Ayubowan Sri Lanka

A perfect getaway, I realized if you have 7 to 8 days to spare coz this small island nation offers so much of diversity to the young and old alike, to the lazy bone who just wants to stretch his legs across a shack by the beach with a beer in hand or to the adventurous one who wants to get his adrenaline pumped up to someone who wants to be at peace with himself sitting in a monastery to the kid getting to see wildlife at very close quarters or enjoying a scenic train ride.

Thankfully the country was back to normalcy pretty soon and it was great to experience the hospitality on exhibit right from the Airport to even the remotest of small towns on the wayside.

How does one reach

Sri Lanka is well connected by Air to most countries. The main airport Bandaranaike International is at Katunayake, located in a suburb of Negombo and around 30 odd kms from Colombo. For one to fly in from India, the best choices of airports would be the ones from Chennai or Bangalore since it entails a flying time of just about 90 minutes. However there are direct flights from Mumbai and Delhi which could take anywhere between 2.30 to 3.30 hours.

While for SAARC nationals (comprising of visitors from the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal and Pakistan), there is an option to get the Visa on arrival for $25. One could also apply online on the Lankan Government website and get it for $20. The charges for nationals of other countries vary between $ 35 to $40.

Since we were planning to reach slightly ahead of the peak tourist season which picks up from Jan 3rd week once the monsoons depart, it helped us strike some very attractive return fares and also get a waiver of the Visa fees for SAARC nationals which was anyways on offer till April 2020. A trip of 7 to 8 days duration, if planned a little in advance can be done for a family of 4 at roughly $575 – $650 USD per head.

Thankfully, the monsoons had bid goodbye and the weather varied from the temperate warm to the misty and chill to the hot and humid.

A little about Sri Lanka

The small and beautiful island of Sri Lanka, bottled up by the calm and blue seas on all three sides and the ocean at the bottom has so much of a perfect melange to offer to the discerning tourist.

This is a deliberately used cliched phrase for this Pearl of the Indian Ocean since it has been a hotbed of emotions through so many years, the ethnic strife, decades of struggle for identities and just when one thought that peace had begun to reign in the island, a heinous bomb attack on the Holy day of Easter in 2019, so much so that the country when looked at in the map almost resembles a teardrop.

Choose your pick on what mix you want to experience. right from long stretches of less inhabited pristine beaches, lush green tea plantations dotting the landscape of hill stations, amazing Trek routes, Waterfalls, rickety but quaint Train journeys reminiscent of the toy train rides done during our childhood, Monasteries and Temples, exotic sea food, Pilgrimage trails, Wildlife and National Parks, Water Sports and much more.

The country has 7 UNESCO Heritage structures which makes it a perfect representation of culture and history.

Set aside a minimum of 8 to 10 days if you want to explore the whole of the country.

The ideal months to be in Sri Lanka

The south-western monsoon brings rain to the south-west of Sri Lanka between May and September, while the dry season in this region runs from December to March. The onset of summer from April can make things a bit tough but an ideal vacation would be around December to March when the weather remains the best and while there always could be the possibility of a passing shower, the rains are the lowest around this time.

Choices for your stay

Depending on the cities one may want to cover, you could look up on Booking.com or Agoda.com for choices of stay at each place and depending on the reviews, narrow down on the hotel/resort/homestay. The other alternate would be to zero down on a tour operator and work out the complete logistics with them though this would be slightly more expensive. During the initial period of search and chats, there were a couple of companies I was in touch with and post protracted negotiations settled down for Absolute Lanka Tours (https://www.absolutelankatours.com/). for this round trip of 6 days. They gave me a choice of hotels at each of the places I had planned grounding for the night like in Negombo, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Ella, Tangalle and Colombo.

Katunayake in Negombo

Caught off guard at a very unearthly hour

Landing at odd hours often has its pitfalls as we discovered much to our dismay after reaching Colombo airport when we could not sight the driver who was supposed to be waiting with a name placard outside. Nor was there any response to the phone calls made to the hotel guys. And it was 2.30 A.M. We finally hired a cab and reached our Hotel (Castle/Villa Ceylon) in this quaint little town Katunayake which was to be our start point and literally had to shake the staff out of their slumber in the wee hours of the morning.

