Sri Lanka - Part 2

 SRI LANKA

Welcome back to the second part in the trip to Sri Lanka. We stopped at Ella in the last blog. I shall continue from thereon.

We left Ella with great memories of the hike, the bridge and the falls. From the chills of the hill station, we now drove back the plains in the southern most part of the country, and to witness wildlife - Yala National Park.

YALA NATIONAL PARK:

Yala National Park is one of the largest national parks in the country. One peculiar feature of this park is that it is adjacent to the Indian Ocean. As I said, this is the southernmost part of the country. The park is known for its leopards, although we could not spot one. I will mention the accommodations around the park later in this blog. The park is around 170kms from Nuwara Eliya.

One can take a safari ride in a jeep in the park. The park opens at 6AM. This is the best time to visit the park as the animals do stroll out early in the morning. The beautiful sunrise and the adjacent ocean, just adds to the beauty of the safari.

The entrance ticket to the park is around 9000/- INR per adult. The cost of the jeep safari is separate. There are a lot of operators around which provide the jeep safari. One may contact the hotel too to arrange the safari. Usually, the pickup starts from the hotel at 5AM so that they can reach the park entrance by the time the gates open.

Apart from leopard, wild boar, spotted deer, elephant, mongoose, crocodile, peacock, eagle, toucan, monitor lizard, stork, crane, wild buffalo are among the ones that are easily visible. There are several lakes inside the park where one can see animals dipping in them or birds trying to catch some fish. There is a pit stop near the beach too where one can have breakfast. Most hotels provide packed breakfast and that can be eaten here. The safari is about 3-4 hours long so make sure to pack food in case you do not have breakfast. The safari is quite good and I would suggest you to take it up when in this region.

(Entrance to the park)

(Sunrise and safari)

(Lake inside the park)

(Painted stork)

(The beach adjacent to the park)

(Crocodiles)

(A lagoon formation inside the park)

(Wild boars)

(Spotted deer)

(An elephant grazing unperturbed)

(Peacocks)

(Aah the sunrise again)

GALLE:

After our early safari ride, we left for Galle. Galle is around 145kms from Yala. It is a city in the south-western corner of the country. One can take the Southern Expressway and reach the place is just over 2 hours. Galle city is fortified within the walls of the Galle fort, which is a major attraction here.

The Galle fort was a Dutch fort. Originally built by the Portuguese, the fort was developed and maintained by the Dutch for a long time before handing it over to the British. The fort is now a UNESCO world heritage site. The architecture inside the fort holds many buildings which resemble the Dutch and European architecture. Now, these buildings are used as government offices, courts and prisons. Only one side of the fort can be visited for the tourists. The entrance through the main gate is now prohibited. 

One can see light house, canons facing the ocean, the fort walls, a number of restaurants and cafes, an international cricket stadium, court houses among the prominent structures. If one loves sea food, then Galle is the place to be. There are several sea food offering restaurants. A lot of cafes too are present here.

(The main gate entrance to the fort)

(Galle international cricket stadium)

(Street of Galle)

(The fort wall)

(The lighthouse)

(A canon)

(The beautiful Indian ocean as seen from the fort)

BENTOTA:

Soon, we left the Galle heat and humidity to travel to our next destination - Bentota. Just to add, as we left reached Galle from Yala, we left the plains behind and reached the coastal region. Obviously, the temperature and the humidity were high and we were left perspiring. Bentota is another coastal town about 70 kms from Galle and 100kms from Colombo. The journey from Galled to Colombo via Bentota is along the sea route and the views are remarkable. The main attraction in Bentota is the water sports. One can avail activities like jet ski, parasailing, banana boats, scuba diving etc. However, we could not indulge in any of these sports. One can also visit a turtle hatchery. Here, the lifecycle of turtles is showcased and the turtles are bred. It also holds a museum about turtles.

Another major attraction is the boat ride on Maduganga river. The Maduganga is one of the biggest rivers in the country. It forms a delta on the western part of the country. During its course, a huge mangrove forest is formed at its mouth and this makes the boat ride amazing. Mangrove forest is helpful in preventing water erosion along the river and the coastal areas.

The boat ride here takes you through mangrove forests. Paving through cave like formations formed naturally by the mangrove trees is a different experience. Along the ride, one can visit cinnamon island - where cinnamon trees are grown and cinnamon sticks are prepared. Also, there is a small island where one can take fish spa. There is also a Buddhist temple on another island atop a hill. If you are lucky, you can find water monitor lizards or crocodiles too. You go beneath a few bridges and the ride finally ends showing the water and ocean meeting point. The ride is satisfying although slightly expensive. The cost of the boat ride is roughly 6000/- INR.

