Around Sri Lanka in 2 Weeks - Part III

Yes, Sri Lanka is so awesome and there's much to see in it that it has taken me 3 posts to cover my trip! Keep in mind that I didn't even get to see all that the island has to offer.

After making my way  down the west coast, then up the east coast, I made my way to the central area of Sri Lanka, and it was a totally different experience.

Trekking in Ritigala and Udawatta Kele Forests, and the Royal Botanical Gardens

Sri Lanka is all jungle with patches of small towns, so wherever you are, you would stumble upon some forest... The ones I made sure to explore are Ritigala Forest Monastery near Habarane and Udawatta Kele Forest Sanctuary in Kandy. What makes Ritigala special, apart from being enveloped by beautiful greenery, is that it used to be the home of monks...

Yes, they built a monastery from rocks in the middle of a forest! How cool is that?! That would be something I'd love to experience, granted that I don't have to sleep on a bed made of rock lol

What makes Udawatta Kele Forest Sanctuary special is that you can follow different tracks within the forest on your own, to see different plants and animals, and even get an overview of Kandy city. Other than the forest being breathtakingly beautiful, we got to enjoy a close encounter with a family of monkeys! Sure you may get to do that in most places in Sri Lanka, but it was quite different interacting with them in their natural habitat. 

Apart from Udawatta Kele forest, Kandy makes a good visit if you want to see a different side of Sri Lanka. It is more developed than most of Sri Lankan towns, but with more greenery and beautiful scenery than a city like Colombo, which is probably why I found most Arab tourists there! 

Another reason to visit Kandy is to check out the Royal Botanical Gardens... It is not an exotic trek as the forest, but it is still a nice excursion to see different trees, plants, and some gigantic bats! You can find photos of both forests and the garden in my Facebook album.

Finding good affordable accommodation in Kandy was a bit tricky, as most hotels in the center are pricey, and most affordable options are up in the hills away from the center, but a good option that combined affordability, cleanliness and location is Sevana Guest House.

Climbing Sigiriya Rock Fortress and Adam's Peak

These were the most exhausting part of my trip... I think I hated myself at some points during the climb because of the situation I put myself into haha. Even after all this time, I still wonder if the climb was really worth it for me, not that you wouldn't enjoy the challenge, or the view from the top, but you would definitely not enjoy the muscle cramps in the days after haha

If you're not accustomed to a lazy lifestyle like I am, then you should definitely make it to either or both mountains. Sigiriya Rock Fortress has an entrance fee of $30 (Yes, they make you pay for you own suffering), and takes around 2 to 3 hours of going up and down, with some breaks, and pushing among crowds.

We made our way to Adam's Peak from Nuwara Eliya at around 11pm, and got there around 2pm, and started our climb, which took us 4 hours up in the dark, to catch the sunrise from the top, and 4 hours down. It was the most difficult thing I had to do in my life so far! My legs just stopped working half way through, the weather got very cold, and I got very hungry... That's a combination of things you don't want me to experience near you haha

All that for this view down below... It was nice, mostly because that was the first sunrise I see in a very long time, but I just prefer sunsets that don't require a mountain climb, thank you :P You can see photos of that sunrise and other amazing scenery from these adventures in my Facebook album.

Yet even after that long exhausting trip, we made our way to Kithulgala for some white water rafting, and with barely any rest, we jumped into that! It was definitely refreshing and exciting enough to make us forget about the soreness of Adam's Peak climb! I also climbed up Dambulla Rajamaha Viharaya for the cave temple, but it is 800 steps only so compared to Sigiriya and Adam's Peak, it is not worth mentioning... Though it still sucked that I had to climb all the way up there and I couldn't get into the temple because of my head cover, which is disrespectful in Buddhist temple

Nuwara Eliya and The Tea Plantations

Ever since I said I am planning a trip to Sri Lanka, people started asking me to get them tea, which Nuwara Eliya is most famous for. Nuwara Eliyah is in the hill country in the central area of Sri Lanka and is known as Little England for its Victorian architecture, and tea plantations... making it the most unusual and delightful part of my trip! 

The nature in Nuwara Eliya and its surrounding areas is breathtaking, enveloped in green hills and waterfalls everywhere, and what made it even more special, is the cold weather! It was so cold that we had to buy winter jackets from the town center, and they're quite cheap so I'd suggest you do the same instead of having to pack and carry jackets needlessly throughout the rest of your trip.

I read much about Nuwara Eliya before my trip to Sri Lanka, so I knew what to expect. What was totally surprising though is when we headed on an unplanned trip to Ambewela, a small town in the same district, that is justly known as "Little New Zealand" for its green fields, and cow farms! I really felt like I had teleported to another country all of sudden! You can see what I mean when you check out photos of my Nuwara Eliya excursions in my Facebook album here.

