2 Weeks in Sri Lanka

3 Jan 2021·6 minute read

In October 2017 Sarah and I went on a trip to Sri Lanka. We had two weeks booked off work so the problem inevitably arises: how to best experience a country in such a short period of time.

Ideally you would want to take in a mixture of the different types of places the country has to offer, but not sacrifice too much of your holiday to intra-country travelling. You have to think about what you would like to do in each place so that you will know how many days you’ll need. Also recognise the limitations of what you will want to do after travelling for more than a few hours.

The route we settled on turned out to be pretty much perfect for us and here I'll share some words about each place and some of my photos taken along the way.

Kandy

We flew into Bandaranaike Airport, arriving at 0800 local time, and then made our way into colombo on one of the airport shuttles. From there we went straight to the main bus station and hopped on a public bus for a 4 hour drive to Kandy.

Including the flights this was a mammoth few days of travel but served its purpose in getting us to Kandy where we wanted to start the trip.

Kandy gives a good experience of a Sri lankan city without the chaos of Colombo. We walked around the lake and then headed up into the monkey-filled forest above the city, with plenty of food stops in between.

Three women wearnig white talk underneath a large tree

Bats and birds in the trees above Kandy Lake

A white building in the trees above Kandy Lake

A girl walking along a path in the forest above Kandy

Ella

Next we took the scenic train ride to Ella, winding slowly through the tea plantations and villages. Ella is a hilltop town surrounded by an incredible landscape. Train lines form the main walking routes around the area and the threat of an oncoming train at any moment definitely adds some adrenaline to a walk home.

Walks up Little Adam’s Peak and Ella rock were the highlights of the visit. Along with a walk across the Nine Arches Bridge and through the tea plantations.

An incredibly friendly town with great views at every turn.

Girl looking out train window at tea plantations

A Car going along a road in the forest at night

Udawalawe National Park

Next was the nature fix of the trip, a safari in Udawalawe National Park.

We found someone in Ella whose brother could drive us there and agreed on a price for a ride in a van with air-conditioning. We then renegotiated when his brother showed up in a hatchback with no air-conditioning and set off on the 3 hour trip.

We spent the evening wandering around the area. The town of Udawalawa itself is very small so there is not much to see but we did enjoy sitting by the side of the road and watching some elephants down by the lake.

The safari the following day was fantastic. We entered the park as the sun rose and were treated to sights of macca and silver monkeys, bald eagles, crocodiles, turtles, buffalo and more elephants than we could count.

Mirissa

Next we returned to the coast and headed for the beach town of Mirissa.

We surfed, swam, took a boat out to see some whales, ate food on the beach and chatted to the friendly locals.

A Sri lankan family eating chips on the beach

Galle

Finally we made our way to Galle, specifically the part of the city encompassed by the Dutch-built fort at its southernmost tip.

The walled off area feels completely different again to any other place we had visited so far. The architecture is of an old Dutch colonial style and even some of the street names are Dutch. The lack of traffic within the fort makes it pleasant to walk around and enjoy the myriad shops and cafes.

At one spice shop the owner asked if he could apply some cream to my forearm. I obliged and after leaving it on for a few minutes he explained that it was a natural hair removal remedy. He then proceeded to wipe it off along with all my hair.

Surreptitious epilation aside, the locals were as friendly as ever and I enjoyed chatting with them and taking their portraits.

A Sri lankan man on the wall of Galle fort

From Galle we made our way back up to colombo by train. A pleasant journey along the coast with the train tracks getting within a few metres of the breaking waves at some points.

A sri lankan girl looking out the window of a train

Conclusion

This trip was incredible.

In two weeks we experienced a slice of the culture, nature, wildlife, beaches and history that Sri Lanka has to offer and didn’t feel like we had sacrificed too much time travelling.

It’s always going to be a trade-off. For some the packing and moving every couple of days would be too cumbersome for such a holiday, but for us it worked out perfectly.

I would highly recommend this route if you are planning a trip and want to experience some of the variety of this amazing country.

It’s not a place I will forget any time soon.

Thanks for reading

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