PART 1 | Under $1000: 10 days in Sri Lanka!
- alaughingseal
- Jul 31, 2018
- 7 min read
Updated: Nov 3, 2019
Sri Lanka - a perfect location for a blend of nature (full of plantations!), scenery (most beautiful scenic train ride ever!), waters (many waterfalls!), and the unexpected cold (check out Nuwara Eliya!). A stunning destination well-suited for different types of travellers - budget or luxurious! Make this your destination now!
Number of days: 10
Budget per person: <$1000
Travel period: July 2018
Weather: Sunny
Main Activities: Trekking
Must-go recommendations: Ella, Nuwara Eliya, Sigiriya
Day 1
Travelling from Colombo Airport to Galle
My husband and I flew from Singapore to Colombo International Airport via Sri Lanka Airlines (about S$400). We were not particularly interested in the hustle and bustle of Colombo and decided to head towards Galle (the Dutch lookalike town!). Day 1 was mainly absorbing the vibes of Sri Lanka and travelling towards Galle!
By the time we reached Galle, it was already pretty late so we decided to stay at there for a night before exploring it the next day! We recommend to stay at The Stairway as it is right smack in the middle of the town and food and attractions are all around the area!
Near the iconic Dutch lighthouse, there was a stretch of road where you could view the beautiful sunset before resting for the night!
As we did not plan on where to go next, we walked around to explore the various shops, which were offering transportation to other cities. They were really expensive!! Hence, we decided to take their local transport instead! We really enjoyed the twist in events as we experienced life (and of course, the inexpensive travelling method) as a local.
Accommodation for Day 1: The Stairway
Transport:
Transport from Colombo International Airport to Colombo Fort: Take a local bus from outside the airport. Duration is about 1h and LKR150/person.
Transport from Colombo to Galle: Take a train from Colombo Fort to Galle. Duration about 3h to Galle and LKR180/person.
Day 2
Travelling from Galle to Tangalle
We were more interested in getting to Ella but after asking around, we realised that it would be cheaper for us to drop by Tangalle before heading towards Ella. We got a tuktuk to get us from Galle tourist attraction to Galle Bus Station for about LKR 100/person. This was just a short ride out!
We took a local bus (non-airconditioned!!) from Galle to Tangalle. It was about 1.5h ride and it merely cost us only LKR 125/person. That amounted to just about S$1/person?! Thank god we chose this route over a private transport as it would have easily been 100-200 times more expensive!!
Upon reaching Tangalle, we went to Parewella Natural Swimming Area where the beach is well protected by breakwaters and hence, the open sea was really shallow! It was a perfect location to relax after travelling in the hot and humid Sri Lanka! :)
We stayed at a quaint homestay (Jaya Homestay) - not the most perfect or the most luxurious but it was a cosy place enough for a night for two!
Accommodation for Day 2: Jaya Homestay
Transport:
Galle to Tangalle: Local bus from Galle Bus Station to Tangalle. Duration about 1.5h and LKR 125/person.
Day 3
Travelling from Tangalle to Ella (stopover at Udawalawe National Park)
We were so thankful for our Jaya Homestay's owner as he helped us arrange for a private transport from Tangalle to Udawalawe National Park and then to Ella! He knew we were on a tight budget and thus, he arranged for a smaller car for us. It may not have been the most economical but it was time-efficient as getting to Udawalawe was high on the priority list too! (Oh did I mention? I LOVE ELEPHANTS!!)
Before leaving, we arranged with the owner to help us to get a local price for an accommodation in Ella - Yoho Rock View Homestay! Since our accommodation for the next location was settled, we didn't have to fret over it anymore! :)
We were extremely intrigued by the national park where we watched elephants in their natural habitat. We even witnessed an elephant peeing! The safari drive (including jeep fees) was pretty expensive, costing us about LKR5000 for 2 people. However, it was our first time and we wanted to give it a try! After all, there were elephants for sure!
Despite watching only about 5-6 elephants, we were contented enough! :) You would realise later in the post that we actually visited another national park! :D
After visiting Udawalawe, we finally arrived at Ella - the "supposed" most beautiful town in Sri Lanka (we would say otherwise!). Ella was flooded with tourists and there was a lack of local Sri Lankan places for food. It was well dotted with pubs, and cafes and we almost felt like we were not in Sri Lanka! We took a quick lunch and a nap and decided to head off to Little Adam's Peak and Nine Arches Bridges at around 4pm.
