#srilanka #negombo #kandy #ella #udawalawe #mirissa #hikkaduwa #srilankatrip #srilankasafari #waterfalls #teaplantations #mirissabeach
Sri Lanka, the trendy travel destination of 2018, where people who knew nothing about the country became intrigued, took a chance and fell in love with it in no time. From mountains, tea plantations and fishing villages to waterfalls, jungle safaris and some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, this small island-country has a lot to show!
With a population of 22.4 million people, Sri Lanka is about the same size as Ireland and could fit into China 146 times! But with such diverse natural beauty, it is no wonder so many people live in this unassuming and underrated island.
Contents
Day 1:
Day 2:
Day 3:
Day 4:
Day 5:
Day 6:
Day 7:
Day 8:
Is it similar to India?
So many people have asked this question and although each country is unique, Sri Lanka has often been titled 'the cleaner and less crowded entrée to India' so if you're considering a trip to India and not so sure then why not try out a beautiful taster first?
I mean endless beaches, lush scenery, friendly people, irresistible food, world famous tea, super cheap prices and exciting transport methods, what could possibly stop you from visiting such a fascinating country?
How long do you need?
You really need at least 2 weeks to see enough of what this island has to offer but if you follow the itinerary I created based on my recent trip there, I am confident that you can see the country in just 1 week! (Be warned, you will fall in love with it and be left thirsty for more!)
But first, logistics!
How to get around
For a true taste of the Sri Lankan experience you should take the scenic train rides, crazy (borderline life-threatening) bus trips, cheap and picturesque taxi rides and bumpy but fun tuk tuks.
TAXI: If you've only got a week and have a packed itinerary, there is not a lot of time to lose so taxi is the best way to go. The country is packed full of taxi drivers so you will never have trouble finding one. My best advice would be to find a taxi driver in your first destination and stick with him for your whole trip. You'd be surprised at how willing they are to leave their home and family for a few days and travel around the country with you for money that may not seem a lot to you but will go far for them. You can bargain for a great price that way (even though it is already so cheap, and I'm talking $30AUD each for a 3 hour taxi ride for 2 people!)
BUS: If you've ever seen Harry Potter then the night bus is EXACTLY the same. Overcrowded to the point that there is no space to put your own feet, the wind blowing your hair into everyone's sweaty faces while the bus flies around cliff side corners way too fast for comfort. Meanwhile they blare melodramatic Sri Lankan sitcoms on tv screens, where the ex girlfriend murders the main character for cheating and you can't help but see what happens next!...Yep, it definitely keeps your heart beating but is such a hilarious and unique experience!
Be aware that when waiting at the bus stop, the bus won't actually stop for you so if you snooze you lose! It'll slow down to about 10km/hr, the bus conductor yells words at you that you can't understand as he grabs your luggage and you have to hop on with one leg still on the ground while you spot your luggage through the window flying in the wind (held precariously by the conductor's 2 fingers on the handle).
TRAIN: Named the most scenic train ride in the world, the journey from Kandy to Ella is supposed to be stunning with views of luscious hills, trickling waterfalls and verdant tea plantations. However, choose your time wisely!
So much research went into making sure I DID NOT miss out on this breathtaking train ride. I joined 'Sri Lanka for the traveller' Facebook group (highly recommend if you have any questions in the lead up to or during your trip). I took all the advice, booked my 2nd class ticket in advance and turned up at the station early to make sure I would get a good viewing seat. Unfortunately, fate was against us as school holidays meant the train was packed full before it even arrived at our stop in Kandy and we found ourselves squished far inside, nose to nose, sweating bullets with no view of outside. I was #devastated to say the least.
Do note that the Sri Lankans know their own train system back to front so when it gets busy they are super sneaky and pass their bags through windows to save their seat before they've even boarded!
TRAIN SYSTEM:
The train system runs on a 1st, 2nd and 3rd class system. First class is air conditioned and have comfortable seats set up in a two-by-two format; third class is the more authentic experience set up in booths with less personal space but among the locals so we opted for second class ($2 for a 7 hour trip) which was supposed to be the most vibrant, authentic and scenic option. In retrospect it was the same as 3rd class - so overcrowded that about 10 locals were hanging out the door, holding on for dear life! In the humidity and claustrophobia of it all, we lasted 45 minutes then gave up and completed the rest of the journey in a breezy, spacious and just as scenic 7-seater taxi van in half the time!
