Sri Lanka General

See it now before it's underwater.

Very cool place. Lots to do. The food was surprisingly good.

>>1183580
That's the Maldives, silly

>>1183605

How is the tour situation? Should I book a tour ahead of time or is it cheaper to get one when I'm on the ground through my hotel.

>>1183707
Don't get a tour, do it all yourself. The rail network is very good (and a brilliant experience) - and if you want to go somewhere remote you can always just hire a driver for the day.

>>1183803
This; just hire a driver for the day in each city. You can either book through your hotel, or just find a tuk-tuk driver who speaks good English. You'll be paying his rent and feeding his family for a month.
I know it's very popular to hire one driver/guide for your entire visit, but I think it's better to get a different one in each city.

>>1183803
>>1184094

Hm interesting. How much does a driver cost? I found a tour from Kandy for Sigiriya for like $60.

>>1183576
Never been there.
Planning a trip.
Kandy sounds awesome.
High elevation so it is cool.
Plenty of Buddhist monasteries.
Temple of Tooth.

Are you me, OP? I was just about to open a thread about Sri Lanka and will also be going there next week.

Still haven´t figured out which places we´re going to visit and whats the best way to get around. Train is propably the best choice but doesn´t go to all places. From what I´ve read so far busses can get you to almost any place. Is that right?

I´d like to go to somwhere in the north or east, propably Trincomalee or Jaffna. Would be interesting to see this part of the country. The downside is that it will take many hours in trains or busses to get back down to the the southern part. Helitours seems like an interesting alternative. But I´m not sure if you can get a free seat on short notice. Has anybody been there and can tell if it´s worth the hassle?

Also we´re not sure if we should go to Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa. We´re going to check out Dambulla, Sigirya and Kandy. Propably thats enough temples for the limited time we have (2.5 weeks).

Sinharaja rainforest and Udawalawe also look cool. Don´t know if we have time to go there.

Is Mirissa the best beach if you want to chill, do some snorkeling and have a few beers in the evening? Arguam bay looks quite cool but it takes ages to get there.
Any tips are welcome!

>>1184233
Try to find the latest issue of National Geographic. There is an article on Sri Lanka especially the Tamil part. Pulling itself together after the civil war though the Tamils still feel stepped on.

I spent a month traveling around Sri Lanka. My advice is.
1. Stay at hostels and meet people, talk to everyone and find people to travel around and do things with. You'll make cool friends and can do tours and shit cheaper with others.

2. Keep it spontaneous, get a rough idea of things you want to see and head to that city. You'll always find accommodation anywhere there is no need to book shit.

3. Tuk tuk drivers will help you out weather it be accomodation or want some local shit to do. Just be careful they don't rip you off. Don't be scared to be cheeky with them.

4. Eat what they eat, they have awesome food. A lot of places you eat will try and charge you very high prices for food because you're a tourist. Don't fall for it, you can always ask locals cheap places to eat.

5. Negotiate prices before you buy anything including rides and always haggle the prices down or you'll pay way too much.

6. Sunerise from Adams peak is a must, don't miss out.

Ask anything you like. The people I met was what made my trip unforgettable

>>1184247

Ah shit, OP here. I planned a good deal of my trip out all ready, have booked the majority of the hotels. Was that a mistake?

Also, should I go to Anuradhapura or Sigiriya? Both look awesome lol.

>>1184233
Mirissa Beach is good for meeting other backpackers and drinking beer while watching the sunset. But it's crowded as hell; not a very chilled out place. If there's a single undeveloped beach in the whole country, I'd love to know where it is.

>>1184233
There rn; if you have to pick between them I might drop Kandy for Polunnaruwa or Anuradhapura-while all are worth the visit, I personally found the latter two to be far more impressive

>>1184241
Thanks, I´ll look for it.

>>1184247
>Eat what they eat, they have awesome food.
Yeah, I´m looking forward to the food. But I´m a bit afraid that I´ll get sick. Did you have any problems in this regard?

Have you been to the northern or eastern part?

>>1184534
Hmm I´ll keep that in mind. Kandy lays on the way to the highlands, so we´ll pass through it anyway.
Have you guys been to any of the national parks? If yes, which did you enjoy the most?

I´ve read that the highlands have some nice hiking trails. Do you need a guide or can you do them on your own?

How did you get to the places that aren´t connected to the railroad? For example we want to go to Dambulla. But the railroad is only going as far as Kurunegala. I didn´t find any bus schedules online. Can I assume that there are busses going more or less frequently or will we have to find a driver to take us there?

>>1184584
Been to just Yala so far, only have a couple of days left so dunno if I'll visit the others. I did enjoy it though.


I haven't visited the trails so I can't help there.

And yeah I arranged a driver. There are buses, but outside Colombo and off the expressways they're a bit in shoddy condition-the kind of stuffy and lacking air conditioning; dated indian style buses, basically, so i'm not sure i'd recommend it unless you like being adventurous

>>1184584
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2016/11/sri-lanka-tamil-peace-civil-war/

pretty easy find

i wouldn't visit the north if i were you, though, op, from what i understand theres only a few proper hotels which will tend to be booked out already if you haven't planned months in advance. and the conditions in guesthouses are questionable at best

Debating whether or not to go to Sigriya or Anuradhapura . Where should I go /trv/?

>>1184584
My wife and I ate street food and at seedy greasy-spoon diners; I got the shits a lot but I'm pretty sure it was from the spice and not from contaminants. I took probiotic pills and was fine.

>>1185731
That's a tough one. Srigriya is so iconic, but objectively there's more neat stuff, and better preserved, in Anuradhapura and Pollonarua.
I'd go to Srigriya just so whenever you see a photo of it you can say 'I've been there'.
You can see the Dambulla temple in the same day as Srigriya, so that's a plus.