The walk towards Little Adam's Peak was fine until we reached the long flight of stairs into the seemingly impossible summit! The view at the top of the summit was definitely worth it!
We had to descend Little Adam's Peak before moving onto the Nine Arches Bridge. Apparently it was on the way?! However, we felt that we could have done the hike towards Nine Arches Bridge on another day!
Upon reaching the Nine Arches Bridge, that's when we found out why it was highly sought after - the sheer size of the bridge, and watching the train zoom by was truly an experience!
Be sure to take a walk on the tracks as you are returning back to Ella Town Centre as the sunset is beautiful!
On hind sight, it seemed really crazy to do both hikes on the same day (took us about 5h in total?) as it was really tiring! Both locations were breathtaking and I would still do it again in a heartbeat!
As it was World Cup season while we were there, we enjoyed our evening trips to pubs to watch the games on their big screens! Ella has a really chill vibe and that's when we decided to stay an additional night here. We negotiated with the owner of Yoho Rock View Homestay and thankfully, we could stay there for another night! :)
Did I mention why I was in love with the accommodation? They had 1 adult German Shepherd and 2 puppies!! Every night, the dogs would watch over us by sleeping at our door and would always welcome us when we returned! Although they chewed on my socks and refused to return it to me (not like I would have wanted to back!), they were too cute to be scolded!
Accommodation for Day 3: Yoho Rock View Homestay
Transport:
Tangalle to Udawalawe National Park to Ella: Take private transport for LKR8500/car.
Attractions:
Udawalawe National Park (LKR5000 per jeep for 2)
Little Adam's Peak
Nine Arches Bridges
Day 4
Ella
We had no plans for today and waking up naturally would have been the best feeling during a trip! Did some random googling during breakfast and decided to visit the Ravana Falls and take a train to Demodara just to watch trains and go past the Nine Arches Bridge!
We asked some locals and they suggested for us to take a bus down from Ella town centre to Ravana Falls (LKR 50/person). Nothing fantastic but swimming in the chilly waters from the waterfall was just the perfect activity in the hot weather and the view opposite Ravana Falls is gorgeous!!!
After taking a shower (both in the waterfall and back in the room), we decided to head to the Ella Train Station to see where we could go for a half-day trip. That was when we decided to take a train to Demodara just to watch trains! Remember how we were excited to watch the train pass by at the Nine Arches Bridge? Now we were the passengers onboard the train passing by Nine Arches Bridge! Simple joys in life on a day without plans :D
Accommodation for Day 4: Yoho Rock View Homestay
Attractions:
Ravana Falls
Train to Demodara (LKR 100/person)
Day 5
Travel from Ella to Nuwara Eliya (our FAVOURITE COLD town in Sri Lanka!)
Many would say that the train ride from Ella to Kandy would be the most beautiful scenic train ride ever (if you loved nature, trees and rice plantations!) and it sure didn't disappoint! As we were more for scenery than cities, we decided to break up our trip from Ella to Kandy by stopping over at Nuwara Eliya. Thank god for this decision as Nuwara Eliya turned out to be the BEST place to be in Sri Lanka!
Many would argue that Ella is similar to Nuwara Eliya but we beg to differ as their temperatures are already the most differing point! Nuwara Eliya is at a low 16 degrees Celsius, unlike that of Ella - the typical 30 degrees Celsius!
Upon reaching the train station, we took a tuktuk to the city centre. We were not prepared for the cold (at all!!!) and standing in the cold, awaiting the bus was truly painful! We met a kind tuktuk driver, who wasn't out to cheat us (he merely charged us LKR 100/tuktuk) and it turned out to be the best decision we made here.
We explored options to head to their tea plantations and negotiated a price with him! Eventually, we negotiated for (1) Damro and Blue Field Tea Plantations and (2) Horton Plains for LKR5700 (inclusive of all entrance fees!). We felt that the price was affordable as it would cover both days at Nuwara Eliya and getting around was not as easy as it seems. Hiring a tuktuk may not be the most comfortable (due to the cold) but it was sufficient for us - budget travellers!
We visited the beautiful Damro and Blue Field Plantations today and left Horton Plains for the next!
Accommodation: Carnation Rest (we absolutely loved their fleece blankets and carpeted floors as it really kept us warm! Best part was they even had a small TV screening the World Cup!!)
Transport: Train from Ella to Nuwara Eliya. Price about LKR 600/person. (Note: Book train tickets 1-2 days in advance as they tend to sell out!)
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