The hotel folks had presumed that we would be reaching the previous day coz of the A.M and P.M understanding issue and had happily slept off. Fortunately, things got sorted out and left with no choice but to gather a few hours of sleep, we checked out of our hotel and embarked on our road trip at around 9.30 AM the next day. Udara, the driver from Absolute was there on the dot at 9.30 AM with a lovely Caravan which was to ferry us across.

The In and Around of the nice homestay

Breakfast at Villa Ceylon

Dambulla and Sigiriya - our first pit stop

Udara, the driver from Absolute was there on the dot at 9.30 AM with a lovely Caravan which was to ferry us across. Though completely drained, we managed to get ready by 9.00 AM and post a lovely breakfast, checked out of our Hotel Castle at Katunayake. As we settled down into the vehicle, we had Udara who was to be our driver for the next few days to drive us around Sri Lanka do the customary briefing on dos and don’ts, dress codes, weather, changes proposed in the itinerary though I had chalked out my own, potability of water, safety etc. We hit the roads post this for a 145 Km drive towards Dambulla and Sigiriya.

Enroute, after a bite at a wayside restaurant Gimanhla, we landed at this UNESCO heritage site, Sigiriya an ancient rock fortress with a gateway in the form of a huge lion.

Given the tired state of our bodies, nobody was willing to do the honors of climbing up around 1,200 steps and we decided to give the place a skip after doing the initial rounds of photography around the place.

And off we headed for Dambulla, around 16 kms away. The tickets incidentally as in most countries are exorbitantly priced for foreigners though you do get a concession at some places by virtue of being a SAARC national. Here at Sigiriya however, it was priced at $ 30 if you are not a localite.

In and around Sigiriya

The Cave Temples of Dambulla

The Golden temple of Dambulla, believed to be a 1st century BC UNESCO site has around 150 nos of statues of Buddha in different postures housed in 5 dimly lit caves adjoining each other.

The climb was a reasonable 360 odd steps leading to these caves, all located below a huge rock. There are some lovely frescoes done up on the ceiling and murals on the walls and these are well maintained.

Given the lighting inside, these caves make for a photographer’s delight in terms of the angles on offer and some lovely statues.While the tickets are a more reasonable $ 7 and change, the effort in making one’s way up and going up and around was much less as compared to Sigiriya. The setting sun against the backdrop of a distant lake and picturesque mountains during the climb down are a visual treat to the eyes.

More than 150 statues of Buddha in different sizes and postures can be seen

The flight of stairs leading to the Cave Temples

The Lights amplify the beauty of these statues

Lush green mountain tops and lovely scenery

More of the frescoes, murals and statues through our lens

Moving onto Kandy

Kandy was a good 2 hours away from Dambulla and though a distance of only 70 odd kms separates these 2 towns, the narrow roads add to the driving time. This was to be our last pit stop for the day.

The Sri Dalada Maligawa also popularly known as the Scared Tooth Relic Temple at Kandy is located within the Royal Palace complex.

This temple makes for some stunning photographs in the night. A disciplined queue takes one into the temple complex where one is greeted by a few people playing the drums at the entrance. A climb up the stairs brings one to the main shrine adorned with a golden canopy.

Tickets sell for roughly $5 apiece.

The Sacred Tooth Relic Temple

A world renowned place of worship, the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic has the left tooth of Lord Gautama Buddha enshrined here. Accorded a World Heritage status by Unesco in 1988, the temple has thousands of worshippers visiting it from within and outside Sri Lanka apart from the tourists. Built in the Kandyan style of architecture, the temple holds lot of significance for Buddhists all over the world. Intricate carvings using Gold, Silver, Bronze and Ivory adorn the temple. Its said that the Sacred Relic was brought to Sri Lanka by Princess Hemamala and Prince Dantha from the city of Kalinga in ancient India during the reign of King Keerthi Sri Meghavarna (Kithsirimevan 301 -328).

The exterior walls beautifully lit up

The Tooth Relic is encased in seven stupa shaped golden caskets, engraved with precious Gemstones but however not available for public viewing. This relic has stood the tests of time in terms of surviving the invasions of the Portuguese while the temple itself was subjected to a suicide bombing in the year 1998 and an earlier attack in 1989.

