Building a travel itinerary on a far away country is not that easy. Where to start from ? What not to miss ? Try to see the most as possible and to relax at the same time... How to organize transportation ? What are the cheapest and safest solutions ?
I will share with you our two weeks itinerary in Sri Lanka, hoping to give you a good overview on what can be done on short holidays !
We build this itinerary ourselves to make sure we saw exactly what we wanted. Two weeks are enough to cover an important part of the country and to visit the major attractions. This itinerary is quite intense but completly doable. We woke up quite early in the morning every day but we enjoyed each day with new adventures or discoveries. Changing hotels almost every day is a bit frustrating as we missed some time to enjoy it completly. Therefore, this itinerary can suit a couple in good shape and with no child. However, two weeks are quite short, we had to make choices and unfortunatly erase from the list some points of interest. If you have the opportunity, I would recommend to stay 3 weeks to relax a bit more and add some not to be missed places. But if you still dream about Sri Lanka and can afford two weeks only, go for it !
Day 1 : Departure from Paris with Qatar Airways to Doha and with Sri Lankan Airlines to Colombo. Lucky us, we were upgraded in Business Class for Doha-Colombo flight :)
Day 2 : Early morning arrival, in Colombo Airport.
Afternoon at Dalawella beach
Night at the Hotel Kaju Green Eco Lodge.
Day 3 : Visit of Galle in the morning, UNESCO Colonial City
Afternoon through Unawantuna, Mirissa, Welligama, Matara, Dondra Light House (the southernmost point of Sri Lanka)
Night in Handun Villas in Talalla
Day 4 : Free morning in Talalla Beach
Visit of Tangalle fishing port (try to do it early in the morning instead)
Free time at Tangalle Beach
Kayak end of afternoon to avoid sun burning in Tangalle Mangrove
Drive to Tissamaharama, Night at Gaga Bees Yala Hotel
Day 5 : Early morning Jeep Safari in Yala Park
Road to Ella and stop at Buduruwagala
Night at Ella Jungle Resort
Day 6 : Ravana Falls, Nine arch Bridge, Little Adam's Peak.
If you have an extra day, go for Ella Rock.
Night at Ella Jungle Resort
Day 7 : Train from Ella to Nuwara Eliya
Pedro Estate Tea Factory, Lover's Leap fall, Nuwara Eliya Central Market
Night at Luxe Wilderness
Day 8 : Train from Nany Oya to Kandy
Visit of the temple of the Tooth Relic
Night at Sky Pavillon
Day 9 :
Sri Muthmariammam Temple, AluvihareRock Temple, Nalanda Gedige,
Dambulla Golden Temple
Night at Aliya resort & Spa in Sigiriya
Day 10 :
Sigiriya Lion's Rock, early in the morning to avoid heat and tourists
Polonnaruwa in bikes
Night at Sunrise by Jetwing Passikudah
Day 11 :
Diving session in Passikudah and free afternoon
Night at the Hotel Kaju Green Eco Lodge.
Day 3 : Visit of Galle in the morning, UNESCO Colonial City
Afternoon through Unawantuna, Mirissa, Welligama, Matara, Dondra Light House (the southernmost point of Sri Lanka)
Night in Handun Villas in Talalla
Day 4 : Free morning in Talalla Beach
Visit of Tangalle fishing port (try to do it early in the morning instead)
Free time at Tangalle Beach
Kayak end of afternoon to avoid sun burning in Tangalle Mangrove
Drive to Tissamaharama, Night at Gaga Bees Yala Hotel
Day 5 : Early morning Jeep Safari in Yala Park
Road to Ella and stop at Buduruwagala
Night at Ella Jungle Resort
Day 6 : Ravana Falls, Nine arch Bridge, Little Adam's Peak.
If you have an extra day, go for Ella Rock.
