SriLanka Backpacking Itinerary - 14 days - One Country

SriLanka Backpacking Itinerary - 14 days - One Country - Many Experiences

Finally, I tried to put together the itinerary of the 14 days backpacking trip in SriLanka I did with a friend in December 2019.

Some general notes -

For accommodation, we used Hostelworld.com ; Booking.com; Airbnb.ca
On an average $7 - $15 USD we get good accommodation in hostel/airbnb.
Coconut water - 80 LKR (because I drank a lot of it :))
TukTuk - always suggest you check with locals on what's the average price, so you can negotiate with the drivers better.
Bus & train - most preferred mode of transportation, cheap, depending on the time of the day there are chance of it being crowded, but hey - if you want to get the sense of the place and people, go for it.
In the expenses I have not included accommodation or food or rides within city.
Used Splitwise app to track my daily expenses.
Carry USD in cash. local banks do give good exchange rate if you don't convert everything in Colombo airport. People bank of China did not charge us any fees when we converted. (more notes end of this blog)

Below is the marking on maps for the route we followed -

Day 1 -
Travel - Landed in Negombo airport.
Mode of Transportation - Cab from Negombo to Sigriya. (would suggest bus if you have time, we were running short on time)
Stay - Nalini Song Hostel, Sigriya.
Highlights - well nothing much, airport experience, chaos in deciding whether to take the cab, drive to Sigriya was beautiful.

Day 2 -
Travel - Sigriya to Polonnaruwa and back to Sigriya Hostel.
Mode of Transportation -Cab
Stay - Nalini Song Hostel, Sigriya. (Good Hostel, definitely suggest it)
Highlights - Ancient city of Polonnaruwa, Quadrangle, Polonnaruwa ruins.
Expense - Entrance ticket -2275 LKR/person

Polonnaruwa Ruins

Day 3 -
Travel - Sigriya - Dambulla - Kandy
Mode of Transportation - Cab
Stay - Jay's Bunk Hostel, Kandy.(a bit crampy rooms but good vibe)
Highlights - Pirdungala Rock trek, view of Lions rock, Dambulla Rock cave temple
Expense - Entrance ticket to Pidrungala - 410 LKR/person, and Rock cave temple-500 LKR/person.

Pidrungala Hike, Lions Rock view

Dambulla Rock Cave temple

Day 4 -
Travel - Explore Kandy
Mode of Transportation - Walk
Stay - Jay's Bunk Hostel, Kandy.
Highlights - Kandy Lake, Tooth Relic temple, Kandy City
Expense - Tuktuk - roughly 400LKR.

Day 5 -
Travel - Kandy to Hatton to Maskeliya to Delhousie
Mode of Transportation - Kandy to Hatton train (scenic route), Bus from Hatton to Maskeliya, Bus from Maskeliya to Delhousie
Stay - White House, Delhousie. (Good Stay - definitely suggest this place)
Highlights - Scenic Drives
Expense - Train Ticket - 150 LKR. Bus to Maskeliya - 50LKR. Bus to Delhousie - 50 LKR.

Day 6 -
Travel - Delhousie to Hatton to Nuwara Eliya
Mode of Transportation - Bus from Delhousie to Hatton, Bus from Hatton to Nuwara Eliya
Stay - Blue Moon Guest House, Nuwara Eliya. (decent place, good location, but you have lot of other options)
Highlights - Adam's Peak trek for sunrise in Delhousie (2 AM to 8 AM. Had Breakfast and left for Eliya), scenic drives, Explore city of Nuwara Eliya, Oldest Post Office of Sri Lanka.
Expense - Bus tickets - 280 LKR.

Adam's Peak

Nuwara Eliya Town, Top pic is of Oldest post office in SriLanka.

Day 7 -
Travel - Nuwara Eliya to Ella
Mode of Transportation - Bus from Nuwara Eliya to Nanu Oya (15 mins), Train from Nanu Oya to Ella
Stay - Ceylon backpacker's hostel (was okay, would suggest Hangover hostel) .
Highlights - Beautiful view from the train.
Expense - Bus Ticket - 30 LKR, Train ticket - 150 LKR.

