[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":113},["ShallowReactive",2],{"page-en-\u002Fen\u002Fsri-lanka\u002Fbeste-hostels-in-sri-lanka":3,"related-en-\u002Fen\u002Fsri-lanka\u002Fbeste-hostels-in-sri-lanka":57},{"id":4,"title":5,"body":6,"description":29,"extension":30,"meta":31,"navigation":51,"path":52,"publicationDate":37,"seo":53,"sitemap":54,"stem":55,"__hash__":56},"content\u002Fen\u002Fsri-lanka\u002Fbeste-hostels-in-sri-lanka.md","Best hostels in Sri Lanka: honest tips from a backpacker",{"type":7,"value":8,"toc":25},"minimark",[9,13,16,19,22],[10,11,12],"p",{},"Sri Lanka has a hostel scene you wouldn't expect if you're going there for the first time. Not generic dorms with six floors and a flimsy locker door, but relatively small places with verandas above the jungle, owners who personally pick you up from the bus station and restaurants that just pull you in for the family meal. The good news: the best hostels in Sri Lanka are genuinely good at this. The bad news: there are quite a few that promise exactly that but don't deliver.",[10,14,15],{},"What follows is based on personal experience and stories from people I met during the trip. If multiple backpackers independently name the same hostel without me asking, that's usually a reliable sign.",[17,18],"hr",{},[20,21],"accommodation-hostel-list",{},[23,24],"related-articles",{},{"title":26,"searchDepth":27,"depth":27,"links":28},"",2,[],"Which hostels in Sri Lanka are actually worth it? Based on personal experience: Ella, Sigiriya, Kandy and Yala. Including what to avoid.","md",{"headerImage":32,"headerImageAlt":33,"headerText":34,"headerDescription":35,"slug":36,"updatedAt":37,"country":38,"type":39,"activeBreadcrumb":40,"readingTime":41,"tags":42},"i1fbyoqnf97q2xnvvhlh_irwwg5","Hostel terrace in Sri Lanka with a view of green mountains, best hostels Sri Lanka","Best \u003Cspan>hostels\u003C\u002Fspan> in Sri Lanka","Based on personal experience and stories from people I met along the way.","beste-hostels-in-sri-lanka","2026-05-16","sri-lanka","accommodation","Best hostels",6,[38,43,44,45,46,47,48,49,50],"accommodatie","hostels","backpacken","reistips","ella","sigiriya","kandy","yala",true,"\u002Fen\u002Fsri-lanka\u002Fbeste-hostels-in-sri-lanka",{"title":5,"description":29},{"loc":52},"en\u002Fsri-lanka\u002Fbeste-hostels-in-sri-lanka","gzfJM8BSKC3cmp3eoC666sWd61FJv0Tsb7kG3IpZ9sk",[58,76,96],{"path":59,"title":60,"description":61,"publicationDate":62,"meta":63,"_score":75,"_type":68},"\u002Fen\u002Fsri-lanka\u002Fstatus-treinreis-ella-kandy","Kandy to Ella train: current status 2026","The iconic Kandy-Ella train route is currently not running in full. Here's the current status, the best workaround and how to still take in that mountain scenery.","2026-05-18",{"slug":64,"updatedAt":62,"headerImage":65,"headerImageAlt":66,"headerText":67,"country":38,"type":68,"activeBreadcrumb":69,"tags":70},"status-treinreis-ella-kandy","photo-1754644581157-4c94e4e0fc3b_gfvpar","Train through the green hills between Nanu Oya and Ella in Sri Lanka","\u003Cspan>Train\u003C\u002Fspan> Kandy to Ella","practical","Train journey",[38,71,49,47,72,46,45,73,74],"treinreis","transport","nanu-oya","ambewela",5,{"path":77,"title":78,"description":79,"publicationDate":80,"meta":81,"_score":95,"_type":83},"\u002Fen\u002Fsri-lanka\u002Fwat-te-doen-in-sigiriya","What to do in Sigiriya, Sri Lanka: Pidurangala, Lion Rock and more","Sigiriya is not just about Lion Rock. Pidurangala, Minneriya and Dambulla make the area far more interesting. Honest tips without the fuss.","2026-05-22",{"slug":82,"updatedAt":80,"country":38,"type":83,"activeBreadcrumb":84,"readingTime":41,"headerImage":85,"headerImageAlt":86,"headerText":87,"headerDescription":88,"tags":89},"wat-te-doen-in-sigiriya","place","Sigiriya","photo-1580889272861-dc2dbea5468d_by6mf1","View of Lion Rock in Sigiriya, Sri Lanka from Pidurangala","What to do in \u003Cspan>Sigiriya\u003C\u002Fspan>","Pidurangala at sunrise, elephants in Minneriya and the cave temples of Dambulla. The honest story behind the most photographed rock in Sri Lanka.",[38,48,90,91,92,45,46,93,94],"lion-rock","pidurangala","culturele-driehoek","dambulla","minneriya",4,{"path":97,"title":98,"description":99,"publicationDate":100,"meta":101,"_score":112,"_type":106},"\u002Fen\u002Fsri-lanka\u002Feten-in-sri-lanka","Food in Sri Lanka: dishes and street food you have to try","A no-nonsense guide to eating in Sri Lanka. Which dishes and street food snacks are absolutely unmissable and what they cost.","2026-05-25",{"headerImage":102,"headerImageAlt":103,"headerText":104,"headerDescription":105,"updatedAt":100,"country":38,"type":106,"activeBreadcrumb":107,"readingTime":108,"tags":109},"photo-1742281095650-dd3c50c08772_gqpied","Sri Lankan dish served on a banana leaf","Food in \u003Cspan>Sri Lanka\u003C\u002Fspan>","Spicy, chaotic, and dirt cheap. These are the dishes you can't skip.","food","Food",7,[38,106,110,111],"street-food","budget",1,1780999736597]