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idleflow04:45 UTC02 Dec 2007

Hi All,

Just finished a tour of Sri Lanka and must admit that off all the countries i have seen Sri Lanka would have to be one of the best - so if you're thinking of going or looking for a destination then don't hesitate. Below is our travel details and general advice on where to go and not to go etc etc...

We were pretty lucky as we have a friend who is from sri lanka, he helped us with some accommodation, a driver and general advice. So first bit of advice is that if you know anyone who is from sri lanka then be sure to talk to them about it - Sri Lanka people are very proud of their country and will jump at the chance of talking about their country.

Sri Lanka is not a dangerous place to visit, there are many police checkpoints and security throughout the country. However stay away from government areas within Colombo.

Our driver was actually a friend of our sri lankan friend, it was his first time driving for tourists and he is interested in doing more of this type of work. He was excellent, honest, friendly and helpful. If you are in need of a driver then let me know and i can get you in contact with him however his price may change - we were given mates rates.

Another note on drivers, please look after your driver... most hotels have drivers quarters,most are disgusting, if you have a good driver please spend the extra 1000 +- rupee so your driver can have a good nights sleep! (unless ofcourse if you're driver just wants to sleep and smoke all day )

Shopping: You will probably hear about Odel and House Of Fashion. Odel is probably the better one, HOF is very cheap and the quality varies, all extras, seconds, faults are usually sent here.

MC is pretty good - 3 levels of shops... there are a heap more such as no limit, fashion bug, gee bees that are also good. You're best bet is drive around and stop when you see a shop you think looks good.
You'll have no problem finding t-shirts and shirts however finding a good pair of jeans is a little harder. Most of the jeans are Indian style ones.

Smoking: foreigners are able to smoke in most places however locals are forbidden to smoke in public, they are fined 5000 rupee.

Alcohol: a lion beer 625ml is around 140 rupee. If you like whiskey then try their Arrack (old reserve or old arrack are the best).

Eating: varies in price, in some places 3 of us ate from a buffet which ended up costing around 400 rupee although other places were more expensive - stick to local restaurants.
Oh and follow the custom of eating with your (right) hand - its fun, respectful and apparently tastes better.

If you're staying in a fancy hotel make sure you have a club sandwhich... the best we had was at the Mt Lavinia hotel. We paid 500 rupee to use their pool for the day - the clucb sandwiches are awesome - you can also do the same at the Inheritance Hotel in Ahingala on the west coast near Hikkaduwa.

Water: prices are marked on the bottles but you're best bet is to shop from a food city supermarket.

Annoyances: If travelling with a female (or you are a female) be prepared for many perverting eyes that will stare with no shame at all, it gets a little irritating after a while.

Locals who claim they are guides at sites, they will follow you and begin to tell you about the site - unless you want their business simply tell them you can manage on your own.. otherwise make sure you ask how much beforehand!

our itinerary.

Day 1 : Colombo

Acc: Tropic Inn Mt Levinia - 3000 rupee - A/C, fan, double, clean, friendly, bathroom. Around 40-50 minutes from airport.

Day 2: Hatton - around 3-4 hours drive. Unfortunately we couldn't get the train so we had to drive from day 1.

Acc: Hill Side - 2500 rupee, DONT STAY AT THIS HOTEL.. dirty sheets that smelt like all types of body odours.. various coloured stains.. we only stayed here as we were doing adam's peak the next morning. Instead stay at a hotel at the base of adam's peak.

Day 3: Adam's Peak - we started at around 2am and reached the top in around 3 hours. As the LP book reads, the best time is at the beginning of December when the pilgrimage begins however it gets extremely busy and can take double the time to reach the top. Some locals will tell you that you are not permitted to go to the top, this is untrue. You are able to hike up at any time of the year.
Guides are available for around 1000-1500 rupee however a guide is not required.
If you are not so fit then take your time while hiking both up and down, our legs were in agony for around 4-5 days.

Day 3: Nuwara Eliya

Acc: Saint Andrews, this place is part of the Jetwing chain - totally overrated...

Day 4: Worlds End - costs around $2200 rupee to get in, get there around 7:30am to get better views.

Day 4: Ella

Acc: Rawana - around 1500 rupee. Bedrooms are basic but this would have to be one of the best places we stayed. The food is absolutely amazing and the best we tasted in Sri Lanka - have the garlic curry...

To the owners of this friendly guesthouse, thank you once again for a great stay!

Also had a herbal massage here, unless your legs are in the same state as ours were then wait for the south. Otherwise the massage will cost around 3000 rupee for over 1 hour.. includes massage, steaming and sauna.