A few more stunning visuals from the Tooth Temple

Kandy incidentally was just one angle of the cultural triangle which we had covered, the other 2 being Anuradhapura and Polonnoruwa.

The Melheim Resort at Kandy

It was around 8 P.M and a light drizzle on our way back made the weather pretty cool as we wound our way up a small hillock located not very far off from the Sacred Tooth Temple. The stay was booked at Melheim Resort, a lovely abode which was a heavenly combination of the old world charm with a luxurious ambience. A tranquil pool set against the green backdrop of the mountains made for some excellent views.

Caught up with all the sleep which we had missed the previous night and post a nice and simple breakfast comprising of a fruit palate and a choice of string hoppers with Daal (lentil gravy), Sambol (coconut ground with red chillies and onions and a dash of garlic) and potato curry.

A nice spread for Breakfast

Pinnawala (The Elephant Orphanage)

If you are an animal lover and have a liking for elephants, Pinnawala is the place to visit.

An hour’s drive from Kandy led us to this Elephant Orphanage located around 40 kms away. This can also be accessed from Colombo though its around 90 odd kms away.

There were these captive wild elephants on display with their little ones marching towards the river front, all in unison for a nice shower and they do this twice a day.

This ritual goes on for about an hour post which the waiting public are allowed to feed them from the side stands.

They are then taken back to the grazing area while a select few get invited to be fed fruits by the public. Have read quite a few blogs on how these animals have been chained and are beaten up but this is a bit untrue. Chained yes for the sake of public safety since these are wild but all they receive is a gentle prod if they tend to become naughty. The entrance fees are a reasonable $ 4 per head.

Bereft of an elephant memory, this place holder helps refresh the lovely time we had here

On our way back to Kandy, we stopped by for a simple South Indian lunch in a restaurant by the name of Sadeepa in Hingula.

The temples around Hindagala

Post lunch, we resumed on our drive to the 4 ancient Buddhist temples of Galadeniya, Lankatilaka, Embekke and Hindgala which date back to the 14^th Century and are located in close proximity.

A unique feature of these temples is that they have been built by rock.

Each of these temples levy a fee of roughly $ 1.5 per head and in most of these places, it appeared to be optional coz either no one was at the counter nor did anyone check for tickets of any kind.

The Galadeniya Vihara Temple

The term Vihara is commonly used to describe a Buddhist temple or Monastery. The Galadeniya Vihara Temple by inscription dates to the year 1344 while the sculptures date back to the Kandyan period.

The Lankatilaka Vihara Temple

The Lankatilaka Vihara is a Buddhist temple situated in the town of Udunuwara, roughly 4 Kms away from the Galadeniya temple. It is considered as the most magnificent architectural edifice created during the Gampola era amongst these 4 temples. On what is known as a huge rock called Pahangala, this temple was built in 1344 AD by King Buwanekabahu IV.

The Embekke Vihara temple

A 4 Km drive from Lankatilaka Vihara brought us to an ancient 14th century temple built by King Vikramabahu III from the Gampola era. The temple houses the main deity of Kataragama and a local deity Devatha Bandara is also worshipped here.

The Hindagala Temple

The last stop for the day was at the Hindagala Temple, a 14^th Century temple built in a cave under a huge boulder near the University campus in Peradaniya though there are some rock inscriptions which date back to the 6th and 7th century. One gets to see some lovely wall paintings here.

A short drive back to town and then onto Hotel Melheim for the night. Dinner for the night was to be some Sri Lankan Rice with Veg curry and spicy and very well made Sambol to go with it and Grilled Pastas. The next day was to be our drive towards Nuwara Eliya.

Nuwara Eliya

Having checked out of the Hotel Melheim by around 9 in the morning, we commenced our drive towards Nuwara Eliya with a plan to stop by at a few places of interest enroute. A distance of 75 kms in all to be traversed through the day. The drive was through lush green tea plantations and through an uphill terrain and was very pleasing to the eyes.

Picturesque Views enroute

The Bhakta Hanuman Temple

The temperatures also got relatively cooler as we reached the Bhakta Hanuman temple, built by the Chinmaya Mission and housing a 16 feet high granite statue of Lord Hanuman. Being a weekend, lot of locals from in and around Nuwara and Kandy had come there to offer their prayers and once we were done with the prayers, we had our lunch at Annapoorni, a small outlet attached to the temple where there was a good vegetarian buffet spread on offer.

