June 14 - 20 2004
Sri Lanka Anuradhapura, Polonnuwara, Sigiriya, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Hikkaduwa,
Galle and Colombo
June 14 - 20 2004 Sri Lanka Anuradhapura, Polonnuwara, Sigiriya, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Hikkaduwa, Galle and Colombo
Tea plantation at Haputale
I had 14 pax for our Indian Himalayas Bhapa Pass trekking holiday from May 28 to Jun 14 2004. As we were flying Air Sri Lanka, we transited in Colombo. I led five ladies on a short six days trip. We hired a van with a driver and covered a fair bit of Sri Lanka, staying in cheap guesthouses on triple sharing basis.
Day 1 Sun Anuradhapura - We left New Delhi at midnight and arrived in Colombo at 4am. We were met by the local tour company which had arranged a van with a driver. We started our journey with a 4 hours drive to Anuradhapura, a UNESCO site. This first of three ancient cities visited was founded in 380 BC. After lunch we visited the usual sites including The Sacred Bodhi Tree (2000 years old), Ruvanvelisaya Dagoba or Stupa, Samadhi Buddha Statue, Kuttam Pokuna (Twin Ponds) and the town museum. As we had finished our sightseeing early, we proceeded to the second ancient city Polonnaruwa, another UNESCO site 100kms away for our overnight stop.
Day 2 Polonnaruwa Sigiriya - We had a long day ahead and began with a visit the city ruins, with its many buildings. This included the very informative Museum, Royal Palaces, Bathing Pools plus a host of temples. After spending a good part of the day here, we went on to Sigiriya, a spectacular rock fortress and a major attraction in Sri Lanka. Built in AD 473, this palace/fortress complex sits ontop of a 200m high rock and is Unesco listed. We were not able to visit Dambulla, with its Buddhist cave temples, because we ran out of time. Instead we rushed to Kandy to catch the 6pm famed Kandyan dances and drummers. We had a good dinner in town before retiring in Kandy.
Polonnuwara ancient city / Sigiriya Rock Fortress
Day 3 Kandy & Nuwara Eliya - The ladies opted for "Ayurvedic" massage, which took up the whole morning. I took a stroll around Kandy old town, listed on UNESCO world heritage site. There are a mix of old colonial and ancient buildings, which included the famed Temple of the Tooth (of Buddha). After a quick look at the Temple, we left for Nuwara Eliya. Enroute, we stopped at Labookellie high-grown tea factory, one of the biggest for free tea-tasting and factory visit. Many purchased the tea here, which are all hand-picked. We arrived in Nuwara Eliya at about 6pm, giving us a little time to drive around the town. We even managed to shop for "branded" outdoor gear, which is manufactured in Sri Lanka for the Western market. Overnight Nuwara Eliya.
Day 4 Horton's Plain, Haputale, Ratnapura & Hikkaduwa - This was to be our longest journey beginning with a trip to high Horton's Plain, passing through incredible montane views up to misty Horton's Plain. We gave up the idea of visiting World's End because of the dense clouds, which would have blanked the views. Instead we went on to Haputale which offered good views of the tea estates. Later we went to Ratnapura (City of Gems) and the local Gem Museum. We noted that the gem mines were everywhere i.e. basically 10m pits among rice fields. No large scale mining are allowed here. By the time we got to Hikkaduwa, it was late in the evening. Hikkaduwa is on the coast and a very popular seaside area. As it was off-season, we saw little tourist activities. Overnight Hikkaduwa.
Durians cheap in Sri Lanka / Horton Plains National Park
Day 5 Galle Fort & Colombo shopping - Galle Fort, a UNESCO site, is located some 30 mins drive from Hikkaduwa. We breakfast at a local eatery before taking a stroll along the Fort's bund and drive around the streets of this former Dutch fort. The walls of the fort and the city within are very much intact as the locals had taken over after the Dutch left. We went on to Colombo and spend a bit of time in the traffic before arriving at the House of Fashion, a very popular modern department store, housing overseas brand clothing. We went on to a second modern store Odel Unlimited before going on to a hotel near the Airport for our overnight stay.
Day 6 Negombo & Rest day - Negombo is a popular stretch of beach near the airport. We had breakfast here before going on a short walk around the town. We also drove along the beach, which we were told, would have been crowded in season i.e. during the months of July and August and from Oct up to Mar every year. After lunch, we relaxed at the hotel in preparation for our journey home the next morning. Overnight hotel.
Day 7 Go Home - Our flight home was at 740am and we left early to the airport.
Lake View Guesthouse Kandy / Local eats rice and curry
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