Day 8 -
Travel - Explore Ella
Mode of Transportation - None
Stay - Ceylon backpacker's hostel .
Highlights - Little Adam's Peak trek, Cafes (definitely suggest Starbeans and Cafe Chill), Ravana Caves.
Expense - TukTuk - 200 LKR.

Little Adam's Peak trek

Day 9 -
Travel - Ella to Weligama
Mode of Transportation - Bus (5 to 5.5 hours)
Stay - Rise AirBnB (would definitely suggest. Awesome stay).
Highlights - Nine Arches Bridge in Ella (Train time is 9:20 AM), Halpe Tea Factory Tour (suggested for tea lovers, its knowledgeable), Caught Bus to Weligama at 2 PM, Authentic Italian dinner at Rise, walk by the beach in moonlight
Expense - Halpe Tea Factory - 500 LKR, Bus Ticket to Weligama - 300 LKR, tuktuk charges for half day in Ella.

Nine Arches Bridge

Day 10 -
Travel - Explore Mirissa &Weligama
Mode of Transportation - Tuktuk, Bus
Stay - Rise AirBnB.
Highlights - Cafes, Coconut Tree Hill, Parrot Rock Bridge, Mirissa beaches, sunset yoga ('Now Yoga Begins' yoga studio - definitely suggest this place, it's so relaxing)
Expense - Yoga - 1500 LKR, Bus tickets between Weligama and Mirissa is 25-30 LKR per person.

Mirissa Beach, Coconut Tree Hill, Palm Yoga Studio

Day 11 -

Travel - Explore Mirissa & Weligama
Mode of Transportation - Bus
Stay - Rise AirBnB.
Highlights - Beaches, Cafes, the Doctor's house Pub (must visit this place, oh my god, i loved the vibe!!) .(Would suggest Beach swing in Dalawella beach if you get a chance)
Expense - The Doctor's house entrance ticket - 1000 LKR(worth it for the amazing crowd and live music).

Weligama Beach

Day 12 -
Travel - Weligama to Galle
Mode of Transportation - Bus
Stay - Curry Leaf Hostel, Galle Fort (Location is awesome, in the heart of the dutch fort. but Hostel in itself is just decent, not too great. Everyone comes here due to it's convenient location I believe) .
Highlights - Amazing photographic spots in the dutch fort, Cafes, Art houses, restaurants, Sunset walk by the Fort.
Expense - Bus Ticket - 60 LKR.

Galle Lighthouse, Fort area

Streets of Galle Dutch Fort Area.. Lovely backdrops

Day 13 -
Travel - Galle to Colombo Fort
Mode of Transportation - Bus (to Kaduwela)
Stay - Groove House Hostels (Very good and safe location).
Highlights - Breakfast in Galle, dropped postcards, Bus to Colombo fort, explore the city
Expense - Bus Ticket to Kaduwela - 450 LKR.

Day 14 -
Travel - Colombo to Negombo
Mode of Transportation - TukTuk
Stay - Groove House Hostels.
Highlights - Breakfast at Seed Cafe (loved it), Noritake factory outlet (shopping for some gold & platinum handcrafted ceramics), Sunset walk by the Galle Face Beach, cafes, Dutch Hospital pub.
Expense - Uber Tuktuk to airport 1100 LKR.

SriLanka is Solo Backpackers haven. You will find so many solo travellers in the hostels, and you will be surprised how many friends you will make during the trip.
It is very safe for female travellers. Did not encounter any problems in the north. In Southside did encounter some catcalling, but that could be ignored. And of course a lot of people asking for selfies, that might throw you off. But none of these were very offensive. Overall experience is definitely nice and friendly.
It did rain everyday in the north and it's quite cold. So if you are planning for Horton's plain, Ella, Eliya, Sigriya etc.. - carry a rain jacket and some warm clothes.
Don't have a rigid plan, be flexible to derail from your plan based on what you find along the way. We threw out our original plan the first night in Sigriya :)
Do Visa on arrival if you have sometime. It's free. We paid online to get visa before hand which was unnecessary.
All temples require you to cover below the knees and arms. so no tank tops or shorts. Black is not allowed either. we saw the locals wearing white dresses. But as long as you are covered below knees, you should be fine.
You will find a lot of Buddha statues wherever you go.
Do try local cuisine - Sambhaal, rice, wraps, fish curry, Kottu rotti etc...
Lots of mosquitoes, so if you hate them carry your weapons :)

