You’ve booked our surf & yoga retreat and the countdown has started. It’s time to think about what you should pack in your bag for Sri Lanka.
Here’s a list of what we think you should bring:
- Sunscreen! Bring more than you think you’ll need. It’s really hard to find good water-resistant sunscreen here. We recommend organic from our friends over at EQ.
- Good swimwear. Bring several board shorts or swimsuits/bikinis so that you always have one that’s dry. There’s nothing worse than putting on a wet one when you’re heading out for a surf. For boardshorts, we love Patagonia, Rhythm or TCSS and for ladies surf wear we prefer Seea or Oy Surf apparel.
- Mosquito repellent!
- Clothes. Think layers. Sri Lanka is usually hot and humid with sometimes cooler evenings. For temple visits, it’s important to wear clothes that cover your knees and shoulders. No tank tops, cleavage or shorts. It’s good to bring a shawl that you can wear over your shoulders or around your waist. It’s also good to dress this way if you’re taking public transportation like bus or train. Oh and don’t forget to pack yoga clothes!
- Beach towel
- Tampons. Can be really hard to find here. Or even better start using a cup, better for the environment and works great to surf & yoga with. We like Shecup, which can also be found in Sri Lanka.
- Earplugs. For the trip here or to shut out the beautiful but sometimes loud sound of the jungle (birds, frogs, crickets)
- Sunglasses
- Some good reading. A few good books or magazines. Can recommend The Elephant Complex and Running in the Family to get a good read about Sri Lanka.
- A hat or a cap
We received some really nice bags from the travel company Away. They were here on the island writing for their travel magazine Here and gifted us The Large and The Bigger Carry On, both in the color Sand. We used them on our latest trip to Europe and they were perfect! We were a bit nervous the carry on would be rejected on Qatar Airways due to it being 4 centimeters bigger than what they say is ok, but as Away claimed – no one noticed!
Photos by Lachlan Dempsey & Linn Lundgren
