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?

Lion rock/Sigiriya is definitely a must. The kids will love the wildlife too. Read the book The Girl Who Stole an Elephant. You'll want to book your holiday immediately!

It’s a unesco site and we stayed in tree houses on the edge.
Great rafting I remember
Lots of wildlife and some incredibly large bugs.
Beware of staying in or near rainforests in the rainy season as you’ll wake up to dead bugs absolutely everywhere. The force of the downpours just seems to kill them.

Not to mention the leeches in the forest 😳

We need about a month don't we! Am getting excited now.
And didn't realise there were beaches like the Maldives.

Are there areas that should be avoided? I think I read the north east but not sure how big an area?

Tbh we didn’t have a problem.
All the creams, sprays, long socks and you name it that we took and one of my dc that ‘couldnt be bothered’ waded through and nothing…..

I still wouldn’t chance it though.

Maybe we smelled too much 🤪

I really freaked with the huge bugs all over the mozy net thought. Just staring at me through the net……all night…..plotting! And down the toilet in the morning after a rainstorm, no one wants to be bitten on the bum.

Would you recommend it then, despite the bugs?

The North in the 90s due to Tamil civil war. That’s why we couldn’t travel alone the first time as tourists were targets so we weren’t allowed.
Im not aware anywhere is dangerous now. But check for Govn travel advice

Im not sure I’d waste too much time in Columbo……

God yes.
Im just booking

The rock is well worth a walk up. Ab incredible temple is built halfway up. There is a safari area nearby and my favourite thing thr 'traditional village ' the real sri Lanka

Its common to have a few stops and most people have a driver. They stay in the drivers accommodation of hotels and act as your driver and guide to different places

@liveoppositeacrazyhorse sorry Pigeon island not turtle island! We did see a turtle though. We stayed in nilaveli, near Trincomalee.
We easily filled almost 3 weeks and could have happily done another 3.
Stay as long as you possibly can!
Arugum bay was great for teens - surf lessons were about $10 and hire was $2.50 for an afternoon (2019).

I haven’t been myself (only when I was tiny) but I definitely think you should go. As long as you don’t mind the leeches. Also there’s likely to be little frogs and creepy crawlies. Wear leech socks and cover your legs. You can get a guide from the gate as far as I know. I wish I could go but my family are not the active type 😆

Theres now no part of Sri Lanka you shouldn’t go. The north has Jaffna which for me is totally different to other parts of Sri Lanka and interesting. The trees and landscape, the food, the culture (mostly Tamil as opposed to Sinhalese) are different. You can go on a boat to a few of the islands too from there. It does take a long time to get to the north though so wouldn’t try to pack it in a 2 week holiday. (About 8 hours or even 10 from Colombo)

We went to Jaffna, this was in 2018. Really interesting - a very different feel to the south of the country. And the war very visible still in abandoned buildings, bullet holes etc.

We've just returned from 2 weeks in April with our 13 year old daughter and absolutely loved Sri Lanka. Our highlight, and our daughters too, was that we hired our own tuktuk to get around. This was so much fun and made the journeys part of the experience. Definitely fun for teens and can absolutely recommend.
We did:
Negombo > Pinnawala - booked an elephant orphanage so we could be up close, feeding and bathing in the river.
Pinnawala > Kitulgala - booked a rafting trip with canyoning and a zip line - daughter loved this.
Kitulgala > Hatton - stayed on a tea plantation
Train from Hatton to Ella - company organised our tuktuk to be driven to Ella while we enjoyed the train ride.
Ella > Tissamaharama - essentially a stop off to break up the long journey but saw wild elephants and other wildlife on the way.
Tissamaharama > Tangalle - stayed in a beach hut on the beach, kayaked in the lagoon, watched baby turtles hatch and find their way to the sea.
Tangalle > Mirissa - hotel by the beach, took our own snorkels and swam with turtles and fish at our beach. Visited a snake farm and temples.
Mirissa > Hikkaduwa - visited temples on the way, last hotel on the beach mainly to relax, saw/fed the huge turtles in the bay.
Surfing is great here although we didn't get time, safaris are popular again we didn't do but we saw plenty of wildlife on our travels, even elephants as we drove through Yala on our way south.
Best of all, the Sri Lankan people are so so friendly and welcoming, and really was the icing on the cake in an amazing country.
Can't wait to go back! You will love it.

