Seeking Travel Tips for the Resplendent Island (Sri Lanka)

July 12, 2012 11:57 PM

I'm looking for vacation tips for a trip to Sri Lanka.

My girlfriend and I have tentatively decided to travel to Sri Lanka for three weeks or so this year. We'd looked at the Maldives, but were concerned that, while idyllic, a 100% beach vacation might grow a little boring after a couple of weeks.

I asked a family member who's traveled extensively in that part of the world, and he confirmed my concerns about the Maldives. He recommended Sri Lanka as a good alternative with beautiful beaches and a bit of culture.

It will just be the two of us traveling. This will hopefully be our last childless holiday.

Some things we're looking for / considering:
- The beach is important. We will want to spend time swimming and snorkeling at the beach. I've read that the waters can become dangerously rough in the rainy seasons, so we want to avoid that. We're considering traveling in September or October, but not sure what to expect, weather-wise. I've read up a bit on the seasons there, but still not sure how this time of year will be.
- The location should be reasonably civilized and within walking distance of the beach. Whereas I'm a bit of an adventure traveler for whom spending a few nights in a hammock stretched between two trees deep in the Amazon jungle isn't a problem, she's not quite to that level (yet). She also doesn't require a 5-star hotel, although a luxury hotel might be nice for a few nights. I'm interested in apartments and villas for rent - something with a kitchen and living room, at least. A pool would also be excellent for those times when we want to swim without going in the saltwater. Her main concern with this idea is that she doesn't want to be in the middle of nowhere, totally cut off from civilization.
- As far as price, I'd love to stay as cheaply as possible. We have a good budget for the trip, but I understand that it's possible to find very nice accommodations at excellent prices in Sri Lanka. I'd prefer to save our budget for activities, and maybe even come home with a bit left over :-)
- What's it like, in terms of safety, for tourists visiting Sri Lanka?
- Are there any must-see attractions we should plan on visiting? I've heard that a visit to a tea plantation can make a nice excursion away from the beach. I'm into travel photography, so I'm keen on checking out local culture and finding photo opportunities.
- Would it be worth it to take the ferry to India to stay a couple of nights?

Thanks in advance!

posted by syzygy to travel & transportation around Sri Lanka (9 answers total)

Look at the itineraries on Boutique Sri Lanka and have a poke around for the best little hotels to stay at. I used them six years ago to book my accomodation and car/driver. They also have villas. It might be a bit out of your price range if you want to do cheap cheap though. They were a great company to deal with.

Basically the advice I was given was avoid Colombo. I had two brief nights there and didn't really feel I missed much. It seems to be one of those places you need to spend some time in to dig up the best bits.

The beaches along the south coast - e.g. Tangalla - are lovely. I didn't think the ones on the coast just south of Colombo were nearly as nice, although they are very popular because they are nearer the city.

Musts for me were Kandy, Galle, the tea plantations (around Nuwara Eliya) and the southern beaches. I didn't get further north than Kandy but you could probably add the ancient cities of Dambulla and Sigiriya onto that. We got great rates on hotels because of exchange rates, but I would heartily recommend The Kandy House (Kandy) for beautiful rooms and surroundings and Ceylon Tea Trails for uber luxury for a night right in the heart of tea country.

Galle is very photogenic. The tea plantations are *exactly* like the pictures you see. There are some amazing jungle routes you can do too. If you're really very, very, very lucky you might see a leopard.

Safety was fine, even though the Tamil Tigers were then still blowing things up when I went. They tended to avoid tourist areas. You need to be careful about things being stolen, like anywhere, but it wasn't flagged as a major issue to us. One notable area of really poor safety is the roads. If you can possibly avoid it, do not drive yourself. It is not for the uninitiated. While we were there we got overtaken by some big wig with a military guard, all going too quickly, and up the road five minutes later we came across a crashed military landrover, a severely dented tuktuk and its very dead driver lying on the road.