I would love to go back and give the train journey another shot but just make sure you visit at a less busy time for that picturesque, insta-worthy experience we're all looking for!
TUK TUKS:
Tuk tuks are omnipresent in Sri Lanka, you will fall asleep at night with the 'Tuk tuk! You want tuk tuk, very cheap!' still chanting on and on in your head. They are fun, bumpy and cheap (~$3 for a 15 min ride) so ideal for short distances (eg from your accommodation to a beach a few kms away) but a little too slow for longer distances.
Where to stay
As with most other countries in South Asia, a very high proportion of Sri Lankans rely on tourism for money so you will not have trouble finding a guesthouse. Due to this high prevalence of guesthouses, you will find the service to be of the best quality with super cheap prices as all the guesthouse hosts are vying for your attention! I'd highly recommend staying in a guesthouse rather than a hotel or hostel as you will definitely get the most authentic Sri Lankan experience!
The Sri Lankans are the most welcoming, accommodating and friendly people you will ever meet and there is a guesthouse on every corner so just find any on Booking.com and I assure you that you'll feel part of the family you're staying with! We didn't pay more than $17 a night on our week long trip and all of our stays were in excellent locations, had air-conditioning or fans, swimming pools, wifi and delicious home cooked breakfasts and dinners included! We booked all of our guesthouses on booking.com and this search bar to the right will take you to the best deals (compared to all the other booking websites) with the easiest booking system I have ever experienced. You don't even have to pay until later!
I highly recommend the following guesthouses for the excellent service that we experienced:
Negombo: 'Manik Home Stay'
Beautiful family with 2 cute kids, grandma who cooks you breakfast, mum who stayed up super late for our arrival from the airport and dad who gave us great transport tips and rides!
Kandy: 'Muduna Walawwa Resort'
There weren't as many home stays in Kandy that weren't located at the top of the hill and far from the town so we chose this resort. It was spacious, had a well-kept luscious jungle-like atmosphere, plenty of guidebooks, a helpful reception desk, tuk tuk services and a swimming pool to cool off in!
Ella: 'Sunbeam Home Stay'
Probably our favourite home stay! Located right in the centre of town, only a 400m walk to Ella Spice garden and just a 2km walk from Nine Arch Bridge and Little Adam's peak; with comfy beds, mosquito nets and a massive breakfast with endless tea, fresh fruit, cooked omelettes and coconut sugar saffron pancakes!
Udawalawe: 'The Jungle Book'
Just $8 a night ($4 each!), this family were so hospitable that they even drove me to the local hospital for free when I had a fever, they cooked us a massive traditional vegetarian banquet dinner and organised our safari for us at a super cheap price! And located very close to Udawalawe National park for the safari. Probably the best value for money on our whole trip!
Mirissa beach: 'Feathered Nest'
A 5 min walk to the beach, superb breakfast, comfy beds with mosquito nets and so hospitable he let me borrow his flip flops during our stay and even let us use the shower after we had already checked out.
Overall route for 1 week trip
From fishing village to mountains and tea plantations to the jungle to the South-West coast beaches!
Negombo > Kandy > Ella > Udawalawe > Mirissa beach
Day 1: Arrive
If you're flying from Australia, chances are you'll arrive late at night into Bandaranaike International Airport (and will want to get straight to your accommodation for some much needed rest after a tiring flight).
Bandaranaike International Airport is only a 20 min drive to Negombo town, whereas it is about 35km from Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka. Negombo is much less crowded and a more serene place to stay, avoiding the sudden shock of arriving and scrambling to find accommodation in the crowded craziness of Colombo city.
Most International flights into Sri Lanka arrive at night time so you'll probably hit the hay straight away.
Day 2: Negombo & travel to Kandy
After enjoying a home cooked breakfast of coconut roti, fresh fruit, eggs and always English Breakfast tea, a luxury you'll get used to looking forward to every single morning, check out Negombo beach.