Nuwara Eliya was the last stop in my itinerary before I headed back to Negombo for my flight on June 19th. 

Even after 2 weeks on the island, going from town to town, I was still getting surprised and delighted at every step.  And as I conclude my posts about the trip here, reminiscing about the whole journey, I am getting overwhelmed with emotions and lovely memories of the places I went, the beauty I saw, the people I met, and the friends I made there <3

If after all this, you still have any doubts and questions about what makes Sri Lanka a must to visit, then leave me a comment below and I'll convince you, even if I have to take you there myself! 

Around Sri Lanka in 2 Weeks - Part II

So I started telling you about the awesome time I had in 2 weeks in Sri Lanka, and I am guessing it would take me a few more posts to tell you about all I've seen and done in such a short time! But, I'll try to make it as brief as possible, and hope that it intrigues you enough to visit the country and see for yourself!

Continuing my journey, after the beautiful beach town of Mirissa, I began to experience more of the culture and wild life of Sri Lanka...

Yala and Minneriya National Parks

During my research about the island's wild life, I got lots of recommendations for Yala National Park as the biggest national park in Sri Lanka, with the widest variation of animals and birds... Most special of which is the elusive leopard; we could only catch a glimpse of it from afar, but we got to see many elephants instead.

In Yala, expect  to see buffaloes, bores, gazelles (or bambis as they call them), crocodiles, birds like peacocks, storks, etc. and a few elephants... But if you really want to see herds of elephant families, then Minneriya National Park  is where you should go because that's mostly what you'd see there. You can see photos of both parks in my Facebook album.

Spending about 3 to 4 hours, up to half a day, in either of the parks should be more than enough to get your fill of wild life. For Yala, starting at dawn is recommended to catch animals going for early swimming in the lakes. For Minneriya, the afternoon is recommended to see the elephant families strolling around and eating.

For either parks, you'll need to hire a driver/guide with a vehicle, so it's best to do this with a group in order to split the cost. If you're hiring the driver personally, then make sure you yourself buy the entrance tickets to the parks as the drivers tend to inflate the prices to squeeze more money out of you.

Yala National Park is in the southern province, so for accommodation, you can stay in one of the towns nearby. I was staying in Kataragame, which had nothing special much, but friends of mine were staying in River Inn Face, where I met them to go to Yala National Park together. It's quite a nice and clean place by a river, and with very nice staff.    

Arugam Bay

After 4 days in Sri Lanka, spending a night in each location, and around 5 hours trip of changing buses from Kataragame to Pottuvil, I finally got to Arugam Bay where I spent 2 nights, just to relax and lazy off by one of the world's most famous surfing spots!

The beach is quite a popular tourist destination, especially for surfers, but also for those who want to enjoy one of Sri Lanka's largest gorgeous beaches on the East coast, while the West coast is off season. Still, the beach town wasn't quite what I expected... I was expecting a well-developed city with a very busy beach, but again, it was just another small town with a few tourists here and there along the beach... Check it out in my Facebook album.

The beach town is 20 minutes away from Pottuvil, the main town where the bus station is, a Muslim-populated town, with the most beautiful sunset scene I witnessed in Sri Lanka. 

There are many options for accommodations by the beach; I personally stayed at Funky De Bar, that had good food, and nice beach beds to lay down outside. Another great option for accommodation and food, if you want something really special, is Ranga's Beach Hut.

Passikudah Bay

Passikudah Bay was the last beach town I got to enjoy, after around 3 hours by buses and a tuktuk from Arugam Bay, and it was quite different than all the other beaches. The sea was quite calm and shallow, and the beach was engulfed with luxury hotels only.

I spent a peaceful time there, swimming, snorkeling, and chilling on a commercial yacht that can be rented per night. There aren't any affordable options for accommodation or dining by the bay, but a 5 minutes walk away, there are a few good ones. I don't even recall the name of the place where I stayed, in the photo below, but it had awesome room cabins with open outdoor showers! I saw a squirrel running across the wall as I was taking a shower; such a thrill haha

Enjoy more of Passiqudah's beauty in my Facebook album here.

Up till this point in my trip, it has been nothing but "smooth sailing" in coastal towns... Then it was time for the other part of my trip, where I took a bus from Passiqudah and headed to Habarane to start my journey in the cultural triangle of Sri Lanka, which you can read about in Part III here.

Have you been to Sri Lanka or planning a trip there? What caught your attention most? Let me know in the comments below, and don't forget to share!