Tamil cities like Jaffna and Trincomalee have now opened up and are supposed to be well worth a go but are not as safe as down south and have a heavy military presence. Trincomalee is more developed and has great beaches, apparently. Jaffna is, like Galle, a former Dutch fort town but has apparently been largely stripped of its beauty and architecture by the war. YMMV - it will be more authentic and less developed than most other places.

No, I wouldn't bother getting the ferry to India. Although not a big country, the average speed on Sri Lankan roads is about 20mph. It's slow going and you will get bored of the travel bits between these amazing places. There's lots to see just in Sri Lanka.
posted by MuffinMan at 1:03 AM on July 13, 2012 [1 favorite]

MuffinMan covered a lot of ground already - mostly repeating his very good advice.

Weather - September/October is technically at the tail end of the South-Western monsoon so the rains should have stopped. Seas will still be a bit rough though, so you should check local conditions before getting in the water.

Decent beaches to the south:
Hikkaduwa is about 90km south of Colombo, Galle / Unawatuna about 120km or so south. Galle Fort is worth exploring as well.

These locations are a bit touristy now, but there's a new highway so you'd only spend about an hour or so on the road from Colombo. This sort of journey time is is rare for SL, as MuffinMan rightly observes. Tangalle, Weligama and a few other slightly more obscure locations will be less crowded. There's also whale watching in Mirissa, which is a nice day trip from Galle.

I'd suggest guest houses for most of your stay in the south of the country. Small, usually clean and comfortable (relatively cheap too). There are also a bunch of boutique hotels for a slightly more upmarket experience.

The east coast of Sri Lanka has great beaches too, and is less crowded. Mostly off-limits until 2009, so not as many swank hotels yet (still being built, for the most part). I'd recommend Pasikudah Beach, Arugam Bay and perhaps Trincomalee. No highway, so you're looking at a 6-8 hour drive (for a mere 300km or so). Maalu-Maalu is the hotel I've stayed at, near Pasikuda Beach, but there are guest houses nearby as well.

A few other tips:
- Please don't drive yourself around if you can possibly help. Drivers and a vehicle as package deal shouldn't be very expensive (exchange rates are quite favourable right now :)

- Beware of scam artists and touts lurking around heavily trafficked areas. In general, if someone walks up and offers great tours or souvenirs or whatever - be wary.

- Be careful about petty theft, as MuffinMan said.

Memail me if you have any questions, be happy to field whatever I can.
posted by geminus at 1:53 AM on July 13, 2012

This will hopefully be our last childless holiday

Make the most of your freedom! Do dangerous things. Be spontaneous. Travel light. Stay out all night! You probably won't get the chance to do anything like that for the next 20 years or so...

Specifically on Sri Lanka, my wife and I honeymooned there in 2003 but did it all in an easy package via Kuoni. Luxury hotels, a private driver, all that good stuff. The Sri Lankans are lovely, the food is generally delicious, and the sea is much more swimming friendly on the East coast, from what I remember.

September sounds like it's still warm and dry, getting cooler and wetter the higher up you go - and I do recommend anywhere in the tea plantations. We stayed in a converted tea factory hotel in Nuwara Eliya and it was completely fucking bonkers. The staff left little effigies of us on our beds, made of our clothes and toilet rolls, and one night at dinner everything went dark, then suddenly a band started playing and the staff (in full colonial gear, pith helmets and all) set off on a lengthy conga around the dining room, hauling guests up out of their seats to join in. Brilliant lunacy! I think it was something to do with the altitude.

Safety-wise, we were absolutely fine, but I we stayed on the beaten track. As an aside, it seems that only boys wear shorts in Sri Lanka. Grown men in shorts get giggled at.

Sigiriya is worth a visit and a climb - the "staircase" was pretty hair-raising when we were there. I'd avoid the Elephant Orphanage at Pinnewala, which was actually quite depressing, despite sounding like a good thing.

Don't bother going to India - you'd end up in Tamil Nadu which, in my personal opinion, is a total hellhole.

