In Easter of 2019 Sri Lanka suffered from horrible terror attacks, killing over 290 people and injuring many more. I was taken aback by these attacks, as I enjoyed traveling through this beautiful country with its welcoming inhabitants. Sri Lanka had experienced a civil war in between the Tamils and the Singalese from 1983 until 2009 and the country had just started to attract tourism again, when the attacks occurred. During our travels I loved how the separate religions interacted and respected each other. In several hotels where we stayed we noted little Hindu and Buddhist temples and some locals worshipped multiple gods/religions. In Colombo you would find mosques, temples and churches next to each other, which I found a perfect example of how multiple religions can live together in one country. The travel advisory for Sri Lanka was downgraded after the attacks, but in June 2019 the travel advisory had changed back to the level it was before the attacks. This means one must visit the country with caution, but traveling in Sri Lanka is not being discouraged anymore.
We traveled through Sri Lanka for three weeks , in this blogpost I will share the highlights of our itinerary.
Interacting with locals in Mount Lavinia
We went to a beach bar in Mount Lavinia – Colombo and afterwards stayed on the beach, where we saw the locals play games and flying kites. For our blogpost about Mount Lavinia click here.
Staying in a clay hut in Polonnaruwa
We loved our stay in our cool clay hut in Clay Hut Village near the Polonnaruwa sites. The owners were wonderful cooks and we enjoyed eating at our own hotel each day. During breakfast you could see the monkeys play in the garden, which gave great entertainment but on the other hand you didn’t want the monkeys to steal your breakfast 😉 We rented bicycles in the village and enjoyed cycling through the Polonnaruwa ruins. Make sure to watch your shoes though, because sometimes monkeys will try to steal your shoes. Apparently they want to trade the shoes for food (smart cookies they are), but we scared them away.
Watching the elephants
One of my main reasons for visiting Sri Lanka was that there are many elephant parks and I adore elephants. We went to the Minneriya and Udawaluwe national parks and spotted so many elephants with sweet little babies. During the European summer months the elephants usually gather near a lake in Minneriya national park, because this is the main location for drinking for them. It was super magical to see all the elephants grouped together in the wild! We arranged our entry tickets and a guide at the gates. It is a super cheap way to get some sort of safari experience (total cost per person about € 50). We even spotted an elephant in the wild (outside a park) near Polonnaruwa!
Climbing Lion Rock
We went to Lion Rock (Sigiriya) from Dambulla by tuktuk. The Lion Rock is a must do on your Sri Lanka itinerary. The climb is fun and you get to enjoy great views of the surrounding nature.
Visiting Galle
We visited Galle on a daytrip from Ulawatuna. Galle used to be the most important harbor city in the 17th and 18th century and was ruled by the Dutch. Being a Dutchie I of course had to visit Galle to see all the Dutch remains. Galle is located beautifully at the water (of course) and has a very well preserved, charming town. Galle is also really good for stocking up souvenirs, as they had stylish shops and antiques.
Beach
Sri Lanka has amazing beaches as well. Adding a few days of relaxation to your schedule is a must. We stayed at Unawatuna and explored the area from there.
Ella
We loved the train ride from Nuwara Eliya to Ella, this trainride is knowns as one of the most beautiful train rides in the world! Make sure to book this trip in advance to make sure you can travel on this train, we paid an extra fee to be able to book via the internet. We had a luxury train and it was super comfortable. Ella is a cool stop for a few nights, the center is somewhat touristy and this means that it has terraces and you can dine outside. One of the downsides of traveling in Sri Lanka is that it is not very touristy, so at night there is not much you can do: The restaurants are a bit cheerless and there is nobody on the streets late at night. I liked staying in Ella for a few nights, just to be able to socialize with some other travelers, having cocktails and getting holiday feels. We stayed in the Blue View Inn in Ella and I would highly recommend staying here. They have a breakfast restaurants with views of the lush vegetation and you will see monkeys and squirrels playing in the trees while you are having breakfast!
Tea plantations
One of the most important sources of income for Sri Lankans is the production of tea. This means that Sri Lanka has huge terraces with tea production which you can visit. It is the Sri Lankan alternative to the rice paddies of Bali! We visited several plantations from Nuwara Eliya: Mackwoods and the Pedro tea factory. For a small fee you receive a tour of the plantation and you are also allowed to enter the tea fields. Unfortunately I did not bring a dress for twirling, because this would have been the perfect location! While visiting Nuwara Eliya it is also fun to visit The Grand Hotel. This is a hotel that is in colonial style and has many great restaurants. We stayed in a super cheap hotel, which got really cold at night, so we decided to spoil ourselves with dinner at The Grand. We had dinner at the Thai and Indian restaurant of The Grand and were super enthusiastic about both meals and the super service.
Traveling by tuktuk
If we had to travel short distances we always traveled by tuktuk! The buses of Sri Lanka get really cramped, while being stuck in a seat with all your luggage and traveling by tuktuk gave the perfect local experience. We often found our tuktuk drivers super kind and helpful, they explained a lot about the culture and you are able to stop along the way for a coconut juice!
Boat in Negombo
We spent our last day on a boat tour in Negombo. I loved sailing next to all the beautiful sailing ships that set out sail to go fishing. We also visited the mangroves, it was a super nice way to see something of the surroundings of Negombo. Negombo also has a nice strip of beach, with cozy restaurants. If you are short on time and you are looking for a place to stay after your flight I would recommend staying in Negombo instead of Colombo.