Around Sri Lanka in 2 Weeks - Part I

I had Sri Lanka on my travel radar for the past 2 years, and I was more encouraged to do that trip after seeing many of my traveling friends beat me to it! Sri Lanka has recently become "The Asian destination of choice", especially for Saudis... And now I understand why... In 2 weeks in Sri Lanka, I have seen and done more than I have in all my life so far!

Starting my journey from Negombo, down the east coast, south coast, up to the west coast, then center, before making it back to Negombo for departure, I was taken by how distinctive each town I stopped at is, while enjoying breathtaking scenery along the way. The video below recaps the highlights of my journey, which is detailed further below so read on ;)

Negombo

Negombo is a small town, that's 20 minutes from Colombo airport, and is usually a one night stop for travelers who don't want to go on another 2 hours ride to Colombo city. Personally, I chose to stay in Negombo because I'd rather experience the local community outside of *modern* cities... I went to Sri Lanka to escape city life, so I was certainly not going to make that my first stop. 

Negombo may not have much to offer, but it makes a good start for a journey into Sri Lanka... It is most known for its beach, Negombo Beach Park, which I wouldn't really recommend as it is not quite clean, and lots of locals swarm around tourists trying to sell some silly things or pretend to be teachers for the deaf-mute to ask for charity money... My French language came in handy here to pretend that I don't speak English in order to avoid them haha

Apart from the beach, you can check out the Dutch canal, which connects to the beautiful Negombo lagoon, the largest lagoon in Sri Lanka. All in all, a tour around Negombo in tuktuk wouldn't take you more than a few hours, photos of which you can see in my Facebook album, so you really wouldn't need to stay more than a day.

Good accommodation in Negombo is not easy to find; hotels by the beach are either below average or overpriced, and at times both! So you might have a better luck staying somewhere that is not directly at the beach, but would be at a walking distance... As for food, I highly recommend Dolce Vita, delicious food with an extensive menu and quite a nice location by the beach!

Galle

Next day of my trip, I made my way to Colombo, which quite resembled any ordinary Lebanese town, and took the train from Colombo Fort Station to Galle, as it is known as one of Sri Lanka's scenic train routes. You can find out the train schedules, according to stations, from Sri Lanka Railways website: http://railway.gov.lk/

The most famous attraction of Galle is the Dutch Fort, where the cutest hostels and hotels are located in the heart of what looks like a typical Dutch/European town. The town is quite serene, scenic and beautiful, and should be on your itinerary when visiting Sri Lanka, to see one of the unusual aspects of the island.

I spent a night and half a day there, where it rained for 5 minutes refreshingly, and then enjoyed just walking around the fort (which is quite close to the station), and once inside the fort, you don't really need any transportation. You can enjoy more photos of Galle in my Facebook album here.

I stayed at the Pedlar's Inn hostel, a very clean and nice place for a reasonable price, so I highly recommend it, but make sure you take the room with the balcony, as the other one would have no privacy. For food, we had a lovely dinner at The Indian Hut, good halal food for good value.

Mirissa

After spending a night in Galle, I took my first bus ride to Mirissa, a town in the south known for its beautiful beach and whale watching cruises, but unfortunately, it wasn't the season. Still, enjoying the ambiance and beach scene was a pleasure on its own, and was good enough for my one night stay over. The town is close to Weligama, which is being developed to be an urban tourist destination, and my first stop was to see the sunset on Weligama bay from top of mountain resort.

I spent the next morning strolling by the beach, which is by far the most beautiful among the Sri Lankan beaches I visited. It is not as big as the rest of them, but it is much cleaner, and less crowded, with a number of fresh sea food restaurants right in the sand, playing Reggae music... I was surprised with how Sri Lankan beach boys resembled Jamaicans! To see the Jamaican looking beach boys, and more of Mirissa beach, check out my Facebook album here.

There are a number of popular beach resorts on the beach, depending on your budget, but I stayed at a hotel that's a 5 minutes walk from the beach, with an affordable rate (and a good breakfast! First time I tried the Sri Lankan pancakes with coconut cream!), called Banana Garden, which is family owned, and managed by an adorable guy called Jihane... I couldn't really believe he was Sri Lankan because of how cute he is haha

For food, you MUST stop by Dimali Inn, a restaurant that looks more like a house driveway where you would not consider to be a restaurant, but you'd be surprised by how awesome the food is! It is run by a woman chef, with barely a menu, but you can trust she'd make you the best food you'd have in Sri Lanka.  

