I am making the most of the quadruble bank holiday in the UK (thanks to Royal Wedding) & heading to Sri Lanka with a friend (maybe two) on Good Friday (22nd April). We get to Colombo very early (think 4am ish) & not sure whether to head straight to train station & head inland or south or find a hotel in Colombo. Have 12 days in total -
Hi there,
I am making the most of the quadruble bank holiday in the UK (thanks to Royal Wedding) & heading to Sri Lanka with a friend (maybe two) on Good Friday (22nd April). We get to Colombo very early (think 4am ish) & not sure whether to head straight to train station & head inland or south or find a hotel in Colombo. Have 12 days in total -
We are keen to make the most of our time there and combine some culture, nature, beaches etc.
Would be grateful to receive advice from people who have done a similar trip -
Has anyone done teh train ride to Kandy & is Kandy well worth a visit?
I'll look forward to hearing back.
Safe travels!
Kate
Reply to this Hi Beata,
Thanks for this - it's been really useful & I enjoyed reading your blog. It sounds as though it was a great trip!
Ella sounds really nice - I wonder if it's easy getting from Ella to the coast.
Also - can you help at all with advise on a reasonable rate for a driver for a day? (Please no direct sellers)
I've also seen that some people take tours from Kandy to Sigiriya Rock - has anyone done this?
Thanks so much again Beata.
Kate
Reply to this Hi Kate,
Ella is fabulous and I wish we could have stayed there for a week ;-) It is quite high up the mountains though and it took us around 6 h drive to the west coast. There is a train line running through the village so I am sure you can get there by train ;-) The guest house owner told us that is is very pricy to get the driver for one day just to take you to the coast (12k Rs =70£, comparing to the rate of 55$=35£ we were paying our driver per day) so maybe you should just take a driver for few days like we did to take you around most of important places and drop you to the coast?? Or take a train from Colombo to Kandy (as your base) and take trips from there?? Lonely Planet has full info on trains and connections. Organised trips are available everywhere in every hotel/hostel/guesthouse so you can easily find one day excursion to Sigiriya from Kandy. Don’t miss the elephant place ;-)
Check this website of Sri Lankan Board of Tourism - really helpful ;-)
I can send you private message with our drivers website if you wish - so let me know ;-)
Cheers,
Beata
Reply to this Thanks Beata - again all very useful. Ella sounds idyllic. One final and quite random question; do you or does anyone know what the average tipping rate is for a driver in Sri Lanka? I always find these tipping situations hugely uncomfortable.
Thanks again,
Kate
Reply to this Hi Kate,
I heard that 10% is a general rule but we tipped more than that (around 20%) after we finished our tour only because we were so happy with Sarath. Some people tip every day cause that is supposed to keep the driver happy but we thought we would know our 'satisfaction rate' at the end and so we did;-)
B
Reply to this HI Mackera ,
its Rathna a new member of the forum and I could see your blog here. I am from sri lanka so if you still did not come to Sri L anka I can really help your visit if you wish, I am going to Germany from 19 th of June to 25 Of July. even you can ask me any question from me via email then I can help you.
rathna
Reply to this Sri Lanka is one of the most beautiful Islands you just have to witness. It has great culture, the most amazing beaches and also great night life.
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[Edited: 2014 Apr 09 01:07 - Roosta:95057 - No commercial links in the forums, please. See TOS]
Reply to this For all who are thinking about going Sri Lanka I encourage you to visit this beautiful island. I agree with the rest that the experience has been very rewarding.
We hired a guide / driver who has been one of the greatest successes of this trip. Thanks to Ran (<snip>😉 we have taken full advantage of the 6 days we were with him: he is very friendly, competent, flexible budgets and tailored to your pocket ... a gem, come on! I also helped us arrange hotels, taxis and tours for the rest of the days we were unable to have their services. It has a lot of experience with tourist, so ... cheer up and do not hesitate to contact him for any inquiries. It is a safe bet for a great holiday on this enchanting island.
To repeat, no doubt.
Here you have your data:
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ranjithalwis@ymail.com
[Edited: 2016 Mar 01 19:01 - traveltalesofawoollymammoth:258356 - No URL addresses please]
Reply to this In response to: Msg #132813
If you are visiting Southern coast of Sri Lanka , don't miss Tangalle . 2.30 hour drive by car from Colombo on the E1 highway .
Visit Palm Paradise Tangalle , one of the best ! Villas are excellent !
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[Edited: 2017 Apr 03 08:47 - Rat on the Road:23681 - No advertising on forums please]
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