Have a great time!
posted by ZipRibbons at 4:37 AM on July 13, 2012

I only did the inland portion of the country and loved it dearly, back in late 2004. If you can pull yourselves away from the beach, I highly recommend Kandy and Sigiraya. I highly recommend the Queen's Hotel in Kandy as a good place to splash out on for a night or two. It's across the street from a temple that houses Buddha's tooth, and has a very colonial feel to it.
posted by peppermind at 6:52 AM on July 13, 2012

Kandy for the culture (central SL). You could look into taking the train there, the luxury carriage is not expensive by Western prices and there are gorgeous views along the way. I can't remember when Perahera is, but if your trip syncs up with that time, it would be an ideal time to visit Kandy.

Amanwella, Bentota, Tangalle (south) for the beaches. They opened up a highway last year that connects Colombo to Galle so that has changed the traffic and travel times.

Sigiriya is lovely tourist attraction, but my personal favourite is Adam's Peak. If you're into some epic hiking (that's what it felt like to my rarely used body, anyway) - it's a nice little adventure. Start before dawn so you can make it to the top as the sun rises. Stunning.

Whale watching and spinner dolphins in Mirissa.

Colombo is nice for a couple of days, there's cheap shopping and such but it has never held much interest for me personally.

I personally would LOVE to go Jaffna. But I wouldn't advise tourists to go there. Family have visited the north in recent years and while they haven't felt unsafe, there is a much heavier military presence there and lot of the area is still very much in development. It would be more off the beaten track, that's for sure.

The last time I was actually at the Elephant Orphanage, I loved it. But I was, like, 12. I think with more experienced eyes it may not be such a lovely experience.

As for tea plantations - Hatton. It's in the same area as Adam's Peak.

That's all I can think of off the top of my head as to where to visit.

In terms of safety, I haven't been back in about a year and a half but I've never felt particularly unsafe. There are checkpoints at places, but as you're tourists, you aren't of much concern to them. Get used to the sign of Army men walking around with scary looking guns. That was an adjustment for me, coming from Australia. Most people you will interact with will speak passable English, and Sri Lankans are always happy to help out foreigners if you get lost.

With three weeks on your hands, I wouldn't advise taking a ferry to India - save that country for a separate trip. There's more than enough to see in SL to take up your time!

If you have any other questions, feel free to memail me. I've visited about 12 times, and I've loved every visit. I also have family involved in the hotel industry over there so if you have specific questions about hotels or attractions around the country I may be able to help.

Have an amazing time!
posted by liquorice at 6:53 AM on July 13, 2012 [1 favorite]

You can easily spend the 3 weeks in Sri Lanka alone. There are many world-class attractions on the island. I can't really help you with the type of accommodation you're looking for because I typically stay with family or in hotels. Consider spending a few nights at some of the places I recommend below. They may cost more than what you're looking to spend, but they offer very good value when compared to similar places in other parts of the world.

Cultural Triangle, in the centre of the island:
- Check out the ruins at Pollonaruwa and Anuradhapura. These were the capital cities from about 400 BC to the 11th century. Sublime palace complexes, gargantuan stupas, irrigation tanks on the scale of lakes.
- Sigiriya is a major tourist attraction but well-worth seeing. Massive rock fortress from the 5th century, built by a rebel patricide king. Surrounded by extensive (ruined) grounds. Climb the innumerable stairs to admire the incomparable paintings of apsaras
- The Dambulla cave temple complex dates from the 3rd century BC. Shrines, stupas, and a monastery, all situated among caves.
- Minneriya national park - go on elephant safari. See herds of up to 700 wild elephants
- if at all possible, spend a few nights at the Kandalama hotel. Designed by Geoffrey Bawa (sri lanka's foremost architect, one of the originators of what later became known as Bali Style), built like a bunker atop a hill overlooking a dry reservoir. See water buffalo from your room.