The Ramboda Waterfalls

Our next halt was just about 10 Kms away at the Ramboda Waterfalls. Here one had to get ferried down a steep slope into a private property where this waterfall is located and the descent to the place is through an elevator and then a walk down an alley leads to this lovely sight of water gushing over.

There are no charges for visiting the fall save for tipping the person who does these up and down sorties. The backdrop of the lush green mountains and the sights of the milky white water cascading its way down makes for some very compelling viewing.

The rushes from the waterfalls and around

The Gregory Lake

We then commenced our drive towards Nuwara Eliya which was around a further 25 kms away and the last pit stop was at a very picturesque and bluish coloured lake by the name Gregory created by a British Governor as early as 1873 for the sole purpose of generating electricity but which got later on used only for recreational purposes and including some boating.

The temperatures had dropped considerably and with a nice wind blowing across the lake, it was becoming quite nippy. Post the customary walk around the lake and the photo sessions done around the lake, a small wooden arch bridge and a nice statue of Snow White and 7 statuettes of her Dwarfs. A small fee of 200 SLR is levied per head to walk around the lake.

Hotel Grand Camelia in Nuwara Eliya

Having roamed around the lake, we stopped by for some tea and commenced our short drive up a small hill to Hotel Grand Camelia which was to be our halt for the night. There was some semblance of Indian food on offer at the hotel itself and while the family had the luxury of Dal Makhani, Pakodas (a kind of Onion fritter) and Vegetable Curries along with breads, I stuck to the Sri Lankan Veg and Rice Curry with Dal.

In and around Grand Camellia

The Ambewala Farms

Located close to Nuwara Eliya, the idyllic settings of Ambewala Farms was a welcome change from the hustle and bustle of city life.

A picturesque green landscape with the backdrop of the mountains and dotted with the Jersey brand of cows grazing around in the open offered a majestic view as we entered the gates to explore what lay ahead of us.

One gets to see stud bulls, rabbits and goats in different enclosures where they are reared.

There is a very nominal charge of 50 cents levied for visitors.

More pictures from the Animal Farm

Off to Seetha Eliya

The Ramayana Trail - The Seetha Amman temple

A short drive of around 15 kms from the New Zealand Farms and we were next up for some bit of mythology. On the cards next was a visit to the Seetha Amman Temple. The very same place where Seetha was supposedly locked up and Lord Hanuman discovered here at this very spot. She was supposed to have spent her days of captivity under the Demon King Ravana, praying daily for her husband Rama to come and rescue her. All these as part of the Epic Ramayana where on the rock face, circular depressions believed to have been the feet of Hanuman, can be seen. Tamil estate labourers who came into Sri Lanka in the 19th century are supposed to have built this temple.

A few random clicks from around the Temple

Lunch at Welimada

The prayers duly offered at Seetha Eliya, we grabbed a quick bite at a small Indian restaurant Thushara and drove on towards a Buddhist Monastery .

Kaduwela - A visit to The Mahanevmawa Buddhist Monastery

A tough climb up a steep hillock led to a Monastery in the making. Maybe we were 6 months early for it but looking at the models of construction on display, am sure this would turn out to be a great piece of architecture.

The Train journey beckons

We were running behind schedule and realized that we would late in reaching Haputalle station to catch the train to Ella.

Not wanting to miss out on the train ride, looked up on the net and decided on a quick replan of our journey from a small station further ahead in the route to Ella called Bandarewala.

Udara promised to get us to Bandarewala in time for the train journey and he was granted the license to speed up. By the time we reached the station, the only tickets available for this journey were of the 2^nd class category and costing just around 30 cents apiece.

Anyways it would not have been a bother since it was a 30 minute ride only.

In hindsight, this turned out to be a right decision since we were able to see the same beautiful greenery on offer and picturesque tea gardens in a short span and without having to undergo the rickety train journey for over an hour.

