A Short Sri Lanka Trip - Questions
May 31, 2013, 11:47 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: LAX
Posts: 670
A Short Sri Lanka Trip - Questions
I'll be in Sri Lanka for a few days next month and am trying to make plans for such a short trip. Pertinent information:
-I arrive very early morning on June 19 (essentially the night of the 18th, really), and I leave midday on June 23. That leaves me three full days, or 4 if you count the 19th (I'm kind of writing the 19th off, since I'll probably be exhausted from traveling).
-I would like to visit the hill country, a tea plantation, and Sigiriya.
Does anyone have any recommendations for the best way to visit these sights on such a compressed schedule? Should I hire a private driver, and if so, does anyone have any recommendations for one? How reasonable is it to rent my own car?
Any recommendations for tea plantations to visit?
Any recommendations for where to stay in the hill country? Any nice places to stay that are more reasonably priced than Tea Trails?
-I arrive very early morning on June 19 (essentially the night of the 18th, really), and I leave midday on June 23. That leaves me three full days, or 4 if you count the 19th (I'm kind of writing the 19th off, since I'll probably be exhausted from traveling).
-I would like to visit the hill country, a tea plantation, and Sigiriya.
Does anyone have any recommendations for the best way to visit these sights on such a compressed schedule? Should I hire a private driver, and if so, does anyone have any recommendations for one? How reasonable is it to rent my own car?
Any recommendations for tea plantations to visit?
Any recommendations for where to stay in the hill country? Any nice places to stay that are more reasonably priced than Tea Trails?
Last edited by sk8uno; Jun 1, 2013 at 1:09 am
Jun 6, 2013, 1:59 pm
#3
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: SFO
Posts: 224
I'd say you should hire a driver, especially for a short trip. I went in March and didn't arrange a driver but did for hops when I was there, including one for four days. I stopped in KUL on the way so I could land in Sri Lanka in the morning and then drove to near Dambulla where I wanted to visit the caves. I could see Sigiriya from my hotel, Kandalama which I don't really recommend - a bit like what I imagine a cruise ship to be, though the setting and architecture were lovely and it was only one night. I had wanted to stay there because when I first saw pictures of it when it opened it sparked the idea of visiting Sri Lanka some day.
I used a driver recommended by the owners of the Ellerton hotel (outside Kandy) who picked me up from Kandalama with a stop to visit the Dambulla caves before heading to the Ellerton which I highly recommend. I called it budget Tea Trails and it's about 30 min outside Kandy in the hills. I've read other good reviews and it didn't disappoint. PM me if you want the info about the driver I used. Oh, and you don't want to rent a car. I had hoped to do more train travel, but it didn't work out for me. I visited one tea plantation but I don't think there's any one great one to visit.
As for flying from Sigiriya to CMB, I'd do it, assuming you have a departure flight around midnight. If the flight doesn't take off you still have time to arrange someone for the 4 hr drive.
I used a driver recommended by the owners of the Ellerton hotel (outside Kandy) who picked me up from Kandalama with a stop to visit the Dambulla caves before heading to the Ellerton which I highly recommend. I called it budget Tea Trails and it's about 30 min outside Kandy in the hills. I've read other good reviews and it didn't disappoint. PM me if you want the info about the driver I used. Oh, and you don't want to rent a car. I had hoped to do more train travel, but it didn't work out for me. I visited one tea plantation but I don't think there's any one great one to visit.
As for flying from Sigiriya to CMB, I'd do it, assuming you have a departure flight around midnight. If the flight doesn't take off you still have time to arrange someone for the 4 hr drive.