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?

We are using Avois I collected over Covid & flying from the UK to India & back. As it's India's summer and the weather is unbearably hot / rainy in the south, you can get some good bargains on that route. The price of the short hop from India to Colombo is very reasonable - might be worth looking on Google flights for this route? Sometimes you can also get a good deal by flying UK to Frankfurt then picking up a flight from Frankfurt to India or the Far East.

If we don't make it this summer as I think I've left booking flights too late. Is April a good month to visit? Juggling too many balls and the flight prices seem to have shot up in the past week or so.

April and March are the hottest months. The temperature can reach around 36c or even higher in some anreas. Also, very humid so extremely sweaty. I wouldn’t advise to come in April.

Depends where you go. DD went in April this year. Not the best time but ok if you are ok with heat. There's loads of holiday companies with weather details. Why not look at them?

Thanks so much everyone for all the advice so far. Still want to go this summer but if not then defo next summer.

What jabs did you all have for Sri Lanka? From what I've read, I think we may need tetanus, typhoid and hepatitis A.

Also, how much is the visa? And finally, anyone eaten gluten free in Sri Lanka? Have a Coeliac in the family.

You'll always be able to get rice for your meals @liveoppositeacrazyhorse but would probably need to avoid all the breads. Not sure if there'd be separate gf options generally available.

I was in Sri Lanka in 1980 - yes, I'm that old lol - and loved it. We even took the ferry to South India which was running then. Not anymore I believe.

The food is fantastic too.

Thanks both.

Is £1000 a good quote for a driver for 18 days? There are 4 of us now going.

£55 a day seems good to me, especially when divided by 4.

We've just agreed on $620 USD for five days

So it is a decent quote then, thanks.

Does anyone have any top tips re the train to Ella? We want to catch the train but only for a few hours. Whats the best way to do it?

@MillyVanilliPookieBear and anyone else would you mind sharing where you stayed in Tangalle, Mirissa, Galle and Hikkaduwa please? Beach huts sound great! (As long as they have AC)

We stayed in Colombo and hired a driver to take us to Kandy. We stayed there for three days
Had a wonderful time.
Just make sure that you are careful when you buy goods from the botanical gardens/ spice gardens in Kandy
We bought some supposedly ‘natural’ body creams which were wrapped up tightly.
When we got back to England and opened the creams we discovered that the so called natural cream was actually shaving cream.

@liveoppositeacrazyhorse we are here now and loving every second. We got the train from Kandy to Nuara Eliya and stayed on an amazing tea plantation. Then went to Ella a couple of days later. To go on the Nine Arches Bridge you have to take the train from Ella to Demodara. We just got off and stayed at Ella. Ella is small and in the jungle. It has a real backpacker vibe. We are now at the Coast we only arrived today so need to suss things out. I definitely want to see more of place. The scenery has been off the scale.

@DJSteves - hope you're having a great time! Sounds amazing, where are you on the coast? Ella is on our itinerary, can't wait.

Also, out of interest, did you get the rabies vaccine before you arrived?

@Lampzade thanks for the tip, won't go buying creams.

No vaccines but I don't live in the UK we are staying in Wellegama. One thing to be aware of if going June or July it is off season so many places are closed or being refurbished. We came for an Eid week away and it's been great.

We went to Sri-Lanka in Feb for the second time. Adore the place and will be going back next winter too. We wanted complete relaxation this time (did Kandy, Ella and Colombo on our last trip). If you are looking for an amazing place for beaches then look at Ahangama - Kabalana beach is out of this world. We stayed here
https://palmhotelsrilanka.com/ which was just stunning. It was our second stay in Ahangama and there are lots of lovely restaurants and beaches. The vibe is amazing, lots of surfers. I would also recommend https://www.thekipsrilanka.com/ for food and general amazing atmosphere especially at night. You can't go wrong Sri Lanka has the best food, people and culture we can't wait to go back in Jan again!

Also with the train from Kandy to Ella book your tickets before you go, they sell out quickly especially in the air con carriages and we spoke to people who weren't able to get any tickets this year. It is spectacular and well worth doing.

This sounds amazing! Would people recommend going December/january?

December rained a lot last year according to locals but Jan/Feb are the best months. We flew out early Feb and it was 30 degrees. It is very humid though and air con a must wherever you stay.

@OhshutupDerek thanks, will do.

I have 1 night left to book in between Yala and Unawatuna. Can't decide between Mirissa or Hiriketiya? Any tips?

I'd go for HIriketiya much less built up and busy.

Is Mirissa a bit crazy?

We are here now and loving it. In Trincomalee and it's gorgeous - wish we were here for a week. Snorkelled with turtles and saw a shark and lots of beautiful coloured fish. The people are so lovely, can't do enough for you. Already been to Sigiriya, which was great. Climbed the rock, did a traditional village tour which we all enjoyed and the elephant safari was amazing. Off to Kandy next.