The Bandarewala Sation with quaint Time tables for trains

Ella

We had booked ourselves in a hotel very close to the Iconic 80 feet high 9 Arch Demodara Viaduct Bridge made out of stone, mortar and cement. The bridge is also known as the Bridge in the Sky and its construction is attributed to a local Ceylonese Builder who had built it in consultation with the British engineers. The early morning mist across the valley where the trains pass by made for some excellent views.

A view of the bridge from our Hotel

The 9 Arch Lodge

The occasional whistle of a train passing by amongst the backdrop of the lush green valleys kept us interested right from the early hours as it made for some very compelling photographs. We had our driver Udara coming in at around 9 in the morning and after some breakfast, we commenced our 4 hour journey towards the Seaside town of Tangalle, located towards the southern side of Sri Lanka. There was a plan to visit the Ravana Falls and Mulkirigala Raja Mahavihara, a Buddhist temple before reaching Tangalle in the evening.

The Ravana Falls

A 5 km drive from Ella took us to the Ravana Falls. Named after the legendary character, this falls is around 80 feet in height and is one of the most popular waterfalls in Sri Lanka. After a small photo shoot around the falls which was in full glory, we resumed our drive towards Tangalle. Udara took us on a small detour to Udawalawa where a a beautiful Elephant Sanctuary is located where we stopped for lunch.

The Udawalawa National Park which was to be our lunch pit stop

Enroute Tangalle, we took a small detour to Udawalawa, home to a National Park and sanctuary for Elephants. Had a lovely lunch of Sri Lankan Veg Rice Curry and Dal while the kids settled for some nice Veg Burgers at a restaurant by the name Athgira, located bang opposite the Elephant Transit Home and some 10 kms ahead of the Udawalava National Park.

Lucky to see a wild elephant which had come to the periphery of the National Park in search of food and all that separated us from the elephant was an electric fence which served as the only impediment for it.

Lunch done, we commenced our drive to the 600 feet high Mulkirigala Temple which was located roughly 16-17 kms before Tangalle.

The Mulkirigala Temple

A very tough on the legs temple where one has to climb over 500 steep steps over 7 levels to get to see statues of Buddha and smaller statues at each of the levels. There are some beautiful paintings adorning the walls at each of these levels. The tickets here are priced at $ 2.5 apiece.

Built atop a 205 metre high rock, this temple is also known as the Little Sigiriya. Constructed in the 3rd century by King Saddhatissa, the temple has seven Viharas accessible by pretty steep flight of stairs. Fa-Hien is believed to have visited this temple.

Each of the 7 levels of climb provided for some amazing photography

Tangalle - a picturesque coastal town

We then headed for Tangalle, located around 18 kms away. We had booked ourselves at Villa Tangalle. Once the check-in formalities were done, we headed for the beach close by. The stretch of this beach had lot of small restaurants and was not very crowded and probably the reason for its cleanliness.

A beautiful independent villa with its own private pool and located very close to the Medaketiya beach. Lovely spacious and very well done up rooms.

Exploring Tangalle by the night

The Golden colour was all pervasive

Woke up early the next morning to head to the beach to watch the sunrise unfold. The golden rays of the sun lighting up the beach was a visual treat to the eyes.

The Marakkalagoda and Ahangama beaches where we stopped enroute to Colombo

We checked out of the Hotel by around 9 in the morning to start for what would be our last leg of the journey towards Colombo. The plan was to stop enroute at some of the very picturesque beaches dotting the stretch. We stopped by for a little while at the Marakkalagoda Beach before moving onto Ahangama. The Ahangama beach where we wanted to stop by for a photo shoot of the stilt fishing turned out to be a dampener as not only were the locals quoting very high prices just for posing for the cameras but also dictating the rates based on number of fishermen to be deployed and were actually not fishing at all.

Tucked into some awesome Indian food at the Indian Hut

We drove on and stopped by for lunch at a decent restaurant Indian Hut in Unawatuna.

Slow on the service front, the food otherwise was pretty good and once we were done with the food, started our drive towards Colombo.

Colombo

Colombo lies to the North of Tangalle and at a distance of around 175 Kms. We got to cross some beautiful stretches of blue seas and beaches before hitting the Southern Highway which connects these two places. It was an awesome road to drive on and we reached the outskirts of Colombo where our hotel was located by around 5 in the evening.