Not quite a swimming or sun baking beach but ideal for a morning run/stroll, you will probably make friends with locals and dogs. SO MANY DOGS. Everywhere. All over the country!
Next, grab a taxi (most home stays also have a taxi service because #tourism) to Negombo fish market, where you will watch the locals, ankle-deep in water, throwing fishing nets across the water to catch as many as they can!
If you wander through the fish market you will find a never-ending array of fish, laid out to dry, violently being cut up for curing or for selling, being extracted from nets, being transferred into large buckets or even swung in your face if you didn't already get a whiff of that fishy odour!
You will also find smiley local ladies dressed in colourful dresses selling vegetables and bright orange King coconuts (you will find these everywhere and will soon discover how much you rely on them! They are THAT refreshing). It won't take long for the fishy smell gets overwhelming so it's time to head to Kandy!
About a 3 hour ride in the comfort of your taxi, arrive and spend the afternoon chilling in the pool (see 'Where to Stay' as the pool was much needed!).
We were lucky to be in Sri Lanka during the Kandy Esala Perahera Festival, one of the oldest and grandest Buddhist festivals in Sri Lanka. Never have I seen such a large gathering of locals in one spot. The festival is celebrated to honour the Sacred Tooth Relic, the 4 guardian gods and to beseech blessings of the gods to obtain rain.
It was a very cultural experience watching the parade of musicians, dancers and elephants in their intricate, colourful and jingly outfits but be warned that once you're there it is IMPOSSIBLE to leave until it's completely over as the parade spreads across about 6 blocks surrounding Kandy town centre. We were stuck right in the middle of it, providing front row seats but we couldn't leave for 4 hours.
Day 3 Explore Kandy & travel to Ella
Temple of the tooth
Opens at 5:30am so there is plenty of time to see this ancient relic and get #cultured
Kandy Market
If you enjoy the haggling that goes on in Bangkok, Hanoi and the like then you'll love Kandy market! As you wander along the stalls upon stalls of red, yellow and green bananas, papayas, pineapples and watermelons, you'll be greeted by smiley Sri Lankan shop owners forcing sweet mango into your hand to try.
Here, you will get a good taste of the negotiation and persuasive sales techniques as the locals try their best to convince you to purchase Sri Lankan soccer jerseys, rainbow scarves and king coconut oil to help your hair grow!
As with the rest of Asia, the stalls all sell the same thing which is why they test their charm on you with their convincing 'special price for you, my friend' to beat the others to your wallet!
You will come across the dangling packets of every possible spice...saffron, paprika, dill seeds, mustard seeds, coriander seeds...which make for a great souvenir, especially in a country full of spice gardens, all with their unique healing properties!
Ranweli spice garden tour
This is very worthwhile. You will be taken on a tour of the beautiful spice garden full of vanilla, cardamon, cinnamon, nutmeg, turmeric...you'll be given a free hand massage and tea samples in addition to a very comprehensive explanation of the healing properties of each spice, whether it's to heal your wounds, prevent cancer or even make you wiser!
Be aware that the tour ends at an expensive shop where there have been stories of tourists being forced to buy products or using the 'free massage' as a not-so-free way to make you pay a large donation. However, we were lucky with our kind tour guide and were quickly on our way to Ella!
If you visit Sri Lanka during less busy times, avoiding school holidays, then you're probably interested in 'the most scenic train ride in the world' which is a 7 hour train journey from Kandy to Ella - see 'How to get around' for these details.
However, our trusty taxi man (aka 'Sri Lankan Dad number 1') drove us all the way to Ella. This 3 hour journey was split up with a visit to Blue field tea factory.
Blue Field tea factory
Perched on a 1.2km high mountain, surrounded by the lush peaks of picturesque Nuwara Eliya, you will learn everything about the green, black and white tea sourced from it's very own 20 hectare tea plantation. You may be able to spot ladies picking tea leaves in the fields as the company employs 350 workers from 160 local families so over a thousand people rely on this estate. Since 70% of tea produced here is exported to places like Australia and the UK, each lady is expected to pick 20kg of tea leaves per day! I mean, name a British citizen who DOESN'T drink English Breakfast tea...bet you didn't know English breakfast was actually Sri Lankan!
