LAX_Esq

Hi, we're doing a last minute trip to South India and Sri Lanka starting around Christmas. We're holding award flights: Flying into Chennai at midnight on Day 0, and leaving from Colombo on Day 21. So that gives us 20 full days.

We're trying to figure out how to allocate our time in South India vs. Sri Lanka. We're thinking of doing a Tamil Nadu and Kerala trip in South India (Chennai, Pondicherry, etc. etc. Maduri, Periyar, Aleppy, Cochin), and then flying from Cochin to Colombo and doing a circle around Sri Lanka.

Our main interests are culture, history, and nature. We're seeking a trip with a variety of experiences -- not just seeing every single temple. We're not interested in beaches and want to avoid fake tourist traps as much as possible.

In South India, we're aiming to have a good driver who speaks decent English. In Sri Lanka, we're not really sure.

My question: How would you break up these 20 days? We were thinking ~2 weeks in South India and 1 week in Sri Lanka. And any recommendations for a detailed plan would be great, too!

P.S. I'm familiar with this thread: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/asia/...ld-you-go.html . Any other threads with helpful info or driver recs would be great.

RustyC

I can only speak to Sri Lanka but can say that I liked Galle (colonial city that was still more of a lived-in place than a tourist reconstruction), Hikkaduwa (for beaches) and Horton Plains national park a lot. Kandy was oversold IMO but worth a look. Didn't make it to Polonnawura and Jaffna was no-go at the time. Colombo had a bad vibe from physical defenses against Tamil attacks, but I'm sure that's eased now. Staying the the Galle Face Hotel right on the Indian Ocean coast at $21/night was pretty amazing. The nicer parts of the city can be pleasant, though the Pettah is a reminder of what so many have to live in.

You could easily fill a week.