Travel Dates: Dec. 22nd 2021 – Jan. 4th 2022
Overview of Our Trip
With the COVID cases in Bangalore reducing and minimal requirements to enter Sri Lanka as a tourist towards the end of 2021, we decided to take the 90-minute flight from Bangalore to Colombo and spend 2 weeks enjoying a much-needed vacation. Having both COVID vaccine doses and a negative COVID test in hand, we started the journey on Dec 22nd.
Traveling amidst the COVID era has its pros and cons. We traditionally spend at least a full weekend planning a trip, but in this case, we left all the planning and hotel bookings to the last minute. With a reduced number of travelers, we were able to book nice hotels in each city only a week in advanced and it was noticeably less busy than in the past (at least according to the locals). For example, we went to each train station at least 2 days before our planned departure to book a ticket. In the past, this would have been required to be done at least 35 days in advance or the tickets would have been sold out. Or for some major attractions like Horton Plains National Park or Sigiriya, there are lines for entry that can span hours of wait time. Fewer people also meant an easier time avoiding crowds and enjoying some peace and quiet. Some minor attractions had been closed or shut down due to COVID like a cultural theater, but overall few impacts negatively affected our trip experience.
Sri Lanka is not a country we would have ever considered traveling to had we remained living in the US mainly given the long travel time and limited exposure to what Sri Lanka has to offer. The 90-minute flight from Bangalore was almost too convenient to pass up. In fact, most of the locals were surprised we were Americans with one tour guide even saying we were only his 3rd American group in the 7 years he has been working in tourism. Most of the tourists come from Russia, Australia, New Zealand, parts of Europe, and India from what we were seeing and hearing from the locals.
There were many things we loved about Sri Lanka
-Locals/People; they were genuinely very nice people, almost all of them spoke good English, and we had some very memorable discussions with quite a few of our drivers. We learned a large portion of their economy is tourism so most of them were just happy to see tourists back and wanted to help make our stay pleasant any way they could.
-Food; The local food was delicious. Curries, dry sambar, and dal make up the base of their cuisine so it is very similar to Indian, but all the local meals we had were very flavorful and not too spicy.
-Beauty; whether at the sprawling beaches, at a national park forest, or overlooking endless tea plantations the whole country is a tropical paradise. This means beautiful wildlife (Wild elephants trying to cross the road, unique birds, snakes, you name it), amazing hikes, and spectacular views.
-Cleanliness; Maybe we shouldn’t have been, but we were quite surprised by the level of cleanliness. There was minimal garbage and litter scattered throughout the cities, they had large developed cities with massive skyscrapers (Ex. Colombo), the roads were well-paved, and the traffic was normal (They actually use turn signals).
-Ease of Transport; You will find that most of the major cities or travel destinations around Sri Lanka fall into a circle. For our trip we booked a car to get to Weligama once we landed in Colombo, took a car from Weligama to Ella and then took trains the rest of the way to Nuwara Eliya, Kandy, and then back to Colombo. The train system is affordable, convenient, pleasant, and scenic. Once you are within cities there are Tuk Tuks everywhere so moving from place to place is always easy.
Some of the downsides
-It was often hard to find drinking water if a hotel didn’t have a large bottle for refills and most restaurants only offered bottled water. They did have a lot of eco-friendly and plastic waste reduction signs throughout the country but it was frustrating to see it was all talk. Luckily we had personal water filtering bottles but not everyone will be so well prepared forcing more avoidable single use plastics.
-The whole trip didn’t end up being as cheap as we would have expected. Without spending too much time at hostels due to COVID, we paid more to travel safely. Make sure to stick to budget accordingly.
-Most of the restaurants and bars cater to tourists and since many European and Russian tourists smoke, there was a lot of smoking in common places.
Below our some of the top destinations and activities based on our travel experience. We hope this can help you plan your next trip to Sri Lanka!
Top Destinations
–Ella
Colombo
The capital of Sri Lanka, Colombo, will be on everyone’s itinerary because the International airport is located here. We spent one day here at the start of our trip and one afternoon to close our trip. Colombo is a beautiful coastal city with remarkable development and a variety of culture. We had no idea what to go see so we got in a Tuk Tuk and the driver took us around to some of the more popular spots within the city.
