Trip to Sri Lanka
A 6-day trip to Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, earlier known as Ceylon, is duly called the Pearl of Indian Ocean. Nested below the main land of India, the country is an island with diverse natural resources. I recently took a 6-day trip to the southern, central and western part of the country.
First up, to clear all your doubts, Sri Lanka is a beautiful country. Post Covid and the 2022 economic crises, it has returned to normalcy now. One can get all items here and there is no turmoil.
Lets start this journey with central province and will move on to south culminating in the western part of the country.
Days
Day 1: Arrival in Sri Lanka
Kandy
Kandy is the second largest city in Sri Lanka, after Colombo. It is located in the central province of the country. It is a semi-hilly region with summers being cooler than other coastal cities. Kandy is known for its gems. Rare gems like the blue sapphire, ruby, garnet, white sapphire among others is available here. Our first stop was the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage, around 40kms from Kandy. Here, orphaned and injured elephants are taken care of. It holds the largest herd of elephants in the world. Wild elephants wandering around the forests are bred, fed and looked after here. A small stream also flows by where the elephants are bathed. The orphanage is run by the government. Apart from the orphanage, there are many private operators who look after the elephants. One can experience an elephant ride, bathe an elephant, feed an elephant. There are also museums dedicated to the study of elephants.
Visit
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Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage
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Stay
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The Swiss Residence Kandy
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Photos
Day 2: Kandy and Nuwara Eliya
Kandy sightseeing and Nuwara Eliya
The Temple of Tooth Relic is one of the most sacred and revered Buddhist temples. Legend says that the tooth of Lord Buddha was smuggled from India and is being worshipped here. The temple is adjacent to the Kandy Lake. The first stop on the way to Nuwara Eliya was the Hanuman temple. It is one of the few Hindu temples in the area. The temple is on a small hillock. The view from the temple is mesmerizing. Nuwara Eliya is famous for its tea. So, the next stop was a tea factory. Damro tea is one of the largest tea producing companies in the country. We also got to stop at a tea estate to capture some magnificent pictures. Next stop was the Victoria Garden. It is a botanical garden with children's park, lotus pond and toy train. Gregory lake is an artificial lake constructed during the British reign. On the one side of the lake, is the town of Nuwara Eliya and a turf club while on the other is the tea estate. Boating is available here.
Visit
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Temple of Tooth Relic
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Damro Labookellie Tea Centre and Tea garden
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Victoria Gardens Ampitiya
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Peradeniya Botanical Garden
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Lake Gregory
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Hanuman Temple Ramboda
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Ramboda Falls
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Kandy Lake
Eat
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Oak Ray Tea Bush - Ramboda
Stay
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Heaven Seven Nuwara Eliya
Photos
Day 3: Seetha Eliya and Ella
Seetha temple and Ella sightseeing
If you have read about Ramayan and Ashok Vatika, then this place is Ashok Vatika. Here is where Seetha sat in the memory of Lord Ram. It is said that her tears flowed down the stream here. It is also the same place where Lord Hanuman requested Seetha to allow him to escort her to Ram. There is a statue which depicts Hanuman showing the ring of Ram. There is also a huge footprint of Lord Hanuman. The bridge, also called the Bridge of the Sky, was built during the colonial era. As the same says, there are nine arches which act as a viaduct. The bridge was constructed for a railway line which connects Ella and Demodara. A 1.5km trek along the forest leads you to this beautiful location. As soon as the bridge ends, the train enters a tunnel which makes the place even more beautiful. The Ravan falls is a huge waterfall about 82ft and is three tiers. The waterfall is visible on the road from Ella to Yala. There are many caves here too. Legend says that demon king Ravan hid here.
Visit
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Seetha Amman Kovil
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Ravan Ella Waterfall
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Nine Arch Bridge / ආරුක්කු නමයේ පාලම - Demodara
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Eat
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Chill Restaurant Bar
Stay
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EKHO Safari Tissa
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Photos
Day 4: Yala National Park, Galle and Bentota
Safari at Yala National Park, Galle and Bentota
Yala National Park is one of the largest national parks in the country. One peculiar feature of this park is that it is adjacent to the Indian Ocean. One can take a safari ride in a jeep in the park. The park opens at 6AM. This is the best time to visit the park as the animals do stroll out early in the morning. The beautiful sunrise and the adjacent ocean, just adds to the beauty of the safari. There is a pit stop near the beach too where one can have packed breakfast. The Galle fort was a Dutch fort. Originally built by the Portuguese, the fort was developed and maintained by the Dutch for a long time before handing it over to the British. The fort is now a UNESCO world heritage site. The Maduganga is one of the biggest rivers in the country. It forms a delta on the western part of the country. During its course, a huge mangrove forest is formed at its mouth and this makes the boat ride amazing. The boat ride here takes you through mangrove forests.
Visit
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Yala National Park Sri Lanka
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Galle Fort
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Madu River boat safari
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Eat
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Hikkaduwa
Stay
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Hibiscus Beach Hotel
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Photos
Day 5: Colombo
Colombo City sightseeing
The Independence Square was constructed to commemorate the independence of the country in 1948. The statue of the first Prime Minister of Sri Lanka - Stephen Senanayake is erected here. Surrounding the square, is the lush green Viharamahadevi Park. It is a huge park comprising of many fountains and places for events. It also holds a children's park. There is also a Lotus Tower where one can see the view of the city. The Beira Lake is a huge lake that once served as a source of drinking water also was used as a defense against enemies. The old parliament buildings represent the British architecture.
Visit
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Colombo
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Independence Square
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Viharamahadevi Park
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Lotus Tower - Colombo
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Eat
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Indian Summer Restaurant
Stay
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Berjaya Hotel Colombo
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Photos
Day 6: Departure from Sri Lanka
Departure from Sri Lanka
The trip ended on the day 6 as we departed. Just to add, Indian tourists do not exactly have an on-arrival visa. You need to apply online paying US $20 per person. After the payment, the acknowledgement is sent about the visa. In case you don't apply online, you can still apply for on-arrival visa at the airport, however, the cost is US $35 per person. Indian Rupee is not accepted here and Sri Lankan rupee is a must because many local tourist places do not accept cards. In case, you need to convert currency, please use USD. There are a lot of banks and agencies which convert currency in the airport and all have similar rates. ATMs can be used to withdraw Sri Lankan rupee. Sim cards can be bought at the airport and the coverage is good throughout. To conclude, I must say Sri Lanka is a very beautiful country. It exceeded my expectations with all the attractions and cleanliness. I strongly recommend visiting this country.
Visit
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Bandaranaike International Airport (CMB)
Summary: Sri Lanka trip
https://anoopkumar3003.blogspot.com/2023/05/sri-lanka-part-1.html
https://anoopkumar3003.blogspot.com/2023/05/sri-lanka-part-2.html
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