Sri Lanka itinerary: 2 weeks of exploration and highlights
If you have Sri Lanka on your list, but you don't know exactly what to visit and how to organize your itinerary, you've come to the right place. In this article I'll show you the most beautiful sights we visited and think are worth it, plus the beaches that made us feel like we were in paradise. For each place, there is a reference under the title to make it easier to go through all the articles.
It would also be good to have some ideas in mind for your first vacation in Sri Lanka, that's why I've made your search easier and written about 15 tips/recommendations from our own experience. You can find the article here.. If you want to see exactly how we travelled by train, the recommended restaurants, the accommodations we tested and many other details related to the organization of the two weeks, I invite you to visit this link where you will find every information that you are looking for.
One day in the cultural capital, Kandy
We found it easier to start this epic journey from Sri Lanka's cultural capital, the city of Kandy. To get to Kandy, we took the train from Colombo Fort Station and the journey took almost 4 hours. We stayed at a homestay, White Lodge, located about 20 minutes from the city center. We took a day to visit the city of Kandy...
2 and a half days in Sri Lanka's Little England, Nuwara Eliya
Briefly, a few facts about Nuwara Eliya: it is considered Little England of Sri Lanka for the English-style buildings that still dominate the place. It sits at an altitude of 1868 meters, so temperatures are about 10-20 degrees lower all year round...
One day in beautiful Ella
Nine Arch Bridge, also known as the 'Bridge in the Clouds', is one of Ella's most photographed attractions and a true symbol of the region. Built during the British colonial period in the 1920s, this stone and cement bridge, without a trace of steel, impresses with nine massive arches arching over a green valley surrounded by tea plantations and tropical rainforest. It's easily accessible by a short hike from the center of Ella through the super-green forest. Or from the accommodation we had, in less than 10 minutes we were there...
How safari feels like?
One word - FASCINANTING!
I don't want to give too many details, because every experience is different and I don't want to steal the magic of the moment. But in a nutshell, we went on safari in Yala National Park, in blocks 5 and 6, which are said to be perfect for leopard spotting. At the time, we didn't really have much of a choice, as it had rained so hard for 3 days that it had flooded absolutely everything and only these two blocks in the park could be explored. We could have gone to a different park, but we got caught in some really weird weather and preferred to see only this and save it for next time. If you want to see what other parks there are, look here.
We organized our safari together with the Tranquil Wild hotel, where we stayed one night. We left at 5am by jeep to the park entrance, where we arrived after an hour and waited for the driver to buy tickets. You will see that there are a lot of safari cars, Yala is also the most popular park, so if you have the opportunity, better go to another park so you don't feel like you are at the zoo. Expect such a safari to be between 130-170 euro/two people, which includes the jeep with driver/guide and park entry tickets.
We were very luck with a driver who, as soon as we entered the park, bypassed all the cars and drove on some very bumpy roads and it was mostly just us on the road. The chances of seeing leopards are generally very slim anyway, but when it's raining or everything is flooded then they are 0. The driver drove for 6 hours almost continuously to show us as much as possible.
We went with very low expectations, knowing that with so much water, the animals, especially the elephants, don't congregate in one place for water. They all roam freely throughout the park. But we managed to see lots of deer, water buffalo, whole families of noisy monkeys, lizards and varans (it was varans' vacation :)) ), beautiful peacocks, toucans and a few elephants.
We even had an elephant all to ourselves! Being so far away from the other cars, we found a lone male elephant and got quite close, with the engine off, and sat and watched him for minutes without talking. It was a dream come true! And a unique moment was that he stalked us, picked up a branch with his trunk and ran after the car for a bit to attack us and let out a scream at the end. I don't think he was stressed by us, but rather defending his territory.
One week at the beach: Tangalle and Unawatuna
Is Sri Lanka a beach destination? YES!Absolutely yes! 🤍 It can only be visited for the paradisiacal beaches it enjoys and you won't go wrong. Of course, I highly recommend you follow our itinerary and get to the center for the culture and scenery. Most of the beaches are wild, with huge waves and impressive palm trees surrounding them...
Half day spent in Colombo
The last of our trip we spent it in Colombo, at a super hotel with an infinity pool by the ocean, Granbell Hotel. De sus am avut o super priveliște asupra zgărie-norilor din oraș, așa că a doua zi înainte de zbor, am zis să luăm la pas această zonă și să vedem cum arată o mică parte din capitală.
In addition to walking around the nearby lake and observing the stark contrast between the buildings, we also went into the Gangaramaya Temple, which turned out to be a very interesting place. Its architecture is a fascinating blend of Sri Lankan, Thai, Indian and Chinese styles, and the temple houses an impressive collection of Buddha statues.In the temple's yard, you will find a Bodhi tree (also called "Bo Tree"), which is an essential element in most Buddhist temples in Sri Lanka. This tree is considered sacred because it recalls the tree under which Buddha attained enlightenment.
Don't forget to read all the other articles for a full itinerary and to see exactly what we visited. There are plenty more places worth exploring, which is why we will definitely be back. Don't forget to follow me next time for as many articles from everywhere I end up and I hope you find inspiration. If you liked it, please pass it on to your friends and in doing so, you're helping me too!
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