Gangaramaya Temple
We enjoyed walking around the largest Buddhist temple in Colombo. The main temple was the more elaborate with a massive Buddha statue (Surprisingly many large statues scattered around the country since Buddhism is the predominant religion in Sri Lanka), but this site also had the Pagoda, and a prayer area surrounding a massive tree (typically called a Bodhitree or sacred fig tree).
Parliament Building
The massive and beautiful building houses the Presidential Secretariat of Sri Lanka (ie the President’s office). We briefly stopped out front to see the site and observe the nice festive decorations they had for New Years.
Gem Shopping
Sri Lanka is well known for its vast supply of gems and gem mining is a large industry. If you are interested in learning more about gems or buying them at a discount there are many stores available. Based on our experience in both gems shopping in India (Jaipur) and Sri Lanka we found the gems were more affordable in Sri Lanka and we were happy with the deals we were able to negotiate.
Pettah Floating Market
A massive market on the water with nearly 100 stalls. You can spend a lot of time here getting souvenir shopping done or just people watching.
Ministry of Crab
Partly owned by an ex-Sri Lanka Cricket Super Star (At least that’s what our driver told us) Ministry of Crab is expanding to some popular travel locations. We had not heard about it until our taxi driver from the airport told us to go here so it became our first meal of the trip. The expense was high for fresh seafood, but we enjoyed the unique experience. We worked for every piece of our XL crab and ordered the largest prawn I had ever seen in my life.
The Gallery Cafe
This must have been one of the most popular restaurants in town. We walked in without a reservation and were lucky to get seating. They have a small abstract art gallery in front of their restaurant and a gift shop. The menu had a variety of international and local food and the drink menu was endless.
Botanik Rooftop Bar
Cool venue with outdoor and indoor seating. Their small menu had surprisingly good food and the view from the top of the city was nice.
Learn Sinhala (Local language of Sri Lanka)
Sthoothi – Thank You
Ayubowan – Goodbye and Goodbye
Galle (Or Mirissa/Weligama)
The southwestern tip of the island is a popular spot for tourism due to the beautiful beaches. We spent four days in this area enjoying the water activities and relaxing.
Whale Watching
We joined a catamaran tour which was a lot of fun. As with any public boat tour there is always that one person who is horrendously sea sick but only find out on these vacation boat tours. Overall the boat was still quite spacious, and it felt like we had the catamaran to ourselves.
We had a small breakfast and saw a small pack of baby dolphins early in the morning. Towards the later half of the trip, we finally caught a glimpse of a Fin Whale a few times and it kept surfacing in various areas.
Before we returned to the dock we anchored just offshore for a nice lunch to complete our trip. Overall, this catamaran option is available if you want to avoid a more cramped tourist boat but will cost a bit more money. It was a lot more pleasant and less rocky. Doing any of these tours will more than likely guarantee you to see a whale but the whole atmosphere is diminished with swarms of tourist boats hovering around each other to get a glimpse of the whales. And this was mid COVID times when crowds are greatly reduced, I could not imagine how crowded and awful it must have been pre-pandemic.
Scuba Diving
Allison managed to get two dives in one morning, but after the Maldives and Andaman Islands she was underwhelmed. This may be a good place to get certified since it was very affordable, but don’t expect large coral beds or unique sea life.
Unawatuna Beach
Considered the best beach in Sri Lanka by some, we had to see for ourselves. We made our way over for a small lunch and some fresh juice around high noon to avoid the peak sun. We found a spot to read and nap and ended up playing frisbee with a local for a while before sunset. The beach was clean, massive, and comfortable with lots of seating options and restaurants to kill time and lounge.
Surfing
Along this whole coast, there is Surfing EVERYWHERE. If you have always wanted to learn to surf this would be your best chance. There are people on the water at all hours of the day and the locals are genuinely friendly and helpful.
Galle Dutch Fort
A UNESCO World Heritage Site, this area was originally built in the late 1500’s by the Portuguese. It has been preserved by the Sri Lankan Architecture Department and remains a very popular tourist location.
Lodging
We stayed in Weligama, which was close to both Unawatuna and Mirissa but you can’t go wrong with any of these areas. There will be good food and drink options no matter where you stay. We celebrated Christmas at the Marriot and had an incredible buffet style dinner followed by dancing in a conference hall with a live DJ.
Ella
We consider this the tourist hub of Sri Lanka. The whole city is filled with hotels and guest houses and the small downtown area is built for tourism with amazing and trendy restaurants and cute boutique souvenir shops. The surrounding Ella area contains amazing sites and activities so it is easy to spend many days here. We chose to spend 4 days here which we felt was perfect.