How much of a good idea is it to hire a driver for a couple days? I have like $30-40 a day budgeted for it.

Gonna give this thread a bump as I am also going to Sri Lanka from where I currently live in South Korea for 1 week this coming February.

I have quite a bit of time left to plan out, but as of now I will fly into Columbo then catch a train to Kandy. As my time is limited, what are some recommendations that fit into this timeframe in these areas.

How much money should I expect to spend in this weeks time, excluding lodging, given that I will mostly try to keep a low budget.

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>>1184760
Thanks!

I made a rough plan and realized that we don´t have enough time to do all the stuff we would like to. It´s propably better to leave out the northern and eastern parts completely. Here´s what I think might be a feasible route:

>Dambula: visit cave-temples and Sigiryia
>Kandy
>Dalhousie to climb Adams Peak
>Nuwara Eliya and Horton Plains
>Ella (Maybe skip this and stay longer in Nuwara Eliya)
>Find a way down to the coast. Maybe go to Yala NP
>Stay at a cozy beach town for a few days
>Go to Sinharaja if we have enough time left
>Galle
>Take the train up to Colombo

What do you think? Anything you would add or leave out?

>>1186640
How much time are you looking at for this?

>>1186640
Do you plan to spend a significant amount of time in Colombo?

>>1186673
>How much time are you looking at for this?
We have 2.5 weeks.

>>1186691
> Do you plan to spend a significant amount of time in Colombo?
Nope, only if we have some spare time at the end. Do you find Colombo is worth a longer stay?

I´m also not sure if it is necessary to stay in Dalhousie, Nuwara Eliya and Ella. Maybe its better to stay one of those and do daytrips to the other...

>>1186743
Nah
A lot of people recommend vising the petta market but i wouldnt really do the same, unless you like chaotic things like that, it wasn't really to my taste
That said, the other city areas outside petta, particularly the fort (theres no real fort btw, i got disappointed after expecting one) and cinnamon gardens areas were surprisingly pleasant and well kempt, especially after India, though not too exciting to visit
I imagine they're kept groomed for the people who live there rather than for tourists

>>1186382
visiting the temple of the tooth in kandy, hiking, maybe visiting close by nuwara eliya/adams peak
the train ride is pretty scenic by itself

How is the hostel/hotel situation in February? Would it be naive of me to assume I will he able to find lodging once I get somewhere? I would prefer not to have to book in advance if possible so I have more freedom to change my plans.

If I do need to book beforehand, how much time in advance is sufficient. Would a day before my arrival be ok?

>>1183576
After finding this thread and realizing that I can get roundtrip airfair to Columbo for less than 280 dollars I am compelled to go. The problem is I will have only 8 days/7 nights. Is this adequate time to make it worth the trip?

So I'm going to Sri Lanka tomorrow. What is the shit I have to do, like 100% must see?

>>1186764
No need to book beforehand unless your standards are high.
Flag down a tuk-tuk driver, tell him your budget, and he'll take you to a hotel that suits your needs.
>>1187353
Barely, but go anyway. You'll at least have time to do the cultural triangle and down a Lion beer at Mirissa beach before flying home.

Bump. Just booked a ticket for 10 days in the beginning of March.

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Currently in Sri Lanka, AMA /trv/

>>1190966
Where are you now and what are your plans for the trip?
What is your budget/how much money did you bring?
How long are you staying?
How did you get from the airport to your accommodation

>>1191068

I've been here about a week, my budget is like 1.5k US minus airfare but that's me almost going out of my way to spend money, you can do this country for much cheaper.
And I hired a driver to take me to my hotel in Kandy from the airport

>>1191068

And I'm wrapping up things in the Hill Country in Nuwara Eliya today, gonna make my way south for the rest of the week

>>1191233
From what I was reading that really does sound almost difficult to spend that much. I was gonna try to budget a little bit personally when I get there in about 2 months.

How much was the personal driver to Kandy? Also was it something aranged ahead of time or at the airport.

>>1191237

Yeah I stayed at fancy hotels and the driver cost a lot. Day to day expenses on food is minimal, I can literally eat on less than $5 a day.

Driver cost about $70. My hotel offered to do it for around $50 but the guy I had was great and I was willing to spend more. If you want his info I can provide it.

>>1191310
I have over a month until I leave and no plans are set in stone yet until I get a bit of information that I am waiting on. I would like his contact if you dont mind but I plan on taking the train if I spend any time in colombo immediately after my arrival. Should I go straight to Kandy though I would much rather just get there fast and easy after so much time spent flying.

>>1190966
can you post a better picture?

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>>1191498

Honestly man I was so cracked out after the flight I was happy to spend the money and get a driver. Sri Lankan trains aren't that bad though, so I wouldn't rule it out.

Email Basu at [email protected] and tell him Senator Steve sent you. He also runs a guesthouse which is very nice. But yeah, good young guy who will take you to get drunk and laid and then show you all the cool shit in his country. He really made my trip, I highly recommend him.

>>1191569
Sure

>>1183576
Bump

Sri lankan here AMA

>>1191678
where are you now have you gone to arugambe
surfing spot

>>1192871

Currently wrapping things up in Galle. And no I was in Tangalle, I don't much like surfing.

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>>1192870
where2get hot sri lankan gf

>>1188630
Siygriya
Horten plains
Worlds end
Knuckles

>>1183576
Heading to Sri Lanka this evening with the family for a wedding. Should be pretty sweet, a few weeks living it up in hotels and shit for free then 10 days doing my own thing.

tried looking at some youtube vids of what to expect but they weren't exactly clear on things.

>>1193393

Expect a cleaner, nicer version of India.
Expect really spicy food and cheap prices depending on where you go