The machines are massive and ancient, look out for the machine that was built by the same company as the titanic!
On your tour of the factory, you will be well looked after by a very informative guide who will answer all of your questions, show you each step of the manufacturing process in action and let you taste different tea flavours, all for free! Enjoy a free cup of English Breakfast in the air conditioned cafe before you leave.
Now we're back on track to Ella town. If you have more than a week then Nuwara Eliya, often referred to as 'Little England' is a cool escape up in the central highlands with more tea than you've ever seen before!
Ella
Ella is a small, laid-back town in the midst of forest, spice gardens and mountains. If you were wondering where all the tourists were then you will find them all here, spread across the hip rooftop bars and restaurants sipping fresh fruit juices or cocktails while taking in the sunset. Not many better places to be!
Day 4 Little Adam's Peak, Demodara Nine Arch Bridge & Ella Spice garden Tour
Ella was my favourite place in Sri Lanka because of all the activities that you can do there, all within close vicinity of each other. For this reason we spent 2 nights (compared to just one at everywhere else thus far).
Little Adam's Peak
The best way to start the day is to hike up this mountain before it gets too hot so first thing in the morning. (Note: If you want to climb Adam's peak, then you actually climb this from Delhousie, a village in Nuwara Eliya District.) Little Adam's peak, the smaller version of Adam's peak, is a very manageable hike and doesn't take very long. It's about a 45 minute walk from Ella town to the foot of the mountain and another 15 minutes to the top. If you really need a coffee then 98 Acres Resort has great mountain views to enjoy while regaining some energy.
Once you've made friends with other travellers at the peak, stroked some stray dogs and taken your #missionaccomplished photos (or falling off the top of the mountain #lionking pics...#dontyouturnyourbackonmescar) you can make your way to Nine Arch Bridge, which is on the way back to Ella town.
Demodara Nine Arch Bridge
About a 30 minute walk through the lush vegetation (easy to navigate by a mostly marked out path) this 30 metre high, world famous bridge is a sight to behold! Surrounded by verdant tea plantations and hills, walk across the train tracks on the bridge to the tunnel on the other side.
The train from Kandy to Ella will pass here 6 times a day at every hour but sometimes change so check with your guesthouse if you want to see the train pass by! Don't worry about waiting as there is plenty to do such as taking photographs and sipping a refreshing king coconut (or feeding them to the dogs!).Sunrise is the best time to visit the bridge if you want to avoid all the tourists.
Ella Spice Garden Tour
The Spice garden was just a 200m walk from our guest house and was a lovely way to spend an easy afternoon (a relaxing activity to do after hopping off the 7 hour train ride from kandy!). Scroll up to 'Where to stay' for details on staying in the best location.
A very knowledgeable and friendly tour guide takes you around the small spice garden, showing you all the natural spices used in traditional Sri Lankan curries and chai tea. It's pretty cool to see the cinnamon, turmeric, vanilla pod and cardamon plants in their original form.
You can even do a cooking class here, which I've heard is very entertaining and educational! Make sure you book the day before to reserve your spot.
Spend the rest of the evening sipping cocktails, enjoying traditional Sri Lankan roti and meeting fellow travellers at one of the many laid back restaurants or bars in Ella town.
Day 5 Refreshing swim in Ravana waterfall & travel to Udawalawe
Ravana waterfall
This was one of my absolute favourite activities in Sri Lanka and super easy to get to. The first time we caught the 30 cents, 10 minute local bus from Ella town, it was raining so the waterfall was more of a gushing river that we would've probably drowned in!
So we came back the next morning around 8am, it was sunny, calm and pleasant and the best part was having the whole waterfall to ourselves (for the first hour at least!). Then all the locals come in for a dip, full-clothed and will always pick on the most touristy looking person to start splashing! It's a lot of fun, you make plenty of friends and you get a refreshing natural shower!
Surrounding the waterfall are stalls selling corn and local tuk tuk drivers who will come up to you asking for a coin from your country to add to their daughter's international coin collection. I thought this was sweet so come to the waterfall with some spare coins if you've got any, which appear to be very valuable to them.
