Sri Lanka exceeded our expectations. The hospitable culture, beautiful nature and excellent transportation systems made our stay very comfortable.
In this post you will find a detailed overview of our three weeks travel route, some essential tips and recommendations for Sri Lanka and a budget overview. If you are considering on going to Sri Lanka in near future, you should not miss this read.
Our Itinerary for three weeks in Sri Lanka:
02 March/ Day 1: Arriving in Colombo
We arrived in Colombo in the afternoon and just managed to go out for dinner. This accommodation is a recommendation: Foozoo.
Costing 32 EUR/ night for a double bedroom, it was by far the most expensive sleeping option on our trip.
03 March/ Day 2: Colombo
We started the day by reserving our train tickets for the following day and then began discovering Colombo. Check out our post here:
A highlight was the Gangaramaya Temple.
04 March/ Day 3: Colombo to Kandy
We took the early morning train to Kandy. The ride did not take long and was already scenic. In Kandy we first checked into our hostel and then checked out some temples. The main temple is the (Buddha’s) Tooth Temple. It is huge. Not the tooth, the temple complex! Please keep in mind that both men and women must cover their knees and shoulders.
05 March / Day 4: Kandy Villages and Curfew
The villages were a nice excursion which we would recommend: We took the bus to Embekka (one hour). Here you can take a walk and discover three temples. We visited the Embekka Devale and the Lankatilake Temple. The route to see the temples takes you through tiny local villages where literally everyone greets you with a big smile. These temples are also mentioned in the Lonely Planet. We did not encounter more than four other tourists during this half day trip.
When we came back to Kandy in the evening we witnessed the curfew. Full post here.
06 March / Day 5: Kandy to Nuwara Eliya
Kandy was a bit of a disappointment in terms of trekking options. We found Knuckles Range to be the only interesting option. For Knuckles Range you require a guide (this is a government requirement and entry without a guide is not permitted). The tour operators were charging way too much. Because of the lack of affordable trekking options and the curfew from last night we left Kandy for Ella.
We took the train in the early morning and it was packed with other travellers. The train from Kandy to Ella is scenic and is considered as one of the top things to do in Sri Lanka = many people. On the train we met amongst other interesting people, Uli and Alinda, neighbours from Cologne (!). We decided to team up with them and got off the train early at Nuwara Eliya, just two hours before Ella.
Nuwara Eliya looks like a mix between a British golf club society and a busy Sri Lankan town, arranged together in a beautiful valley. We found this place nice but the main reason to go here was actually to have easy access to Horton Plains (a national park) which we visited the next day.
07 March / Day 6: Horton Plains, the train ride and Ella
The four of us shared a taxi to Horton Plains. Here you can go on a circular trek and visit World’s End. World’s End is a cliff with a dramatic drop. We arrived rather late, so it was unfortunately too misty at this viewpoint. Sight depth: 1 meter. The trek was nice and at the plains itself the weather was awesome.
After the national park, Britt and I were dropped at a train station one hour away from Ella. We got into the packed Ella bound train as the last passengers and could enjoy the awesome view through the open door. Check out our Youtube video for train impressions:
We arrived in Ella in the afternoon and we really liked this place from the very beginning. Sure the “downtown” was packed with other backpackers and the travel industry around them did not have the charm of a sleepy village, but the place had a certain vibe.
Apart of that our homestay Isuru was far way from the train station. Providing distance to the crowds, proximity to nature and awesome views down the hill side.
We loved it here.
08-10 March / Day 7-9: Hanging out and Trekking in Ella
In Ella you get some nice walking and trekking options:
Because the trains go very slow and not too often, some treks require you to walk on the train tracks as part of the route.
We really liked the Ella Rock trek (2-3 hours). The 9 Arches Bridge was also a pretty landmark. Little Adam’s Peak was okay: nice, but not too special.
11 March / Day 10: Ella to Arugam Bay
We left Ella for Arugam Bay in the morning. There was a direct bus to Siyambalanduwa. From here we shared a tuk tuk to Arugam Bay with 2 German guys we met on the bus. Oh yeah: 4 people in a tuk tuk with luggage is possible but it was not the most comfortable way to travel.