Night at Ella Jungle Resort
Day 7 : Train from Ella to Nuwara Eliya
Pedro Estate Tea Factory, Lover's Leap fall, Nuwara Eliya Central Market
Night at Luxe Wilderness
Day 8 : Train from Nany Oya to Kandy
Visit of the temple of the Tooth Relic
Night at Sky Pavillon
Day 9 :
Sri Muthmariammam Temple, AluvihareRock Temple, Nalanda Gedige,
Dambulla Golden Temple
Night at Aliya resort & Spa in Sigiriya
Day 10 :
Sigiriya Lion's Rock, early in the morning to avoid heat and tourists
Polonnaruwa in bikes
Night at Sunrise by Jetwing Passikudah
Day 11 :
Diving session in Passikudah and free afternoon
Night at Sunrise by Jetwing Passikudah
If you have an extra day, I would recommend to go to Trincomale and explore pigeon island.
Day 12 :
Anuradhapura
Minthale at sunset time
Night at Wilpattu game camp
Day 13 :
Early morning Jeep Safari in Wilpattu National Park
Road to Negombo
Night at Pledge 3 boutique hotel
Day 14 :
Free time in Negombo and road to the aiport
Day 15 :
Arrival in Paris
What we missed and would have loved to do :
Haputale and Horton Plains, Diyuma Falls, Trincomale and pigeon Island, Agarum Bay, Piduruganla Rock to have a great view on Lion's Rock, Ella Rock and Pinnawala (even though we were told this last one is way too touristic and this is why we erased it from the itinerary).
Transportation :
1) Driver
If you can afford this kind of budget, the best solution is to rent a car with a driver. This will enable you to save time, leave on the time you have decided and stop everywhere you want. Be careful, some drivers do not know sometimes the location of the adress where they have to drop you off and this can be quite a nightmare as most of them do not have a smartphone with Internet. I recommend to pre load maps on your phone so you can help the driver to find the location.
Price depends on the distance and time, between 30 and 150 € per day. Be careful, when rates are too low, you have a high chance to have someone not professional with a small and old car.
You can choose a driver for the whole trip and he can also book train tickets for you as well as accomodation according to your budget. Be careful about the rates, some includes driver accomodation, some not (driver's accomodation should not exceed 10 dollars per night)
We tested 3 companies and I would recommend only one, our driver was lovely, very friendly and helpful. He was also very curious about our way of life and the interaction between two cultures was very interesting. The company was also very competitive in terms of rates, the manager very quick to reply and the car very confortable. Book through Online Travel & Leisure and ask for Shanaka ;)
The driver can stop you on the road in little shops for get a coconut break ;)
2) Train
A journey in train in Sri Lanka is a must do. The most beautiful and scenic one is between Ella and Kandy with a stop in Nanu Oya (Nuwara Eliya train station). We decided to do both parts in two days and we do not regret. Landscapes are incredible and vary along the road. Doing this journey by car will not enable you to admire these amazing landscapes.
Train can be a bit long, delayed or canceled. This is why I recommend to chose the early trains in the morning rather than the late ones (in case of cancellation this could have some incidences on your itineraries). Lots of different incidents can happen and trains are usually delayed, it will be better not to have a too tight schedule on that day. Train is one of the cheapest option, around 2 dollars per ticket but you will have to combine it with bus to get to the attractions you want to visit. Train can be interesting to cover long distance at cheap rates. Have a look to my post to understand booking procedures that are not easy (and the advantages of each class).
3) Bus
Bus is another cheap option. This is a famous way to discover Sri Lanka, confort is quite basic and some drivers have the reputation to be crazy on the road. This is why most of tourism guides prevent you from using this kind of transportation. However, this remains one of the cheapest solution if you have some time. This is also a way to meet local inhabitants, even more than in the trains full of tourists... If confort and time saving is important for you, I recommend to book a driver for long distance trips and to try the bus to reach other points of interest (we took the bus from Nuwara Eliya center to Pedro Tea Factory, that was quite nice and convienient !)
4) TukTuk :
Tuktuk is a funny option for short distance, to go to the restaurant at night for instance. Average rate is 500 rupies per way. Tuk Tuk are nicely decorated by the tuk tuk driver, the experience is always different ! Some of them are a mini night club :)
5) Car Rental
Car rental is definitly not a good idea. Road are quite ok but driving at night can become dangerous and some drivers have a special behavior. In addition, our driver had an accident with a biker and had to bargain almost one hour with the police. I would not have liked to face alone this kind of situation.
6)Food :
Food is not my best experience in Sri Lanka but I can acknowledge they have nice seafood. Otherwise, Rice & Curry is the most commun meal. There are lost of small restaurants with spicy food if you are brave enough to taste !