On the 4th day, I made my way to Kataragame, a long 3 hours tuktuk ride, where I went on Yala National Park wild safari... Which you'll know more about in my next post! So comment, like, share, subscribe and even stalk me :P whatever you need to do, you do not want to miss the rest of my Sri Lankan adventures: Part II and Part III.

5 Travel Sites You Need for Your Trip Planning

Planning a trip can be as exciting as traveling, or at least, it’s what kicks off the excitement! Long before you even pack your bag or set foot in the airport, your mind is tickled with the thoughts of where to travel, where to stay, what to do, who to meet, etc. Although spontaneity is appreciated during travels, as it adds to the sense of adventure, but for some travelers, especially solo female travelers like me, planning ahead is essential to avoid uncomfortable and unsafe situations… Also, it is a mandate for overthinking meticulous perfectionists like me haha

I’ve recently been planning my upcoming trip to Sri Lanka, and spent over 2 weeks just on the planning alone, and enjoyed every minute of it! If you’ve ever planned your own itinerary for a trip, you’re probably familiar with some of the travel sites out there that can be of great help… Here are my favorites:

1. Skyscanner:

I’ve only recently gotten to know about this site, and now I can’t imagine not using it! It saves lots of time on checking the different airlines, timings, prices, etc. Just enter your departure airport, and leave the rest to it, to find the best airfare! You can even leave the arrival airport blank, and you’ll get a list of possible destinations from lowest airfares to highest, and pick your destination accordingly! If you already have decided where you’re going, then you get to compare airfares, by travel dates and airlines, and length of flight. Just check out their website, or download their mobile app, and play with it a little to get a better idea!

2. TripAdvisor:

Everyone probably knows about TripAdvisor, so no need to explain what it is. Basically, I use it to check attractions of the country/city I am traveling to, and make a list of the places I find interesting. It also gives you a list of accommodations, with rates from hotel booking sites, and reviews. What I find most useful though are the forums! Most questions that would come to your mind regarding your destination have probably already been asked by others, like questions about possible routes between cities, local hangouts, choosing between different itineraries, etc. Whenever you search google for such travel tips, you’ll probably get a TripAdvisor result first.

3. Booking.Com:

Most of the travelers I know are familiar with this site, and its major competitor Agoda.com. I personally prefer Booking, although its rates are sometimes higher with lesser options from Agoda, because I can book using my prepaid credit card. If you don’t have that issue, then either sites should work fine for you, but I find Booking’s interface easier to use and more appealing. The site also allows you to save the booking confirmation details to your device's gallery for ease of access, which I find very useful, especially when you have lots of bookings included in your trip.

4. Couchsurfing:

Now this is a site that not many people are familiar with, and it’s one of my all-time favorite travel sites! What is the worst thing about traveling alone? Definitely it’s the fact that you get bored and lonely most of the time, and that’s what Couchsurfing solves. Through this community, you can search for locals and travelers at your travel destination, meet up with them, get information from them, exchange stories with them, travel with them, and even “surf” at their homes. It is the best way to get to know amazing people from different cultures and backgrounds, and develop friendships around the world! Of course, some people (especially guys, seriously, stop turning every site into a dating site!) abuse the system, so be careful while you make your pick at who to trust!

5. Rome2Rio:

I have only discovered this site while planning for my Sri Lanka trip, as I wanted to be familiar with possible routes between cities, since I plan to travel from city to city almost every day. This site does just that, giving you route options including bus, taxi, flights, etc. and fares, complete with a map for the route!

Apart from travel sites, I also use and recommend the following:

Currency Converter: As simple as it is, using a currency converter saves a lot of hassle with the money exchange and assessing the value of what you’re paying for. I find it useful to familiarize myself with the currency of the travel destination ahead of time, so I don’t have to use the app every time I need to make a simple transaction.

Travel Guide: It certainly helps to have a travel guide for your travel destination that contains all the information you would require during your trip. I found it even better to make my own travel guide, or simply a Word/PDF document, with all the information I have collected so far: cities, attractions, routes with transportation options, accommodation details, maps, etc. It doesn’t have to be a fancy guide, but it would sure be a great way to organize your trip! I’ll soon upload a sample of my own guide to Sri Lanka, once I am done with the trip… Don’t want to publish it now and have people stalking me haha

Dictionary: It is common sense to have an offline dictionary for the language of your travel destination, especially if English (or any other language you speak) isn’t widely used… Even if it is, it wouldn’t hurt to learn a few courtesy phrases and show some travel etiquette!

So these are some of the sites and apps that I use for my travel planning… Do you use any of them? Or have any other ones that you recommend? Let me know in the comments below!

And if you found this post helpful, be sure to share it :D