[ampere]

You pretty much hit it out of the park! Very nice log with all the elements of a great travel holiday with family.

Sri Lanka like you said is an amazing destination for all kinds of travellers and budgets. A tropical heaven, a hill station paradise, a beach resort, the city comfort, the spiritual home, trekkers halt, wild life zone etc etc. And of course all of them amidst nice public or private transport to make your memory permanent!

Now the question is what all you want to choose from this buffet ? Even some of the stay options are brilliant!

Great narration and a time well spent!

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by libranof1987

ninjatalli did that hike so he may know better.

Originally Posted by S2K

Would like to understand from the forum members who have been there recently if it traveling to the country is safe (in the sense that locals don't extort with very high prices or antisocial behavior like pick-pockets, thefts of money/belongings, etc).

Extremely safe. If I benchmark it against India, SL is in a much better state, even though the tourism and related businesses are in bad shape. I'm talking about local/public transport, road-side sellers, touts, taxi operators and others.

Yes, there are tourist traps - well, every country has it. SL had it on the beaches and popular trekking points like Ella rock as well as prominent travel points (airport, railway stations, bus stations). But it was an extremely scaled down level (IMO) - no aggressive pushing and after a few attempts they actually go back to their nice manners. A few examples

- Ella Rock trek - Our homestay owner had warned us and gave us the route details in advance. We were doing it with 2 foreigners and were approached by 2-3 local guys on the way offering 'shorter routes'. When we replied that we have the correct route, one of them laughed and said "Oh they have Indians too, they'll manage" and let us be.

- Galle bus stand - we were trying to figure out a direct bus to the airport instead of the options presented to us of taking a taxi or buses/vans to Colombo. A few private sellers approached and 'pushed' their vehicle options. When we explained what we wanted, they let us be. After ~5 mins, one of them came up and pointed towards another section of the bus stand where he said there's one bus daily that goes to the airport; go there and inquire.

- Hatton railway station - there two options to go to Adam's Peak base. A cheap bus option that leaves about every ~2 hours and expensive tuk-tuk/taxis that are on-demand. We opted for the bus and were told by multiple taxi guys that the next bus would be aligned to the next train arriving there (in 2+ hours). We said fine and waited there. About ~15 mins later, one of them came up and told us - don't worry, the bus will be here much before that

Didn't hear of thefts or any such risks on online forums when we were researching, nor did we hear anyone mentioning it.

[jigar12975]

Hi. Would you be able to share the hotels you stayed at? I am planning an almost exact trip and this has been an extremely useful thread

[libranof1987]

Originally Posted by jigar12975

Hi. Would you be able to share the hotels you stayed at? I am planning an almost exact trip and this has been an extremely useful thread

Here you go:

Colombo: Marino Beach Hotel (highly recommend, excellent property and location - right on Galle face)

Sigiriya: The Nice Place Hotel (good property but wasn't in the best of shape when we went - maybe because it was just after travel resumed. Look for newer reviews / better hotel)

Kandy: Thilanka Hotel (medium recommend)

Nallathaniya: Wathsala Inn (highly recommend - ask them for the renovated wing. This is the best hotel in the region)

Nuwaraeliya: The Blackpool (highly recommend - lovely property)

Tissa: Blue Turtle (highly recommend - lovely property, excellent hosts)

Galle: Bartizan Galle Fort (highly recommend - but rooms are small, bathrooms have a glass door that isn't top to bottom and sink is outside. But splendid property and location - ask for stilt + 1 or 2 level rooms)

Bentota: Temple Tree hotel (highly recommend - lovely property, excellent location)

[d_himan]

Originally Posted by libranof1987

Do you want them to go in a group (like Veena World, or Thomas Cook) or by themselves. If you want a private tour package, Arun from Absolute Lanka Tours has several that you can choose from, and make changes as you're comfortable.

Arun/Aruna: https://www.absolutelankatours.com/
+94 76300 9100
+94 71713 5036 (yep, there are only 9 digits, you can chat/call on WhatsApp)

PS: I have no commercial interest/connection with this group, just multiple excellent experiences.

Thank you Libran. Planned a 8 night trip this December with Aruna, Absolute Lanka - gem of a guy.

[prajosh]

Great Travelogue. Thanks for sharing. We are four friends (all around 45), planning to be in Srilanka for 4 nights in Mid-Jan. Don't want to do lots of sightseeing. Its kind of a reunion so mostly chill with some good experiences like hiking, Safari etc. Will prefer to stay at single place and go around some nearby places.
Any suggestion for such trip?

[libranof1987]

Originally Posted by prajosh

Will prefer to stay at single place and go around some nearby places.
Any suggestion for such trip?

I'd suggest, spend a couple of days in Yala National Park so you can do a couple of safaris and chill, and the rest in Galle or Bentota (they're about an hour apart) - splendid beaches. You can stay close to Mirissa if you want to try surfing or party.

[d_himan]

Dear libran,

Thank you so much for the Aruna recommendation. Had a splendid, luxurious 8N 9D trip - Aruna had arranged for a Kia Sorento (3 of us - me, the missus, our 7 year old son) with a great chauffer/advisor/photographer, Tharanga.

My journey:
1. Bentota 2 nights. Stayed in Cinnamon, Sea View room
2. Haputale. 2 nights. Dream Cliff Resort - Beehive room with Mountain View
3. Nuwara Eliya. 2 nights. Golden Ridge - Suite Mountain View
4. Kandy. 2 nights. King's Pavilion. Junior Suite.

Exceptional experience! Thanks once again for sharing Aruna's number!