Continent: Asia

A week in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is often described by travellers as “India-light”.  It is far more compact, with many of the highlights possible to cover in a week; it has a similar culture in many ways; similar type of experiences on offer, such as tropical beaches, old forts, tea plantations etc; and it is generally a bit less hectic than the madness of a busy India.  But, if looking at the flip side, it also doesn’t really offer anything that India doesn’t.  So, if you have experience of India, you may find Sri Lanka chilled, pretty, nice to get around, but without necessarily the wow factor.  The exception to this though is the Tea Country and the spectacular train ride through it

I’ve listed below the classic, compact 1 week itinerary for some of the highlights and a few high level tips to help you get the most out of the trip:

  1. Time of year – the experience of Sri Lanka varies dramatically by season.  Basically, December to March / April is the best time for this itinerary as it is dry (and nicely cooler) season in the south coast and Hill Country.  April to September is best for the north of the country and the Ancient Sites, again because it is drier
  2. Prioritise time in the Tea Country – the beaches in the south are lovely, Galle is nice for an afternoon, and its worth dedicating half a day to try and see a Blue Whale in Mirissa, but the highlight is the Tea Country for not just the tea estates, but also the hiking and pretty “Old English” feel towns
  3. Book your trains in advance – you DO NOT want to be standing.  I’ve read in a few guide books that it doesn’t really matter if you stand – I think that’s ok for a hour or so, but for longer it really isn’t fun. It’s Sri Lanka – 2nd and 3rd class unreserved will have people crammed in to the point that you can’t sit on the floor and need to stand.  Tickets become available 30 days in advance and are super cheap (US$7 for first class just about everywhere), so jump on the train website (really not as bad as people whinge about) or, if left it late, buy at the stations (only the large stations such as Colombo, Kandy and Nanuoya sell reserved seating tickets)
  4. You’ll want a driver for parts of the trip – some parts of the journey you cannot take a train, such as from Galle up to the Tea Country, and some parts you’ll want a driver to take you around the immediate sites, such as the tea factories and estates.  Considering you only have a week, and potentially can share the cost among multiple people, it’s just easier to get a driver for the day.  They’re typically US$50 for the day and it also has the benefit of being able to speak in detail with a local as they proudly show you their country.  I rented Siri (+94 77 779 8962) for my drive from Mirissa to Ella, who was very knowledgeable; and Yoga (+94 75 165 0205) for around Nuwara Eliya.  I’d recommend both
  5. I wish I’d . . . visited the Uda Walaw National Park.  Would have been great to see more of the wildlife, and it fits perfectly into the route
  6. For more details on each of the experiences, see the detailed travel entries for:

Couple of hours in Kandy

Kandy, with its Temple of the Sacred Tooth and basic Buddhist museums on the relatively peaceful north shore of Kandy Lake, is nice as a brief 2 hour stop on the way to the Tea Country in the south or the Ancient sites in the north.  But I don’t suggest spending more time than that, and certainly prioritise stopping overnight in the likes of the super picturesque tea village of Ella (see The Hill Country Village of Ella for more details) or the “Little England” experience of Nuwara Eliya (see Staying in Nuwara Eliya’s Little England for more details)

 

There’s a reason it is regularly included in an itinerary of Sri Lanka, but never as one of the highlights . . .

Walking Horton Plains to World’s End

Horton Plains National Park is a plateau sitting over 2000m / 6500 ft in the centre of Sri Lanka between the 2nd and 3rd highest peaks in the country.  It’s often called out as being one the of highlights of Sri Lanka because of World’s End, a 880m / 2900 ft sharp drop at the end of the walking route, that gives good views of the valley below when the clouds part

 

I’d probably hold back on calling it a highlight of Sri Lanka though for two reasons – 1. World’s End isn’t all that impressive.  Yes, it’s a drop into the nearby valley, but the valley is fairly basic and not that much better than some of the steep valleys you see in the likes of Ella and even more generally on the train through the Tea Country; 2. The Horton Plains landscape is mild undulating hills with a few small rivers, which is nice, but nothing more than that.  Combine it with the cold and general wet, and you’re getting more autumn Scotland, less tropical Sri Lanka

 

That being said, it is a nice walk, I really enjoyed it.  Just manage expectations.  A few tips to help:

 

 