Day 6: Uda Walawe National Park - if travelling in pairs this will cost you around 7500 rupee for a safari - its worth doing especially if you see a leopard, we were lucky!

Yala national park is now controlled by LTE.

Day 6: halfway between Tangalla and Dickwella

Acc: Kadolana Gust House - around 2000 rupee a night.. ac optional, clean, nice beach view. Best thing about this place is that the beach is pretty much a private one, we had it to ourselves for a the two days we were there.

There is also a night restaurant towards the top of the hill.

Day 8: Unawatuna

Acc: Rock House - around 1000 rupee a night, fan, bathroom, around 2 min walk from beach. Make sure you eat at the restaurant here, the cook is a nice guy and makes some real tasty meals.

The beach here is one of the best, facing the ocean - the right hand side is nice and calm waters, the left is a little more rough.

Day 9: Hikkaduwa - the cook from the rock house restaurant ended up joining us for a lift and gave us a tour on the way - he will take you to a few shops, a turtle farm as well as a restaurant within the mangroves.

Acc: casalanka - around 1000 rupee - no A/C cold water (as most places) - you're better off staying another night in Unawatuna unless you're a surfer.

We only looked around Galle - we didn't stay there due to time constraints.

Day 10: Colombo - tropic inn again.

Day 11: Kandy - saw the elephant orphanage on the way - sorry forgotten the hotel name but it was towards the top of the hill.

Make sure you see the tooth relic temple and kandy dancers - from memory there are two shows in different places. one is at the YMBA which is basically a hall - 2 shows play daily, around 500 rupee to see.

Day 12: Sigiriya - the climb to the top of this place isn't really that hard however its best to go in the morning when its a little cooler.

Day 13: colombo - stayed for a couple of days where we finished our trip.

vidhya250412:48 UTC11 Dec 2007

Hi,

3 of my friends and I are planning a trip to Sri Lanka between the 28th of December to the 3rd of January. As usual, have left my reservations a bit late. Thanks for your suggestions. Very useful.

Was wondering whether you could provide me with the contact details of your driver. My email id is vidhya2504@gmail.com

Appreciate your help.

Cheers,

Vidhya

Edited by: vidhya2504

saigonlife10:56 UTC26 Dec 2007

Mate, thanks for your comments, very helpful. what would you suggest for an 8 day trip? can email me at goodmorningsaigon@yahoo.com.