Nine Arch Bridge
A large, beautiful, and unique bridge built out of stone and concrete is one of the most popular sites in not only Ella, but all of Sri Lanka. We came early in the morning to ensure we saw two different trains crossing the bridge. We arrived by 615am and saw the trains at 635am and 650am. To maximize the experience of seeing trains cross the bridge and avoid crowds, we recommend getting there early in the morning. Most of the casual travelers are here for sunset and we heard it became very overcrowded. The locals on the train were so excited to wave at the tourists and the beauty and calmness in the morning made it a very pleasant experience. Note, if you are traveling from Ella to Nuwara Eliya you do not cross the bridge. We were disappointed to find this out when we finally left town and went the opposite direction.
Little Adams Peak
This hike takes less than an hour and gives you an incredible view of the surrounding mountain range, Ella Rock, and tea plantations. You can reach the trailhead by going to the Flower Garden Café and Hotel. As you get close you will see signs for the Zip Line. The Zip Line check-in is actually in the middle of this hike so people end up doing the Zip Line on the way back down. The hike is very easy and well maintained so there is no need for a guide as you will not get lost. After the hike, we enjoyed some fresh juice and read at the Flower Garden Café while overlooking the scenery.
Tea Tour at Uva Halpewatte Tea Factory
The Uva Halpe Tea Factory is the premier tea factory in Ella. They have a beautiful gift shop and check-in area for tourists on the top floor of their factory. There is a patio that overlooks the surrounding plantations and the location of this factory amongst the hillside makes the scenery amazing. We made the mistake of going late in the afternoon so we missed our chance to actually see the complete process being run live with the batch of leaves for that day. The tour guide, Siva, was still kind enough to describe the process and show us the complete manufacturing line. After we learned about the process, they took us back to the lounge for a tea tasting to finish the tour.
Shiva even went on to describe how he had been running his own factory at 24 and had come out of retirment to run the tourist activities for Uva Halpewatte. At age 70, Shiva looked like he was in his 40s and was in great shape. He will always be known to us as the TeaOG.
Lipton’s Seat
A statue honoring Sir Thomas Lipton, Lipton’s Seat is another popular tourist attraction. Thomas Lipton had visited Sri Lanka, previously called Ceylon, in the late 1800s and is most known for his marketing abilities and for making tea more accessible. He commercialized tea and put Sri Lanka on the map as a global tea powerhouse. The view itself is beautiful, and there was a small café that served some snacks so we could sit down for a few minutes and enjoy the view.
From Ella it took close to 2 hours to get there in a Tuk Tuk. Since we wanted to get there early and avoid a crowd we left at 530am and ended up getting there well after sunrise. We were the only ones there since the larger group was there at sunrise. If you are interested in seeing sunrise you would be better off staying closer to this landmark to avoid waking up at 3am. The narrow roads getting to the peak almost require a Tuk Tuk as well so transportation options are limited.
Cooking Classes
We were at the train station and noticed a tourist attraction help center. We walked to the building and they were closed, but just next door at a restaurant the owner said she could help us with what we were looking for. We asked where to find cooking class options and of course, she showed us her sign that said Cooking classes so we booked a time with her. The point of the story is there are many cooking class options available and I would assume all of them will be similar.
When we arrived for the appointment we ended up driving to this cook’s house which was just next to the trailhead to Little Adams Peak.
She set us up on the upstairs balcony so we had a nice view of Ella Rock and the surrounding area while we cooked.
We made Chicken Curry, Potato Curry, Dal, Coconut Sambar (dry), and Papadams. This full experience was a blast for us since it was very similar to Indian food, but we had still yet to take a formal Indian cooking class. All of the flavors were natural and delicious and the spice level was much more manageable than typical Indian food.
Ravana Ella Cave
This short, but steep hike leads to a large cave mouth where there was evidence of humans living over 25,000 years ago. Overall, the cave is not very deep and is obviously very dark so there is not much to see. Given this is also a bit further from the other attractions this is one site you could consider missing.
Downtown Ella
The strip of road probably 1/4 mile long is considered Ella downtown. This tightly packed strip has unique shops selling souvenirs and all the best restaurants. Most of our favorite restaurants from the entire Sri Lanka trip were in Ella. Everyone spends their evenings in this downtown area since it’s very nice and has great food so it’s best to stay within walking distance if you can.
