When picking my places to visit I always try to go where I don't run into large crowds. Nobody likes to spend time and money visiting places where you are competing with thousands of people for a seat on the train or enter into a museum. A case in point is our trip last year to Italy. Cinque Terre and Venice especially. My previous trip to Cinque Terre in November 2011 was a beautiful awakening - a place so beautiful and unique that I vowed to visit there again and spend a few days. When we last visited in September 2019 the place was overrun with tourists, even as soon as you got onto the train in La Spezia. It was madness; everyone fighting to squeeze into a local train to take you to one of the five towns. Venice was no better. The water taxis that ply the Grand Canal was packed with people. You can see the disgust in the locals. They don't want you there!
Sri Lanka started showing up on the tourism map after the defeat of the Tamil Tigers, a militant organization that wants its independence in this island nation. It fought a violent civil war for about 26 years before being defeated militarily by the government in 2009. With peace comes tourism. The country starts promoting itself. Travel writers started writing about the beauty and unspoiled island with its cultural heritage and miles and miles of warm water beaches. Lonely Planet named Sri Lanka as the top country to travel to in 2019.
I have known Sri Lanka as Ceylon in my days growing up in Singapore. It's less than a 4-hour flight away and many Sri Lankans, or Ceylonese, called Singapore home. How can you not know that the best tea are from Ceylon? It felt like a distant cousin, Singapore and Ceylon being former colonies under Mother Great Britain.
One problem with traveling to Sri Lanka is that it is far from most popular travel routes. From the United States, you can travel there from the Pacific or Atlantic way. Either direction you are looking at at least 24 hours of travel. For me, I planned my travel by stopping in Singapore to visit family and friends and squeeze in a two-week trip to Sri Lanka.
Not wanting to fumble my way around the island I decided to sign up with a British tour company called Tucan Travel. I have traveled with them a few times - South America, Mexico and Russia. Travelers who travel with Tucan tend to be younger and more adventurous, unlike a lot of the American companies who tend to pamper their guests. Unfortunately, after I signed up with Tucan they decided to cancel my trip because I was the only one who signed up. I turned next to the Sri Lanka Tourism website and see if I could find any officially registered local tour companies there. Somewhere on this website is information that if you submit your travel requirements (length, dates, budget, itinerary, etc) they will send your request to six companies which will send you their proposals. I received six very well thought-out proposals and the prices were very close. I finally picked the one that has excellent reviews on the internet and provided the best "bang for the buck." It's called Sunbird Lanka Tours.
I signed up for a two-week tour. Here is the itinerary:
01-Feb Airport –Negombo
02-Feb Negombo- Anuradhapura
- Negombo City Tour (Fish Market, Dutch Fort & Canal)
- Wilpattu National Park Safari (Evening)
03-Feb Anuradhapura
- Anuradhapura City tour (Archaeological Ruins of the First Ancient capital from 3rd century BC to 10th century AD)
04-Feb Anuradhapura-Polonnaruwa
- Visit to Second Ancient Capital (Polonnaruwa) of the Country and see the ancient Buddhist monuments and ancient irrigation tanks made by ancient kings
05-Feb Polonnaruwa-Dambulla
- Village Tour - Visit of a traditional rural village by a bullock cart/canoe ride in a natural lake in the village and experience the way of living of village farmers (model village)
- Sigiriya Rock Fortress (Lion’s Rock)
06-Feb Dambulla- Kandy
- Dambulla Cave Temple
- Ayurveda & Spice Garden
07-Feb Kandy
Kandy City tour -
- Temple of the Tooth Relic of Buddha
- Upper Lake view point
- Gem factory & museum
- Cultural dance Show
08-Feb Kandy - Nallathanniya
Adam’s Peak
09-Feb Nallathanniya-Nuwara Eliya
- Tea factory & Tea Plantation
- Nuwara Eliya city tour
- Lake Gregory
- Victoria Park
10-Feb Nuwara Eliya
- Horton Plains National Park Safari
- Ambewela farm
11-Feb Nuwara Eliya – Ella
- Train Ride from Nuwara Eliya to Ella
- Ella Rawana Waterfalls
- Ella Gap View Point
- Nine Arch Bridge
12-Feb Ella - Yala
- Buduruvagala Buddhist temple (The rock with the statue of Buddha)
13-Feb Yala - Unawatuna
- Yala National Park Safari
- Galle City Tour
- Leisure at the beach
14-Feb Unawatuna-Colombo
- Colombo city Tour & Shopping
- Gangarama Buddhist Temple
- Independent Memorial Hall
- Old Parliament
- Galle Face Green
- BMICH
15-Feb Colombo-Airport
- Departure (Flight at 10:50am)
The itinerary provides a mix of interests: local culture, history, wildlife, beaches, train ride, tea plantations, etc.