We stayed in a place called Baywatch. Britt picked it for the name.
Arugam Bay beach was divided between local fishermen on one side and surfers on the other. Fun fact: The fishermen always ask the travellers walking up and down the beach to help them to push the big fishing boats on shore. It is also interesting to check out the catch of the day.
Arugam Bay is a surf spot. It was offseason, the waves were small and there were only few other travellers. It still had the vibe of a surfer community. We liked it and stayed for a while. The busiest place in the evenings was probably the Beach Hut at the very north of Arugam Bay. Our accommodation was next door.
12-14 March / Day 11-13: Arugam Bay
The next three days we spent in Arugam Bay. Here are some activities that are worth mentioning:
– The tuk tuk safari. Basically, the tuk tuk driver driving you around the (nature) sights. We have seen some very huge wild elephants and crocodiles. You could also try to discover the area by yourself with a scooter. But we did not regret being with a local on this one. There are also “proper” safari options.
– The Mangrove eco tour. Basically, a floating raft ride through the mangroves. You are accompanied by a local fisherman.
– Just walking on the beach or hanging out and soaking in the vibe.
– Well, yes, of course it is what Arugam Bay is known for: Surfing. Board rentals were 500 LKR/half day.
15 March / Day 14: Arugam Bay to Udawalawa
We departed early, with the morning bus, and arrived at 12:30 p.m. at our accommodation in Udawalawa, which organized a safari right away. One hour later we were on a jeep surrounded by wild elephants. Udawalawa is really the place to be if you are into elephants. There were really a lot! During mating season, the male elephants even charge after cars! *action*
16 -18 March / Day 15-18: Leaving Udawalawa and 3 days in Tangalle
We came to Udawalawa for the safari and wanted to get back to the beaches ASAP. Our choice was Tangalle. From here a super long beach stretches towards the east. We were far from the town (close to the Rekawa lagoon) but that was a good thing: at the beach there were hardly any other people. One highlight: During a night walk along the beach we discovered a sea turtle laying eggs. The turtle was the size of Britt!
Aside from some small tours, the main activities here were beach related: walking, chilling, sunbathing, swimming (be careful, only at some spots possible).
We discovered some great family restaurants. This one is worth mentioning: Dream Family Restaurant. Great food (maybe the best we had in Sri Lanka), awesome host. Not expensive. Terrific.
19 March / Day 18: Tangalle to Weligama
Once on the South coast, the connections between towns are super easy, with buses (and at a certain point trains) connecting the towns and villages of the south. We wanted to discover more beaches and decided to go to Weligama.
When we arrived in Weligama it was not love at first sight. We did not like the fact that the main road was so close to the beach. But we learned to like it after a while. Why: we met nice and interesting people, had a good homestay 2b1, There were surfing and snorkeling options, good (sea) food and we also found a nice beach far away from traffic (Jungle Beach).
20 March / Day 19: Weligama
The first activity of the day was snorkeling. We saw some sea turtles. Most of the coral reefs were still slowly regenerating from the tsunami.
After that we just hung out at the Weligama dive center, talking with the well-travelled owners and some other travellers. One little highlight was the monitor lizard passing through the surf center.
Towards the evening we went surfing. The waves were okay.
For dinner we checked one of the fish stands on the beach, where you pick your beast from a wide selection and have it prepared right away. Good day!
21 March / Day 20: Weligama to Colombo
Our train departed at 10:00 a.m. We arrived in Colombo four hours later and checked again into Foozoo, the same hotel we stayed at our first nights in Sri Lanka. Towards the evening we explored the neighborhood.
22 March / Day 21: Colombo
This was a lazy day for Alex: going through photos, looking into India itineraries, reading. Britt had a work related skype call she needed to prepare.
*For more photos:
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23 March / Day 22: Departure
Our flight departed early in the morning. Tuk tuks are not allowed in the airport and the first shuttle bus would have been too late, so we enjoyed the luxury of a taxi. FYI: Our next stop was Kerala, India.
