Sri Lankan Round-Up

And so ends our Sri Lankan leg of the adventure and it was such a great way to start things off. We stayed at some incredible hotels, saw some amazing sights and ate some great food. Below you will find the absolute must dos/highlights of our journey as well as the things we would suggest avoiding. (TLDR at the bottom).

Must dos

Lion rock is a definite must do for us. The climb is not too challenging and is only a little bit scary. You're reward for getting to the summit is an ancient pleasure palace turned monestary with an unparalleled view over the sir Lankan rain Forrest. It's absolutely stunning. We really enjoyed it and on the way down you get a chance to look at some of the remaining wall paintings which are really impressive. Apparently the entire face of the cliff was painted similarly, which would have been unbelievable to see. The town of sigiriya it's self doesn't have much going on so we would limit the time you spend here.

Mirissa beach was not actually on our hit list initially but we were delighted to stumble across it. We had a lovely day chilling on an idyllic beach with bars and restaurants immediately off the beach. It was a perfect place to relax. Our top tip here is to be aware that the surf lessons on offer at the beach don't actually take place on the beach but rather on welligama beach further up the coast. We had a minor panic as we realised we had left our passports very much out of sight.

Yala National Park was so much fun and we managed to tick off most of the animals including: Buffalo, crocodiles, some rare birds I can't remember the name of, a sloth bear and even a LEOPARD 🐆! The experience was incredible but certainly improved by the incredible hotel we stayed at in the buffer zone of the park.

Ella, we regretably didn't spend enough time in Ella, but the limited time we did spend was lovely. It had some incredible mountain views like at the top of little Adams peak. It's a place we will definitely be returning to as the town had such a nice vibe and we were unable to do the Kandy to Ella train this time due to a recent cyclone.

We really likes Galle for two reasons firstly was the fort which was a really pretty gated city built by the Dutch. It was a little quieter than the other places we visited in Sri Lanka and had a greater feeling of heritage than other places we visited given that it was built a couple hundred years ago. It gave a little bit of familiarity as it was heavily influenced by European tastes, having been built by the Dutch and taken over by the British. There are some great foot places in the fort and it's a lovely place to wander at night.

Another reason we thing Galle is worth the time to visit is that we did a ring making experience which helped give some colour to sri Lanka's rich gem and jewelry history. The family that welcomed is into their home was so incredibly friendly and we had a lovely breakfast which was freshly prepared. We then made our own rings taking part in every step other than the gem setting as it was too technical. This is the one we did, and we would highly recommend it https://www.getyourguide.com/en-gb/galle-l1817/galle-traditional-jewelry-making-workshop-with-pickup-t1115508/?ranking_uuid=846862d1-c94b-4989-a2dc-c488e7a256ae

Accommodation

Wild Coast Tented Lodges, to put it simply, this was the best hotel we have every stayed at. Located in the buffer zone of Yala national park you have to get escorted from your room to the dining area in the evening because leopards bears and elephants are known to roam the resort. The rooms are located in the middle of a jungle and they are done to an incredible standard. The vibe is colonial explorer and there is a massive copper tub in the middle of the room. There is also a private pool and deck. The hotel group prides itself on the food, but we found the food slightly underwhelming when you compare it to the rooms and amenities, so not bad by any stretch. Included in the price are all the drinks, the mini bar, a game drive for every night you stay, all your food, afternoon tea and cocktails on the beach. Truly incredible.

98 acres

We actually had a hostel booked for the evening but Cam thought he would try his luck and negotiate the room price. What should have been $2,000 ended up only costing $300 ($650 was agreed but the hotel made a mistake which we tried to correct twice, so extra discount!!), which led to us staying in an incredible room with the best view from a hotel room we have ever had. A private pool and very welcoming staff. We were gifted a special ceremony for newly weds which was fun! Food was okay and quite expensive for Sri Lanka.

Malibar Hills was a lovely hotel which overlooked Weligama on one side and rice fields on the other. It was absolutely stunning. The vibe was surfer/yoga and it was super relaxing and fun. It had a beautiful pool and bar/restaurant area. It's definitely worth a stay if you are looking for a nice place to retreat to after a day surfing!

Alma Hostel, was a lovely hostel in Colombo, itr was just £10 a night so super affordable and it was well equiped, clean and had good air-con. Only issue we had was that there was construction going on nearby throughout the night. We had one of our best meals of Sri Lanka at this hostel.

Places to avoid or spend limited time:

Colombo we found Colombo a little sparse and soulless, granted we were jet lagged. If you don't land super late we would suggest perhaps giving Colombo a miss in favour of going straight to sigiriya or Galle.

Sigiriya

Whilst lion rock is an absolute must see, the town itself doesn't have an awful lot going on from what we could tell. There are a number of nice walks if that is your thing. The best food we had was at ... We stayed at the serenity hostel which was a bit rural and you had to go outside for the bathroom, so it wasnt the comfiest of stays but it was only a tenner.

Kandy is a lovely city and it has some nice dancing or temples to enjoy, although aside from that it seemed there wasn't a huge amount to do. The temple of the sacred tooth is worth a stop if you find yourself in Kandy to get the train to Ella.

Arugam Bay is somewhere which was recommended to us by loads of people but unfortunately we didn't have the greatest experience. We think this is due in large part to the fact we visited during the off season. We had a bad experience with our initial accomodation and we didn't feel hugely safe as it was very quiet and men gathered in groups which was a little intimidating. We both think that it this would be okay during the season but Weligama or Mirissa are much nicer (although have a different season).

Must try food

Whilst I am sure there are things we missed there were two dishes that stood out for us:

Kottu

Kottu or kotthu is a dish of roti cut into strips and stir fried in spices and vegetables. It is absolutely delicious and very filling. The portion sizes every where we went were massive and you can get it super spicy if you like (we did). Definitely try it if you get a chance.

Curry and Rice, the curry and rice in Sri Lanka is delicious and a little different as you are served it in different components. So you effectively have a pile of rice and 3-5 small ramikans of the elements that make up the curry. It took us about a week to learn that the best way to eat this is to mix is all together and eat it combined. Definitely worth giving it a go!

TLDR/Summary: Sri Lanka is an incredible place with a diverse landscape ranging from mountains to rainforest to lakes to tropical beaches. You can find it all alongside some great nature and great food along the way. This is all topped off by incredibly friendly and smiley locals which make you feel very welcome wherever you go, particularly the Sinhalese population.