Anyone been to Sri Lanka?

[liveoppositeacrazyhorse]

Would love to go this summer for 2 weeks, end of July. Will we melt in the heat? Know it's monsoon in the south west but can work around that and go to the east coast.

The places that really appeal so far are Kandy, Arugam Bay (surfing), Yala (safari) Ella (the train there) Sinharaja rainforest and Rekawa beach if we can see turtles.

We are a very active family with older teens, we all love the sea/ wildlife/ culture. Is there anywhere you'd recommend for cycling (nothing too serious) or kayaking?

All your top tips and advice greatly appreciated!

Also, do we need a visa? And what's the best way to transfer between places? Book different drivers when there?

@liveoppositeacrazyhorse we loved it! Hot but doable.
We used public transport but many hire a driver for the duration of their trip.
There's somewhere near Kandy good for white water rafting.
We hired bikes to pootle around polunawaru ruins (spelled wrong). Elephants at the great gathering near habarana (we did elephants, ruins and sigarya from there).
Snorkelling at turtle island.
Down east coast to arugum bay.
Then Ella (cooler) and train to Kandy. You could stop midway for some hiking too.
It's my favourite country so far!

@House4DS thanks for that. Where is turtle island? Is it in the north? And if so is it safe to travel there?

It does sound like an amazing place!

If you can stretch to it, the Maldives are just a short flight away. Unless you are divers, a few days should be enough to do some snorkelling (divers have to worry about time after and before a flight, most of the ones I know err on the side of caution and allow longer than advised).

@liveoppositeacrazyhorse My DD has just been. She wouldn’t have left it any later. Very hot in April!

Also you need a pre Visa. Like an Esta. Then you get full entry at Sri Lanka. DD did a mixed singles trip and really enjoyed it.Transport via minibus was included. Families Worldwide do three holidays you might like. We thought they were good when we used them.

We went in March, beaches are fabulous, Ella had a younger persons vibe with an all night bar and lots of music.
Beautiful scenery everywhere, we took the train from Kandy to Ella, it was great but 9 hours of train ride looking at greenery didn’t quite live up to the expectation and hype. I think there is a zip wire at Ella and kayaking.

We then did a safari at Yala, booked through the hotel and was very good value for a full day (6 am-6pm).

Transport is cheap, get around by car with driver (your hotel will arrange one) or tuktuk, once you get in a tuktuk they will take you where ever you want to go within reason and negotiate a whole day rate with you (around £8 for us).

We found it a lovely place to visit, everyone was really friendly and helpful, we hope to go back and explore the north.

It's beautiful, I would love to go back. April was a nice time to go.

The Maldives would be a great add on but we don't have enough time.

That's interesting about the train, so maybe a good idea to jump on at a different station then it's not as long? Which is the most scenic part of it?

Were mosquitos a problem? Been reading about Dengue fever and overthinking it no doubt.

It does all sound very lovely. So you don't need to pre-book safaris from the UK? Just when you get there?

My dh and I went to Sri Lanka (and the Maldives) as part of our honeymoon.

We stayed in Ngombo and also visited Kandy and Colombo. We visited an elephant sanctuary and a tea plantation.

We've just booked flights for June. So following this closely.

We went when the kids were 3, 7 and 10. It was a great country to travel with little kids & would be great with teens too. I would take public transport at least part of the time tbh, they will find the experience interesting! We took the train, buses & tuk tuks mostly.

Sigaryia is amazing dont miss thar

@Maddy70 why is it amazing? Keep reading about the lion's rock. Just wasn't sure whether to include it or not.

We ve been twice
The first time on honeymoon for 3 weeks in the late 90s. We weren’t allowed to travel on our own so had to have a driver hence we stuck to the tourist triangle, then a week at the Triton on the west coast. ( think it’s had a lot of development recently so not sure if it’s so good now )

We took our kids a few years ago and focused on animal conservation visits ie national parks East coast and yes the turtles….
We stayed in the forests a tree house near Sigiriya….you can’t beat an outdoor shower with monkeys staring at you!. You can climb Sigiriya too.

I would definitely recommend a tea plantation and a stay at the Heritance Tea Factory.
Then if you can a stay at The Kandalama. More monkeys watching you shower!
Dont miss the fire walk when you’re in Kandy

Gosh, now I’m looking at booking again!

It's great. 30 degrees on the coast, much cooler in the hills. E visa system similar to esta. Rains at some point most days, it's why it's so green, but they are brief, take umbrellas and fleeces if you intend to go inland (made that mistake once).

Climb Adam's Peak at night in time for the dawn for an interesting experience. Dambulla Is good, dp went for work

No surprise that I highly recommend the Kandalama too🤣

Sigiriya is the lions rocks ie Same place
The climb is something else, up the side of the vertical rock. The view of carved elephants from the top is incredible, you can’t appreciate these from below.
As you climb you pass polished plaster drawings in the walls of serving women, from when it was used as a palace.

