus we did find some great food - we’re looking at you Mr Egg-Hoppers man. Our advice would be to find a lovely little retreat to head back to as after such busy days, you’ll want somewhere comfy to escape back to. Luckily for us, Dudley’s fitted the bill perfectly!
Thanks for reading,
John & Ellie x
#adventuresofjellie
The Lions Rock fortress of Sigiriya is Sri Lanka’s most iconic landmark. The legendary ruins are a must see for any traveller. Read our guide for all of the essential information as well as our honest thoughts on visiting this incredible ancient monument.