Negombo * Kandy * Hatton * Ella * Udawalwe * Mirissa * Hikkaduwa * Negombo
Upon landing in Negombo, we headed straight to Kandy for the first leg of our trip. We stayed at a beautiful little homestay with an incredible view.
Every morning we would wake up to breakfast overlooking the city, walk down the hill, and explore the town.
One of these days we took a walk through Udawatta Kele Sanctuary.
Whistling his way through life.
Frightening monkey density
It was here that we learned I have a far greater obsession with monkeys than Matthew.
We also made a friend who was instrumental in us overcoming our fear of said monkeys:
We then took the train from Kandy to Hatton, to climb Adam’s Peak at sunrise.
Traveling within Sri Lanka was incredible as they have an extensive rail system and super convenient and frequent public buses to and from almost any location. While it’s reasonable to hire a driver that will stay with you for the duration of your trip, and we did take a couple of Ubers when the occasion/exhaustion level called for it, we definitely took advantage of as much local transportation as we could. So after taking the train, we hopped on a bus that took us to our homestay at the base of Adam’s Peak.
The weather wasn’t the best at this point, but the drive into Dalhousie was breathtaking. The rolling tea plantations flanked by quiet mountain lakes were stunning and had me wishing we had allotted more time to stay there. It was as if all of the most beautiful places we had ever been crowded together and formed a little paradise.
(Gert & Ken – This portion of the trip was sponsored by you! You took us to paradise for Christmas. That’s pretty unreal.)
The food in this small town essentially erected to house people before and after their treks was the best we had in the country.
A variety of curries and coconut sambal.
Kottu: A mix of diced roti, vegetables, meat, and spices.
We started our ascent (a word which makes it sound much more perilous than the perfectly paved steps that comprised the trail) around 3:00 in the morning in order to reach the summit for sunrise at approximately 6:00AM. Climbing in the dark, we were slowly joined by more and more tourists and religious observers of many faiths. It was interesting and wonderful to see so many people paying respects in different ways. We climbed alongside a young rugby team for much of the journey. It was so lovely to see teenagers interacting with religion in such an enthusiastic and positive way.
Once we reached the top, the skies opened up and it started to pour. I did not miss being cold. Despite Matt’s valiant attempts to shelter me, giving me nearly all of his clothes and shielding me with his body, we decided to make our way back down to the last tea stop before the summit to wait for sunrise. (I am not at all ashamed to say we brought instant Starbucks to the top of Adam’s Peak.)
Nicest toilet view I’ve had in a while…
The rain didn’t seem to be letting up, and with the explanation from tea vendors that the extensive cloud cover would make the sunrise significantly less spectacular, we decided to descend the mountain as the sun rose instead of going back up. As the skies brightened, we walked down the steps through the clouds and a light drizzle. The effect of the fog moving between the mountains was incredible.
After a hearty breakfast, shower, and resting of the calves, we hopped back on a bus and took a train from Hatton to Ella.
Sri Lankan Pupper keeping us company, hopeful for a samosa.
With the heavy fog and rain, the train ride that was touted as one of the most scenic routes in the world didn’t quite make for all of the photo-ops we had anticipated. But it was breathtaking riding through all the tea plantations and mountains, and I did manage to snag a highly coveted spot hanging onto the train at an open door.
After delays caused by not one but two trees having fallen on the tracks, we arrived in beautiful Ella!
Another ridiculous view for breakfast was in store for us. We then spent a full day exploring the town, and hiking Little Adam’s Peak.
Even more fog made for some eerie panoramas during the trip. After the climb we stopped at 98 Acres Resort for a well-deserved beer with a view of what we had just climbed. We then continued on to Nine Arches Bridge, and strolled along the tracks back to the railway station.
The next day we took a series of buses to Udawalawe National Park. We had read a lot of online accounts that described confusing and uncomfortable experiences with the Sri Lankan bus system, but we experienced nothing but extreme kindness and hospitality for our entire journey. It was like every local we spoke with was working in tandem to get us where we needed to go without taking advantage of our ignorance or vulnerabilities as travelers. Without online schedules or timetables posted, we would have been absolutely lost without them.
We eventually arrived in Udawalawe that evening hot, sweaty, and exhausted. We attempted to walk to our resort from where the bus dropped us off, and got stopped for 15 minutes by a herd of water buffalo crossing our path. It was frightening and lovely.
(This portion of the trip was sponsored by you, Oma & Opa! Beacause of you, we were able to ball out a little bit and stay at a really nice place called the Eliyanth. They organized the safari for us, and had excellent facilities and super luxurious safari vehicles.)
The next morning we were up bright and early again to begin our safari at sunrise, when the animals are most active.
THINGS I THINK YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT PEACOCKS:
They’re actually called ‘peafowl’.
Males are called peacocks.
Females are called peahens.
Babies are called peachicks!!!
They sleep in trees.
They fly up and down from the tree.
They’re dope and I love them.
More of the majestic creatures:
We also saw an insane amount of elephants. They were so friendly we were often too close to take photos.
AND HERE’S AN ELEPHANT APPARENTLY SNEEZING:
AND HERE’S AN ELEPHANT THAT JUST WANTS HIS BIRD FRIEND TO BE CHILL:
There were some other cool things too, I suppose. Maybe skip this part if monkeys aren’t your thing…
That afternoon we headed down to Mirissa Beach to do some whale watching. We saw a bunch of killer whales, and an absolute ton of blue whales. They are big. It was super cool. (The company we used was Raja & the Whales, and I’m 100% sure they serve the best breakfast on the Indian Ocean. We actually received it as a Christmas gift from Matt’s sister-in-law – Thank you so much, Katie!!)
Then all of a sudden it was Christmas day, and we realized that all the whales and peafowl in the world could not fill the void in our hearts and bellies. We spent the day mourning time spent with family lost, and becoming inebriated on the beach. That night, we attended a holiday feast at our hostel, replete with all the Christmas classics: turkey, gravy, calamari, and a whole cooked fish the size of a small deer. We then played Heads Up with strangers until we were too tired to be sad.
The following morning we left for two days at Hikkaduwa Beach, but not before seeing our good old friend, the monitor lizard, holding up traffic on our way to the bus station.
We spent the last few days on the beach watching people learn to surf, play cricket, and eating as much curry as possible before catching the sunset.
And so our final trip of 2017 came to a close. Sri Lanka had to be our favourite destination of all of our travels thus far. Three weeks later, we still have the colds we caught on Adam’s Peak – but I wouldn’t have changed a thing.
Places we recommend:
Kandy – Haven Upon Hills Homestay (Beautiful view, recommend it if you’re happy to interact a lot with hosts, homestay style.)
Ella – Ornateview Hotel (Gorgeous view, large rooms, sacrifices location convenience for beauty.)
Udawalawe – Eliyanth (Beautiful rooms, excellent staff, great local food.)
Mirissa – My Hostels Mirissa (Can’t speak to the quality of the dorms, but the private double was super clean, private, spacious, and modern.)
Hikkaduwa – Weleges Place (BRAND new, glorious rooms, great value, good location.)
Negombo – AdenLanka Villa (Excellent staff, great rooms, insane breakfast – Great for pre-airport stay.)