Visa :
Visa application is required to enter the territory. Lots of agencies can do it for you but it is as quick and as easy to do it yourself on their official website (around 25 € per person)
If you have an extra day, I would recommend to go to Trincomale and explore pigeon island.
Day 12 :
Anuradhapura
Minthale at sunset time
Night at Wilpattu game camp
Day 13 :
Early morning Jeep Safari in Wilpattu National Park
Road to Negombo
Night at Pledge 3 boutique hotel
Day 14 :
Free time in Negombo and road to the aiport
Day 15 :
Arrival in Paris
What we missed and would have loved to do :
Haputale and Horton Plains, Diyuma Falls, Trincomale and pigeon Island, Agarum Bay, Piduruganla Rock to have a great view on Lion's Rock, Ella Rock and Pinnawala (even though we were told this last one is way too touristic and this is why we erased it from the itinerary).
Transportation :
1) Driver
If you can afford this kind of budget, the best solution is to rent a car with a driver. This will enable you to save time, leave on the time you have decided and stop everywhere you want. Be careful, some drivers do not know sometimes the location of the adress where they have to drop you off and this can be quite a nightmare as most of them do not have a smartphone with Internet. I recommend to pre load maps on your phone so you can help the driver to find the location.
Price depends on the distance and time, between 30 and 150 € per day. Be careful, when rates are too low, you have a high chance to have someone not professional with a small and old car.
You can choose a driver for the whole trip and he can also book train tickets for you as well as accomodation according to your budget. Be careful about the rates, some includes driver accomodation, some not (driver's accomodation should not exceed 10 dollars per night)
We tested 3 companies and I would recommend only one, our driver was lovely, very friendly and helpful. He was also very curious about our way of life and the interaction between two cultures was very interesting. The company was also very competitive in terms of rates, the manager very quick to reply and the car very confortable. Book through Online Travel & Leisure and ask for Shanaka ;)
The driver can stop you on the road in little shops for get a coconut break ;)
A journey in train in Sri Lanka is a must do. The most beautiful and scenic one is between Ella and Kandy with a stop in Nanu Oya (Nuwara Eliya train station). We decided to do both parts in two days and we do not regret. Landscapes are incredible and vary along the road. Doing this journey by car will not enable you to admire these amazing landscapes.
Train can be a bit long, delayed or canceled. This is why I recommend to chose the early trains in the morning rather than the late ones (in case of cancellation this could have some incidences on your itineraries). Lots of different incidents can happen and trains are usually delayed, it will be better not to have a too tight schedule on that day. Train is one of the cheapest option, around 2 dollars per ticket but you will have to combine it with bus to get to the attractions you want to visit. Train can be interesting to cover long distance at cheap rates. Have a look to my post to understand booking procedures that are not easy (and the advantages of each class).
3) Bus
Bus is another cheap option. This is a famous way to discover Sri Lanka, confort is quite basic and some drivers have the reputation to be crazy on the road. This is why most of tourism guides prevent you from using this kind of transportation. However, this remains one of the cheapest solution if you have some time. This is also a way to meet local inhabitants, even more than in the trains full of tourists... If confort and time saving is important for you, I recommend to book a driver for long distance trips and to try the bus to reach other points of interest (we took the bus from Nuwara Eliya center to Pedro Tea Factory, that was quite nice and convienient !)
Tuktuk is a funny option for short distance, to go to the restaurant at night for instance. Average rate is 500 rupies per way. Tuk Tuk are nicely decorated by the tuk tuk driver, the experience is always different ! Some of them are a mini night club :)
5) Car Rental
Car rental is definitly not a good idea. Road are quite ok but driving at night can become dangerous and some drivers have a special behavior. In addition, our driver had an accident with a biker and had to bargain almost one hour with the police. I would not have liked to face alone this kind of situation.
6)Food :
Food is not my best experience in Sri Lanka but I can acknowledge they have nice seafood. Otherwise, Rice & Curry is the most commun meal. There are lost of small restaurants with spicy food if you are brave enough to taste !
Visa application is required to enter the territory. Lots of agencies can do it for you but it is as quick and as easy to do it yourself on their official website (around 25 € per person)
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