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?

Ignore me if you’ve done this but

On booking.com have you whittled down what’s available
chose town or area
then change the price bar to what suits you

then chose what else you want

always chose aircon.

Oftenni find when I get choosy there’s just a few to pick from
then look at them on the map

Like I say if you’ve done this already ignore me!

@Rainyblue @Flexflairforever @SavingTheBestTillLast

We're going in two weeks (I cannot wait!!!). We have 5 stops, each for 3 nights. Longest journey being Colombo and Heritance Kandalama.

Does this sound ok??? I don't want it to be too rushed but also don't want to not see a lot of the island!

I think that's fine - we're doing some stops for just 1 night.

Yes the trip from Columbo to the Kandalama is fine.
We arrived off the plane and went straight to the Kandalama our first time there.

It’s maybe 3/4hours.

Forgot

Yes I think 3 nights each place is also just right.
Plenty of time to see a few things and not too rushed.

Any idea of budget needed for eating per day on a limited/cheap/backpacking type budget? Trying to work out how much money to give Dd for a Sri Lanka trip.

@CerealPosterHere it's so cheap, and food is amazing.
Dinner out, budget/backpacker style for 1 adult + 3 kids mains and soft drinks was usually about £10 in summer 2019.
For 1 adult I reckon £10 per day would be fine, £15 plenty.

Don’t forget to stop off if you spot a stall on the side of the road. You’ll find local fruit veg and some of the best curries in Srilanka made by locals.

If youre up for a souvenir keep Dudley Batiks in mind. Made by world renowned designer Dudley ( that’s the guys name ) hopefully he hasn’t passed away.
He has some for sale at the market in Gaul but his workshop is in Ambalangoda. Last time we were there we had tea in his lounge and chose a few batiks. We buy something every time we are there and they don’t fade. Our oldest is 25 years old and the colours are as new. There’s an old mask shop nearby too.

In terms of how much you want to spend
Batiks and masks can come in at £30 for a small one up to £200 for something really spectacular
Other wood antiques elephants, incense holders etc all very traditional £10
Spice mixes from a spice garden £10/20

All food is very cheap if you stick to markets or local restaurants that have their tables outside ( with locals sat at them ). £2 - £5 will get you a good snack up to a hearty meal.

Perfect thanks. Have given her £300 for 3 weeks so that sounds ok, think she might need the odd train trip as well.

Those who have been, did you book it all independently, or go with a travel agent?

I have an idea of the route and things we want to see, but feeling a bit nervous of booking it all myself. I’ve read stories of drivers who take you to places just to sell you stuff, and hotels not agreeing to the booking.com rate… so I guess I am worried about it being stressful.

We’ve only travelled around Europe so far so feel a bit inexperienced of this kind of trip.

Also where did you find your drivers?
Any recommendations for tour companies / taxi companies ? (I’ve looked on Trip Advisor but it’s difficult to know if the reviews are genuine).

We booked the flight and all accommodation ourselves. We travel from place to place so there’s quite a lot to look for but you can save your booking as a reservation and delete it within the stated timescale if you change your mind. If you keep looking prices also go up and down. If it goes down, make a new reservation and delete the older more expensive one. Last time we went to Sri lanka I saved over £1500 by just keeping an eye on the prices .
All our accommodation was all through booking.com ( we’ve been doing this for years ) and never had any issues at all.

In terms of transport if you have a driver just tell them where you want to go. We had to have a driver the first time as tourists weren’t allowed to travel on their own because of Tamil fighting ( late 90s). You may still be able to get a driver from Kuoni but otherwise I don’t know.
Some drivers can be a bit pushy suggesting places, especially shops, just say you’re not interested.

All other occasions we ve been we’ve hired a car and driven ourselves. Which is so much better than having a driver. Sri Lanka is easy to drive in.

Ps
Hotels will book you taxis for day trips.
The drivers will treat you well and are less likely to take the p… re stopping off at gem stores etc when you haven’t asked for that. Hotels won’t use them again if they do.

As an aside
Always always always buy your own tickets at a place you are visiting on your own and not with the ‘help’ of a taxi driver. There are so many scams you can fall into on that one I wouldn’t know where to start.

Hi, I've travelled quite a lot around SE Asia and Indonesia as a family - I've never used a travel agent. I might look at travel agency itineraries, but I think it's quite easy to organise yourself.