After we'd had our fair share of splish splash, we caught the local bus back to Ella town, packed up and headed straight to Udawalawe (about a 3 hour drive), driven by Sri Lankan Dad!
There isn't much to see in Udawalawe as the main reason to come here is for the safari so once arrived, we settled in, got some safari snacks from the local shop and got an early night for an early start.
If we had more time in Ella...
Other activities to do in Ella
Diyaluma falls: Takes a whole day: 1 hour drive out of Ella to the base, another 30 min drive to the top plus hiking/exploring time!
Lipton’s Seat in Haputale: Train and tuk tuk ride away to see never-ending tea plantations.
Ella Rock: We were planning to do this hike but unfortunately my knee injury stopped us from going the whole way. Do it first thing in the morning for amazing panoramic views at the top as it takes 1.5 – 2 hours to climb.
Day 6 Safari at Udawalawe National Park!
Our guesthouse family were so helpful, they organised our safari for us for a special price (cheaper when you pair up with other travellers to fill all 6 seats in the jeep). It ended up being just $50 per person for a 4 hour safari, not bad! The whole trip including pick-up from your guesthouse, driving to the National Park, the safari and dropping back home takes 4 hours from 5am to 9am so bring snacks!
Safari at Udawalawe National Park
The safari was awesome! We saw monkeys, deer, crocodiles, buffalo, chameleons, dazzling bee eaters (tiny colourful birds), field mice, a jackal and plenty of Sri Lankan elephants (and baby elephants too!) It was a bit of a wait to actually get into the National park after all the jeeps had to show everyone's passports (bring this along!) at the ticket office and the jeep queue was massive. However, the wait was worth it as Udawalawe National Park safari is said to be the best one in Sri Lanka because you get right up close to the animals.
The jeep driver is super talented at spotting animals in the bush and will customise the safari to suit you so if you want to spend more time with elephants he will go to the spots with lots of elephants. The ride is comfortable but bumpy and long and you're not allowed to exit the vehicle until you're dropped back home so make sure you go to the bathroom beforehand!
Once you've been dropped back home, fill up on a scrumptious breakfast provided by your guesthouse family because our trusty taxi driver (who has been alongside us since Kandy!) is taking us on yet another 3 hour journey all the way to Mirissa beach, close to the southern most tip of the country. Be prepared for long rides if you want to see the country, the scenery is beautiful and makes the time go faster.
Of course there are plenty of places to stop along the way for a $2.50 buffet lunch (heads up: they eat with their hands in Sri Lanka so prepare to get your hands covered in curry and chilli sauce! But don't worry, cutlery is provided too!)
Mirissa beach
Once arrived, the first thing we did was obviously head to the world famous Mirissa beach. Now, you may be used to being disappointed from the polluted, warm and super salty beaches often found in some areas of Asia including Phuket and Bali but the beaches here will definitely not disappoint! Comparable to those of Australia, the beaches in Sri Lanka are clean, fresh and beautiful to swim, surf, sun bathe and body surf in.
If you're looking for a surfing trip, Aragum bay, Elephant Rock, Pottuvil Point and Okanda in the East coast are ideal with Midigama, Weligama, Hikkaduwa and Unawatuna bay in the southwest coast. However, we still saw kids surfing at the end of Mirissa beach too.
If you're looking for some local, fresh fruit to snack on (a must-do as the fruit is super sweet and fresh!), you'll find all the mangoes, bananas, mangostines, papayas, soursops, pineapples, rhambutans and custard apples you're looking for in street stalls set up along the walk to the beach. Great for a beach picnic!
Parrot Rock
Spend the rest of the afternoon at Mirissa beach and walk up to Parrot rock, which is a great lookout for sunset. It is really windy but provides a beautiful view of Mirissa from above.
A handful of popular, candle lit restaurants are located on Mirissa beach. They have a chilled, laid back vibe with background music beats, bars and even dance floors. They serve all sorts of traditional and western meals and drinks so pick one, make some friends and sip cocktails while watching the waves crash into the night.
Day 7 Mirissa beach & Galle seaside town
Mirissa beach palm trees
Start the day off with a morning walk along the whole length of Mirissa beach, all the way to the famous Instagram Photo spot - actually the most instagrammed photo taken in Sri Lanka with the palm trees blowing in the wind at a pointy hilltop.
