Sri Lanka

Kristy Lowe
Jan 25, 2018
10 min read

Sri Lanka. Where to start.

Firstly, what a beautiful country. During our stay here we did SO much. You really can make as much or as little of this country as you'd like. You can check out our 5 day itinerary if you'd prefer a quick idea of what to do at the bottom of the page, along with hotels (and prices) or if you'd like to know more read ahead!

After being lucky enough to get 5 days off with work my friend, Alice, and I decided to go on an adventure. Many places were in the air, Bali, Thailand, Istanbul and Zanzibar being some of the names that cropped up. After a bit of researching we made the last minute decision to go to Sri Lanka. We didn't really know what to expect as I only had one friend who had visited for a few days and hadn't really heard much about it since. Wow were we surprised.

DAY ONE

We started off our travels flying from Dubai to Colombo with Sri Lanken Airlines who were fabulous. We arrived at 5am and our driver, Eshan picked us up from the airport. We made our way on the 3h trip to Pinnawala where we would start our adventure.

Firstly we stopped off at Pinnawala famous for its bathing elephants. We were under the impression the elephants were wild and bathed in the waters as a daily routine. Stupidly, we didn't research much before and went on recommendation. At first it was an amazing site seeing a huge number of elephants playing and bathing in the river. However, as we looked closer we saw a couple were tied with chains and they were using hooks to keep them under control. I actually got so upset with this I teared up. I'm massively animal friendly and kicked myself we didn't research more but with our last minute getaway we didn't really stop to think. Supposedly the few in chains are the elephants that misbehave but still this isn't acceptable.

After being heavily disappointed with our first elephant adventure we headed to a second spot that our driver suggested. Millennium Elephant Trust was a lot better. The animals seemed much happier and there was a lot of roaming space. These weren't chained up as far as we could tell and a registered charity which made us feel much better. Here we were able to bathe the elephants and watch them in their surroundings. Although this obviously isn't as good as being in the wild, all the elephants history is provided and the staff have extensive knowledge. It turns out a lot of the residents are retired elephants from places like temples or monasteries that can't be released into the wild and so this is the best place for them. We really enjoyed our time here and it was such an amazing experience to see elephants up close. They offer a walk through the jungle where you follow the elephants on a walk and a bathing experience.

About an hour and a half drive away lies the town of Kandy and after our short stay in Pinnawala we headed here. On the way Eshan (our driver) suggested we stop at a herbal garden so off we went. I would totally recommend this! They have loads of trees and plants that are the source of cinnamon, rubber, cocoa and more. We were shown around the garden and at the end we were given a demonstration of the products they created using the organic produce from the garden. We weren't sure if the demonstrator (apparently a herbalist lecturer at the local Uni) was a wizard or a witch doctor as he seemed to be able to cure anything possible, however that didn't stop us getting sucked into buying basically the whole shop. We bought hair removal cream which supposedly after six sessions hair won't grow back... apparently all the monks use it hun, it's all the range! We also got hair oil to strengthen hair, wrinkle cream made with sandalwood and tooth powder which helps teeth or gums or something I don't know or remember! Even if you aren't interested in buying its great as the demonstration included free tea, a back, shoulder and neck massage and a demo of the hair removing cream, and who doesn't want to get rid of those hairy knees while drinking a free herby tea just before your massage eyy!!

After loads of traveling and a busy day out we eventually reached our hotel, the Theva Residency in Kandy. On check in the hotel was beautiful with full views of Kandy from the top of the mountain and super friendly staff. We were a little disappointed as the room I had emailed specifically asking for had been given away to a travel blogger (ironic). A huge mistake in telling us as obviously we felt like we didn't matter. In all fairness they did upgrade our room but in all honesty it was just a very large fairly empty room. It was lovely but didn't really have a unique selling point unlike the other with the jacuzzi overlooking the mountains. Although we were a little disappointed the room came with a free bottle of wine for the inconvenience which definitely sweetened us up. We stayed by the infinity pool for a while, had a lovely two course dinner at the hotel and went to sleep ready for our next big day. Even though we were left feeling let down, the helpfulness and friendliness of the staff and the unreal setting made us leave with big smiles on our faces.