Food and Drinks
Chill Café
Easily the most popular restaurant in Ella (and well known around the country), Chill Café was packed. We ordered a local Shri Lanka dish called Lamprais that consisted of rice and chicken curry cooked in a banana leaf. We also had a BBQ jackfruit burger to reduce our meat consumption. Both entrees were not only unique but delicious. If you don’t mind a crowd you won’t be disappointed.
Rainbow café
Ella even has a vegan restaurant and we were delightfully surprised with both the food options and quality. Their restaurant is three stories and has a couch on each story. There is even a hammock on the top floor. The food was delicious, and I had a unique peanut butter and banana smoothie bowl which I would have gone back for again had we had more time in Ella. The perfect place to relax and enjoy good food in the shade while the crowd is busy elsewhere.
UFO
A very cool and relaxed lounge-style bar that felt like a treehouse. We sat in beanbags and had a delicious dinner. We ordered their popular clay pot curry. The atmosphere was unmatched though, there was a violinist playing popular international tunes that we could have listened to all night had we not had an early morning.
One Love
One of the most unique atmospheres of any restaurant I have ever been in, One Love was a great place to hang out and chill. With various swings, hammocks, and bean bags this is the place to chill on a rainy day or spend the evening enjoying great pizza and playing billiards. The ambiance here is unlike anything we had ever seen and we were not surprised this was a popular spot.
Yala National Park
We saw a Leopard! The internet kept saying this was the best chance to see a Leopard in the winter and we actually did. Had it not been for the leopard it may not have been quite as fruitful of a trip given how much time it required out of our trip. Because we traveled from Ella it took about 2 hours to travel one way. Our afternoon tour still required us to leave before 11am and we returned after 8pm for a late dinner.
Our tour was from 2-5pm which is still a long and exciting tour and ended up ending closer to 6pm by the time we left the park and were dropped back off before heading out of town. We enjoyed seeing a variety of animals, but most of these animals we had already seen before in other Safaris in India. By the end we saw 1 leopard, 10 elephants, infinite peacocks, 3 Monitor lizards, 2 rabbits, infinite deer, one fox with a rabbit in their mouth, 2 mongooses, many cows, and a few ox.
On the return trip at dusk, we saw 2 wild elephants trying to cross the road which was not at all part of the safari but exhilarating.
For those planning to do Yala, we recommend staying closer so you don’t spend all day in a car. You can also find very affordable tours just with help from the locals. The prices we were seeing online to book ahead were way too expensive.
Nuwara Eliya
Most popular for its tea plantations, cold climate, horse races, and European influences, Nuwara Eliya (Pronounced Nuwarliya by the locals) is an essential stop on your Sri Lankan itinerary.
Getting here
If you are traveling to Nuwara Eliya, our best recommendation is to take the train. The train is affordable, comfortable, and offers beautiful views. The train station at Nuwara Eliya is called Nanu Oya. You can reach from either Kandy (from the north or Ella from the south).
Horton Plains (Worlds End Hike)
About a 1-hour drive outside the city, Horton Plains is a vast Natural Park with a variety of hiking available. We took a 5 am car ride to get there at 6 am and were the fourth group to enter the park. We spent about 3.5 hours hiking to the Worlds End Viewpoint and then back to the start. The hike was a complete circle so it was very easy to follow and avoid getting lost. The hike was moderate in difficulty and provided hikes through forests, across open plains on mountainsides, over small creeks, and past waterfalls. This was one of the most diverse hikes we had ever enjoyed.
Gregory Lake Park
A nice park in the heart of the city surrounding Gregory Lake with a variety of activities. There are horse and pony rides for younger kids, jet ski and boat rides being offered on the lake, multiple food stalls, biking trails, and tons of open grass for a picnic. As we sat in the shade under a small tree it felt like we were in Europe after seeing the biking trails and the nice lake.
Victoria Park
Another large park in the city that is worth checking out. I would consider it closer to a botanical garden since there is a nice variety of vegetation.
Grand Hotel
Whether you decide to stay at the Grand or not (It is very expensive), you should be sure to check out High Tea every day at 3pm. We were able to show up just around 3pm and get a table, but this becomes a pretty popular activity. Serving a tower of snacks and tea for 90 min with amazing live music we thoroughly enjoyed this break in the day. It also started raining right as we arrived so it worked out perfectly.