I've never had a hotel refuse a booking.com. I've never had a problem being taken anywhere by a driver. I think, with gentle respect, these are fears which are good to have (they are protective and will keep you safe) but you don't want them to overshadow your capability of organising your own trip. It will save you a lot of money - but of course, if money isn't an issue, then hand it over! Stubborn Mule is a decent travel agent for family trips.

I'll PM you a driver who has been recommended.

@Rainyblue We've sorted and booked it all ourselves - don't think I have ever used a travel agent in my life!

We booked the flights (Qatar Airways with a change in Doha) and then 5 hotels. We've spoken to a couple of the hotels who are going to sort drivers for us to get around and apparently most places are the same so all sounds easy enough!

Also don't forget to sort vaccinations and visas!

@SavingTheBestTillLast - I have just read your comment about hiring a car yourself?! I have travelled around Asia (Thailand, Vietnam etc) and wouldn't have hired a car in a million years! Likewise I've seen what it's like in India and looks terrifying!

Is it a lot easier / safer to drive in Sri Lanka? We might just do that instead of getting a driver if so....

Absolutely fine driving in Sri Lanka

We only had one problem when my dh decided he wanted to stay in some out of the way very ‘architectural’ place and we found ourselves a little lost in the middle of a village driving quite literally through paddy fields with all the local kids having a right laugh. All the locals came out to dig us out. My kids found it hilarious and it was actually one of the highlights
Several 80plus year olds had to guide us and push us up the hill on that same excursion and treated us to some lovely locally grown and made tea after. I doubt most people would have ventured into the Sri Lankan outback though so it really was a one off….but a good dinner table story in the end.

Other drivers are not as crazy as you see in India. There’s no road markings but there’s also not so much traffic and crazy driving.
I would suggest if you do decide to have a go get a 4x 4 to tackle the odd pot hole but really it is so worth it. You can stop when you want and tbh I really don’t like having drivers, I always feel a little watched and prefer to get on and have a family holiday just as a family.

Once you’ve got a map or satnav you’re set!

Oh fab! Yeah that sounds loads better! Did you hire one in advance or when you arrived?

And love your story about driving through the paddy fields 😂That's the type of thing that stays with you!!!

We hire one in advance and pick it up and drop it back at Columbo airport car park.
You can compare prices on booking.com or/and look at Europcar, Kayak etc.

If you didn’t find the paddy field excursion scarey then it sounds like you’re the sort of family that enjoy a real adventure so I’d go for a car and more independence

Oh god no I've driven through the Australian outback in the middle of the night with the fuel light on and no petrol station in sight (in the days before sat nav!) 😂

It was more because I know they don't have the same "road rules" in Asia and was worried we would be in over our heads!

Road rules the same, they drive on the left too! 🥳

( blimey I was stressed about an empty tank on the A2 yesterday 🤣 )

Thank you, that’s reassuring. We generally organise our trips ourselves but have only travelled around Europe where we generally know a bit of the language, so Sri Lanka is a bit out of my comfort zone! But the DCs are older now so we’d like to be a bit more adventurous.

And no we can’t afford the travel agency prices! Probably makes it double the cost. for example Trailfinders Sri Lanka 14 days summer escape is £2149 pp, which doesn’t include flights….and only includes breakfast.

Wow! 🤯

Hi all,

returning to this thread as we are heading off to Sri Lanka early August, so am allowing myself to think about it! (I booked it over 7 months ago). I’m excited!

we have our itinerary, driver and accommodation sorted - Ella (by train) - Nurawa E - Kandy - Sigiriya (or near) - Uppaveli - Wilpattu safari - then Horathapola Estate for a couple of days.

I’d love to hear any recs for restaurants in those places or things to do that I might not have considered.

Will there be air con in second class on the train?

Will I generally melt or will it be bearable?

There was no air con on any train we took

Try an evening out in Kandy watching dancing and fire walking

I hope your driver doesn’t spend the whole time telling you he supports 10 kids on his own. Some do this to get a bigger tip. Don’t be conned.
Another con to watch out for us the driver buying entrance tickets on your behalf, underpaying then you get caught at the main entrance where the ticket collectors want cash which goes straight into their pockets. 50/50 split driver and ticket man.
Always count out the entrance money to anywhere you go in front of the ticket collector

Sorry
dont want to put a dampener on things but it’s this lack of knowledge that can really ruin a holiday

I can’t remember restaurant names I’m afraid but your driver will have stops en route to eat. They get fed by the kitchens for free if you eat in the restaurant.