Comments

When Life Humbles You

When you are planning life, life makes it's own plans and often takes you by surprise. Not that you grow arrogant knowingly, but we all tend to take life for granted while on our mission to success. There are often times when we oversee simpler yet most important ingredients of life. I believe that's when someone takes control of life to put a brake and slow you down. It has various innovative ways to slow you down. Nothing uncommon in the world, but definitely very new to you. I have always been slowed down by life, ever time I rushed through doing tens of thousands of things. Now looking back, I think once every 2-3 years, I am pulled over the freeway of life for speeding. This time it was my health. I have been an anti doctor anti hospital person despite of coming from family of doctors. I believe in home remedies. Steam will take care of my cold; drink some herbs for immunity, tolerate pain without painkillers, go to gym or running when you have headache so on and...

My Favorite Read - 6 - The Climb by Anatoli Boukreev (and Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer)

So, now that I want to get into some serious mountaineering activities, I started with reading books on mountains. When you check for top few books on mountains the one that comes up is " Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer " followed by “ The Climb by Anatoli Boukreev" ; both based on the 1996 Everest disaster which was made quite controversial. I started with "Into Thin Air' and while I was reading, I was continuously in conflict with Jon's views. Mind you, my memory is pretty weak when it comes to remembering details of any story - whether its books or movies. I had watched few documentaries and the Everest movie based on this topic; but that was a while ago. when I started reading this book 2 weeks back, I had no background; you can say I was totally new to this story. And yet, it was difficult for me to understand some of Jon's accusations or feelings. But nevertheless, Jon's style of writing was amazing; he knew how to keep reader's...

Life... A Blank Page!

Whenever I open a notebook and come across the set of blank pages; my mind goes blank. For some reason, it always reminds me of my life. It forces me to start thinking about my life; about the past and the future. Being part of the age of computers and belonging to the IT industry, I hardly get an opportunity to actually pick a pen and write in the notebook. I write lot of blogs, poems etc… but I write them on the webpage or in Microsoft word in my laptop. Once in a while I like to go back to traditional form of writing; using the actual pen and paper. And in last few years; I noticed that every time I try doing that for some reason the blank paper gets me all philosophical. Although I never have that thought while opening the book; but whenever I see those blank pages; I just go blank. I always feel that my life is staring back at me with all those unanswered silenced questions, doubts, thoughts…forcing me to think – What does my lif...

Don't let the tamed ones tell you how to LIVE!

I came across this image on someone’s Facebook wall; and I couldn’t resist it. It triggered various thoughts in me that I was compelled to write a blog. I spent major part of my last decade trying to get things settled in; to plan for a backup with a backup so I could do something seriously adventurous. But it was not until late last year that I realized I should no longer wait for a timeline to stabilize professionally, financially, personally to pursue my interests. I don't need to follow a linear approach. I don't think I can ever have enough savings to quit the job and pursue hiking/travelling/painting full time (and well, I am not a lottery person either). And I don't think I want to quit the job in the first place, I want to continue supporting my needs. One thing that I did, last few years was try and pursue my interest whenever I got a chance. But what I started doing since last 6 months is, to create those opportunities to pursue my interests; and align...

Ahamasmi Yodha - My First Tattoo

I finally did it. It isn’t a great achievement to show off, but for me it’s one more item on my bucket list getting fulfilled. So I am very happy about it. What did I do? Oh like I said nothing great – I just got my FIRST Tattoo :) My first Tattoo Artist I had done a lot of research on it since last couple of months. I wanted to get it done on my birthday, but it somehow dint work out. For all the first timers, I wanted to list out my personal experience, just in case it helps :) First of all, I felt it will be very helpful if you have some friends who would have got it done already. But I dint have that privilege. So I went through lot of blogs and articles in About.com, Wikihow, YahooAnswers etc… Well Google, the new lord of knowledge :) has all that you need to know. So, in summary, what I got from all these sites were First decide on what you want to get tattooed and where. Go over it again and again, since it is permanent, you will have to live ...

King vs Prince or Queen vs Princess, Battle is still ON!!

