Land of Diverse Wildlife, Rainforests and Endless beaches – this is what Sri Lanka is about! If you are looking for a wonderful yet affordable vacation, Sri Lanka is a definite choice. As per Sri Lanka Tourism board, within a mere area of 65,610 kilometres lie 8 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, 1,330 kilometres of coastline – much of it pristine beach – 15 national parks showcasing an abundance of wildlife, nearly 500,000 acres of lush tea estates, 250 acres of botanical gardens, 350 waterfalls, 25,000 water bodies, to a culture that extends back to over 2,500 years. The country still remains virgin and forms a promising holiday destination for those looking for non-crowded spots.
Glimpse of Our Trip
- We visited Sri Lanka in September and in December. The great news about Sri Lanka is that it is a year-round destination! Irrespective of the time of the year, you can always make a short trip to Sri Lanka.
- The tour map is enclosed below. Do note that we did this tour in 2 different trips and have combined it here to make it more meaningful.
- Day 1: Reach Colombo
- Day 2: Colombo> Sigiriya> Wasgamuwa
- Day 3: Wasgamuwa> Matale> Kandy
- Day 4, 5 & 6: Kandy> Wadduwa
- Day 7: Wadduwa> Galle> Balapitiya> Colombo
- Day 8: Colombo
Re-living Experiences: Food, Vacationing, Photography & More
Amongst the various options we had, we preferred to take a taxi with a driver for our entire trip. The reason is silly but true! We needed a photographer to take our pictures. Haha yes! Most of the route has beautiful landscape with not many people around, so if you are craving for nice couple pictures, do get a driver. Here are a few shots taken by our driver 😉
Day 1: Colombo
The taxis are not too expensive and the drivers are generally very pleasant to talk to. You can also rent motorbikes and drive rented cars. The west coast is connected through trains as well but we did not consider that option.
After a relaxing day in Colombo we started our trip for Sigiriya.
Day 2: Colombo> Sigiriya> Wasgamuwa
Sigiriya Lion Rock is a World Heritage Site and is considered to have been built in 447 CE. We took a tour guide to embrace the site which is very beautiful and elaborate. We got lucky as the weather was quite nice and it was drizzling. It has a beautiful collection of boulder gardens, terraced gardens, frescoes and remains of the city.
After an amazing lunch enroute, we reached Kandy. The drive is beautiful with beautiful tress and hills on both sides. The famous Tooth Relic Temple is in Kandy. It is built to house the tooth relic of Buddha. Thereafter, we saw the Kandy view point, Bahiravokanda Vihara Buddha Statue & Royal Palace of Kandy. Kandyan dance is a must see if you are in Kandy. The shows are in the evening and don’t need any pre-booking.
Day 4, 5 & 6: Kandy> Wadduwa
The next day we started for Wadduwa. Wadduwa is slightly expensive as it has resorts on the beach. We stayed in Hibiscus beach Hotel spending 3 days leisurely reading books on the beach, playing games and taking sun bath.
Day 7: Wadduwa> Galle> Balapitiya> Colombo
We went further south to see Galle. It is a world heritage site and is the largest remaining fortress in Asia built by Portuguese and Dutch rulers. The landscape is very authentic and very different than what you see in the rest of Sri Lanka.
On our way back to Colombo, we did the river safari in Madu river in Balapitiya. The Mangrooves caves are stunning. The best part was the fish spa in the middle of the river. Wow! It was awesomeeee!!
We reached Colombo in the night and slept well after a really long and eventful day. We stayed in Ocean Colombo and got a room with a nice view of the Indian Ocean. We saw Arcade Independence Square, Gangaramaya buddhist temple and finally returned to the airport. This marked the end of a really memorable trip which we will remember for a really long time.
Immerse yourself in the land of diverse landscapes and let us know how you spent your precious moments in this wonderful land.
