what awaits
surf. mountains. safari. parties. yeah, all of it.
surf and beach
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mountains and yoga
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safari
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solo was just the start.
sri lanka's south coast is the kind of place that makes you question why you're paying rent back home. warm water, palm-lined beaches, perfect beginner waves and sunsets that look suspiciously edited. whether you're standing up for the first time or just claiming a spot on the sand with a coconut in hand, this is where life slows down and the good stuff happens.
"how is this actually my life right now?"
welcome to sigiriya. home to a giant 200-metre rock fortress built by a king who decided a palace on top of a rock was a perfectly reasonable idea. hidden among jungle, ancient ruins and wild monkeys, this UNESCO-listed wonder is one of sri lanka's most iconic adventures, with sunrise views that make the early wake-up call worth it.
"hardly a history lesson. hardly leaving."
welcome to yala, where you're suddenly no longer at the top of the food chain. home to one of the world's highest densities of leopards, this wild corner of sri lanka is packed with elephants, sloth bears, crocodiles and enough wildlife encounters to fill your camera roll before breakfast.
"this isn't a zoo. there's no fence. the animals didn't get the itinerary."
sri lanka knows how to throw a party. one night you're dancing barefoot on the beach with people you met three days ago, the next you're on a boat in the indian ocean watching the sun disappear with a drink in hand. the best part? just good people, good music, warm nights and the kind of stories that get better every time they're retold.
"hardly sleeping. hardly leaving the dance floor."
one country. five locations. a mix that covers everything from big surf to quiet rainforest to nights that go way too long.
negombo to galle — one loop around the island. view the full interactive map →
worst case, you make a few friends.
that's also the best case. 😉
the people are everything. that's what hardly solo means. it's the friends you make over drinks at sunset. the high of being fully, stupidly present with people who get it, because they're living the exact same two weeks you are. you just can't believe this is your life right now.
hanging off the train, feeling the mountain breeze. yoga at sunrise with ella's mountains doing all the work so you don't have to. the karaoke nights, singing your heart out with your new harshest critics. these are the moments you won't forget.
sunset surf sessions where nobody's checking their phone because the swell is better than the signal. jeeps at dawn, engines off, everyone holding their breath because there's a leopard twenty metres away and nobody wants to be the one who scares it off.
15 days. five locations. endless shots.
last year, at thirty, i stopped waiting and just went. packed a bag, no plan, through the caribbean, europe and asia. i was terrified i'd be on my own the whole time. i wasn't. not even close. meeting the most incredible people around the world, turns out i was hardly solo.
but the idea didn't start there. it started in sri lanka, where i was born. we moved to sydney when i was five, but flew back every year. at eighteen i lived with my grandparents for six months, and that's when i fell for it properly. coastline that stops you mid-sentence. the mountains of ella at sunrise. leopards crossing dirt roads in yala. parties down south where the music carries over the water. and the people, who make you feel like family before they know your name.
two things i love more than anything: this island, and what happens when you stop waiting and just go.
so i put them together. me and my mum, around a kitchen table in sydney, building something for the person sitting at home right now who wants to see sri lanka but isn't sure where to start, who to go with, or if they'll meet anyone. we built hardly solo so the answer to all of it is simple. book the trip. we'll handle the rest. and on the other side, nineteen new mates are waiting.
this is home. we know every hidden beach and late-night spot, and we want to share it with you. not through a bus window. not on a cookie-cutter tour. through the best two weeks of your life, with people you didn't know you needed.
come solo. leave with mates.
dial our digits. or go old-school and flick us an email.
fill this in and we'll be in touch in a couple of days. no payment needed yet. just a conversation first.