Sri Lanka 2025

mars - april 2025
  • Chris Dickson
En 16-dags äventyr från Chris Läs mer
  • Chris Dickson

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  • Sri Lanka Sri Lanka
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  • 18,3kantal resta kilometer
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  • 6fotavtryck
  • 16dagar
  • 84foton
  • 11gilla-markeringar
  • Traffic jam at elephant central
    Rare unbuilt pic from an ox cartSkilled cooking girl, just out of high school, about to start universitySiguriya Lion RockAbout half way upSteps to the summitIncredible view from the top

    Siguriya

    18–21 mars, Sri Lanka ⋅ ☁️ 32 °C

    Where to start? Visiting a country for the first time, and the first three days have been a whirlwind.

    We started in Negombo, near the airport. We took a quick trip around to look at the fishing industry, with big ones for sale at the market and thousands of little ones spread out to dry in the sun.

    Then we headed north-west to Habarana, where we kicked off with a wildlife safari in the Minneriya National Park.

    It didn’t start overly well. We came across several elephants, unfortunately surrounded by about a dozen jeeps full of spectators. The traffic jam was horrendous and the elephants were a bit pissed off at all the attention while they chewed their way through kilo after kilo of grass.

    Things improved though, when we came upon a couple of groups of elephants that we had almost entirely to ourselves, then a dam with some impressive birdlife. They really do need to reduce the visitor numbers, though.

    Next stop was a most touristic combination, beginning with an ox-cart ride. It was slow, unbelievably bumpy and smelly. Not recommended other than for lovers of ox farts - thumbs down.

    Our next activity was a boat ride on a quite large man-made lake. Our boatman was very diligent and we saw numerous different birds, egrets, cormorants, pelicans and even some nestlings. Overall a thumbs up.

    Next was a cooking display. The food was delicious and the skill and friendliness of the ladies who prepared it quite brilliant - another thumbs up. It poured with rain while we were there, so maybe a small thumbs down for the drips through the palm frond roof.

    We later came across the youngest of our cooking ladies, in boxer shorts and t-shirt and playing with her younger brothers - a nice personal insight into the people involved in the family business.

    The following day we climbed Siguriya, the famed Lion Rock.

    It is a stunning landmark, 200 metres high. What a place for a castle, as King Kashyapa decided in the year 477, taking it away from the Buddhists who had been there for the previous few hundred years.

    It was a long, hot, slow climb to the top, in the company of the other few thousand visitors for the day, but the rewards for the sweat and aching legs were magnificent views from all sides and the quite interesting ruins of the fortifications. Thoughtfully they even provided one tree for shade, into which about a hundred people were crowded.

    After a jam packed few days were are now moving on to Kandy, slightly cooler weather and some different attractions.
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  • Buddha, viewed from the bottom
    Inside the Dambulla Cave TemplesThe Royal Botanic GardenCannonball tree. The pic doesn't do the flowers justice - they were magnificentKandy from aboveCultural show in the auditoriumCultural show in the car parkSmall crowd on stairs of Temple of Sacred Tooth

    Kandy

    22–24 mars, Sri Lanka ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    On the way to Kandy lies Dambulla, where there is a rock that rises 160 metres above the surrounding countryside. Near the top of that rock there are some caves where, a bit over two thousand years ago, some dedicated monks decided to build the Dambulla Cave Temples.

    So we sweated our way up another hill, donned our knee-covering saris, removed our shoes and spent an hour or so in awe of the hundreds of statues of Buddha, Lord Vishnu and various other deities. It wasn’t only the statues, too. The walls and ceiling are entirely covered with murals - remarkably well preserved and quite artistic. It was a very worthwhile few hours.

    The variety of edible fruits, vegetables and spices in Sri Lanka is simply amazing, and we are slowly being educated about them. One stop on our way here was a spice centre, where we were shown around the various plants from which the spices originate.

    The spices have various medicinal and health-restoring properties; our guide may well have been a well-preserved ninety-year-old if he used them all regularly.

    We continued our plant education in Kandy, with a visit to the huge Royal Botanic Garden, 59 hectares of every plant imaginable. In particular, we are now experts on bamboo, perfumed orchids and the stunning flowers of the cannonball tree.

    Our inevitable cultural performance took place in Kandy, too, and it was very good. Once the main show was over we were herded into the car park, where some spectacular fire dancing took place.

    Our final stop in Kandy was the Temple of the Sacred Tooth, a temple built near the royal palace to house the relic of one of the Buddha’s teeth. Apparently, whoever has the tooth relic gets to run the country, so it was quite important to the kings.

    Since the tooth relic is only on display once in a blue moon, we didn’t get to see it - and didn’t really care, actually. The atmosphere in the temple, though, was something else. It was Sunday morning and the place was packed, mostly with locals out to do their devotions. There were lots of Sunday school kids as well, resplendent in their white outfits and with notebooks in hand.

