Sri Lanka

 Sri Lanka

 The tear drop shaped island country in the Indian Ocean has a beauty of its own. 

This was my first independent international trip.

It is neither the journey nor the destination,  it is the company that matters.I still remember, it was a casual conversation with my friend when I suggested to go for an international trip. After browsing a few options my friend finalized Sri Lanka, for its beauty, peace, a have it all(mountains,beaches,valleys,treks,river safaris) and a pocket friendly international trip

Never in my dreams had I thought that I would visit Sri Lanka, but destiny is all is what my friend keeps saying 😀

So, beginning with the places to visit : Colombo, Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Sitaraman Temple, Nine Arches Bridge, Little Adams Peak, Ella, Bentota

Some other places you can visit if time permits are : Sigriya and Ambulawawa Tower

COLOMBO

After you land in this city, the weather welcomes you well.

Places you can visit in Colombo are : The Lotus tower, The Independence Memorial, Gangaramaya Temple, Biera Lake and an evening drive or a walk along the Ocean.

If you are more of an explorer you can hire a tuk tuk and travel these places. Otherwise cab is always an option. Sri Lankan people are just too happy in their own world and live a serene life.

The Gangaramaya temple has Buddha statues in abundance. Sri Lankan's majorly follow Buddhism as their religion.

Temple at Bierra Lake

Next you can visit the Pinnawala elephant orphanage. If you are there at noon around 2.30pm to 5.00pm you can see the baby elephants having a leisure time while they are bathing and playing in water. There are some wild elephants at this orphanage they are chained and it is painful to watch them in such a condition but you can feed the baby elephants and pet them. 

Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage

Sri Lanka is a hub of precious gems. You can visit some stores and check the precious metals and gems and how they are cut to get the perfect shine.

KANDY

Such a lovely place I must tell. Kandy has the best weather to offer and an amazing walk along the lake makes you feel at ease with yourself. The Kandy lake is beside the tooth relic temple. Choose your stay at an elevated part of the hill station to enjoy the view  of the lake while you are dining at your hotel restaurant.

I can still smell and feel the taste of this yummy dinner at Kandy.

 

 

 

 Before you leave Kandy you can visit the Royal botanical garden which is spread across a huge area. It would take more than 2 hours if you want to visit the garden completely. There is a suspension bridge and some beautiful backdrops for lovely pictures. 

               

NUWARA ELIYA

Nuwara Eliya is a hill station. On the way to Nuwara Eliya there are ample of tea plantations and the variety of tea and flavours available are unbelievably ample in number. You can visit the Damroo Tea plantation and the tea factory where the tea leaves are processed. The visit to the factory leaves with the beautiful aroma of Tea you would totally love it if you are a chai lover. 

Spend an evening at the Gregory lake in Nuwara Eliya and have some maggi or chips from the stores along the lake.

Lake Gregory

Also visit the Seetha Amman temple, this one has a beautiful history from the epic Ramayana. The place where Sita lived (Ashoka Vatika) when Ravana brought her to Lanka and the place where Hanuman came to rescue her.

Seetha amman Temple (Ashok Vatika)

 ELLA

You can take the train ride from Nuwara Eliya to Ella. Make sure you keep track of the timings or you might just miss the train. You can either make a reservation or you can take the ticket on the spot and grab a seat of you are lucky 😄

The journey from Nuwara to Ella is pictursque and breathtaking. There are tunnels, tea plantations, Nine Arches bridge 

The journey is lengthy make sure you have some amazing music or a good company to enjoy the this train ride. There would be many local Sri Lankans traveling you can also have a small talk to them and know more about the country's culture. These trains run throughout the country you can use them to travel anywhere.

Ella is a lovely town in Sri Lanka and also my personal favourite. Here you can visit the Nine Arches Bridge, Climb Little Adams Peak, Visit the Ravana waterfalls, Visit the Ella spice gardens

The path to Nine Arches bridge is a small trek downhill. The tuk tuk will drop you at a point from where you have to descend downwards to reach the bridge. The difficulty level is medium.  The walk along the rails is fun and the bridge looks beautiful 

Descending towards Nine Arches

Next comes the Little Adams Peak. It is a trekkers paradise. Its an easy trek with views that would make you feel elated. You can go for a zip line ride here for some more adventure. Also one must havee the sweet and thirst quenching King coconut water on the path to Little Adams Peak. I totally loved the coconut water and this country is known for the variety of coconuts that grow here

On the way to Little Adams Peak

Evenings in Ella are so peaceful and lit at the sametime, there are multiple restaurants playing live music. You must try some authentic Sri Lankan food at these restaurants if you are open to exploring. They also serve Italian food in these restaurants. 360 Ella being our favourite restaurant we visited this place twice for the Pizza and the ambience. You can collect souvenirs from Ella.

The Ravana falls is again a beautiful various newly wed Sri Lankan couples came here for a photo shoot. There a quite a number of monkeys here and there so beware of your food. :P

 

BENTOTA

The beach city as I may call it. This one has beautiful beaches clean and calm. On your way to Bentota you can go for a Madu River Safari. Please make sure you give the right price and get the receipt, they sometimes do charge you more when they realize you are an unaware tourist. 

The River Safari is a fun and enjoyable ride. You can have a gala time in the endless river. The river them merges into the ocean. There are a few places the boat takes you to visit in the river. 

Madu River Safari

 

Mangroves forming a canopy

The Mangroves and the wildlife along the river are massive and they form canopy for the boat to pass across. You can have a fish therapy by the river, see how the Ceylon Cinnamon is peeled with the fresh and strong aroma of cinnamon (dalchini). There is also a Buddha Temple located along the Madu River which you must visit. There are also various turtle hatcheries which you can visit as per your interest.

In Bentota make sure you cose a hotel with a beach view, so you can enjoy the waves splashing and thundering as you dine by the beach. The beaches have turtles which you can see of you are early and also see them hatching if you are lucky.  This is surely going to be a memorable evening if you catch the sunset and if you are a beach person. 

  

 

Early morning you can also visit the beach for short swim or a sun bathe, and spend your luxurious time in this Island Country.

 We traveled during the initial phases of pandemic in the last week of Jan 2020, little did we know that we were at so much risk. Grateful we reached back home safely. 

 

Hope you enjoyed reading about this little country in the Indian Ocean.  This country does have a lot more to offer, you just need to be an explorer.

Links to other pages

My first himalayan trek 

Jaipur

Udaipur