1. The weather – good and bad. I went in mid December, which is dry season and supposed to be the best chance for clear views … but the hill country is very unpredictable and tends to be wet so it was raining most of the time I was there (bad) … but the plains tend to be clearer than the surrounding areas (good).  I didn’t quite believe this at first, but it was certainly true for me – the whole journey up was super misty and raining, but around 10mins into the walk it cleared up significantly

 

2. They say go super early. This is for 3 reasons: 1. Chance to see the sunrise; 2. Chance to see leopards – it’s a long shot (although we missed one by 30 seconds as a guy who’d been waiting to see one for 5 days saw one walking along the road at 730am just before us); 3. Better chance of Worlds End being a clear view – you should aim to get there before 830am ish.  So, assuming you’re not bothered about the sunrise, a 6am start from Nawara Eliya is best (1.15hrs drive, 15mins faff with tickets, 1 hour walk from the entrance to Horton Plains to World’s End)

 

3. The walk – it’s a 9km loop. It’s more strenuous than the guidebooks and locals make out – mostly either uphill or downhill. Very doable in 2hrs quickly or 3 hours if going slow. 13k steps, equivalent of 56 floors climbed 

 

4. Where to stay – stay in one of the towns nearby such as Nuwara Eliya (see Staying in Nuwara Eliya’s “Little England’), or at a stretch Ella (see The Hill Country Village of Ella) which is a bit further. There is nothing around Horton Plains 

 

5. Cost (in Dec 2022) – US$40 entrance fee (it says US$25, but in Sri Lanka they tend to add all sorts of extras); transport US$40 (although in sure you could haggle down)

 

 

Staying in Nuwara Eliya’s “Little England”

Nestled up in the middle of Sri Lanka’s Tea Country, Nuwara Eliya was one of the old colonial centres for the tea industry and, with the combo of old quaint buildings, race course, golf courses and, well bloody drizzly bleak weather, is affectionally known as “Little England”.  As an Englishman I can confirm I felt right at home!

 

The wandering around the town is nice, as you get to places like the old post office, police station and hotels straight out of a Charles Dickens novel, but it is the surrounding Tea Estates that are the highlight

 

Top Tips:

1. The drive from Nuwara Eliya to Talawakelle / St Claire Tea Centre is the prettiest for views – its hard to go wrong with the surrounding countryside as it’s all gorgeous, but this is the pick of the bunch.  Also, the drive from St Talawakelle to  Tawalantenne is dramatic, but super windy and a bit nauseating.  For a driver, I went with Yoga (+94 75 165 0205) who was great and charged around US$50 a day

 

2. Stay in one of the colonial hotels – it will give you the full “Little England” / Old Colonial feel.  The Grand Hotel is best for this in the centre; Ferncliff Bungalow for something in the centre that is far quieter but still quintessentially English; and the Amaya Langdale / Oliphant Villa for luxury 20mins or so from the centre

 

3. Visit one of the Tea Factories – the Damro Labookellie Tea Factory is good for learning about the tea.  The Heritance Tea Factory for more style

 

4. Have High Tea in the Heritance Tea Factory – beautifully restored old Tea Factory that is now a hotel providing luxurious afternoon tea from 3pm onwards

 

5. The parks are ok for an hour or so – Victoria Park is nice enough to walk through for 30mins, and so is the nearby Galway Land National Park, but have low expectations (highlights are the colonial buildings and tea estates)

 

6. Wrap up – it gets cold!  The don’t call it Little England for nothing – expect drizzle and cold evenings in the winter!

Train ride through Sri Lanka’s tea country

This is the highlight of Sri Lanka.  Sitting with the window open as you watch the old train slowly snake its way through hours and hours of beautiful tea plantations that sit within the most dramatic part of Sri Lanka’s Hill Country.   You’ll spend the first couple of hours gawping and what feels like endlessly taking photos, and then, after a while, just relaxing and soaking up the peaceful nature of the place, with its quiet towns and tea plantation workers slowly getting on with their day

 

A few tips to help you get the most out of the trip:

