PART 2 | Under $1000: 10 days in Sri Lanka!
- alaughingseal
- Jul 30, 2018
- 5 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!
Before reading this post, you should pop by PART 1 to check out one of the world's most scenic train ride!
Day 6
Nuwara Eliya
We braved the cold and headed towards Horton Plains at 5am to be there before sunrise! However, we totally underestimated the cold and it was FREEZING!! The roads were foggy and we were trembling in the cold while hiding in the back of the tuktuk!
The hike in Horton Plains was about a 10km return trip (5-6h hike) and it was so cold and windy so we decided to run to warm ourselves up! The hike wasn't tough - there were decent paths, but tedious! The cold was unbearable so tip 1: please wear a windbreaker! We were probably the only two crazy (and painfully unprepared!) souls wearing t-shirt and pants! Others, who were prepared, came in down jackets and trekking pants!
The route was a loop and you could either take a left or the right to begin your hike. Majority would take a right as it would be the "typical" route to begin with, but you can also take the left. Tip 2: Take the left and avoid the crowd!
Despite the cold, Horton Plains is a must to visit as it transported us from Sri Lanka to Scotland in a second! The views were unforgettable and... (alright, let the pictures do the talking!!)
Accommodation: Carnation Rest
Transport: Tuktuk to Horton Plains (really cold in the tuktuk, BUT for budget travellers - sure thing!)
Day 7
Travel from Nuwara Eliya to Kandy
Kandy was more of a stopover between Nuwara Eliya and Sigirya. The journey from Nuwara Eliya to Kandy sure did not disappoint! I found myself running between train carriages, to capture the most beautiful sights of Sri Lanka!
Kandy is more of absorbing the Sri Lankan culture and we were lucky to witness a festival - which up till today, I have no idea what it was! Kandy was a resting point for us as our next location - Sigiriya - was full of hiking!
Accommodation: Impala City Hotel and Hostel Kandy (good location in the city centre!)
Transport: Train from Nuwara Eliya to Kandy. LKR 600/person.
Day 8
Travel from Kandy to Sigiriya
We weren't sure how to get from Kandy to Sigiriya and we asked our friendly hotel staff for help. They suggested for us to take a bus from Kandy to Dambulla, then bus to Sigiriya. This bus(es) trip from Kandy to Sigiriya was not only a test of endurance, but also a test of heat tolerance! It was a local bus and we were left standing in the typical OVERCROWDED bus for 2h! We held on to our lives and before we knew it, we reached Sigiriya bus stop!
Upon reaching Thal Sewana (our accommodation), we heard that the elephants had "moved" themselves to Kaudulla National Park! We started searching Instagram frantically and realised that many people were posting their trips to Kaudulla National Park where they saw herds of 40-50 elephants! Our hearts were squealing in delight and we were so tempted to go for another safari drive!
Guess what? Our hearts won and off we went to book another safari drive with our accommodation. Little did we know that this jeep driver turned out to be one of the friendliest and kindest human we ever met! Our jeep fees amounted to about LKR 5000 as well, and we were more than willing to pay for it - see the following pictures and you would understand why!! :D
SO MANY ELEPHANTS!!! I can't express my happiness when I saw the herds of elephants and even cute baby ones! I was screaming like a kid inside!! The moment I saw the elephants, I knew I made the right choice to pay for ANOTHER safari trip!
Accommodation: Thal Sewana (it is perfectly situated between the 2 famous rocks and they were the reasons why we came to Sigiriya)
Transportation:
Bus from Kandy to Dambulla: Duration about 1h
Bus from Dambulla to Sigiriya: Duration about 1h
Day 9
Sigiriya
The last day in Sigiriya was dedicated to climbing their 2 rocks - Piduragala Rock and Sigiriya Rock. Many would suggest for you to hike up Piduragala Rock as it is the cheaper option (just LKR 500/person) and yet you get to see the great views from the top! We do not deny its beauty! However, we have also decided to hike up Sigiriya Rock (despite its cost - LKR 4770/person) as we weren't interested in going to the city centre, and would rather spend the time admiring the beauty from high above! :)
During our day in Thal Sewana, we met a group of travellers from Spain and France and we agreed to hike Piduragala Rock together in the morning at an unearthly hour of 4.30am!! The moon was our natural torch and we were followed by a pack of dogs, who turned out to be our "tour guides" bringing us to the summit in the darkness. The hike up in the darkness was not the easiest, but it was truly worth it! Also, you could see the iconic Sigiriya rock too!
We were back early in the morning at about 8am and had our hearty breakfast prepared by our lovely hosts. What happens on an unplanned trip - you nap as and when you want as you are never chasing activities! That's of course what we did before getting ready for our sunset hike up Sigiriya Rock!
Sigiriya Rock was indeed a lot more commercialised, and it was flooded with tourists, trying to climb the stairs. We weren't fans of crowded tourist attractions, but some were inevitable and this was definitely one of it.
Accommodation: Thal Sewana
Attractions:
Piduragala Rock (LKR 500/person)
Sigiriya Rock (LKR 4770/person)
Day 10
Travelling from Sigiriya to Negombo
The day has arrived for us to head towards Negombo (closest town to Colombo International Airport). The journey to Negombo wasn't an exceptionally easy one but it was manageable asking locals from time to time! Scroll down for more details!
Is Negombo worth a visit? Hmm, not really. Nothing much to see, and the only worthy attraction - its beach - turned out to be a horror!! Not only was it littered with rubbish, there were tons of crows flying around, and they would even attack the snacks you were holding in your hands!
My husband and I bought ice-cream and we became the targets for all crows! Such a harrowing experience! We were thankful we didn't waste more days here! :) We merely spent the day walking around, admiring the luxurious beach-facing hotels and finding a private transport to the airport. If you do not have huge luggage, and merely had 2 backpacks like us, you will do just fine with a tuktuk - LKR 2500 for one!
Transport:
Total journey from Sigiriya to Negombo took about 2.5 - 3 hours!
Bus from Sigiriya to Dambulla: LKR 40/person
Bus from Dambulla to Kurunegala: LKR 100/person
Bus from Kurunegala to Negombo: LKR 235/person (get the air-con bus!)
Tuktuk from Negombo to Colombo International Airport: LKR 2500/tuktuk
Now that I am back in Singapore writing this post, I am thankful to have gone on this planned and unplanned trip with my husband! This may not be the most mentally comfortable way to travel for many people - especially research freaks like myself - but it sure was an adventure like no other!
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