    We shuffled through the various chambers, enjoying the decorations, but it was really more about the hundreds of devotees, all with not a knee or shoulder in sight. By way of extra information, there are apparently 32 different sacred tooth relics scattered around the world.

    From here we head to the high country to taste some tea.
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  • Ramboda waterfall
    The tea pluckers workspaceInside the tea factoryThe road to Moon PlainsPotato farmingView from Moon PlainsWith fellow travellers Peter and ChristinePlucking

    Nuwara Eliya

    23–24 mars, Sri Lanka ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    The road from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya twists and turns constantly for 76 kilometres, climbing all the time. It was a fascinating few hours, passing through numerous small townships built along the ridges of the hills, all bustling and offering more opportunities for road carnage.

    We stopped for a tour of the Damro Tea Factory, which was interesting. From green leafy bush to tiny browny-black particles is quite a journey, and the free cuppa at the end of the tour was welcome, too.

    Nuwara Eliya is sometimes called “Little England” for the numerous colonial buildings and institutions that remain from the days of sweaty white people who ran the tea plantation or who would journey up the hill for respite from the heat of Colombo. When we arrived, around six o’clock, these were nowhere to be seen. We found only a typical Asian shopping area, with the supermarket next to the tyre fitter and the ladies’ dress shop between a tattoo parlour and a battery shop, all with traffic at a standstill and vehicles parked on every scrap of ground.

    The following morning, we ventured up to Moon Plains. We boarded a Jeep and drove up through extensive potato farms to a magnificent 360-degree viewpoint, with Sri Lanka’s highest mountain in clear sight. Well, not all that clear - the weather was very hazy and any distant sights were completely obscured. There were native buffalo in the distance, and rumoured to be leopards in the adjacent jungle.

    Finally, as we exited Nuwara Eliya, we did take a turn around some of the quite attractive buildings from the English period. The Post Office - still in use, the very exclusive-looking Hill Club and numerous fancy-looking villas.

    As we left, also, our driver pulled over to the side of the road and after a rapid-fire conversation Sharon and Kim found themselves with bags on their heads, learning to pluck tea. Suffice to say it’s not a skill that can be learnt in a few minutes, even when taught by a bunch of laughing women with very bad teeth.

    After our short stay here we are moving on to Ella.
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  • Ella

    24–26 mars, Sri Lanka ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    Ella is a very tourism-oriented town a few hours of manic driving south of Nuwara Eliya. Almost every shop is a bar, restaurant or transport provider and the town bustles with backpackers and other travellers. The tuk tuk population is enormous, too.

    We stayed in a home stay a few kilometres out of town, very basic but perched right on the side of a hill with the most incredible views. The bathroom got so wet you needed to leave your pants outside when using the toilet, but that’s a small price to pay for the magnificent outlook. It was amazing sitting on our balcony as the sun went down, nursing a drink and watching the lights of the train weave around the hill opposite.

    We took a walk up to Little Adam’s Peak, just to keep up the number of hot sweaty climbs up lots of steps. The views from the top were spectacular. About half way up was an outdoor activity centre with a giant swing - and a shop with outfits you could wear whilst swinging - and a zip line. Both of these were in constant demand and the area was crowded with thrill seekers and old people like us taking a breather from the constant stairs.

    In the afternoon we took a train ride. We were actually supposed to catch the train all the way from Nuwara Eliya, but due to some form of black market scalping or other corruption all the tickets had been sold.

    So we were on the tourist train, which was probably better. All seats faced the windows and there was an open-air carriage that would have been fantastic had it not been raining.

    Our trip started in Demodara, then rattled down to the Nine Arches Bridge, a most picturesque piece of engineering. Everyone hopped off for a look around, which was easier said than done, as the steps on the carriages only reached about half way to the ground. It was even more fun climbing back on to the train, with lots of heaving and groaning and pushing and pulling.

    In persistent light rain, we travelled to Ella, and thence through very attractive rice-growing countryside to Bandarawela, a bustling little town, much more commercial and less touristic than Ella.

    We had a demonstration of Sri Lankan rain once we were back at our digs, about half an hour of absolute downpour. When it had finished the air was beautifully clear and the waterfall on the hill opposite had turned into a muddy brown torrent.
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  • Ravana Waterfall
    A cheeky monkeyBuduruwagalaOn safariPainted storksSpotted deerPeacockBee eaterTwo bee eatersTwo bee eaters, fornicatingCrocodile and water buffaloWater buffaloFeeding at the Elephant Transit Centre

    Udawalawe

    27–28 mars, Sri Lanka ⋅ ☁️ 31 °C

    We had a busy day, and a bit of luck, on our trip to Udawalawe, and its eponymous 131,00-hectare national park.