1.  What is the route?  There is only one train line that goes from Kandy to Badulla, via roughly 20 small/medium stations, but the main ones being Hatton (for Adam’s Peak), Nanuoya (for Nuwara Eliya aka “Little England), Haputale and Ella.  The whole route end to end takes 7.5 hours, with just about all of it beautiful except for the section within 1 hour of Kandy, so it doesn’t really matter which section you do – I went from Ella to Nuwara Eliya and then Nuwara Eliya to Kandy and both routes were fab.  For a really good breakdown of what to expect, try seat61’s Sri Lanka section (link – https://www.seat61.com/SriLanka.htm#colombo-to-kandy-hatton-nanuoya-badulla-by-train)

 

2. Make sure you stay in one of the hill towns along the route – its one thing taking the train through the plantations, its another being able to visit and learn about how they make the tea, which you can do in the various “factories” next to the towns.  Plus, the surrounding country side of the hillstowns is often beautiful (such as Ella – see a detailed review here – The Hill Country Village of Ella) or just really interesting (such as the “Little England” experience of Nuwara Eliya – see the detailed review here – Staying in Nuwara Eliya’s “Little England”)

 

3. Book ahead a reserved seat – you DO NOT want to be standing.  I’ve read in a few guide books that it doesn’t really matter if you stand – I think that’s ok for a hour or so, but for longer it really isn’t fun. It’s Sri Lanka – 2nd and 3rd class unreserved will have people crammed in to the point that you can’t sit on the floor and need to stand, and you’ll generally have less personal space than you’ll be used to, with locals having significantly better shoving skills than you to get any available seats.  Tickets become available 30 days in advance and are super cheap (US$7 for first class), so jump on the train website (really not as bad as people whinge about) or buy at the stations (only the large stations such as Colombo, Kandy and Nanuoya sell reserved seating tickets.  You’ll need your passport)

 

4. Open the window / stand next to an open door for a bit – it just adds so much more to the journey.  If next to a window and can open it great.  If not, the sections between the trains tend to have the door open so you can look from there.  The locals tend to be super accommodating, so if one is already stood at the door, they’ll tend to either welcoming you standing their with them, or move out the way for your 10mins or so

The Hill Country Village of Ella

Ella is the prettiest of the towns that are scattered throughout Sri Lanka’s Hill Country, and makes the most sense to start / finish at as part of the wonderful train journey through the tea plantations that most people are here to experience.  Definitely worth a day on its own as the mini hikes, tea factories and waterfalls make for a nice day to explore the immediate surroundings, and the town itself is full of restaurants and chilled out guesthouses (typically with great views) to relax after the train journey

 

Top Tips:

1. Walk to see the Nine Arches Bridge – it’s only a 15min walk from the main road and is just so brilliantly picturesque.  See if you can time it so that you are at one of the viewing points in the trees when it passes by and be sure to ask your hotel the time of the train will be as it changes each day

 

2. Walk up to Little Adam’s Peak – best views across Ella, including through Ella Gap, and only an easy 1.5 / 2 hours round trip.  Be sure to start your walk at the main road (at the Ella Flower Garden Resort) rather than drive up to the Ravana Pool or the Flying Ravana Mega Zipline, which is what most people did.  The walk from the main road is the prettiest bit as it winds its way through the tea estate and is pretty flat, compared to the steep bit from the zipline area

 

3. Where to stay – there are HUNDREDS of homestays in and around Ella, so you’ll have a huge variety to choose from.  I stayed at the Blooming Rose which has relatively basic rooms, but made up for it with its amazing view through Ella Gap and wonderfully welcoming host family, would very much recommend

 

4. Restaurants and vibe – Ella has a very backpacker / traveller vibe, so there are plenty of restaurants catering for all that are all within a 2min walk of eachother.  Cafe Chill was great as it had both Sri Lankan and Western food to a high standard

Whale watching in Mirissa

Mirissa is one of the only places in the world you have a good chance of seeing Blue Whales, the largest animal to have ever lived, as well as Fin Whales (second largest) and Sperm Whales (the largest toothed predator).  You’re practically guaranteed to see hundreds of Spinner Dolphins, Bottle-nosed Dolphins coming to swim with the boat and Pilot Whales (to the extent that many operators will refund you if you don’t) … but, ultimately it’s worth a roll of the dice for the chance to see a Blue Whale

 

