What to do in Srilanka ??

Hi

There is alot to do in Sri Lanka but it's all if you plan your visit to the spots where people usually like to go when they are here on vacations.

Since it is going to be your first time here, I suggest first try the place called nuwara eliya - it is a hill station with beautiful mountains with lush green surroundings. The hotels are expensive but there are some bunglows which you can rent betwen $40 - $50 per night which has all the needed accessories.

After that you can go straight down south to galle - its the shore line of this Island which is beautiful to see, you would get to see the colonial style hotels there and alot of fun night life.

In Colombo there are many good eatries - Sri Lanka good has its own personality and you can probably say its more like south Indian food. you would have to try Kottu roti which is very famous amongst Sri Lankans and also the Rice and curries with different vegtables.. they are yummy.

Google some of the places which might interest you.

Happy visiting Sri Lanka.

Hey Buddy,

most of sri lankan food are well cooked so don't worry about food poisoning. well, anyway here are some tips - there are Mc Donalds in colombo and also Galle Face Hotel is very nice plave to be and food are five star but not much expensive. in cinnamon lake side also a five star and they have a coffee shop and their snaks are very cheap but not drinks. there's good place in colpity (cmb 3 or 4) to get griled items an it's call sizzle. German restaurant near Galle face is very nice too. there's another five star hotel and it's name is cinnamon grand, in there there's a pub call CHEERS PUB. that's also a nice place. other than that chinese dragon cafe,flower drum,jack tree, mango tree are also not bad and price are reasonable. when it comes to night life you can go to R&B night club which is cheaper and ,Amuseum,silk,clubs are very nice and only good crowd comes there.i gotta go now if you need any other help just mail me - srilankaquickadds@gmail.com

trmy.nguyen wrote:

Hi

Im coming to Sri lanka in 3 weeks time and going to spend 2 weeks over there but I haven't figured out yet what are the best things to do in Sri lanka as where to go, what to do, night life..etc...
I've heard Sri lanka cuisine is quite similar to Indian or Indonesian and I had serious food poison in Bali so I would love to know a few good places to eat in Colombo as my first destination.
So if you have any ideas what is nice to do in Sri Lanka please let me know.I really appreciate.

Many thanks

Hi trmy.nguyen,

I just returned after spending a full 10-day road / train, solo trip across Central and Southern Sri Lanka. Will share some of my personal experiences for your benefit.

You’ll most likely start off in Colombo. There are all kinds of accommodation available - from budget, to 5-star. Be wary of touts. And the autorikshaw (tuk-tuk) drivers. They tend to fleece unfamiliar visitors. The 'Meter' autos in Colombo are excellent. Always go in one and not in any unmetered ones.

Take a train (I Class) to Nuwara Eliya. The coach comes with an open back (with big glass panes of course !!) for the viewing pleasure of the passengers. It's a good trip lasting about 8 hours through mountains, tea estates and about 18-odd tunnels. For a first timer it would be 'Wow' !

From Nuwara Eliya, I went by bus to 'Yala National Park’. The place where I was booked was a complete rip-off. It is called 'Traveller's Home'. Avoid it at all costs. The 7-hour jungle safari in a 4x4 costed me SLR. 7,500/-. Besides the very common peacocks, water buffaloes, crocodiles, elephants, mongooses and some spotted deer, the only worthwhile wildlife that I saw was a Sri Lankan leopard. But for that single sighting, my money would've been down the drain, as I’ve been on many different jungle safaris and have seen most of these wildlife – in fact, much more !

From Yala, I took a bus and went to Mathara, a seaside town. And from there I went to Galle, another seaside town. There's a UNESCO World Heritage Fort in Galle which is good to visit. Nothing much else in both these locations.

Since I know what I want, when and where, I could manage quite alright. It may not suit your liking if you leave your travel plans to the local hosts.

Good luck !

Sumitran, an excellent review of Sri Lanka, and I can only add to it, by saying that yes, that is the way to see Sri Lanka, go to Colombo, specifically the Mount Lavinia Beach area, where you can easily get a room for around $15-20 per night, in an a/c room!

They, after you tire of Colombo, take the train to Kandy and/or Nuwara Eliya where you can get similarly priced accomodation by looking around, and then finish off your trip at Unawatuna Beach (voted by Discovery channel as one of the 10 best beaches in the world) and/or Hikkaduwa Beach, which has a lot of nightlife.