Sri Lanka started showing up on the tourism map after the defeat of the Tamil Tigers, a militant organization that wants its independence in this island nation. It fought a violent civil war for about 26 years before being defeated militarily by the government in 2009. With peace comes tourism. The country starts promoting itself. Travel writers started writing about the beauty and unspoiled island with its cultural heritage and miles and miles of warm water beaches. Lonely Planet named Sri Lanka as the top country to travel to in 2019.
I have known Sri Lanka as Ceylon in my days growing up in Singapore. It's less than a 4-hour flight away and many Sri Lankans, or Ceylonese, called Singapore home. How can you not know that the best tea are from Ceylon? It felt like a distant cousin, Singapore and Ceylon being former colonies under Mother Great Britain.
One problem with traveling to Sri Lanka is that it is far from most popular travel routes. From the United States, you can travel there from the Pacific or Atlantic way. Either direction you are looking at at least 24 hours of travel. For me, I planned my travel by stopping in Singapore to visit family and friends and squeeze in a two-week trip to Sri Lanka.
Not wanting to fumble my way around the island I decided to sign up with a British tour company called Tucan Travel. I have traveled with them a few times - South America, Mexico and Russia. Travelers who travel with Tucan tend to be younger and more adventurous, unlike a lot of the American companies who tend to pamper their guests. Unfortunately, after I signed up with Tucan they decided to cancel my trip because I was the only one who signed up. I turned next to the Sri Lanka Tourism website and see if I could find any officially registered local tour companies there. Somewhere on this website is information that if you submit your travel requirements (length, dates, budget, itinerary, etc) they will send your request to six companies which will send you their proposals. I received six very well thought-out proposals and the prices were very close. I finally picked the one that has excellent reviews on the internet and provided the best "bang for the buck." It's called Sunbird Lanka Tours.
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| Map of Sri Lanka - from lonelyplanet.com |
01-Feb Airport –Negombo
02-Feb Negombo- Anuradhapura
- Negombo City Tour (Fish Market, Dutch Fort & Canal)
- Wilpattu National Park Safari (Evening)
03-Feb Anuradhapura
- Anuradhapura City tour (Archaeological Ruins of the First Ancient capital from 3rd century BC to 10th century AD)
04-Feb Anuradhapura-Polonnaruwa
- Visit to Second Ancient Capital (Polonnaruwa) of the Country and see the ancient Buddhist monuments and ancient irrigation tanks made by ancient kings
05-Feb Polonnaruwa-Dambulla
- Village Tour - Visit of a traditional rural village by a bullock cart/canoe ride in a natural lake in the village and experience the way of living of village farmers (model village)
- Sigiriya Rock Fortress (Lion’s Rock)
06-Feb Dambulla- Kandy
- Dambulla Cave Temple
- Ayurveda & Spice Garden
07-Feb Kandy
Kandy City tour -
- Temple of the Tooth Relic of Buddha
- Upper Lake view point
- Gem factory & museum
- Cultural dance Show
08-Feb Kandy - Nallathanniya
Adam’s Peak
09-Feb Nallathanniya-Nuwara Eliya
- Tea factory & Tea Plantation
- Nuwara Eliya city tour
- Lake Gregory
- Victoria Park
10-Feb Nuwara Eliya
- Horton Plains National Park Safari
- Ambewela farm
11-Feb Nuwara Eliya – Ella
- Train Ride from Nuwara Eliya to Ella
- Ella Rawana Waterfalls
- Ella Gap View Point
- Nine Arch Bridge
12-Feb Ella - Yala
- Buduruvagala Buddhist temple (The rock with the statue of Buddha)
13-Feb Yala - Unawatuna
- Yala National Park Safari
- Galle City Tour
- Leisure at the beach
14-Feb Unawatuna-Colombo
- Colombo city Tour & Shopping
- Gangarama Buddhist Temple
- Independent Memorial Hall
- Old Parliament
- Galle Face Green
- BMICH
15-Feb Colombo-Airport
- Departure (Flight at 10:50am)
The itinerary provides a mix of interests: local culture, history, wildlife, beaches, train ride, tea plantations, etc.
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