Sri Lanka in 03 days only

Watch yourself there .That country is in the middle of a Civil War

@ jasper: i think the Civil War has been under control and it's quite safe for tourist now?

Hi,
with just three days I'd only stay at one place .
Land at the airport and head for kandy. Nearest to the airport to travel up there is a taxi, followed by a bus, followed by the train.
If you go bus from the airport, there's a free shuttle bus goes from just outside the airport front door, to Katunayake. ( about 10 minutes ride ) from Katunayake you can get a bus for Kandy. About 3 hour ride.
Look at the last post for a couple of places to stay.

From Kandy, a day trip to Sigirya and the cave temples at Dambulla.
a day trip south into the hill country. You can do that on a bus from kandy to Newara Eliya stopping at the Ramboda Falls and a tea plantation for a tour..... Stroll around and look at newara Eliya and then get the train back to kandy. This trip is really to see the hill country scenery.

last day, Botanical Gardens, Temple of the Tooth and Kandy city streets.

Then, On your way back to the airport you might just find time to stop at Pinawella Elaphant Orphanage en route.

And, yes,,, it's safe.. Even during the height of the war, as far as tourists were concerned the buses were more dangerous than the Tigers..

Rod.

If you're interested in beaches, go straight from the airport to Negombo. Colombo itself is not so interesting. But you can do a daytrip to Colombo from Negombo.

You could also head to the south, e.g. to Galle / Unawatuna.

The itinerary suggested by #3 is also fine, but it will keep you quite busy during 3 days.
Don't worry about the comments from #1.

No its not safe there .Many people still disappear in the middle of the night.Taken by the government to execution sites in the forest.|Dont support this with your tourist dollars!

@ Rod and Udo: thank you very much for your great advice.

I will base on it and read more information for the itinerary. Sounds like I should spend my 3 days at Kandy. Will come back with the full itinerary to ask for your review and advice.

Thanks a million.

Huong.

You could also disappear.

Hi all,

It's me again, come back with the full itinerary to ask for your comments:

DAY 1:

7h15: Arrive at the Bandaranayake International Airport
Take the free shuttle bus Katunayake (10 mins) and get a Bus to Kandy

11h00: Arrive Kandy.

The rest half-day:
- Temple of the Tooth
- Botanic Gardens
- River Side Elephant Park ? (worth a visit?)
- Local market

Evening: Kandy Lake and around.
Sleep at Kandy.

DAY 2: A full day trip to Sigirya and the cave temples at Dambulla.
Sleep at Kandy.

DAY 3:
- Morning: The Hill Country/ Wild-life Forest (Sinharaja?)
- Afternoon: Leave for Negombo.
Sleep at Negombo.

DAY 4: leave Negombo for the Airport at 6h30. (Flight at 8h15).

I choose to sleep in Negombo for the last day because of the early flight; and we would like to spend some little time at the beach as well.

I still have some questions, very much appreciated your advice:

At Kandy:

1. Is River Side Elephant Park (4km South of Kandy) worth a visit?

2. If we would like to spend half-day (up to 3-4 p.m.) of Day 3 for the Hill Country or the Wild-life Forest - what is the best option?

3. Accommodation at Kandy : I have read many threads but could find only 01 suggestion from Rod:
   The Kandy View Hotel,
   40/22 Hillpankandura,
   Ampitiya Road,
   Kandy.
   Tel; +94-(0)-81-4481300
   Email....lakecorner@yahoo.com

Is there any other recommendation for a budget good hotel/hostel?

Is the “Palm Garden Guest House”: http://palmgardenkandy.com/ is a good one?

1. If we would like to try a good ayurvedic massage, where is the best place – at Kandy or Negombo?

Thank you very much.

Huong.

hm, I think your plan is a bit too ambitious. On day 1, the botanical garden is a bit outside of Kandy and it would probably take about 3 hours to get there and walk around. The temple of the tooth can be visited in 1 - 1.5 hours. You may also have a walk around the lake in Kandy and visit some other temples. Then I would skip the elephant park. Day 2 is ok, but on day 3 I guess you'd need a whole day to get either to the hill country or to Sinharaja, and there would be no time left to go to back to Negombo. Better to skip the hill country, go to Negombo in the morning, and spend the afternoon in Negombo town or on the beach.

There is plenty of accommodation available in Kandy, but I don't have my guidebook with me and don't recall the addresses. At the southeastern corner of the lake, there's a road going up the hill with plenty of cheap guesthouses.