The exhilaration and sense of achievement when you reach the top is……wel I was speechless!

Definitely Sigiriya! The view from the top of the rock is fabulous, everyone will love it if you're an active family. Definitely get up early and do it then before it gets too hot and it gets really busy, think we did it around sunrise and it was glorious, on the way down I was overheating and it was just a stream of people going up!

We went for the last 2 weeks of July and first week of early August about 5 years ago. It was hot but not unbearable. Be aware the roads and public transport are very slow! Its doesn't look far on a map but when travelling at 50km an hour, it can take a long time to travel between places. Our itinerary was,
4 nights Negombo to ease in, beaches, visited local schools and went out with local fishermen
3 nights Kandy - temple of tooth, spice farms, tea plantations
3 nights Dambulla - Sigiriya and Royal Cave Temple
3 nights Williputa Safari (Amazing! saw Leopard, bears, elephants, crocs)
3 nights Polonnaruwa
Then beach resort near Trincomalee before transfer back to Columbo.
We hired a local registered Sri Lankan guide with his minivan who was recommended to me prior to booking. He took us under his wing, we met his family and kids and took us around his country. He suggested hotels for our budget. No problem with mozzies.

Re. Getting from place to place.
We hired a car.

For day trips we occasionally used public transport and tuktuks.

We had an amazing two weeks there in July, book a driver for the week. It’s really cheap and you get off the tourist track.
we didn’t melt - just don’t stop in Dubai on the way home!!!!

I live in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The place for white water rafting/kayaking is kithulgala (which u can do on the way to the hill country (Nuwara Eliya).
To do snorkeling or diving in July, look up Pigeon Island which is off Trincomalee on the east coast. As you said east coast is better from now till about September. You might be able to sport dolphins and whales there at that time too.
it’s boiling right now but weather should be a bit less hot in July. March and April are the hottest moths of the year.
Bring plenty of sunscreen and mosquito repellent and something to put in mosquito bites if you get bitten.
If you want to book a scenic train ride in the hill country go to https://traintimetable.lk/ella-odyssey-train-schedule/
Alternatively if you want the normal train, get on at badulla and go to nanu oya or vice versa (I think it’s less crowded the way i mentioned).
Arugam Bay is good if you want to surf, but if you want Maldives like calm beaches just to relax try Passikuda or Trincomalee. A hotel I often go to in Passikuda is Anantaya. There’s a bit of water sports there.
There’s quite a few turtle hatching places if you travel down south from Colombo. Kosgoda is well known for them.
If you want culture, there’s Sigiriya. Also your kids might like climbing Pidurangala rock which gives a good view of Sigiriya and is more adventurous. Also, places like Anuradhapura or Polonnaruwa which has remains of ancient civilizations. Galle (down south) is good for old Dutch and Portuguese buildings. There’s also a lot of touristy cafes/inns and surfing down south. Ella also is touristy and there’s hikes you could do. Lots of beautiful tea plantations around Ella and Nuwara Eliya.
if you want real adventure, climb Sri Pada (it has just over 5000 steps). Watching the sunrise at the top above the clouds is the most surreal experience I’ve ever had. You will be climbing off season though and I just read only tourists are allowed off season. Not sure if it might be too rainy and a cold (obviously not as cold as England). It’s a pilgrimage place but the experience is amazing for someone looking for a challenge.
kalpitiya is good for kite surfing and dolphins but probably not in July.
Yala is a bit touristy as they only allow visitors in a certain area so maybe look up other wildlife parks too? It is good for leopards etc though. Minneriya has lots of elephants. Wilpattu is good for bears, elephants etc.
I personally wouldn’t go to Negombo as the beach is not as good as elsewhere and a bit crowded especially on a weekend.
if your kids like a bit of adventure try going on the local bus (which I haven’t done!) and tuk tuks. You can even contact companies here which rent out tuktuks to you and organise your driving license here (before you get here)and teach you to drive one! I’ve also come across bicycle renting places but can’t remember where.
many places you could stay ranging from luxury to very cheap. Uga chain of hotels are very nice.
i also recommend Jetwing hotels, Cinnamon hotels, Amaya hotels and Heritance hotels.

lots of new You tube videos you could watch to get an idea but I recommend watching ‘Sheneller’.
do DM me if you want to know anything else and I’ll try to help you!

This is a very helpful thread. We are looking at a holiday next year - July - and I was worried about the monsoon making Sri Lanka an unsuitable choice at that time of year. I don’t mind the heat, but really don’t want to have a lot of rain… the odd shower is ok! Sounds as though I could put it back on the list?

This is great, so many tips, thanks everyone. And great from a local too @Wantingtomove123,

Is Sinharaja rainforest worth a visit?

And can you see turtles in July?