Practical information to add:
Take enough suncream, insect repellent, antihistamines or other medicines as you won't find decent stuff over there. Umbrellas for us were essential when visiting somewhere in the full sun. Also those cooling wet towels you can pop round your neck when hot are one of our favourites for hot countries. Apparently there was a heat wave when we were there in April and it was too hot for the locals but if you're prepared and take things steady you will be fine. I'm feeble in any heat/sun and I was fine. Get accommodation with air conditioning too.
Visas, you can apply for the evisa online, and also the arrival form which you can do online 3 days before travel. Go on our government travel advice for Sri Lanka, the links will be there.
Get currency at the airport, plenty of cash points around for withdrawels, best using the government banks as fees are cheaper. Most places take cards too but sometimes the charges were high.

Loved Sri Lanka. We went with Families Worldwide and they were excellent. Worth looking at their Itineraries.

Really enjoyed reading this, hoping to visit next summer in the main school holidays so probably August. We had a previous trip a few years ago cancelled at a different time of year (no prizes for guessing why!) and we were going to end at it either Unawatuna or Marissa for a few days R&R. Has anyone got any experiences of that area in July/Aug please? I think maybe sea swimming will be out...

We've visited quite a few places at less than optimal times of year and if downpours tend to only be for a few hours a day, we are quite happy (I realise nothing is guaranteed).

It shouldn’t be raining a lot in August so you should be okay. Last year, it absolutely poured around September to December in Colombo and most of south Sri Lanka. In August it did rain a bit but not a lot. You are right about probably not being able to swim in the sea so make sure you stay in a hotel with a nice pool. If you really want a nice sea to swim in August, the best is Passikudah and Trincomalee in east which will be nice and calm (but this is far from airport).

Thank you @Wantingtomove123 , that's really helpful! Passikudah & Trincomalee had come up in my (rudimentary!) research as better places to go in August but I was trying to reduce the amount of travelling around so had discounted them. I'm off to investigate now but would appreciate any thoughts on what they are like if you have visited please?

Thanks so much @Wantingtomove123 - we are going in mid-July this year. So glad to hear all the love for the Heritance Kandalama as we're stopping there for a few nights to look at Sigiriya and Dambulla / elephants before going to Hatton. Then we're back to Colombo (by plane - Cinnamon Air do short hop flights around the country - good if you want to go to Jaffna or don't have much time) and on to the Maldives for a week. We have hired a driver from srilankacaranddriverhire.com - you enter your route then get sent multiple quotes to pick from.

Can I ask - we have a day and a half in Colombo. Is that too much? If we can do all the sights on the first afternoon, is there anywhere relatively nearby that you'd recommend as a day trip?

I have been to Passikudah in July and beach was gorgeous. Sea was really calm like a pond. Stayed in Anantaya hotel Passikudah which was quiet. Uga Bay hotel is nice too. Also been to Trincomalee in August and the beach wasnt as great but I think it was a one off. Did get in to the sea in both places. Trinco Blu hotel is quite nice (in Trincomalee)(if you get a room/villa nearest to the sea). Trinco also has pigeon island. Neither has night life though so if that’s what you want I think Arugam bay or somewhere south of Colombo would be better.

We are going to Kandalama for my bday in August! (As my daughter has never been).
Regarding Colombo…. There’s the lotus tower which you can go up to enjoy the view of Colombo. They also have a revolving restaurant. Some tourists like to go to Pettah which is where all the little shops are and is really busy. It reminds me of India.
Some also like to see the old colonial buildings, old parliament etc.
Also, galle face in the evening is where locals like to gather and fly kites and enjoy the sunset.
The beach park (restaurant by the beach) is also nice to have drink or eat in the evening. I did swim there too. There’s also a few activities there like go karting, jet skiing etc. you could hire a private boat for the day and swim off it but I’m not sure how much it is!
Also, if you have kids there’s the pearl bay water park (one hour from Colombo)but it might be crowded since August is school holidays here.
You could do a day trip to Galle from Colombo. It’s and hour and half on what we call the highway (dual carriageway). Lots of old Dutch and Portuguese buildings, little cafes and shops there.

I went to school in Kandy.

It can be hot but it doesn’t have the humidity that you find at the coast so it’s much more bearable

Thanks so much @Wantingtomove123 - I'd really like to see Galle and I didn't realise it was so close. We're landing in Colombo at noon on the first day so I think we can fit in the Colombo sights then. Just hoping the weather is okay as it's SW monsoon season...

There's a train that goes from Colombo to Galle too. The Dutch Fort is worth a look and there is a lovely Jeffrey Bawa hotel nearby if you want to stay or go for a meal.

Great thread. I haven't been to Sri Lanka for years but it's high on the list to revisit now the DC are older. Flights are really expensive though!