Colombo: We arrived in Colombo early morning and took the train straight to Kandy. We skipped the Cultural Triangle as well. While I wanted to do it, it’s out of the way and knew it would take up too much time. While Sri Lanka is small, it takes awhile to get places. Trust Google maps. I would totally suggest taking the train as much as you can – it’s cheap, all the rides are beautiful and it is surprisingly on time. I have the train time tables in the doc and I can confirm they are accurate. We rode 3rd class on all of the rides-1st and 2nd class fill up quick, but honestly there really isn’t a huge difference. I would suggest rushing onto the train as soon as it arrives and grabbing a seat, it’s a mad dash on some of the trains to get a seat, if you don’t want to deal with that I’d get a higher class or hire a driver but it’s really not so bad. When we couldn’t get a seat we’d just hang out the side with the locals.
Kandy: I’d suggest 1 day/night in Kandy max. We saw the Temple of the Tooth and walked around the lake. There is also a show every night at 5pm that has traditional live dance and music. It’s really cool but populated by all tourists. We stayed in Sky Pavilion, about a 10 min tuk tuk from the train station. It’s up in the hills and has spectacular views in the morning, it’s nothing special but it was very comfortable for the 1 night we were there.
Nuwara Eliya: We took a train from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya (Nanu Oya station) on our 2nd day. Another fantastic train ride and stayed at the Heritance Tea Factory. I liked the hotel, it’s one of the only plantations that grows organic tea. It’s very British and has the old Ceylon mentality. Staff is wonderful – only problem is that it’s far from the station. If I could do it over, I would have stayed just 1 night or skipped Nuwara Eliya all together and go straight to Ella. Much longer train ride though,
Ella: Ella is a must and you need to stay at 98 Acres. It’s in a fantastic location with phenomenal views. We didn’t do Adam’s Peak because you really have to start the hike at 2am to enjoy the view. BUT you can go to Little Adam’s Peak, it’s about a 30 min hike. There is also Ella Rock (3 hours) and definitely see the Demodara bridge. All of this are within walking distance of 98 Acres.
Tangalle: From Ella we went to Tangalle (3 hour drive). We didn’t go to Yala but I hear it’s the best park in all of Sri Lanka If you are looking to relax somewhere that is off the beaten path with a completely secluded beach, check out Buckingham Place on Rekawa Beach. A wonderful British man, Nick, owns the property and he truly has a vision. The service, the staff, the food,experience and the property is impeccable. This is the beach we got engaged on. We only stayed one night and I wish we had at least two nights. There is so much wildlife, flora and fauna around the property, it feels special.
Also, Arugam Bay is above Yala on the east coast, supposed to be a cool surfer spot and one of the best beaches in all of Sri Lanka.
Weligama: From Tangalle we headed to Weligama (1.5 hour drive). Mirissa Beach is on the way and we stopped to check it out – it’s really touristy and nothing unique. I really liked Weligama – it is a fishing village and here you can see the men on stilts, surfers, laid back, hippie vibe. We stayed at Eraliya – it’s gorgeous and the food was awesome but the service was meh. We stayed during Poya and there was chanting ALL NIGHT LONG.
Galle: We took a tuk tuk to Galle from Weligama, about 40 minutes. Stay inside the fort in Galle. Outside the fort is nothing special, although there is one amazing spice shop outside the walls, if your into that let me know and I’ll find the name.
We stayed at The Fort Printers and it was lovely. Historical yet modern, clean, affordable and in the perfect location. Galle is so quaint and very easy to walk around/navigate, great shops and eats; we stayed 2 nights. The city is a cross between Cartagena and Santo Domingo. Check out the Amangalla hotel for dinner/drinks. It’s gorgeous and old world; great tourist watching with spectacular service. If you guys want to splurge, stay there for a night. Sri Lanka has the cheapest Aman hotels in the world.
For shopping, make sure to stop at the Barefoot store, next door to the Fort Printers hotel. We found presents for everyone here.
They do have a cricket field outside the walls, we didn’t see a game at that one but saw a couple games throughout the trip. Volleyball is actually there 2nd most popular sport randomly.
Colombo: From Galle we went back to Colombo to hang out for the day and catch our flight. If you have more time, I heard great things about Bentota and the beaches.
In Colombo, check out Ministry of Crab for dinner. It’s ranked the best restaurant in the city. Galle Face Green on the water is fun to people watch and hang out with the locals. Next door, see the Galle Face Hotel.
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http://www.srilankainstyle.com/ is a great resource for ideas and places to stay.
Wander Travels 