DAY TWO

Up early again. I am not made for this.

Morning cup of tea looking over Kandy in The Theva Residency

Today was one of the reasons we were in Kandy. To ride the train to Ella! Firstly we grabbed breakie then went to go see the Bahiravokanda Buddha that sits on the top of a hill in Kandy. This huge white buddha gives you beautiful views over the entire area after climbing only a few steps. The buddha's pretty lucky to see it everyday actually. After stopping here for a bit and having a little gander and a bit of a picture moment (soz not soz) we got back in the car to catch the train.

So on this train it's infamous for crazy people to hang themselves out the doorframe and stick their heads out windows as everything is left open. This happens a lot, just look out for the tunnels and close-by-walls you pass by. This journey is without doubt a definite recommend. We barely even noticed the 7 hour journey to Ella. Such a picturesque route through the mountains, Ceylon trails and jungle. It was so serene. It was even amazing to see the locals and families on the train. All the kids were fascinated with us and even though neither spoke the same language we managed to communicate. If you have a journey anything like ours it will allow you to start to see the beauty of this culture and how friendly and warm they are. I can't tell you how good this train ride is. It's super cheap, absolutely stunning and some locals even come by occasionally with pineapple and nuts so you don't starve. You can also get the train at different points, which means you can ride it for as long or as little as you like. Although our 7h train trip was perfect and we barely even noticed all the time go by.

7h later two very sleepy girls with huge windswept manes managed to arrive in Ella. We met our driver at the train stop and he took us to our next stay, at the Jetwing Kederutha hotel. On the way to the hotel we stopped off at where the nine arches bridge was supposed to have a view point, but we could barely see them so we stopped and looked at the scenery and I was happy because I found a puppy (yay!).

The hotel was quite isolated but was lovely and tranquil. The pool was amazing and the restaurant and free bike rides were lovely but just be aware the toilets in the rooms are outside! As I said this trip was a bit of a rush and we hadn't looked at the finer details like if the toilets were inside or out. If you don't mind a couple of creepy crawlies you'll have no worries. After building up the courage to go to the toilet we eventually fell to sleep in our mosquito net covered beds ready to start another early day (ewwww). I think if we arrived in the day it wouldn't have mattered to us but arriving in the night was a bit daunting going outside not really knowing what could be hiding in the shadows. We survived though and in the morning realised it really wasn't bad at all.

DAY THREE Up again at the crack of dawn we ventured off to our next spot. We found out about this as we were having dinner the previous night, the waiters told us to visit the hidden waterfall. This is a well kept secret by the locals and an absolute hidden gem. We hired a tuktuk to take us and we were amazed. This was a perfect recommendation. We ventured out there on a very friendly tuktuk ride to the middle of nowhere. We got off the tuktuk and started a 15 min trek through the trees to find the waterfall. Eventually, the trees opened up and in the middle of the jungle there was a small shack where a few men lived and next to their little house was the most beautiful waterfall. We don't even know the location but stay at the Jetwing and they'll be more than happy to take you. It's an absolute hidden gem and one of the most beautiful waterfalls I've ever seen.

After the waterfall we headed back to the hotel to catch some sunshine and chill by their beautiful tranquil pool. At about 1pm we were ready to head to Udawalaya National Park for a private jeep safari.

Originally we were going to visit Ella Rock and the Nine Arches Bridges but Udawalaya was more up our street and worked better with timings but if you would like to visit here, just miss out the safari and you should have plenty of time, I'll be visiting them on my next trip and if time permits you should definitely try check them out. Udawalaya was last minute as per, as you've probably figured by now spontaneity is totally our style.