We had booked ourselves at Hotel Loft and after completing the check-in formalities, we decided to go to the House of Fashions for some bit of shopping. Hired a local cab to cover the 3 km distance.

Around the loft

The day ended with some nice dinner at Kottu Labs located very close to our hotel in Nugegoda. A pizza type treatment given to the staple parathas with a choice of carb, protein and veggies.

It is also an amazing place to pick up hard bargains in the bustling and sprawling street markets of Pettah or Galle Face and many more starting from fragrant spices to colorful local art to silks and cotton stuff, the famed Ceylon tea etc.

Known to be a melting pot of cultures, races and religions, one would see a congregation of Temples, churches and mosques on the same street.

We started off the last day of our stay at Sri Lanka with a visit to the Colombo City Centre Mall and had reserved the 2^nd half of the day for some local sightseeing around Colombo. While driving towards the mall, it was amazing to see a eclectic mix of swanky high rise offices, standing in co-existence with the red-tiled Colonial Era buildings. A perfect city of contrasts, Colombo has a lot to offer in terms of lovely temples, memorials & museums, parks, beaches etc. The cosmopolitan city of Colombo is the gateway to this Pearl of the Indian Ocean, also known as Sri Lanka and earlier known as Ceylon.

Post a quick bite at the Colombo City Centre Mall, we started off our whirlwind tour of the few select places of tourist importance which we wanted to see. We went to The Independence Square Complex which also housed The Independence Memorial Museum and The Arcade then drove from there to the Viharamahadevi Park.

The Independence Square Complex

To commemorate the liberation of the island from the British rule, the Torrington Square or the Independence Square as how this place was formerly known as, was built in 1948. At the head of the monument is a statue dedicated to Sri Lanka’s Father of the Nation and the first prime Minister of the country, Rt. Hon Don Stephen Senanayake.

A huge sprawling lawn adds to the beauty of this place which also houses the Independence Memorial Museum, built to honour the valiant leaders who fought for Sri Lanka’s freedom. There are a number of stone busts of these leaders along with a display of arms and ammunition used in the freedom struggle.

A short walk away from this place leads to a refurbished Colonial Building The Arcade, a vast white and green expanse housing a few shops selling designer wear and artefacts. There are also a few snacking joints around.

A few pictures from the Independence Memorial Museum

The Viharamahadevi Park

A short drive from the Independence Suare took us to the Viharamahadevi Park formerly known as the Victoria Park and located opposite the Colonial Town Hall Building. This park used to be occupied by the British and Australian soldiers and post independence, got opened to the public in 1951 and said to have housed a cricket ground inside the park where 1st class cricket matches used to be played.

The Galle Sea Face Front

Next on the cards was a visit to the Galle Sea Face front. A 5 hectare strip of land between Galle Road and the Indian Ocean, this largest open air attraction gets pretty crowded during weekends. There are 2 large hotels which overlook the sea front – The Galle Face Hotel and The Ceylon Intercontinental Hotel.

The Gangaramaya Temple

After spending some time on the beach, we headed for the Gangaramaya Temple. This temple happens to be one of the most important temples in Colombo and is a perfect amalgam of modern architecture and cultural essence.

Located right in the heart of the city and in the Beira lake, this 19th century temple owes its history and existence to a trader and shipping merchant Don Bastian who was instrumental in building this temple which is an eclectic mix of Sri Lankan, Thai, Chinese and Indian Architecture. The complex has a Cetiya (Pagoda), a Vihara (Temple), a Bodhi Tree, an assembly hall for monks and a relic chamber.

This serves as a place for Buddhist worship and a learning centre and the temple trustees are involved in lot of welfare work. An entrance fee of $ 2 per head was levied at this temple complex.

Do click on these to see what caught our attention at The Gangaramaya temple

Having soaked in the sights of the city and done with some last round of shopping, we headed for dinner along with a family friend to Hotel Maharajah Palace, a lovely multi cuisine restaurant with some very nice decor. A sumptous North Indian dinner done, it was time to bid goodbye and head for the Colombo Airport for our return back to India.

Lovely memories of this nice island and am sure we would want to revisit but with plans of doing some other places additionally like Jaffna, Trincomalee, Anuradhapura, Yala and Galle which got missed out during this trip.

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