Lean on a tree, handstand against it, climb it, do whatever it takes to make this clichéd insta slightly original. Along this walk to the point, watch out for falling coconuts as locals expertly climb the super tall palm trees to collect them.
Galle seaside town
Just a half an hour bus ride away. You can take a tuk tuk ride around the Dutch fort or walk along the stone seaside wall surrounding the fort. This is where you'll find snake charmers and dancing monkeys tied to trees by a rope, which is quite confronting and sad to see. Unfortunately, this is how some people make money.
This is also where we saw a very old fashioned looking Sri Lankan movie being filmed with their elaborate costumes and knights in armour...we actually made friends with the very humble main actress!
If you're interested in architecture, this is where the buildings reflect Portugese, Dutch and British rule. Look out for Galle Lighthouse, which stands on the fort’s southeast tip, as well as the 18th-century Dutch Reformed Church.
We spent out final night at Hikkaduwa beach, staying in a friend's house right on the beach.
Day 8: Hikkaduwa & Dalawella beaches
Hikkaduwa beach
I highly recommend staying on Hikkaduwa beach as goes for miles and miles so you are bound to find yourself in spot that is deserted, making it seem like you've got the beach to yourself! The waves are constant, clear and turqouise, perfect way to start the day!
If you catch a tuk tuk further down Hikkaduwa beach, where the restaurants are located, here is where you can bargain for a boat to take you out to the top snorkelling spots.
They'll supply snorkels but I recommend taking your own if you don't want to be stuck with a broken one that constantly fills up with water! You'll get a better deal with 4 people so make some friends and hop on board.
Hikkaduwa beach is also where we saw the largest sea turtle I have ever seen. It just swam close to the shore and the locals were feeding it seaweed. Super tame around all the tourists, it swam into everyone, popped it's head out the water a few times and fed from everyone's hands. They said that it was 150 years old! That was a definite highlight of the trip.
Dalawella Beach ('The Swing')
If you're interested in taking that classic tree swing pic seen all over the gram then the palm-fringed, sandy Dalawella Beach beach is the place to go. Just ask any tuk tuk driver to take you to 'THE Swing' and he'll know exactly what you're talking about.
Since it's that popular, some bright spark decided to charge each tourist $5 for a ride on the swing - #genius idea if you ask me!
Regardless of the background you will get a cool shot, whether it be an endless row of palm trees down the beach on one side or the sunset reflecting on the water from the other side. Pay once and you get as many turns as you like! Swinging high above the water is a lot of fun and gives you that adrenaline rush you need!
At Dalawella beach you will also find poles sticking out of the water and wonder what they are. These are the sticks that fisherman perch on top of when fishing. If you've got the upper body strength then feel free to sit on top of one in true Sri Lankan style!
If we had more time...
Other things to do from Mirissa beach:
Unawatuna Bay: great for surfing
Whale watching: If you want to see whales, dolphins or turtles the best time for a whale watching tour is between November and March. These boat tours are quite cheap and can be organised by your guesthouse.
How to get to the airport
If you feel like saving money and travelling by a few different buses to the airport like we did, well this took 4 hours from Hikkaduwa so I suggest either spending your final night in Colombo if you've got a spare day or taking a taxi.
If you are interested in the schlep it took then catch a local bus (the crazy, bumpy and speedy one mentioned at the start of this blog under 'How to get around') from Hikkaduwa to Colombo then get off and transfer to the airport shuttle bus, which will take you directly to the airport. This second bus journey took a lot longer than expected so make sure you leave enough time!
Overall, the whole 4 hour journey to the airport only cost $4AUD but a lot of patience and doubt!
As with most beautiful travel destinations, you will almost always leave wanting more and in a country like Sri Lanka where there is plenty to do, we will definitely be back!
Other places to see in Sri Lanka
Temple of the sacred tooth relic, Kandy
Dambulla cave and temple, Kandy
Pinnawala elephant orphanage
Horton Plains National Park
Wilpatu National Park
World's End
Diyaluma waterfall
Sigiriya rock
Yala National park safari
Pettah market, Colombo
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