  • Chances of seeing a Blue Whale – the waters off Mirissa often host the largest number of Blue Whales, so you’re in the best place for them. But … I think a lot gets lost in translation for your chances of seeing them. The tour operators talk of refunds if you don’t see the whales, but that includes Pilot Whales which, although really cool and 2/3 times the size of a Bottlenosed Dolphin, are less than 1% the size of a Blue Whale. We, for example, didn’t see any of the Blue / Fin / Sperm whales

 

  • Which operator – I visited Dec 2022 when it was very quiet so only 2 boats operating, but I could see 60+ moored. With that many, you will for sure get bad practices of how operators approach, scare off and change the behaviour of the whales. So it makes sense to go with a responsible operator. I went with Raja and the Whales – Raja sticks to the international standard, really cares about the whales and is great for a chat about just about anything whale related (breakfast and other foods included, they’ll pick you up at 6am). Others highly recommended were Kumara and the Whales and Jetwing Eco

 

  • Time of year – December and April are the best time for chances of seeing the whales

 

  • Where to stay – heaps of options in town. I stayed at JJ‘s Hostel, which was like an upmarket backpackers with nice private rooms

The Historic Fort of Galle

The atmospheric UNESCO World Heritage site of Galle is on most traveller’s Sri Lankan list.  The place has some wonderful deep history across the colonial times of the Portuguese, Dutch and British that you can soak up while wandering the old streets and the fort walls in an afternoon, or for staying overnight to enjoy one of the beautiful colonial style hotels.  Nice to stop in and you don’t really need much more time than half a day

 

Top tip – no need to really have a set walking route as the fort area (the place you will spend all your time) is super small and easy to navigate.  Just head off in the general direction of the fort walls for the views of the surrounding area and the centre for some of the colonial hotels, where I’d recommend lunch at the Fort Bazaar

 

Travel tip – if travelling from Colombo by train, be sure to 1. Take the train – the views are beautiful as the train hugs the beach for a big chunk of the way. 2. Get first class or at least reserved seating – the train is one of the busiest in Sri Lanka, so you’ll be crammed in standing in the hallway between carriages with very little space. I decided not to wait 4 hours for the next reserved seating train, which was an error

Colombo

From what I could see as a standard tourist, and I only checked out the Fort and Petrah areas, it’s best to minimise the time spent in Colombo! (Unless, as always, you know some locals who can show you the real city and best places)

Riding a moped around the El Nido Peninsular

Most people visit El Nido for the stunning Bacuit Archipelago, or for the sensational boat trips through the island chains to Coron.  These are for sure amazing, but another option is to rent a moped and ride the loop around the El Nido peninsular for something that is a little simpler, cheaper and quieter . There’s something just so fun and adventurous about leaving the busy touristy town and resorts of El Nido Town and within less than 20mins be in what feels like a different world of super quiet roads, real Philippino villages with no tourist facilities, world-class near empty beaches and views that make you gobsmacked so few people visit here.  Really worth it

Top tips:

  • The route is simple – there is a very clear circular route that follows around the peninsular’s edge and then cuts back across the interior on the TayTay-El Nido National Highway (don’t let the name fool you – it’s a single lane road barely wide enough to drive a truck on).  You’ll only leave this main circuit route for 5-10mins at a time for certain beaches
  • Renting is super easy – can do so just about anywhere in or around El Nido, don’t need a license and won’t pay more than 700 pesos / US$12 for the day’s rental (500 pesos) plus petrol.  Just rock up and you’ll have be leaving on the moped within 10mins max
  • Driving tips – this is South East Asia with different road rules and dogs / pigs / whatever darting onto the road.  But these obstacles are generally only in the towns and, as long as apply a bit of common sense, the danger is very limited.  Think of it the same as picking up a push bike
  • Quality of road – the road is absolutely fine except for around 3km of non paved road in the interior crossing and maybe half of the detour routes to the north west beaches.  For these sections you’ll get bumpy non concrete roads, or a bit muddy
  • Places on the route you must stop at:
    • The beaches in the north west – Nacoan Beach is the famous one (voted world’s best beach) and with great beach clubs along it.  But if looking for the quiet vibe, go for Duli Beach just past it. Just as nice and with only one small beach surfing shack
    • Views down across the east coast – you’ll see these at various places on the route 
    • If looking for place on the remote east side for lunch, Ursula Beach Club was nice and not many other options.  You access it by driving along the beach which is also fun
    • Ille Cave is really worth it – get a guide to enter