All girls trip is our yearly ritual that my gang and I wait for. This time we had quite a few destinations on our list to choose and after a lot of negotiations and discussions, we were still confused between two places, Thailand – travelers favorite tourist spot and Sri Lanka- the underrated tourist country. Our neighboring country suddenly seemed very fascinating to us. We decided that it’s going to be Sri Lanka this time for our exploration.
This time we relaxed and let the third-party vendor plan the trip for us. We did our bit of research on different places, that are worth visiting in the country and got our customized vacation package done. Our package included commutation, accommodation, three course meals and visit to different tourist locations. Flight bookings were done separately
The excitement was high as this was our second international trip. :)
It was a 1.5 hours comfortable flight journey from Bengaluru to Colombo. We were welcomed by, fresh breeze of air as we landed and set out our foot in the foreign land. Our guide was waiting for us and escorted us to our car, which we would be travelling in for the next few days.
Day 1: Our expedition began with high spirits to explore this island country. En route to Dambulla from Colombo airport we visited the Pinnawala elephant orphanage. This is an orphanage breeding Asian Elephants. It’s a treat to watch these gigantic animals being pampered. Every animal lover would love to witness the antics of these creatures.
After spending some time in this beautiful place, we continued our journey towards the main destination for the day.
We reached our stay which was at Amaranta Classic Retreat, a resort amidst a small forest. The place was magnificent with trees surrounding our cottage. A short nap was all we needed after a tiresome travel.
In the evening we headed to the Dambulla Cave temple which is famously know as The Golden temple of Dambulla. The temple has splendid architecture and it looks like, a cave is carved out, to design this sacred place. As we explored the caves, we found numerous Buddha structures and paintings depicting the life of Buddha. The immense positive energy of the place filled our soul
The sunrays kissing our skin and waking us up is a refreshing feeling to experience in the morning. The day kick started with our visit to Sigiriya. The rock front was a marvel. The structure has a long history that takes us back to the era of kings. It required a lot of energy to climb up this rock and reach the top. On reaching the top, the view leaves us in awe and the effort seems to be worthwhile. The blazing sun and the cool wind create a magical atmosphere to experience
Our next destination was Nuwara Eliya. En route to Nuwara Eliya we stopped at Kandy, a small city amidst the mountains, famous for its scenic beauty and a gorgeous lake. The tooth relic temple is the famous Buddhist site in the town.
Nuwara Eliya is the Tea town of SriLanka. The beauty of the town reminds us of our own hill station Ooty and Munnar. It was night by the time we reached our stay in Nuwara Eliya.
Our accommodation was arranged at Ramboda falls hotel https://www.rambodafalls.com/
Day 3:What could be more pleasant than waking up to a view of the ever beautiful Ramboda falls. The falls was in its glory with the sunrays falling over the milk like water creating a rainbow. The view took our breath away. We enjoyed the sprinkling of water around the falls. After a scrumptious breakfast we set out on road once again to enjoy the hills and plantations. We visited strawberry farms and tea plantations. The travel through the twists and turns of the road were more like a roller-coaster ride.
What awaited us next was a thrilling river rafting at Kitulgala. My first river rafting experience couldn’t be any better than this.
A warm humid night welcomed us as we drove towards the sea. We reached Coco Royal Beach resort in Kalutara. The resort is a paradise for beach lovers as the sea is just a minutes’ walk away. https://www.cocoroyalbeach.com/
Day 4:
Sitting on the shores of the beach, with the salty breeze caressing our skin, waves touching our feet, was a feeling of bliss. The silent communication between us and the sea is priceless. It understands that we need some moments of peace and serenity and happily grants it to us. The sun rising behind the seas implants a new ray of hope in our heart for a better tomorrow. Lost in the rhythm of waves our morning passed quickly. We had a delicious breakfast and set out on our journey. The first place of visit for the day was Madhu river. The river safari through the mangroves was a unique ride. We headed out to a Turtle hatchery to see the cute little turtles being nurtured. Bidding our byes to these cute creatures we continued our trip towards our last destination, the capital of the country Colombo.
The journey had tired us out, which called in a for a small break. The host for the night was Ceylon city hotel. http://ceyloncityhotels.com/
We spent our evening walking around the city along the sea exploring the local culture and authenticities of the city.
Day 5:
Being our last day here, and with nothing much left to explore, we had a leisure hour in the morning.
Afternoon we visited the famous Gangaramayya Buddha temple. The temple is a holy place for Buddhists. Its sacred and pious. We also visited Seema Malakaya which is another Buddhist temple in a lake. The place is beautiful and calm with minimum visitors.
Food: Sri Lankan food being like Indian food doesn’t cause much of a problem to native Indians visitors. Its a heaven for sea food lovers.
Clothes: Ensure you dress modestly as most of the places demand clothes longer than knee length and, to avoid pointing looks from the locals
Other places/things that needs to be on your list:
Galle: Formerly Dutch ruled town. It reminds us of Goa.
Train journey from Ella to Nuwara Eliya.
Overall SriLanka is a beautiful country with mountains and seas and is worth a visit.
We bid our goodbye to this island country with a happy heart and a content soul.....
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