3 days in Sri Lanka
Apr 22, 2017, 11:38 am
#1
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3 days in Sri Lanka
Hello! We have a conference in Sri Lanka in late may (near CMB airport) and we can stay for three nights afterwards. I have seen threads on 16-20 days mixing SL and South india but not on very short stays and sadly we can't stay longer.
We'd like a single place and something quite relaxing (beach, national park, etc). I've been thinking of Yala or Kirinda nearby. I heard lovely things about Galle too but with the Southwest monsoon would it be an unpleasant time to go there? Open to any other suggestion for either area or specific place to stay (hotel, resort, ecoresort, safari camp, etc)
We'd like a single place and something quite relaxing (beach, national park, etc). I've been thinking of Yala or Kirinda nearby. I heard lovely things about Galle too but with the Southwest monsoon would it be an unpleasant time to go there? Open to any other suggestion for either area or specific place to stay (hotel, resort, ecoresort, safari camp, etc)
Apr 22, 2017, 4:08 pm
#2
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I was there for 2.5 weeks. While the island isn't huge it can take a while to drive between places due to narrow roads and lots of old buses and trucks sharing the road. So going to Yala would most likely be a lot of driving time each way for not a whole lot of time there.
Minneriya NP has lots of elephants. (And lots of tourists). It's in the Cultural Triangle area near Dambulla. Still several hours by driving from Colombo though. But there are the historical sites in that area.
Negombo is very touristy but there are a number of resorts there on the beach.
There's a nice park on the southern outskirts of Colombo called Thalangama Wetlands. Good for wildlife spotting. It's not super easy to find though. It's kind of in the middle of a residential area.
Minneriya NP has lots of elephants. (And lots of tourists). It's in the Cultural Triangle area near Dambulla. Still several hours by driving from Colombo though. But there are the historical sites in that area.
Negombo is very touristy but there are a number of resorts there on the beach.
There's a nice park on the southern outskirts of Colombo called Thalangama Wetlands. Good for wildlife spotting. It's not super easy to find though. It's kind of in the middle of a residential area.
Apr 23, 2017, 9:25 pm
#3
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With the limited time you have I would just take it easy and check out things in Colombo and Negombo. Not super exciting but I enjoyed walking around Colombo observing local life (which I find fascinating), and the food is to die for. If you want something more exciting you can go to the aforementioned Sigiriya/Dambulla/Minneriya cluster (which is where I'm going in June for 4 days), or take a risk with beaches around Galle.
Trincomalee takes 8 hours by train. Not sure about bus, and of course car is fastest. If the train schedule works for you or if you go by car, might be a contender. Beaches should be nice and sunny there.
Trincomalee takes 8 hours by train. Not sure about bus, and of course car is fastest. If the train schedule works for you or if you go by car, might be a contender. Beaches should be nice and sunny there.
Apr 24, 2017, 11:45 pm
#4
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Are you traveling in the cricket season? Colombo, Kandy, Galle all have stadiums...
If Negombo doesn't appeal, Kandy and its greenery might be an alternative. The elephant orphanage (roughly) on the way is probably less foreign tourist heavy than the Dambulla region.
Happy wandering
Fred
If Negombo doesn't appeal, Kandy and its greenery might be an alternative. The elephant orphanage (roughly) on the way is probably less foreign tourist heavy than the Dambulla region.
Happy wandering
Fred
Apr 25, 2017, 8:51 pm
#5
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There's a new Shangri-La hotel in Hambantota..it's about a 4 hour ride from the airport. You could stop by Galle for a meal en route there.
Galle itself or one of the beach towns towards Galle such as a Hikkaduwa or Unawatuna might be decent options too.
Galle itself or one of the beach towns towards Galle such as a Hikkaduwa or Unawatuna might be decent options too.
Jun 16, 2017, 8:07 pm
#7
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As someone who has taken ordinary trains, I advise caution with this. Trains can fill up fast. Took a train from Galle to Matera (end of the line) and that was fine. Went back to Clombo from Matera (I chose to board at the beginning of the line). That was fine. Started to get crowded in Galle, full after that. Packed standing room only. Trains were 2nd and 3rd class only. All equally crowded.
Jul 17, 2017, 1:36 pm
#8
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Last year, I went for the first time to Sri-Lanka, and organized a small tour with the help of traumlandtours.com (4 days/3 nights with pick-up from Negombo) to visit the 'Cultural Triangle'. The owner is Dilhan, very friendly guy.
1 night in Anuradhapura
1 night in Polonnaruwa
1 night in Kandy
Great destination
1 night in Anuradhapura
1 night in Polonnaruwa
1 night in Kandy
Great destination
another question
Jul 17, 2017, 9:00 pm
#10
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Unfortuantely No.. there used to be one sailing from Tuticorin (in Southern Tamil Nadu, India) to Colombo. It ran for a brief period, before it hit a bureaucratic squall and it has been shelved since.
Jul 19, 2017, 2:06 am
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My best memories over 2 trips were Horton Plains national park and Haputale (further up the rail line) and Galle as a kind of living historical town (albeit before the tsunami...dunno what that did). Hikkaduwa was also a good place to stay (cut my foot on some coral). Also lucked into staying in one of the less-expensive rooms at the Galle Face Hotel for $25/night in Colombo.