MOTHER CITY TIME’S GUIDE
TO SRI LANKA
Serendib
Wisdom can be found travelling –
Sri Lankan proverb
Ceylon. The teardrop of India. The Island of Dharma. The pearl of the Orient. Serendib. There are many names for this Indian Ocean paradise.
We first travelled to Sri Lanka in 2004. We stayed with a friend, in Rajagiriya, a suburb of Colombo. She wanted to have a beach party for her birthday in Trincomalee but it was ‘out of bounds’ at the time, an area where the Tamil Tigers were very active.
Security was tight everywhere we went; soldiers, guns, checkpoints. I saw an army tank for the second time in my life. The first time was on the roof at Heathrow airport, during the Gulf War back in 91′.
We’ve visited this stunning Indian Ocean destination several times since then. We had our honeymoon there. And if you’ve been to Sri Lanka, you will know what a special island it is.
Sri Lanka is the one destination that I find myself pondering a repeat visit. In an instant I can recall epic train journeys, eating spicy sambol and sipping cool coconut water. Where’s a place you like to re-visit over and over again?
Mass tourism hasn’t yet affected the whole island, though that’s changing fast. The country has been enjoying peace, rebuilding and recovering after years of unrest. The time to go is now.
We have planned different trips with almost each visit, to see different parts of the country. Other times we have just hung out in Colombo to eat hoppers, drink Lion lagers and watch spectacular sunsets.
Arrival
Begin and end your trip in Negombo. It’s a fishing village, close to the International airport.
We’ve stayed at the Ayurvedic Pavilions every time, for total rest, detox, Ayurvedic treatments and delicious meals sticking to Ayurvedic principles.
Colombo
‘Happiness is The Galle Face Hotel’
The Galle Face Hotel is Colombo’s fantastic, crumbling grand dame. Anyone who is anyone has stayed there.
The breakfast with it’s sea view is incredible! Walk down the steps onto the terrace, turn right for Western cereals pastries etc, turn left for hoppers (pancakes), curries, sambol and grated coconut…my favourite breakfast in the world!
Take tuks-tuks everywhere! A tuk-tuk trip is so much fun. We’ve even had a tuk tuk race in traffic, with friends. Use tuk-tuks to get around the city to visit galleries, colonial architecture, museums, the central park and popular shopping spots like Odel, The Barefoot Gallery and Paradise Road
NORTH of Colombo
It’s possible to get a local taxi company to give you a driver for a few days. It was our experience that most hotels and lodges will accommodate a driver in their staff quarters. In this way, we made up this 5 day route as we went along, on our first trip to Sri Lanka:
Day 1 Colombo- Kandy
Kandy can be crowded, especially by The Temple of the Tooth, but the Botanical Garden is wonderful
We stayed with a local family (homestays are listed advertised in The Lonely Planet)
Of course now there’s air b n b. too.
Day 2 – Kandy to Dambullah
We went in search of the Cave Temples, which are stunning and less visited than many others in Asia
We found the Kandalama Hotel, where we stopped for lunch and it was too fabulous to leave, so we decided to stay!
https://www.heritancehotels.com/kandalama
Friends were writing a coffee table book, about the design and location of this unique hotel.
Day 3 – Dambullah – SIgiriya (The Big Rock)
Some will be compelled to climb the rock. We were not. We chose instead to lie by the pool at the base and conquer cocktails instead!
Day 4 – Sigiriya – Kandy
Stayed at an unremarkable 3* hotel
Walked by The Temple of the Tooth at sunset
Day 5 – Kandy – Colombo
Elephants
This was a recommendation from a friend, written on the blog (https://mothercitytime.com/travel-35)
“The Elephant Freedom Project is run by a small family, and is host to Kumari, a big sweet baby who loves melon and sugar cane, outsmarts her human visitors, and lives for her afternoon baths in the river. Unlike the so-called Elephant “Orphanages”, she is not chained, and is not used for riding or working. It is evident to anyone in her presence that this majestic creature is happy and healthy. She’s funny and cheeky, and when visiting one can bathe her, feed her, take her for a walk, and….clean the dung from her bed! (Someone’s gotta do it!)🤣 An interesting and educational visit to the dung factory is included, where you will learn about the natural making of paper products and buy beautiful stationery in the gift shop. You can visit for a full or half day, and even spend the night if you like. If you want a positive, heartwarming experience interacting with an elephant the way it should be, visit Kumari at the Elephant Freedom Project. She is waiting for you!”
Marla B
https://elephantfreedomproject.com
SOUTH
You could take the local train from Colombo to Galle (buy a ‘first class’ ticket) to Galle
Galle has lots of old, colonial villas offering accomodation
Galle Fort at sunset is a must
From Galle you can tuk tuk to UNNAWATUNA – It’s worth spending a few nights here
There we walked along the beach and found a place for about $40 per night, Banana Garden (basic, clean, ensuite room, balcony, great food)
There are lots of places to stay
On our last morning, the guys at Banana Garden organised a taxi to Ella Station for us (Uber might be there by now)
From Ella, travel to Nuwara Eliya on one of the most stunning railway journeys you will ever do anywhere.
HILL COUNTRY
Nuwara Eliyah is at the heart of the Hill Country
There are lots of tea plantations where you can do tastings and colonial history everywhere (the Scottish and English were here)
Afternoon tea or dinner at The Hill Club was an unforgettable experience and an insight into Sri Lanka’s colonial past
YALA National Park
This is for a pending trip. We haven’t been.
Including the words here, of a friend who grew up in Sri Lanka. She shared this on the blog (Big 5 piece)
“A beloved uncle introduced my brother and I to Yala National Park ( Sri Lanka) when we were kids in the nineteen sixties. We’re eternally grateful for those precious experiences. Another era…..another place …. out of the world experiences, There were perhaps, at most, 4-5 jeeps in the entire Park, at a given time. NO tourists. Just folks who loved and valued the wilderness in our own backyard and had access to Wlidlife Service bungalows. Nobody was there to take selfies or post on Facebook. How magical the game rides early in the morning and at dusk. The sight of scrub terrain, and those parts of the park bordering the Indian Ocean. The smell of the scorched earth. The thrill of encountering elephants, wild boar scuttling away in packs, a leopard lazing on a rock, crocodiles on the river bed and exotic birds everywhere. Waking up in the morning and freaking out over a slim but long reptile wrapped around the leg of your bed. What a privilege to have grown up on that magnificent island at a time when the privilege was not taken for granted. That time and place no longer exists 💔 overtaken by greed, commerce and selfies.”
Malka M
Have you been to this spectacular Indian Ocean island?
What tips would you add, for travellers to Sri Lanka? Please add to the comments below.
© Maggie M / Mother City Time