March 2017
Sri Lanka was our first trip since moving to Dubai and the thought of planning it all ourselves was quite overwhelming. We had decided to go for 5 days before heading back the UK and we wanted to fit in as much as possible during our trip. A friend of ours recommended the tour company, Rainbow Tours Sri Lanka, as her parents had used them in the summer and couldn’t speak highly enough of the organiser, Peter, and their driver, Tilak.
Peter was extremely personable and it was clear to see how passionate he was about Sri Lanka. We told him what we wanted to do and he gave us a detailed itinerary along with choices of hotels: some being more expensive than others but all having good reviews for the price we paid.
Flying on the Thursday evening, with Fly Dubai, was ideal as it meant that we could maximise our time in Sri Lanka. We arrived and spent the night at the Airport City Hub hotel which was pleasant enough for a good night’s sleep before the fun really began.
Our wonderful driver, Tilak, collected Amy and I promptly from the hotel where our journey really began. Tilak’s car was air conditioned and comfortable which was ideal considering we would be driving around a lot over the next few days. Colour was the first thing we noticed in Sri Lanka. Emerald green palm trees overwhelming the sides of the roads with the crisp blue sky; a stark contrast to the grey haze of Dubai. That was not the only contrast. It was clear that Sri Lanka was very much a developing country with poverty and pollution still being an issue. Yet it was one of the most beautifully raw places that I had ever seen and I knew this would not be the only time that I would be enticed by the Sri Lankan scenery.
Our first stop was at the Pinawella Elephant Orphanage and I had real mixed opinions on visiting the orphanage as I was concerned that the elephants would not be treated well, like elephants in a zoo. Elephants have always been one of my favourite animals – their stubborn nature but yet still so loving and intelligent. Tilak ensured that we had a great view of the elephants and helping us to capture some special moments. A part of me regretted not being able to get up close and personal with them but as I said before, my worry was how they were treated and I absolutely did not want to support any maltreatment of this incredible species. One of my favourite moments was what appeared to be two siblings, fighting with each other and dunking each other under water. An unbelievable moment.
The day continued by heading north into the Golden Triangle Unesco Heritage region with a visit to the Rock Cave Temple at Dambulla. It is also known as the Golden Temple of Dambulla and it is one of the largest and best preserved temples in the country. There were five caves which contained statues and paintings related to Buddha and his life. On our walk up to the temple, we were surrounded by monkeys…literally everywhere! Returning down from the temple, one of the monkeys took a liking to my scarf; they were so fearless and clearly used to the volume of visitors.
Having already completed two two hour drives, Tilak drove us to our final destination of the day before heading to our hotel – for a massage in the jungle. It had been recommended to us to get a massage and the only way I can describe it is bizarre! Amy and I went into a ‘couple’s’ room, this is a long standing joke now! However, you could hear everyone else’s conversations which did give us the giggles. We firstly had to go into a sauna where the ground was covered in leaves! We then had our massage, which was fine but it was a herbal based oils. An interesting experience in the middle of the jungle – definitely memorable! Finally we headed to Sigiriya, where we stayed at the Hideout Villa hotel. Here, we had a late night swim before dinner and an early night as we had a busy day on the Saturday. We decided to upgrade at this hotel so we had a tree house room…it was the ultimate dream as children to have your own tree house, let alone sleep in one and it was an opportunity not to be missed. It was difficult to get our suitcases up to it but thankfully the porters were on hand to help us. The room was pleasant but basic but again, absolutely all we needed for a restful evening.
Saturday arrived and after a quick early breakfast, our schedule, from Peter at Rainbow Tours, had suggested an early morning climb of Lion’s Rock as it would be cooler but also less busy. This was great advice as we certainly noticed the difference on our way out, with it becomingly increasing numbers of visitors arriving. Lion’s Rock was stunning. The fresh gardens surrounded the rock as we began the hike up. At about the halfway point, there were the lion’s paws. The name of this rock came from King Kashyapa’s desire to welcome visitors but to warn enemies. As we became closer to the top, the stairways became narrower; it was not for the faint hearted! We persevered. And upon reaching the climax, the views were breathtaking. Check out the pictures – you could see for miles!
This took a few hours and we ventured onto Kandy, stopping along the way to visit a Spice garden to learn about natural medicines.
We carried on to Kandy and our next stop was to visit the Temple of Buddha’s tooth – a sacred place for Buddhist worshipers. There were lots of local people there along with tourists and it was certainly a place to reflect and appreciate other cultures. We wanted to continue this appreication for Sri Lankan culture thus our reasoning for visiting a local market followed by the Kandy cultural show where we saw traditional dance and fire performances. It felt like an old social club from back home in the UK but it was an ideal venue for the show. Our driver Tilak used to participate in the show and he loved showing us his passion for dance.
After this, we met up with Peter, the man who had organised our tour, for dinner and it was a fantastic opportunity to quiz him about Sri Lanka. We had chosen to stay at his home which was the Rainbow Tour B&B Homestay. We were so glad that we took this option as Peter’s home was beautiful with idyllic views across Kandy, even witnessing a sea plane land.
We had a lovely breakfast before the drive south into Hill country via the Ramboda falls. The views were spectacular but it was a relatively short stop before we headed to a working tea factory for lunch and sightseeing in Nuwara Eliya. We had purchased a ticket for the scenic train to Ella and it was well worth it (but you must purchase a month ahead if you want to guarantee your ticket). Again, and it feels like I keep saying this, the views were picturesque. We stayed at Ella’s Edge hotel and as we walked out of our room, with the mountains and jungle in front of us, there really felt like no better place in the world.
As we had another early start, we had an early night before heading to bed. We had some early sightseeing in Ella going to Ravanna Falls but also the Nine Arch Bridge.It was definitely worth the trek to see it (we went the wrong way!).
Our final hike of the trip was to Little Adam’s Peak for sensational views across Ella. Tilak then drove us south to Yala for the afternoon jeep safari. I absolutely LOVED seeing animals where they should be…in the wild! We saw: elephants, water buffaloes, warthogs, monkeys, deer, alligators and much more. We stayed that night in the Blue Turtle hotel, ready for our final day visiting some of the south coast beach resorts of Tangalle and Mirissa.
In the morning, we visited Kosgoda Turtle hatchery and the beaches were beautiful. I wish we had had time to spend more time on the south coast relaxing. After this, we went to Galle Fort for lunch and sightseeing before heading to the airport in Columbo.
We had a truly wonderful trip in Sri Lanka and we would love to go back again in the future. We would absolutely recommend Rainbow Tours if you want to enjoy an expertly planned trip without the hassle of organising it yourself!
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