advice please

Hi every one.

I will travel next week to sri lanka and will stay there fro 14 days.1st week I have booked bentota beach hotel, next week free to travel around other places withinthe country . can anyone advice me what are the most beautiful attraction in sri lanka I must see. What is easier way to getting around there.

Thanks ,

mark

advice please

Hi Mark,

For one week we%26#39;d recommend to choose: Northern Loop or Southern Loop. Doing all of these would cost at least 10 days to do it decently.

North = Kandy (and Pinawela jumbo orphanage) plus Cultural Triangle. Which has famous old temples, a magnificent rock fortress and safari parks.

South = Kandy plus Hill Country. Tea plantations, waterfalls, lovely vistas and a combination with the south coast safari parks.

Some %26#39;half combinations%26#39; are possible: e.g. in North near Matale there are some lower waterfalls and tea plantations, and in South there are some lovely (but less famous) old temples too.

As for getting around: train (and express bus in case you travel light) can bring you to quite some places but not fast and not flexible. So generally car with driver is recommended; average price for a day is Rs 6,000-7,000 (around 40 euro).

All the best,

%26lt;Erik%26gt; %26amp; [Sandya]

advice please

Hi mark……….

As you got spare 7 days you can have round trip covering most of main attraction in sri lanka.

Day01- bentotoa –pinnawala –sigiriya (over night)

Day02-polonnarura – minneriya national park (over night sigiriya)

Day03- kandy (over night)

Day04-nuwaraeliya (over night)

Day05-ella- tissamaharama –katharagama ( over night at tissamaharama)

Day06- hikaduwa (over night )

Day07- negombo-air port

Better hire the car to drive around it will cost you between 6500-7000 RS per day including drive unlimited km , fuel, driver’s accommodation.. always try to get service of approved tour guide of Ceylon tourist board.

Thaks you,

ind

Hi Mark,

I agree with the point Erik makes, that a full tour would need at least ten days but if I%26#39;d not seen the interior of Sri Lanka and had a week , I%26#39;d want split my time between the cultural side of things and the hill country.

I%26#39;d see Polonorua, Sigirya and Dambulla cave temples and then Kandy. In Kandy, the Temple of the Tooth , The cultural show which runs every evening in a small theatre along the lake side and the Botanical gardens. If you wanted to visit the Pinawella elephant orphanage you could do that as a trip out from Kandy or when en-route from you coastal base to the Polonorua area.

Then head south through the hill country. I like the first section, from Kandy to Newara Eliya by road, stopping at the Rambukana Falls for lunch and also visiting a tea factory on the way.

Then get your driver to drop you at Nanu Oya station and take the train to either Haputale or Ella.

Haputale is a really busy, bustling , small mountain town, set on a ridge , so fantastic views in every direction and surrounded by tea covered hills and mountains.

Ella is a small sleepy village , again with mountainous scenery all around . Plenty of top quality guest houses to stay in.

I%26#39;d spend a day at one or the other of these. If, Haputale, take the walk up to Liptons seat. If Ella, then walk to Little Adams peak or Ella Rock.

The hill country, without doubt, is the most beautiful part of Sri lanka .

If you preferred, you could take the train all the way south through the hill country , then hire a car/taxi van locally to return for your flight.

If you do go train then as Erik has said, light

luggage.

Car is much easier but the train is an experience.

Rod.

I think Rod means Ramboda Falls.

Hans

Hi Hans,

Thanks,, you%26#39;re right again. Ramboda Falls it is.

Rambukkana was in my head because I%26#39;d just answered someone regaring the nearest train station for the elephant orphanage.

The restaurant there, at the Ramboda Falls hotel, is , in my opinion, the best lunch stop anywhere in Sri Lanka.

The views of the hills and water falls from the restaurant terrace is fantatstic plus, if you%26#39;re feeling sprightly, the hotel has cleared a track down the hillside so you can walk to the bottom of the nearest water fall and bathe there if you want to experience what it feels like to shower in a water fall.

Rod.

Hi again……

Thanks every body who dedicated their valuable time for answer me. If you got any contact information of good driver in sri lanka will be really appreciated.

Thanks ,

mark

Ramboda Falls Hotel is a bit expensive, but definitely a good place to have your lunch. Only slight problem when they don%26#39;t have a vehicle to transport you down and esp. up after lunch. Road from the main rod is quite steep.

Hans

You%26#39;re absolutely right Hans, the road is steep.

Still, it%26#39;s only about 50 metres which I have actually walked up even though every time I%26#39;ve been there, probably 5 or 6 times, there%26#39;s allways been a four wheel drive vehicle there to take customers up and down as a free service.

Although I don%26#39;t usually eat in places like that, I usually prefer a couple of spicy roti,s from a local shop, I didn%26#39;t find lunch there any more expensive than the normal tourist restaurants.

With the location and the views I do reckon it%26#39;s well worth stopping . After all, when you%26#39;re there for just a couple of weeks and for many people , perhaps the only time they%26#39;ll ever pass that way, it%26#39;s an unforgetable location

Rod.

Hi

Ramboda Falls is worth a visit, see my Sri Lanka video at tripadvisor.co.uk/members-videos/Barkingcreek

It will give you an idea of what the trips about. When we were there we stayed overnight and our room overlooked the falls.

Beautiful !!!

BC