1 week in Sri Lanka

Hi

if you arrive at 2 am it will take about 1 hour to clearing that mean by 3 am your in out side no point of going to negombo as you got only 1 week to stay in sri lanka. You can catch bus from the air port to Colombo going every half hours , take about another 1 hour to getting there then catch morning train to kandy.

can find plenty of cheap guesthouses from the 8-10 us$ upward then explore hill country and cultural triangle from there.

Have nice visit .

mawa

In most of Asia travellers generally stay at guesthouses and cheap hotels not hostels.

Hi,
I agree, not worth getting a place to stay. As mawa said, clear the airport by 3 am, then getting into Negombo another 20 to 30 minutes, getting in somewhere and kipping down another 1/2 hour, everyone else is waking up.
You can get a room at the airport. Not sure of the price but it'd be the best way in bed by 4 am. sleep til about7 or so.

It,s Not worth going into Colombo to get to Kandy.
The airport to Colombo, in te morning trafic will probably take you about 1 1/2 hours.
Then you'll probably wait an hour or two for the train.
I think,,, Only think,,, there's train from

Colombo Fort to Kandy at 1700......1240....
And two between those times ..at 0835 and 0930 which go to Nanu Oya and Badulla respectively.. So, will go through Peradeniya station, which is a sort of suburb of Kandy. ( about 7 kilometres from Kandy centre.).

BUT,,, If you walk outof the airport front door. Turn left.
About 50 to 80 metres you'll see an old looking, red CTB bus parked up. If it's not there, ask and you'll be told where to catch it and it'll be there in a few minutes.
Thats a FREE shuttle bus,,, Just get on and wait and when there's enough passengers aboard, it'll take you just outside the airport and into the little town of Katunayake. About 8 to 10 minutes ride.
The free bus only does one stop and thats th main bus stand in Katunayake.
From there, you can catch a bus to Kandy.

Time wise, you can be on that bus an half way to Kandy before you'd get to the train station in Colombo. And,, the bus is cheaper.

Cities,,,, Do you mean the ancient cities of Polonorua and Anuradhapura or the modern cities such as Kandy, Colombo , etc,
Assuming that you mean modern cities, Sri Lanka doesn't have a lot going for it in that respect. My opinion , but I reckon Colombo doesn't have anything worth visiting for.
Kandy I do like and enjoy. Takes a little while to get to know your way around and get a feel for the place but I enjoy Kandy.

For the hill country, train south from Kandy, when you're ready to move on.
You'll probably be told that you really must stop at Newara Eliya. , about 3 hours train ride south of Kandy. When evr I've been to ewara Eliya, it's got cold, wet and windy. I wouldn't bother.
I'd stay on the train as far as Haputale. Stay in the Sri Lak View guest house or if you want one thats out of town and a bit cheaper,
The White Monkey- Dias Rest, Km post 3, Near Thotulgala. Tel. +94-(0)-57-2268096
Places to find arund Haputale include the Diyulama Falls, including going to the top of the falls, and Liptons Seat.. All around there is beautiful mountain scenery.
Then on to Ella.
Good Place is Sun Top Inn, Police Station Road.
Walks from Ella include Little Adams Peak, and Ella Rock. Again, beautiful scenery, mountain views, etc.

That will about take up your week. Consolation is, that Kandy is about the bst city if you have to choose one and the hill country is the most beautiful part of Sri Lanka.
You could then take the train back to Colombo and on to the airport or, if you're a glutton fr punishment,
You could catch a bus from Ella to Matara. There's a straight through bus, catch it at the bottom end of Police Station Road just after 9 am. then the coastal train from Matara back to Colombo.
A rushed week but you'll probably see enough of Sri Lanka to make you want to come back again.
Rod.

Hi there, terribly sorry to hijack this thread. I will likely be spending a week or so in SL and share some concerns as well.

After doing some research I think I will limit my visit to the following 3 or 4 places.

Colombo, Negombo, Galle and Kandy.

I understand from most people that there isn't much to see in Colombo so I figure I can skip that. Are there any particularly interesting things to see in Negombo and Galle, or should I head upwards from Kandy and bypass the rest?

Many thanks in advance!

Hi setsuren,
I'd recommend that you adopt an itinery similar to the first one listed on this post.
I do like Negombo and always enjoy a few days there every trip but with limited time, I'd keep that to a minimum
Colombo doesn't have much to interest me either. OK for shopping but thats about it.
Galle, has the Old Dutch Fort which can take up an afternoon but not much more than that.

If you land reasonably early in the day, follow the list in the above post for the airport bus, Katunayake and the bus to Kandy.
From Kandy, take a two day trip north to see Polonorua, Sigirya and Dambulla cave temples plus anything else you might like in that area.
Followed by a day or two in and around Kandy. Usual attractions are the elephant orphanage at Pinawella, The Peradeniya Botanical Gardens and the Temple of the Tooth.

Then train south through the hill country stopping off at Haputale or Ella ...or both.
From there you can get a bus down to the south coast. If you stay in the beach areas of Unawatuna or Hikkadwua you can easily do a day trip into Galle from there .

When your time is up, you can get the train from either of those places back to Colombo and then a bus from there to the airport.
If you wanted to get back near the airport a day early, then Negombo is the best place to stay. From Negombo to the airport is only about 20 minues or so, depending on the trafic and has plenty of choice for accomodation, restaurants and bars etc.

Rod.

Rod,
u mentioned abt taking the free shuttle bus to Katunayake from airport and then catch bus to Kandy.
I will be arriving Colombo abt 2am as well... didnt want to waste a night hotel's stay.. so will be following yr advice.
i like to ask is there bus service in the wee hours of 3am from Katunayake to Kandy or i will have to wait till mornin??

thanks.
regards.

Hi Vincel,
I can't remember the earliest I caught that bus, sorry.
I've got a feeling it was about 7am but not too sure. I've sent off an email to a mate who lives fairly close and asked him, so watch this space and I'll let you know if he replies in any positive way.
If you get to Katunayake bus stand and the Kandy bus is a longish wait, then it'd probably be worth paying a few rupees and getting the bus into Negombo bus stand, only about 20 minutes away, then catching the Kandy bus from there.
That way, you can be sure of getting a seat . It shouldn't be a problem getting a seat from Katunayake but you never know.
I'll be back in touch when I here from Sri Lanka.
Rod.

Hey,
How's that for service...?
I got a reply within a few minutes. The wonders of modern science leave me aghast.

My friend made a phone call and has found out that the first bus leaves Negombo at 4;15 am.
It goes to Kandy via Katunayake so should arrive at Katunayake bus stand at about 4;30.am,

By the time you clear customs, get the shuttle bus and arrive at Katunayake it should be about 3;30.. Not too bad at all.
Hope you have a great trip.
Rod.

hey Rod_B... thanks so much for the reply.

an hour with iPod at Katunayake bus stand should be ok.
just hope is safe.

thanks again. really much appreciated.