The south:
- Hikkaduwa and Unawatuna. Swim, scuba, snorkel. Miles of golden-sand beaches. Eat fresh-caught prawns, devilled at a beach hut. I personally recommend the Chaya Traanz hotel for more luxury-level accommodations.
- Galle - 17th century dutch fort complex. Graceful colonial architecture.
- Kataragama - one of the most important pilgrimage sites on the island, holy to Hindus, Buddhists, and Muslims. See the kavadi dancers. Visit buddhist temples dating from the 2nd century BC.
- Yala national park - go on safari. Elephants, water buffalo, leopards (apparently they are rare, we saw three), sloth bears
- Sinharaja rainforest reserve - one of the last vestiges of virgin sri lankan rainforest. I've never been myself but it is supposed to be fantastic.
- Try to spend a couple of nights at Lunuganga, Geoffrey Bawa's former residence, now a boutique hotel run by the Bawa trust.
- Brief - home and gardens of Bevis Bawa, Geoffrey's brother and an artist and writer.
- Sperm and Blue whale watching from Mirissa

In and around colombo:
- Colombo itself can be hot and trafficky and is not worth a visit unless there are specific sites you want to see.
- Adam's peak (sripada) - I've never been, but the view from the top of this mountain is supposed to be sublime. Sacred to all four major religions on the island (christians, buddhists, hindus, and muslims)
- Personally I love the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage.

Up country:
- Tea plantations - if you can, stay at tea trails for a taste of the planter's life. The Heritance Tea Factory is also excellent.
- Horton plains national park- a unique biotope. Almost alien in appearance, featuring montane grasslands punctuated by massive rhododendron trees. See Sambar deer and check out the sheer precipice of World's End.
- Hakgala and Peradinaya botanical gardens are both well worth visiting
- Kandy - former capital. Home of the Sacred Tooth Relic temple complex, the spiritual home of Buddhism on the island and a major pilgrimage site.

I unfortunately don't have any tips for the north east as I haven't had the pleasure of visiting yet.
posted by sid at 9:16 AM on July 13, 2012 [1 favorite]

I've never been to Sri Lanka, but I enjoyed reading the blog of these travelers that spent three months there, leisurely visiting. Tons of photos and pretty candid assessments of tourist areas. Sri Lanka for 91 Days.
posted by tatiana131 at 11:17 PM on July 13, 2012

Thanks for sharing your travel tips to Sri Lanka, so far! We're getting very excited. The main things I'm still uncertain about are expected weather conditions in the south in September / October, and how realistic it is, from a transportation perspective, to plan meaningful day trips or excursions.

We really don't want to move accommodations every couple of days, but we also want to see important sites while we're there, so we're trying to balance these two conflicting goals without knowing how difficult it is to get around in the country. Ideally, we'd like to have 2-3 main 'bases' with, perhaps, a couple of one-night stays at important destinations when moving between them.

I'm thinking along the following lines, where the order of the different stops would be flexible:
~12 nights at the beach in the south, maybe near Tangalle
~4 nights in the Up Country / Kandy
~5 nights in the Cultural Triangle

As I mentioned before, we'd be willing to chop off a day or two at some of the 'main' locations for short stays at important places between them. Hopefully, we'd be able to take some meaningful day trips from the beach location (Galle, Yala). This itinerary only works if the weather in the south is likely to be conducive to swimming at this time of the year, though. Otherwise, we may need to look into Trincomalee for the beach part of our trip - in which case, I may have an interesting time convincing my girlfriend that it's safe to visit there.

I contacted Boutique Sri Lanka with a pretty thorough explanation of the type of trip we'd like to have, but they put together an itinerary that had us staying at 7 different places, including 3 different beach areas (Hikkaduwa, Trincomalee, South Coast). What I'm trying to figure out is whether their itinerary has us moving so often out of necessity, due to transportation conditions, or whether they just ignored my profile.

So, beach, sites, longer stays at 'main destinations' (with day trips) punctuated by short stays at minor sites in-between - does this sound realistic, or more of a pipe dream?

Thanks again for the specific tips about different sites and hotels, as well. Very helpful.
posted by syzygy at 3:09 AM on July 16, 2012

Correction: Boutique Sri Lanka had us staying one night at Negombo, not Hikkaduwa. 6 nights in Trincomalee and one night on the south coast.
posted by syzygy at 3:39 AM on July 16, 2012