Namo SriLanka

✈ SRI LANKA · NAMO
Budget, two
₹1,20,000 (luxury/honeymoon)
Exchange
1 INR = 2.38 LKR
Month
December — drizzling, pleasant weather

Pre-visit

Plenty of ATMs in Sri Lanka accept international cards. We got Religare insurance — USD 25,000 cover for ₹390 premium, compared via Policy Bazaar. Visa: apply online for USD 20, approved within a day. We rented a Toyota Prius for the whole trip through Lionel, PS Travels.

We couldn't cover North Sri Lanka — disputed territory — on this itinerary. Flew direct to Colombo, where our escort Alex was waiting with ribbons and garlands for a warm welcome.

Kandy — 1 night

Reached Kandy from Colombo Airport, stayed at Senani Hotel. Places to visit: Sigiriya, Dambulla Caves, Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage, Temple of the Tooth, a gems factory, spice garden, and a batik centre. At Pinnawala, you can watch orphaned baby elephants drinking milk and lazing in the sun after their bath.

Temple of the Tooth
Gems factory
Spice Garden
Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage
Batik

Nuwara Eliya — 2 nights

Stayed at Villa Tea Fields — rooms are basic, no television, and Google Maps may show the longest route to get there. Staff gave us Sri Lankan tea powder as a souvenir; there's an Indian restaurant called Sunrise nearby, and the hotel provides bikes to cycle around.

Victoria Park
Sri Seethai Amman Temple is unusual — built where Seeta Mata is believed to have spent her days in Ravana's captivity, roughly 5,000 years ago. It's one of very few temples dedicated to Seeta, located on the Nuwara Eliya–Kandy road, about 8km from the town.
Post Office, Nuwara Eliya
Shri Bhakta Hanuman Temple steps

Unawatuna — 1 night

Beware of jellyfish! Unawatuna is one of Sri Lanka's biggest and most popular beach destinations — a banana-shaped stretch of golden sand and turquoise water, ringed by green palm trees.
Unawatuna Beach

Bentota — 2 nights

Stayed at Palm Beach Inn & Sea Shells Cabanas. Restaurants: Aida, Haus Athula.

Explored the Madu River by boat through 900 hectares of mangroves — 770 hectares of it water, home to 64 islands, gliding under forest-tunnel canopies. Quench your thirst with king coconut water, then visit a Buddhist monastery, try fishing at a kraal, peel cinnamon at a Ceylon cinnamon garden, and get a fish spa from tiny red tilapia. Later in the evening, watch fishermen lighting lanterns on their canoes to lure prawns and shellfish into traps.

Madu River
TukTuks on Galle Street
Galle street
Statue of Buddha, Kande Viharya Buddhist Temple

Colombo — 2 nights

Stayed at Ocean Colombo Hotel.

Local Trains, Colombo
Monitor Lizard on the way to Colombo
Highways developed during the Rajapaksa tenure
Gangaramaya Temple

Around Colombo

  • Odel — house of fashion, cheaper garments
  • Ministry of Crab Restaurant — a must-visit, backed by Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, and Dharshan Munidasa
  • World Trade Center
  • Pettah Flea Market
  • Sri Kailawasanathan Swami Devasthanam Kovil
  • Premadasa Stadium
  • Barefoot shop · Luv SL shop
  • Yala National Park
  • Colombo Fort · Seema Malaka Temple · Dutch Hospital
  • Keells supermarket
  • Spice Coast Restaurant (slow service)
  • Bu Ba pub — famous for its nightlife
Sri Lankan meal (L), noodles (R)

Hela Bojun, in Kandy, is a must-visit — Sri Lankan snacks all under one roof.

What / what not to eat and drink

  • Hoppers
  • We didn't love kottu
  • Durians and mangoes are lovely
  • Tea, surprisingly, wasn't good

Facts about Sri Lanka

  • Wearing a helmet is mandatory for the pillion passenger too
  • Don't buy corals — they can be fake
Christmas tree, Colombo
We saw the world's tallest Christmas tree in Colombo that December.