(The Maduganga river)

(The island of Buddhist temple)

(So called Ravan temple - It is believed Ravan stayed here for some days but its debatable)

(Mangrove cave)

(The meeting point of river and ocean)

(A bridge and boat goes beneath this)

(Water monitor lizard)

COLOMBO:

The last stop in our trip was the capital city of Colombo. It is the largest city of the country. It is also the financial and the administrative city. It also holds the biggest port in the country. The city is strategically located on a prominent sea route connecting India, Middle east and the South-east Asian countries. The population is also the largest in the country comprising majority of Buddhists.

The city has some prominent structures. The Independence Square is one such structure. It was constructed to commemorate the independence of the country in 1948. The statue of the first Prime Minister of Sri Lanka - Stephen Senanayake is erected here. Surrounding the square, is the lush green Viharamahadevi Park. It is a huge park comprising of many fountains and places for events. It also holds a children's park. There is also a Lotus Tower where one can see the view of the city. There is a cost to the enter the lotus tower. The Beira Lake is a huge lake that once served as a source for drinking water and also was used as a defense against enemies. Now, many events happen along the lake. The old parliament buildings represent the British architecture. Now, the parliament is moved out from these buildings into newer structures. The Galle face green is another popular tourist place. It is a piece of land between the heritage hotel - Galle Face and the sea. Earlier, lots of events and sports activities used to happen. Now, people use this as a promenade to spend a relaxed evening. The city is clean and well maintained. The drivers follow lane discipline and thus leading to fewer traffic jams. Colombo is also known for its casinos. 

(Independence square)

(The independence museum behind the square)

(Viharamahadevi park as seen from the Independence square)

(Children's park)

(Lotus tower)

(Old Parliament)

(Galle face green)

(Streets of Colombo)

(The church where a bomb explosion took place in 2018 and is now restored)

ACCOMMODATION, TRANSPORT AND FOOD:

I started the part 1 of the blog with travel from airport. I will re-iterate the same. If you are starting from the airport, you get cabs to reach Colombo city. If you are not travelling to Colombo, and travelling elsewhere like I did, then it is better to pre-book it through a travel agent as cabs from here is expensive.

However, once you reach Colombo, there are buses available to almost all parts especially to the places that I have covered here. Cabs are a better option to reach the places quicker. Trains are also present and are fast. They run along the coastal line and across too to reach places like Kandy and Nuwara Eliya.

(Trains in the country)

There is no dearth for accommodation. In Kandy and Nuwara Eliya, you get good hotels with good views, since these are hill stations. Airbnbs too are available. If you want to stay in Ella, very good, European style hotels are available. In case you want to visit Yala, you can find hotels in villages and towns surrounding the forest area. Towns like Hambantota, Kataragrama, Tissamaharama all have superior stays. It is better to book safaris via hotels here. Galle, Bentota and Colombo all have beach facing luxury hotels and resorts. They provide private beaches and good hospitality. For reference, I have added below the link to the hotels I stayed in (read the picture tag).

(Hotel at Bentota - Hibiscus beach hotel)

(Private beach at the hotel)

(Lake view from the hotel near Yala - EKHO Tissa)

(Stay amidst the tea gardens at Nuwara Eliya - Heaven Seven)

(The sunrise view from hotel at Kandy - Swiss Residence)

(The pool view from the hotel at Colombo - Berjaya)

Food will be an issue for vegetarians especially. However, since there are a lot of Indian tourists visiting the country now, there are provisions for veg options. But this needs to be informed to the hotel beforehand. In coastal regions, the options are too less as many restaurants offer sea food. But there are some which provide good veg dishes. Cafe Chill in Ella is one such restaurant which has good variety of pizzas, burgers and European style dishes. Indian Summer in Colombo is another place where we got proper Indian food. It is better to carry packed food like ready to eats. If you are a sea-food lover, then you are in for a party. Try Ministry of Crab in Colombo for the best sea food. 

Night life is prominent in Colombo and Galle. There are a lot of casinos and pubs here and you can visit them. The hill stations do not have any such night life.

Indian tourists do not exactly have an on-arrival visa. You need to apply online paying US $20 per person. After the payment, the acknowledgement is sent about the visa. In case you don't apply online, you can still apply for on-arrival visa at the airport, however, the cost is US $35 per person. Indian Rupee is not accepted here and Sri Lankan rupee is a must because many local tourist places do not accept cards. In case, you need to convert currency, please use USD. There are a lot of banks and agencies which convert currency in the airport and all have similar rates. ATMs can be used to withdraw Sri Lankan rupee. Sim cards can be bought at the airport and the coverage is good throughout. 

All in all, to conclude, I must say Sri Lanka is a very beautiful country. It exceeded my expectations with all the attractions and cleanliness. The people were also very polite providing proper suggestions and good tips. The country is a little expensive because there is entry fee to almost all attractions. That is because of the economic crises it underwent. But post that, it has grown immensely and I strongly recommend visiting this country. Just to add please don't litter and keep the place clean. I hope you enjoyed this trip. Until next time, CYA !