Bale Bazar
The climate is surprisingly cool since Nuwara Eliya is located in the mountains. We had not prepared for this drop in temperature and we wanted to make sure we didn’t freeze to death on the World’s End Hike. Luckily, the Bale Bazar is the go-to spot to purchase warm gear since most tourists make the same mistake we did. The shop receives all damaged or unwanted final products from major brands like Patagonia, Levi, and North Face then resells them at a lower cost. Their price was still steep but they were willing to negotiate good rates.
Kandy
One of the biggest cities in Sri Lanka, Kandy is another popular tourist destination. We stayed here since it’s the largest city near Sigiriya and this was our focus, but there is plenty to do and see.
Royal Botanical Garden
We spent our first afternoon in the garden for about 2 hours and this hardly felt like enough time. We just started walking through the garden without looking at a map and were perpetually lost because it is massive. There is a large variety of trees and plants in the largest botanical garden in the country.
Temple of the Tooth
This Buddhist temple houses the relic of the tooth of the Buddha and is considered one of the most important sites in Sri Lanka. Buddhism is the primary religion in Sri Lanka and all locals told us to visit this site. Visiting is quite the experience since this temple is active. Locals were lining up to pray and worship throughout the temple while tourists were scattered around observing the temple and its followers. To see the tooth relic requires you to wait in a long line of locals who have all brought offerings and are waiting to pray. There were no tourists in this line and it seemed insensitive to wait in line and be in the way when we were not there to pray. We stopped in for a quick trip, but for a more fruitful experience, you can hire a local guide if you are interested more in the Buddhist religion or this temple in particular.
Cultural Performance
The 530pm show at the Kandy Club was well marketed so we went to check it out. The Kandy Club was still closed from the pandemic, but luckily our random Tuk Tuk driver took us to another local theater where another authentic cultural performance was occurring. The performance was dancing and acrobatics with live drumming all capped off by a fire-walking performance.
Sigiriya (8th Wonder of the World)
Pidurangala (Cave and Rock Temple)
While most people go to Sigiriya for sunrise, an arguably better alternative is to travel to the adjacent Pidurangala viewpoint about 10 minutes from Sigiriya to get a view of Sigiriya at sunrise. Pidurangala has become a popular spot for tourists and now opens as early as 430 am so they can charge the early risers for the entrance fee. We started our day hiking this trail at 545 am and it only took about 15 minutes to get to the top. As long as you are not stuck behind slower tourists, this should be manageable. The hike gets exciting towards the top when you have to slither your way through rocks to get to the peak. The top of Pidurangala rock is large and flat so there is a lot of space to explore and enjoy the surrounding scenery.
Unfortunately, the viewpoint was foggy and completely ruined any chance we had to see Sigiriya from a distance. We cut our losses and went to Sigiriya to enjoy the tour of the actual site.
Sigiriya
An ancient rock fortress built on top of a massive rock, Sigirya is considered the 8th Wonder of the World. This is the most popular tourist attraction in Sri Lanka. Given the rainy condition, we decided to hire a tour guide to help us learn more about the history at the site. He gave us detailed descriptions of the surrounding area, history on the previous settlers here, and shared some of the rumors about how the British excavated this location when it was first uncovered in the modern era. There is quite a bit of climbing stairs as expected to get to the top. You’ll pass through the Lion’s Gate (which really should be called Eagle’s Gate) to climb the stairs on the edge of the rock to make it to the top fortress ruins. On the way out you have a chance to observe Frescoe paintings said to have been painted by the soldiers on the side of sheer cliffs. The whole place is surreal and really is a sight to behold. If you are not caught on a rainy day you will have an excellent time (Our tour guide had been almost a hundred times and said he had never seen this fog before).
After a packed and tiring morning hiking around this area, our driver took us to a local restaurant called Sigiri Access Villa. This was nearby, about 15 minutes from Sigiriya on the way back to Kandy. The owner asked if we wanted to see the menu or just order the chef recommended local buffet. We ordered the buffet without evening know what would arrive and we had arguably the best meal of our trip at the best price. He proceeded to bring out 6 small plates of all local dishes to completely fill our table. We feasted while enjoying all local food. Our meal included Jackfruit, Pumpkin Curry, Eggplant, Okra, Coconut sambar, and Chicken curry.