    A quick stop at the scenic Ravana Waterfall turned exciting when a monkey grabbed a packet of biscuits from a tourist and proceeded to open it and start eating. The imbecilic tourist got closer and closer to have her photo taken with it, then tried to grab a biscuit back from the monkey. It was only intervention from our guide that saved her from likely injury, as she clearly wanted to keep tormenting the creature.

    We then visited Buduruwagala, an archaeological site containing a fifteen metre high Buddha statue carved into a huge rock face, and dating from the seventh or eighth century. The Buddha is accompanied by six other statues, and there are extensive other ruins in the complex.

    This took some time, and we had a long drive in front of us. We were due to go on a safari in the national park that afternoon but it became obvious that, even driving extra-suicidally, we wouldn’t make it. This was our good fortune, though, as it rained all afternoon but was warm, still and clear for the rescheduled event the following morning.

    And what an event it was. Plenty of elephants - and plenty of Jeeps watching them, it must be said, spotted deer, water buffalo and come quite beautiful birds. We hadn’t even reached the national park when we stopped to look at some incredible painted storks.

    After the safari we visited the Elephant Transit Park, where sick or orphaned elephants are helped to transition to life in the wild. We had great seats, right near the feeding and amongst a bunch of pre-schoolers.

    The elephants were sent to the feeding station in groups and the smaller ones given some milk but only enough that they will still be hungry and therefore seek out more food. It was exciting to watch not only the feeding but the jostling for spots as the bigger animals literally threw their weight around to get at the juiciest snacks. The viewing area was absolutely packed and it was good think of the support provided by the entrance fees for such a worthy cause.

    From Udawalawe we head south to the coast and thence to Bentota, our final stop on this trip.
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  • Bentota

    27–30 mars, Sri Lanka ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

    Our last destination for this trip was partly for some relaxation as well as seeing a few things.

    We travelled here via the south coast, and our first stop, just south of Galle, was for a look at the stilt fishermen.

    It’s a good gig, really. You put some big sticks in the sand and charge tourists a few thousand rupees for a few photographs of you pretending to fish. On a busy day this could be quite a few rupees per hour, for sitting still on a pole in the water.

    Then we went to one of the numerous turtle hatcheries in the area. In equal parts heartbreaking and uplifting - much like the Elephant Transit Centre - we saw some magnificent creatures, all without an arm or a leg or with a hole in their shell, mainly through collisions with ships.

    The hatchery part of the activity involves harvesting eggs and ensuring they are released in the evening so that there are far fewer predators waiting to eat them on their obstacle course stumble to the sea.

    We have had a great trip, and have seen so many great sights, but felt like we short-changed Galle somewhat. We only had time for a quick whip through the fishing port and the historic fort, with the cricket ground in its shadow. So much more to see that we missed!

    We were heading to our hotel for the night, driving along the very scenic coastal road from Galle to Bentota, when the sunset beckoned. Prashan, our guide, never short of good ideas, pulled into a rather tired looking hotel, found the bar and ordered some drinks and snacks to be taken next to the pool overlooking the beach. He then had a swim in the pool, and we enjoyed barbecued prawns and a beautiful sunset.

    We also took a boat trip on the Madu River, braving the oppressive heat to look for wildlife in the numerous mangrove-encircled islands. Reminiscent of the safaris, there were probably more tourist boats than animals, but it wasn’t a bad way to spend the morning.

    On the way to the boat ride, Prashan spied some men, high in the coconut palms, collecting toddy, which is the fermented sap of the palm tree. Fourteen per cent alcohol, not a great taste, and nine-thirty in the morning - probably not the way to enjoy a relaxing drink! Still, the skill of the men who harvest the stuff high up in the trees was incredible.

    Our last event on the trip was a look around Colombo, which, to tell the truth, isn’t the prettiest or most exciting city we have seen. Still, Independence Square, where independence was declared in 1948 and with a statue of Don Stephen Senanayake, Sri Lanka’s first prime minister, was very nice, as were both the new and old parliament buildings.

    Post script

    We very much enjoyed our brief tour around the country. We will almost miss the crazy driving at heart stopping speeds, and the red (government) and blue (private) buses that dominate the roads, speeding along, overtaking everything in sight and with the conductor hanging out the door shouting out to potential passengers.

    There is culture aplenty, and a mix of religions happily coexisting. There is also beautiful countryside and wildlife and some marvellous iconic sights - Siguriya for one.

    It was also stinking hot, and there were a few heavy afternoon downpours.

    With a good guide to show the way through the incredible range of foods, to help buy beer and wine at the liquor stores and to handle the crazy traffic - and maybe even to tell you a little of Sri Lanka’s life story - it is an incredible, wonderful place to visit - especially with Steve and Kim, our great, long-time travelling companions.
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