Sri Lanka - Sri Lanka has become extremely popular as a tropical holiday destination in the last decade and people from all around the world visit and explore this gorgeous paradise.
Before visiting Sri Lanka, I had a perception about how it is just another South Indian state. Now I must admit my folly and tell the world how unique and beautiful Sri Lanka is. I absolutely fell in love with this country. It is budget friendly, surrounded by the blue waters of the Indian Ocean, offers great cuisine, has amazing people and blessed with nature all around. Additionally, there are a ton of pretty cafes to be visited. There isn’t too much traffic, unless for major towns and with each transit, we were treated to stunning views and great photographic location – so much that we always had our cameras handy.
There are direct and connecting flights to Colombo (Bandaranaike International Airport) from most capitals around the world. Once you land, you can choose from a variety of SIM cards from several counters offering great deals on data and at affordable rates.
Galle : Galle was the first town that we arrived at, and you should certainly add at least two days of this to your itinerary. The town of Galle is uniquely designed, with most of it within the walls of Galle Fort. The old part is filled with the inter-connecting and alluring lanes, lined with buildings depicting Dutch architecture – given that this part was once a Dutch colony. One can stroll the lanes and never get bored.
Colombo: With Colombo being the capital city of the country, I’m sure the word that comes to the mind is crowds, traffic and city clamour; however, the capital is so much more than all of these. If you are someone who loves visiting cafes like me, this is the place to be. In my opinion, you can spend a day in Colombo and experience the city-life in stark contrast to that from Galle.
We stayed at the luxurious Airbnb called Srilax, in the heart of the business district. It has perfect modern interiors with a garden cafe downstairs, offering delicious food with a relaxing ambience.
We landed and headed to the alluring southern town of Galle. It is at an approximate drive of two hours from the airport. We decided to explore Galle first and save Colombo for the end.
We stayed in Galle Fort area at a cozy heritage Airbnb called Mama's Guest house in one of the town’s by lanes. It was our little piece of history came with an open roof with a stunning view of the coast.
The Galle Fort Lighthouse was literally at a stones-throw from our stay. It overlooks the beach and has a promenade running all the way to the other end of the town. There is a little shore right by the lighthouse, under the shade of the foliage, that we also spent some time at. Just opposite, we found a beautiful white mosque which immediately grabbed our attention. Meeran Masjid is indeed a sign to behold and stand out in its white unique architecture against the bright-blue sky. While strolling the streets of Galle Fort the same morning, we came across Anura's Cafe. The place had a very vibrant ambience and offered great options for brunch, that we absolutely gorged on. After a heavy brunch, we strolled to the National Museum of Galle which has splendid artefacts and other articles. The caretaker also guided us to a wishing well, where we took turns to toss coins into – I now await my wish to come true! The All Saints Anglican church is right down the street from the museum and is centuries old with colonial-era styled architecture. The interior of the church was serene and peaceful. The town-streets are lined with some of the best Gelato we’ve ever had. On a hot-summer day, this comes a blessing to tourists like us, looking to explore every nook. This pretty much concluded the first day at Galle, with a scrumptious sea food dinner at Peddar’s Inn, by the sea.
On Day 2, we looked to explore stuff outside the fort. There are some stunning beaches just outside Galle and we hoped to cover a few whilst still keeping it easy. The beaches are pretty close to each other, and yet, offer unique experiences and views. The first one on our list was Jungle Beach which is a 15-minute drive from Galle. It is a quite beach with lots of foliage by the shore that makes it an ideal place to relax whilst ready your book and drifting off to the sound of the waves. To reach Jungle Beach we had to hike down to reach to finally see what I had only seen only in pictures so far. The view was breathtaking, calm, serene and an ideal place to go for a swim.
Next, we visited was the famous Unawatuna Beach. This place is lined with open beach restaurants and peppered with tourists. We took a walk down the beach and it felt just perfect with the sound of waves soothing my soul. We decided to have lunch on a beach café called 'The Social'. I must say, the food here is to die for. Do not miss their chicken burger. I can’t forget how delicious it was.
After lunch we headed to the Insta-famed Dalawella Beach. It is one of the tourists hotspot in the area. I had it on the top of my list to visit. This beach is known for the popular rope swing off a coconut palm tree. We reached the beach just before the sunset and the view was gorgeous. The pristine blue water with sun settings on it was picturesque. We found the rope swing and I immediately hopped onto it. While it seemed scary to begin with, once I was swung out, it felt amazing. I cannot begin to explain the feeling in words, so I’ll let the picture tell the story. It was inexpensive and came with beautiful memories to take away. To end the day, we returned back to have dinner at ‘The Ivy by Firangipaani’ – the place has great vibes and perfect for our dinner date.
PS: While staying near Galle Fort area, take a quick stroll after dinner and sit near the lighthouse with the sky is filled with stars and a perfect place for endless talks.
Colombo is a 2 hour drive from Galle; however, we took a scenic route via Bentota.
PS: Take some time to stop at Hikkaduwa Beach. The pictures below will tell you why. Also, this place was one of the many affected by the 2008 tsunami and some of the preserved ruins tell a painful, yet reminiscent story.
We reached Colombo in afternoon and were quite hungry. We hit the cafe downstairs as soon as we arrived. Cafe Kumbuk needs a special mention. Before visiting, I had made a list of cafes this was one of them. The food, the vibe, the interiors, the staff - everything here was perfect. The Barramundi burger here absolutely blew my mind. To this day, I smack my lips thinking about it.
After a scrumptious meal, we headed the famous Red Mosque - Jami Ul-Alfar Masjid. It is located on one of the busiest streets of Colombo in Pettah, one of the bustling parts of the city. Despite this, the beauty of the red and white structure doesn’t fail to enthral you. In the same lane there's the Sri Kaileswaram Temple. The two holy places besides each other denotes the power of unity and peace and talks oodles of the diversity on the country.
After leaving the narrow streets of Pettah we headed to Galle Face. This is a stretched area by a narrow beach and a sea promenade and is perfect to stroll by. The lane is filled with varieties of street food, and for a person like me, on-point for an evening snack. There's the One Galle-Face Mall exactly opposite the promenade, to indulge in shopping. The mall has multiple high-end brands to and is a great place to pick souvenirs.
PS: If you're planning to take home souvenirs, Laksala is the place to shop from. It has great stuff at affordable prices and is government owned, so you know you're getting the right stuff.
Our final stop for the evening was Park Street Mews. If I hadn't explored this area of Colombo my trip would’ve been incomplete. This is the part-street of the city and a great place to dine in. With it's European-themed lanes and on-the-street restaurant's, you can explore it throughout the day. This place is a perfect combination of chic and sophistication. The walls lining the place is filled with spectacular street art. We dined in one of the resto-pubs, Tapas which brought us to the end of a perfect day in the capital.
We were to fly out the next afternoon and there could not have been a better way to bid farewell than by visiting Black Cat Cafe. This place serves some of the best coffee and yummy breakfast. The European styled vintage decor of this place is alluring, and the friendly staff offers great service.
My trip to Sri Lanka is filled with memories to be cherished and I fell in love with this country. I’d certainly want to go back if given a chance and visit the other less-explored parts of this tiny, yet heavenly island paradise.
Please feel free to comment on what you think of my travel and I’d be glad to answer any questions.
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