Sri Lanka > Sri Lanka Experience

Advantages: Sensory overload of light and heat, colours and smells and myriad other things
Disadvantages: High probability of getting wiped out in a car crash, war in the north and east

Like a teardrop falling from the Indian subcontinent, the island of Sri Lanka is, despite its history of internal conflict, as vibrant and as diverse a slice of paradise as you're likely to find in the sparkling Indian Ocean. When Rufus, our driver for the day, overtook a car, which was overtaking a bus, which was overtaking an elephant, I caught sight of an approaching truck, swiftly closed my eyes and told myself that this was all part of the rich ...
...eyes open to see Rufus grinning at me in the rear-view mirror, I managed to return a rather forced and sickly smile and decided not to ask about driving test requirements on the island. We were heading south from our base in the beach resort of Kalutara (on the west coast) to our first stop, a turtle sanctuary and rescue centre. They protect the many hundreds of eggs laid at one time on the beach and buried in the sand by Ma turtle. The eggs are ... Read review

Advantages: Friendly people and cheap cheap cheap!!
Disadvantages: all inclusive hotels!

...the rep does!! If you are travelling to Beruwela and need to to arrange trips or tours please email and i can put you in touch with our friends out there, who will make it a holiday you wont forget, unless you drink to much arrack with them!! spencerleewood@gmail.com ... Read review

Advantages: Brilliant experience
Disadvantages: None that I could think of

...at the Elephant Orphanage in Kandy (they are open daily from 8.30am to 5.45pm, feeding and bathing times are 10am and 2pm). And so did a lot of school children. Nevertheless we didn't have to queue long. We went inside and had a look around the big, grey fellas. The staff offered many opportunities for pictures, standing next to a big elephant, standing next to a small one... We then went to a little cage like area where you can bottle feed those ...
...it against anyone who tried to come near it. Gorgeous! We didn't ride on one of the elephants, but I am sure if you ask there will be the possibility of doing that as well. After we had a good look around the elephants and after they were fed, it was time for the main attraction of the orphanage - the bathing of the elephants in a river. Slowly the horde started moving out of their home and towards the river. We got hold up on the way by two sales ... Read review

Advantages: Everyone is incredibly friendly
Disadvantages: Has been hit badly by tsunami and the war

I visited Hikkaduwa twice while I was in Sri Lanka. It's a great place and when I manage to save up enough money to go back to Sri Lanka again Im going to make sure I visit again. Anyone who is going to visit this town must bare in mind that it was hit badly by the 2004 boxing day tsunami. Many of the guesthouses and restaurants on the seafront were destroyed and many of the residents have not got the money to start again. The tourist industries, ...
...things I did whilst traveling! Hikkaduwa train station is based in a very local area of the town and about ten minutes walk from the more tourist-based spots. We got in a tuk tuk with the tout who drove is straight through the tourist area in to a little village just outside of the town that was deserted. We tried to get tuk tuks to take us back to the town and they pretended not to understand so we ended up having to walk 30 minutes back in the ... Read review

Advantages: a decent safari
Disadvantages: long time in a jeep on bumpy roads!!

...did all the touristy things,and yala west was one of them. we stayed in a cheap hotel in one of the towns that organised their own jeep safari to yala west. it really doesnt matter where you stay because if you stay in one of the towns near yala west almost every hotel runs their own safari package (and the prices are very competitive). We did the safari between 4 of us so it worked out quite cheap, plus we had resident visas which means when you ...
...of the tourist price (there is a big difference). we set of a 5am and prepared our selves for a 12 hour jeep ride. it gets hot throughout the day, you feeluncomfortable and tired because it is so long but it is one of those things you could quite happily do opver and over again. Its a good idea to take some binoculars because some of the animals dont get to close to the road, so you need these if you want a good look. we were really lucky when we ... Read review