I was at a beauty salon today, a normal day with a bunch of ladies waiting for their turn. I was waiting for my friend to finish, when a gentleman entered with his teenage daughter. They waited for their turn, and on their turn the girl went and sat on the chair. She said to the beautician " threading of upper lips " and then she called her dad. He came and stood by her side. When the lady started threading, her dad stretched his hand out, she held her dad's hand tightly to overcome the pain. For those who don't know, it does hurt quite a bit, not too bad but depends on persons ability to withstand pain. I heard him say " My brave girl. Just a few more minutes" . I have seen varieties of shades of a father daughter relationship, but this was really sweet and bold. I haven't seen girls getting their dad inside the beauty salon, neither can I imagine dad consoling a daughter during threading or waxing. But either ways, Dads will always be the King...

Breaking the Habit...

I walked down the street, with wind blowing up my face and my head feeling kind of light. For the first time I could feel the breeze on the back of my neck; and I loved it. My friend had come to pick me up, and he said " Not bad ". I went home and my roommate took a few seconds to react. She said, " It's Okay ". After almost 15 minutes, she said " You know, I am kind of getting used to it now. It looks fine. You carry it well ". And everyone I met afterwards had a reaction; " Why in world did you do it? ", " It's you, so it's okay. For someone else, it would be so horrible ", " You ruined it ", " You look like a school going girl " etc... etc... I still remember my friends reaction when I told 2 months back that I wanted to do it. No one was for it, everyone tried to convince me against that thought. Okay, alright, so much for all the suspense. What did I do? I got a Haircut . Yeah right. It...

Zindagi Gulzar Hai - A feast to ones eyes!

Today I am here to make a much interesting comparison of our current Indian TV industry with our neighboring country’s television industry. Interesting because I never thought I would ever engage in watching any of the Pakistan TV series/movies or listening to their music. My disinterest in Pakistan entertainment was not because of the tensed relationship with the country. But I myself am not a big fan of TV serials. The kind of drama that is filled in Indian TV Channels today is just exhausting and tiring to watch. I hardly follow any Indian TV series. When I visit home on vacation, I join my family in watching the program they watch and that’s how I keep myself updated with what is trending in the TV industry. I love listening to music and I listen to all genres of music. I did start listening to Pakistani music since last few years and have admired their music. Strings, Fuzon, Kaavish, Jal, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Ghulam Ali, Parveen Abida, Quratulain Baloch and many ...

Radha-Krishan jaisi jodi hai!! But Why?

I was with couple of my friends on a trip earlier this month, when we landed on the topic of Radha while listening to the song “ Radha on the dance floor, Radha wants to party …” from the movie Student of the Year . My friend suddenly told “ Isn’t our culture a little strange? Although Radha and Krishna were never married, every time people see a good couple they say “ RadhaKrishan jaisi Jodi hai! ”(ie. Couple like Radha-Krishna). ” For those who aren’t familiar with Hindu mythology; Radha & Krishna appear in the Dvapara Yuga which is the 3 rd out of four yugas (4 th one being Kali Yuga, the current one that we all are part of). Radha is considered an incarnation of Goddess Lakshmi and Krishna is the Eighth incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Radha and Krishna are most popularly known and worshipped as RadhaKrishna – in one form. Radha is Krishna’s supreme beloved and his childhood friend. Acrylic Painting of Krishna with his Flute - By Me. The Lord and His consort are refe...

Another Day, Another Night, Another Year.

This year has been interesting. Strange and interesting. Yu's "Go where the wind is" song best describes my mood for 2024. It went by fast yet it felt like an eternity. It was exhausting at times for reasons I don't know. I can't describe it in words. Of course, 2024 had its moments. A new country, a new language, a new fitness goal and many memorable experiences. Some good ones and others unwanted. It's just the general mood of 2024. It's been kind of heavy on my mind, my heart. Not on the negative side, nothing sad or painful. Just ... Anyway, want to just record this monologue somewhere before this year ends, so here goes nothing. Jeff Satur's Dum Dum, Lake of Bays Forest Floor, Machu Picchu shots, Dominos Pizza, Rainy night, The Demon Slayer comic strip, Some scribbles, Random notes, Uke plucking, Wang Yibo's smile, The Double C drama and the Fireworks outside. Just some of the last moments of 2024. Thank you 2024, you have been good to me...

When Silence Speaks...

Search This Blog