We had to book an onward flight out of India in the airport to board the plane. That was super stressful – but worked out in the end.
That was our three-week Sri Lanka itinerary and we enjoyed every single day.
How much to budget for Sri Lanka?
Our expenses were on average 10.000 LKR /day for both of us. This included transport, accommodation and all other expenses. We always had a private room and good food (not only dal and rice). We visited the major sites, went on safaris and rented surfing/ snorkeling gear. In other words, we did not feel like we were missing out on anything. We also spent four nights in pricy Colombo due to work related activities that required fast internet. Once out of Colombo, we had no issues finding appropriate last-minute accommodation for as little as 1500 LKR/ night. There were even better deals out there.
If you spend less time in Colombo and do not move everyday to new places there are also cheaper ways to spend a marvelous Sri Lanka holiday and to stretch your budget.
Lessons Learned: Useful Information and Inspirations for Sri Lanka
Below we gathered useful information and tips for your trip to Sri Lanka.
– We met a couple that rented a tuk tuk for 30 days. Sounded awesome.
– The less touristy north remained unexplored on our Sri Lanka tour. If you want to get away from other tourists, it seems the further away from Colombo the better: east and north.
– If you board a full train, you should try to get on last. This will get you an open-door seat.
– Ella was nice, but I would not recommend staying downtown.
– Infrastructure for local transportation was good.
– No need to bargain too hard. We learned that many initial offers we tried to push down were fair from the start.
– Good food. Did not get sick. Do not hesitate to eat local.
– Temples: some important ones might be strict: no shorts for men and only with knees and shoulders covered for women.
– Behave around Buddhist sites. Cover inappropriate tattoos and do not do selfies with buddha statues. The people are friendly but take religion sometimes more seriously than in other countries.
– If you go by meter in Colombo: tuk tuk: 35 LKR/km, small cab 55 LKR/km, taxi 75 LKR/km.
– Tuk tuks in other places had no meters.
– If you have a little time, some arrange for a driver for a week who take them around the sights in Sri Lanka.
– Weather forecasts are not always accurate: we almost changed our entire itinerary on the first day because the forecast for our route predicted heavy rain. It hardly rained.
– Go early to World’s End to avoid clouds.
– If you want to see wild elephants, Udawalawa is like a guarantee. We encountered them also in other parts of the country.
– Use mosquito nets! There are a lot in some regions.
– Beware of elephants that are alone (usually males). Beware of crocodiles, when you see one, there might be more you don’t see. It is extremely, super unlikely to get injured by one of these but we have heard of two deadly incidents: guy trying to take selfie with wild elephant and other guy washing his hands in a lake at a place called Crocodile Rock (!!!!)
– If you see a see turtle laying eggs, switch off any lights and give them space. Britt and I ran into a super huge one and it was not comfortable with us being around, so we left.
– This is not a lessons learned but a friendly reminder: Be nice to street dogs. Because they are our best friends, you know.
– First row on every bus is reserved for clergy (Buddhist monks). You can sit there but you might need to stand up when a monk gets on the bus.
– On some beaches the current was super strong, literally not possible to swim. Just going in the water was fine everywhere. But if you need to swim in the ocean you better ask before jumping in.
– We never had wood apple before. We liked it. Try.
– We missed Poya. Next time we want to see it.
– One couple went diving, actually snorkeling, with a blue whale (!) Photos looked like national geographic. It was super expensive, they told us.
– Mosquito repellent is necessary. Some folks stick to Vitamin B supplements or eat lots of garlic. Don’t know if it is working or just a placebo.
– We have learned that if you do not want to be annoyed by flies, apply tiger balm on your skin.
We want to come back and discover the north of Sri Lanka. Also, there are apparently so many more great beaches in the south and east to see. We made our beach choices based on what we wanted when we travelled.
We hope you could find some useful information for your Sri Lanka trip; If you have any questions about our itinerary, remarks or tips for the north let us know. Thank you for reading, bye bye
Britt and Alex