If you want to stay near the airport on your last night or two, Negombo Beach is a good place to meet people.

Everyone, enjoy your holiday in Sri Lanka, this world's last remaining PARADISE!!!

Hi everyone

Many thanks for all the suggestions which were very useful during our stay in Sri lanka. We did enjoy our trip very much, and the food, too. It's a shame we didn't have much time so the trip was very limited. Hopefully we would have another chance to go back to Sri Lanka and explore more.

J

Beach Life
The beach at Mount Lavinia is again very popular with tourists. It's very close to the main town, yet a little community of its own exists on and around the beach. The swimming is good and the area is well developed to cater to tourists. There are restaurants, clubs, pubs, and shops all geared up to the needs of visitors.

Dehiwala Zoo
Visit to see the elephants. It is located 10 km from the fort. It has an aquarium and aviary as well as a good range of animals.

Dutch Period Museum
At 95 Prince Street the museum is reminiscent of colonial times. It has been a hospital, an orphanage, a police station, a post office and a residence before becoming a museum. Its exhibits show that 150 years of Dutch dominance from 1640 to 1796 have left its mark on modern Sri Lanka. The two-storey building houses a collection of artifacts left behind by Dutch settlers.

Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara
This is is allegedly where the Lord Buddha himself preached a couple of thousand years ago. The Buddhists visiting the temple walk around the sacred tree seven times before entering the temple. Here, you'll find a set of sculptures and paintings collected by King Kirthi Sri Rajasingha. It's an amazing collection of Buddhist art to rival that found anywhere in the world.

National Museum
Located at Sir Marcus Fernando Mawatha in Colombo Area, 7 quite close to the Viharamadevi Park, the museum is housed in a colonial British mansion from the 19th century and displays many fine antiques from Sri Lanka’s varied history. Sculptures, manuscripts, paintings, royal regalia, pottery, antique furniture, carvings, masks, and even ancient porcelain can be seen in the largest museum in Sri Lanka. There are also some palm-leaf manuscripts tracing the history of the island nation in the museum.

Temples and Mosques
There are also any number of Buddhist and Hindu Temples in Colombo and its surrounding areas. A Hindu temple is called a 'kovil' and Kathiseran Kovil on Galle Street and Sri Bala Selva Vinayagar Moorthy Kovil near Captain’s Gardens are worth visiting. The Grand Mosque in Pettah and Wolvendaal, the oldest church in the city.


The Gangaramaya Temple
This temple is located at 61 Sri Jinaratana Road in Colombo area 2. The temple has a museum and a library. The museum does have some spectacular antiques. It was transformed from a sleepy little hermitage to the present attraction it is today by Ven. Dewundara Sri Jinaratana Nayaka Thero. Tucked away near the Beira Lake it is an interesting destination. There is even a century old Bodhi tree on the grounds and meditation classes are conducted here as well. It is a spiritual place that is the focus of attention during the Nawam Perahera festival.

The Fort
The Fort is a commercial area. In fact there is no real fort there, but the port, and the bigger banks and hotels are to be found in this area. This includes the Hilton Colombo, the Intercontinental, the Grand Oriental and the Galadari. Historically this was the centre of town, and some interesting colonial architecture can be observed. A walk down Chatham Street and around the Clock tower is an interesting way to explore the fort area.

Viharamadevi Park
Located in Colombo area 7, it is the oldest and largest park in Colombo and is also known as Cinnamon Gardens although it was originally called Victoria Park by the British and then renamed for a Sinhalese Queen whose statue is present in the park. Close to the National Museum and the Town Hall, there is also a section for kids with a zoo of baby animals and even a small train track.
Galle Face Green
South of Colombo along with the lined palm trees of Galle road is the Gall face Green. Along with the a greenish seafront you can enjoy the evening breeze and view the sun set. It’s a crowded place on Fridays and Saturday evenings. Adjacent to the Galle face green is the popular colonial styled Galle Face hotel. Cannons which were used during wartime is still lies along the coast line of the Galle Face Green.

Ideal hotels to eat:
Of course there are very good hotels and restaurants in colombo2,3,4 and 5. and beach area as well.

What about places like Sigiriya, Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Pinnawala, Minneriya, Trincomalee, Sinharaja ? There is a staggering amount of places to see and things to do in Lanka

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@erick-c -> Can you please introduce yourself?

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@erick-c -> I will suggest you to start a new thread on the Sri Lanka forum in order to avoid being off topic here.

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