After about 1h30 we arrived at the safari. We climbed in our private jeep and started our mission through the park. Our driver decided to take the off road track which ended up being so much fun up and over dunes and down big hills, until we got stuck in the bottom of a hill in a waterhole. It took about an hour before we managed to get the jeep out the mud. It could have been annoying, however we found it really funny and even added to the trip. Who can say they got stuck in the jungle (well kinda), had to get out and push us out the mood, and I even had to go for a toilet break with the wildlife but I took my bodyguard Alice to protect me. After we managed to get out, we saw so many families of elephants in the wild, we saw a tortoise on the tracks, wild buffalo, crocodile, monkeys, peacocks, eagles and more. The trip was completely amazing, and was so good to see the animals in a natural an environment as possible. The trip was really reasonable for the two of us in a private jeep and for everything including entry cost about $95 for 4h and totally worth it.

After the safari it was back on the road to Unawatuna, our final stop on the journey. We checked in late at night at Apa Villa Thalpe in Unawatuna. The owner was kind and even though the kitchen was shut they made us some spaghetti as we hadn't properly eaten since breakfast!

DAY FOUR

So sad it's our last day.

We woke up finally on a beach! After 3 days in the jungle it was dreamy being able to chill by the pool and dip our tooties in the sea. We had a lovely breakfast just outside our room and stayed in the hotel by the pool for a couple of hours before heading off along the beach. These beaches were amazing, there were barely any tourists around and the huge stretch of white sands and sea were perfect.

We walked for about half an hour along the beach and saw fishermen sat on poles in the sea trying to catch fish. This was super cool, they just balance there all day catching as much as they can. After another 5 minutes walking we came across a huge palm tree with a rope attached to swing on. It was owned by a little hut serving food and drinks called Dream Cabana. We worked up a bit of a sweat so sat down and had a drink and some poppadoms. The family came and spoke to us and they were the kindest most beautiful people, we ended up staying all day drinking beers, swinging on the palm tree and chatting. The owner and Mum of the family made us dinner which we had on the beach and the food was the best we'd had the entire trip. It cost us next to nothing for them looking after us all day and so we gave them quite a lot extra. The whole family were so kind, we made friends with Banti and Eranga the sons living there. They're keen surfers so I'm sure if you wanted to hit the waves they'd be happy to help! Turtles also come here at night and lay their eggs, they said their guests stay up and watch the turtles. Wish we had more time to see this but hey ho, gals gotta go.

After an incredible 4 days we drove back to Colombo and checked into a cheap motel for the last few hours to try get a bit of rest before our flight back to Dubai. One thing I can say for sure is that this is one of the most incredible, beautiful, cultural places I've ever visited. It hasn't been attacked by tourism and the people and such kind friendly people, I swear I could move here! This is one of my tops spots to visit and I'd recommend it to any keen travellers!

TIPS

1 Get a driver. An absolute must. You don't have to worry about finding taxis, they're super cheap and stress and hassle free. Contact me for the one I used!

2 Research places thoroughly where you go. We should have done more research on Pinnawala elephant orphanage to save the tears of mistreat animals

3 Research your hotels thoroughly. If you aren't too keen on insects its a good idea to make sure the rooms are all fully indoors!

4 Listen to the locals. We found they were so friendly and kind, we rarely got ripped off (having a driver helped) and they actually suggested some cool places we didn't know about prior to booking 5 Make an itinerary beforehand so you know what to see and how to see it all especially if you have limited time. 6 Be flexible. Your dates/times/priorities of what to see may change so spend as little time debating and just go!

IN SHORT (the 5 day itinerary)

Day one

- Pinnawala Elephants bathing at Pinnawala, visit The Millennium Elephant Foundation one-to-one elephant bathing with a registered charity and discover a Herbal Garden

Day Two

- Kandy See the Buddha then ride the train to Ella

Day Three

- Ella Drive to the Nine Arches Bridge, take a hike up to Ella Rock and visit the secret waterfall

- Udawalaya Private Jeep Safari Tour in Udawalaya National Park and see animals in as close to the wild as possible

Day Four

- Unawatuna Take a walk along the beach and see the fishermen in the sea, have a Pina Colada at Dream Cabana and take a swing on the palm tree

HOTEL STAYS

Night 1

Kandy

The Theva Residency

One night for $192.00