cheers,
Saigonlife

Sri Lanka - completed tour details/itinerary general info Country forums / Indian Subcontinent
idleflow04:45 UTC02 Dec 2007	Hi All, Just finished a tour of Sri Lanka and must admit that off all the countries i have seen Sri Lanka would have to be one of the best - so if you're thinking of going or looking for a destination then don't hesitate. Below is our travel details and general advice on where to go and not to go etc etc... We were pretty lucky as we have a friend who is from sri lanka, he helped us with some accommodation, a driver and general advice. So first bit of advice is that if you know anyone who is from sri lanka then be sure to talk to them about it - Sri Lanka people are very proud of their country and will jump at the chance of talking about their country. Sri Lanka is not a dangerous place to visit, there are many police checkpoints and security throughout the country. However stay away from government areas within Colombo. Our driver was actually a friend of our sri lankan friend, it was his first time driving for tourists and he is interested in doing more of this type of work. He was excellent, honest, friendly and helpful. If you are in need of a driver then let me know and i can get you in contact with him however his price may change - we were given mates rates. Another note on drivers, please look after your driver... most hotels have drivers quarters,most are disgusting, if you have a good driver please spend the extra 1000 +- rupee so your driver can have a good nights sleep! (unless ofcourse if you're driver just wants to sleep and smoke all day ) Shopping: You will probably hear about Odel and House Of Fashion. Odel is probably the better one, HOF is very cheap and the quality varies, all extras, seconds, faults are usually sent here. MC is pretty good - 3 levels of shops... there are a heap more such as no limit, fashion bug, gee bees that are also good. You're best bet is drive around and stop when you see a shop you think looks good. You'll have no problem finding t-shirts and shirts however finding a good pair of jeans is a little harder. Most of the jeans are Indian style ones. Smoking: foreigners are able to smoke in most places however locals are forbidden to smoke in public, they are fined 5000 rupee. Alcohol: a lion beer 625ml is around 140 rupee. If you like whiskey then try their Arrack (old reserve or old arrack are the best). Eating: varies in price, in some places 3 of us ate from a buffet which ended up costing around 400 rupee although other places were more expensive - stick to local restaurants. Oh and follow the custom of eating with your (right) hand - its fun, respectful and apparently tastes better. If you're staying in a fancy hotel make sure you have a club sandwhich... the best we had was at the Mt Lavinia hotel. We paid 500 rupee to use their pool for the day - the clucb sandwiches are awesome - you can also do the same at the Inheritance Hotel in Ahingala on the west coast near Hikkaduwa. Water: prices are marked on the bottles but you're best bet is to shop from a food city supermarket. Annoyances: If travelling with a female (or you are a female) be prepared for many perverting eyes that will stare with no shame at all, it gets a little irritating after a while. Locals who claim they are guides at sites, they will follow you and begin to tell you about the site - unless you want their business simply tell them you can manage on your own.. otherwise make sure you ask how much beforehand! our itinerary. Day 1 : Colombo Acc: Tropic Inn Mt Levinia - 3000 rupee - A/C, fan, double, clean, friendly, bathroom. Around 40-50 minutes from airport. Day 2: Hatton - around 3-4 hours drive. Unfortunately we couldn't get the train so we had to drive from day 1. Acc: Hill Side - 2500 rupee, DONT STAY AT THIS HOTEL.. dirty sheets that smelt like all types of body odours.. various coloured stains.. we only stayed here as we were doing adam's peak the next morning. Instead stay at a hotel at the base of adam's peak. Day 3: Adam's Peak - we started at around 2am and reached the top in around 3 hours. As the LP book reads, the best time is at the beginning of December when the pilgrimage begins however it gets extremely busy and can take double the time to reach the top. Some locals will tell you that you are not permitted to go to the top, this is untrue. You are able to hike up at any time of the year. Guides are available for around 1000-1500 rupee however a guide is not required. If you are not so fit then take your time while hiking both up and down, our legs were in agony for around 4-5 days. Day 3: Nuwara Eliya Acc: Saint Andrews, this place is part of the Jetwing chain - totally overrated... Day 4: Worlds End - costs around $2200 rupee to get in, get there around 7:30am to get better views. Day 4: Ella Acc: Rawana - around 1500 rupee. Bedrooms are basic but this would have to be one of the best places we stayed. The food is absolutely amazing and the best we tasted in Sri Lanka - have the garlic curry... To the owners of this friendly guesthouse, thank you once again for a great stay! Also had a herbal massage here, unless your legs are in the same state as ours were then wait for the south. Otherwise the massage will cost around 3000 rupee for over 1 hour.. includes massage, steaming and sauna. Day 6: Uda Walawe National Park - if travelling in pairs this will cost you around 7500 rupee for a safari - its worth doing especially if you see a leopard, we were lucky! Yala national park is now controlled by LTE. Day 6: halfway between Tangalla and Dickwella Acc: Kadolana Gust House - around 2000 rupee a night.. ac optional, clean, nice beach view. Best thing about this place is that the beach is pretty much a private one, we had it to ourselves for a the two days we were there. There is also a night restaurant towards the top of the hill. Day 8: Unawatuna Acc: Rock House - around 1000 rupee a night, fan, bathroom, around 2 min walk from beach. Make sure you eat at the restaurant here, the cook is a nice guy and makes some real tasty meals. The beach here is one of the best, facing the ocean - the right hand side is nice and calm waters, the left is a little more rough. Day 9: Hikkaduwa - the cook from the rock house restaurant ended up joining us for a lift and gave us a tour on the way - he will take you to a few shops, a turtle farm as well as a restaurant within the mangroves. Acc: casalanka - around 1000 rupee - no A/C cold water (as most places) - you're better off staying another night in Unawatuna unless you're a surfer. We only looked around Galle - we didn't stay there due to time constraints. Day 10: Colombo - tropic inn again. Day 11: Kandy - saw the elephant orphanage on the way - sorry forgotten the hotel name but it was towards the top of the hill. Make sure you see the tooth relic temple and kandy dancers - from memory there are two shows in different places. one is at the YMBA which is basically a hall - 2 shows play daily, around 500 rupee to see. Day 12: Sigiriya - the climb to the top of this place isn't really that hard however its best to go in the morning when its a little cooler. Day 13: colombo - stayed for a couple of days where we finished our trip.
vidhya250412:48 UTC11 Dec 2007	Hi, 3 of my friends and I are planning a trip to Sri Lanka between the 28th of December to the 3rd of January. As usual, have left my reservations a bit late. Thanks for your suggestions. Very useful. Was wondering whether you could provide me with the contact details of your driver. My email id is vidhya2504@gmail.com Appreciate your help. Cheers, Vidhya Edited by: vidhya2504	1
saigonlife10:56 UTC26 Dec 2007	Mate, thanks for your comments, very helpful. what would you suggest for an 8 day trip? can email me at goodmorningsaigon@yahoo.com. cheers, Saigonlife	2

Sri Lanka - completed tour details/itinerary general info