SriLanka Birthday Trip!

I’ve been gifting myself new destinations or new experiences as birthday trips for 5 years now and I hope to continue doing so.

This year, I’ve decided to see a new country; Sri Lanka!

My trip to Sri Lanka was organized by @mytourcompass

About Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon) is an island nation south of India in the Indian Ocean. The known commercial capital of Sri Lanka is Colombo; however Anuradhapura is its ancient capital. The city of Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka’s ancient capital, has many ruins dating back more than 2,000 years. Theravada Buddhism is the major religion in Sri Lanka.

The weather during my visit was humid. I visited in November (the end of at the monsoon season), but to my good luck it did not rain at all! It was raining all week the week prior to my arrival to Sri Lanka! (Yay for me haha)

The highest seasons visit Sri Lanka depending of course which part of Sri Lanka you’ll be visiting is from end of November till early April. Especially Colombo and the South coastal areas.

Within a mere area of 65,610 kilometres lie 8 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, 1,330 kilometres of coastline – much of it pristine beach – 15 national parks showcasing an abundance of wildlife, nearly 500,000 acres of lush tea estates, 250 acres of botanical gardens, 350 waterfalls, 25,000 water bodies, to a culture that extends back to over 2,500 years!

Areas of interest in Sri Lanka:

My trip was short, so I had to limit myself with my choice and I wanted to see something different than the usual of what I hear. Hence, George from my tour compass, suggested I visit the South and the coastal areas and checkout the National Park in Yala.. Loved the idea, and we went for it! Here are the usually recommended areas in Sri Lanka, and below you’ll see the areas I visited:

• Colombo (Capital) – I hear there’s nothing much to do here
• Bentota (Beach Area)
• Galle (Beach/Coastal)
• Nuwara eliya (Mountain area with a cool-er weather)
• Kandy (Mountain, Nature, Cooler weather)

What I’ve visited during my trip are:

• Galle

• Yala

South of Sri Lanka

First 2 nights of my visit to Sri Lanka were spent in the south of Sri Lanka, specifically in Weligama!

Hotels in the South of Sri Lanka that i’ve seen personally or are recommended by trusted sources:

• Fortress Hotel & Spa (boutique and beautiful! suitable for a getaway)
• Cape Weligama Resort (I stayed for 2 nights, great place!)
• Anantara (honeymoon and those looking for luxury stay)
• Amangalle in Galle Inside the fortress (Excellent location! Pictures available on my @hellohotelz account)
• Shangri La (more appropriate for a family with kids) – I personally saw it at night, i’m sure there’s lotsa beauty in the AM as always)

Yala National Park

Yala National Park is a huge area of forest, grassland and lagoons bordering the Indian Ocean, in southeast Sri Lanka. It’s home to wildlife such as leopards, elephants and crocodiles, as well as hundreds of bird species. Inland, Sithulpawwa is an ancient Buddhist monastery. Nearby caves contain centuries-old rock paintings. Southwest, Magul Maha Viharaya also has ancient Buddhist ruins. Both are pilgrimage sites.

An impressive hotel in the National Park that I stayed in is WildCoast Tented Lodge .. Amazing place, great design, beautiful service!!! Its though in a national park so its a great place for a fun Safari ( you won’t be seeing a lot of animals, but a nice one for sure).

Wild Coast Tented Lodge is adjacent to the famous Yala National Park, renowned for its dense leopard population. This luxury tented camp is situated where the jungle meets a pristine beach, overlooking the blue waters of the Indian Ocean.

Wild Coast Tented Lodge started welcoming people from Aug 2017.

I loved every single bit about the room and especially the service. I highly recommend this hotel if you are seeking a unique different experience. For my birthday and the birthday of my friend who was with me on this trip, the hotel have organized for me a lovely dinner by the beach; candle lights, table and lovely setting and the food was really really delicious!! I at some point felt the Maldivian vibes here in this resort.

Wild Coast Lodge’s design uses arched fabric structures that allows the tents to take on the shape and colour of the rocks and boulders that lay scattered nearby, whilst a clever layout in the shape of a leopard’s paw print alludes to the area’s most famous resident. While the main buildings, made of bamboo, blend in with the distinctive rock formations of Yala, the air-conditioned tents offer state-of-the art amenities.

The property offers vehicles to tour the quietest corners of Yala National Park and expert naturalist guides talk guests through the incredible diversity. The Sanctuary Spa borders pristine ocean and dense bush and uses native Sri Lankan ingredients, Ceylon Tea and Ceylon Cinnamon.

Ive stayed at the Cocoon Pool Suite. The cocoon pool suite and the suite without the pool are exactly identical, the only difference is the pool.

That said, there are also attractive destinations in Sri Lanka;

Ive received a comprehensive great list from @7amadqalam which I found very good, so i’m resharing it for your reference:

Colombo

‎الفنادق :

5 Stars :

Shangri-la (جديد)

Cinnamon Grand

Taj sumadra

Kingsberry

Mövenpick (جديد)

Hilton

Cinnamon Lake side

4 Stars:

Cinnamon Red

OZO

Ocean

Courtyard Colombo

‎Restaurants المطاعم :

Ministry of Crab (قباقب)

Indian Summer (هندي وصيني)

Park street اكثر من مطعم حلو

Lagoon (seafood)

Echo (Italian)

London grill (steaks)

Sugar (coffee shop & rest)

Manhaten fish market

Mahraja palace (indian)

Taj hotel indian rest

Taj hotel (chinese rest)

Kingsberry Hotel (seafood rest)

Mount lavinia hotel (poolside)

‎الملابس و التسوق :

House of Fashion

Odel

Arcade Independence Square (@vip cinema)

7 Stories

Majestic city mall

Romafour

Factory Outlet

Cotton collection

Petta (سوق شعبي)

‎مصانع و محلات الأواني المنزلية (للأمهات) :

Noritake

Dankotuwa

Bentota

‎Hotels الفنادق :

Saman Villas

Vivinta by Taj

‎جتات و العاب بحرية بفندق Bentota Beach

Nuwara Elyia

منطقة جبلية جميلة و باردة (لبس شتوي) .

زيارة بحيرة نوراليا

زيارة مصانع الجاي

زيارة مزارع الفراولة

In short, I definitely recommend you to visit Sri Lanka, and I do recommend the agent that have planned for me (@MyTourCompass) as all their planning was just awesome and their staff were professional and great.

Happy travels!

Fatima