Sri Lanka Road Trip – Two Weeks Between Jungle, Tea Plantations and Dream Beaches

Arrival

It started with a long travel day. Well fuelled up after a breakfast buffet at the airport, we boarded the plane with a 9.2 kg and a 10 kg backpack (plus a decent amount of hand luggage). After almost six hours of flying we landed for a three-hour layover in Doha, then continued another four hours to Colombo. On the last flight, Sulakkya sat next to us, who already had 14 hours of travel from Texas behind him – so we didn't feel like complaining. Since he was originally from Sri Lanka, he gave us our first tips right there, like which drinks to try against a hangover. Luckily everything worked out with the backpacks after landing, we got SIM cards, and a driver from the hotel picked us up directly. At around 5 a.m. local time, after 18 hours of travelling, we fell into bed.

What the trip cost

We tracked every single expense over the two weeks:

For Sri Lanka, that's a mid-range budget. You can also travel cheaper (about €30–40 per person per day with hostels, buses and street food) or more luxuriously (from €120 per person per day).

Sigiriya: a hotel in the middle of the jungle

Day two was immediately another travel day. We slept in until 11, checked out, enjoyed a tasty lunch, and then spent 3.5 hours travelling to Sigiriya. Even though our driver's English was patchy, the ride was pretty entertaining – with a few monkey stops thrown in, the time flew by.

Somehow the new hotel in the middle of the jungle didn't sit right with us – deserted, dark and rather creepy. The prospect of a wild elephant possibly standing in the driveway in the dark that evening didn't exactly reassure us. So we walked to the main road and enjoyed bad cocktails and a bad burger, then switched bars for a beer. Even though the beer was warm and only bearable with a few (forbidden) ice cubes, we started fine-tuning our travel plans – and felt optimistic about the days ahead. We'd actually booked two nights here, but already decided to move straight on to Kandy after the sunrise hike – it was just too lifeless for us to stay any longer.

The next morning the alarm went off at 5:00 a.m. after a few unsettling noises in the night. It was dark outside and definitely too creepy, so we deliberately dawdled and waited until the sun had come up a bit – so that, if worst came to worst, we could face the elephants in daylight. While we waited for a tuk-tuk, I tried a honey hopper for breakfast. Five minutes later we reached Pidurangala Rock. First we passed the sleeping Buddha – even with your eyes closed, knees and shoulders weren't allowed to show. After that came a short but strenuous climb, which even involved a bit of actual scrambling near the top. Since most people had already been up there for sunrise, our lateness worked in our favour: we practically had the viewing platform overlooking Lion Rock to ourselves.

Kandy: the Temple of the Tooth and locked doors

After a small breakfast and a drive of just over two hours that felt noticeably longer, we arrived in Kandy. We'd traded jungle noises for loud car horns – good thing I'd brought earplugs. The hotel, at least, felt friendlier, brighter and more central. After exchanging a bit of cash and fuelling up on a 70-cent meal, we visited the Temple of the Tooth, said to house Buddha's left canine tooth. It wasn't exactly impressive, but we left a few flowers too – who knows what that karma might be good for.

At the big market we got annoyed pretty quickly, because everything was packed and everyone was relentlessly trying to talk us into stopping or taking a tuk-tuk somewhere. At a rooftop restaurant, though, we found a pizza that cost three times as much as everything else here – but the price and the view were worth it. After that, a short stop at a bar playing what was basically elevator music, where once again someone struck up a seemingly friendly conversation only to try to sell us a tour at the end. To our shock, we then discovered the town was like a ghost town and our hotel was locked up. Nobody had told us we wouldn't be able to get in after 10:30 p.m. After calling several times, someone let us in – we even agreed on a game night on the balcony for the following evening, because this was an experience we didn't need a second time.

The next day was calmer. After a typically Sri Lankan breakfast – roti with curry – we took a tuk-tuk for about an hour to the Ambuluwawa Tower, a striking tower that combines architectural elements from various religions. Sadly, the weather wasn't on our side: we arrived in a heavy thunderstorm. The view was better than expected, but we didn't dare go all the way to the top, since the tower felt fairly unstable and everything was slippery, wet and windy. On the way back we made a 90-minute stop at the Botanical Garden, which we had almost entirely to ourselves – the longer we looked into the trees, the more flying foxes we spotted. In the evening we finally tried kottu roti: the roti is cut into strips and fried up with spicy seasoning and vegetables – a delicious change from all the rice.

By train to Ella

The alarm went off at 7:00 a.m. for the legendary train ride from Kandy to Ella. Tickets online had been sold out for weeks, and there's no real timetable to speak of anyway. Our luck: being pretty much first at the station, someone had just cancelled a ticket for four people – only 3rd class, but we took it anyway and sold the two spare seats to two girls from Mainz. In the standing compartment next door there wasn't even room to turn around, whereas we had reasonably comfortable seats by the window.

The real highlight: the open doors during the ride and the view over countless tea plantations. But after five hours at the latest, even the most beautiful view starts to wear you out. After a total of 7.5 hours on the train (basically the equivalent of Cologne to Sylt), we had hopefully covered the longest stretch of the whole trip – half that train experience would have done the job too. Ella, on the other hand, was a pleasant surprise right away: finally a few bars and pubs. We headed straight to the Wood House, where we felt right at home thanks to the amazing view, and then, starving, into town. The kottu tasted especially good, and to celebrate the day there was cold draught beer. That night we slept especially well at the Wood House.

Ella: waterfall, tea plantation and cooking class

After a delicious breakfast with a dreamy view, our host organised a driver for the day – today's upgrade: a Bluetooth speaker, which at the driver's request gave us a little Peter Fox sample. After a 20-minute climb we reached a stunning waterfall, almost entirely alone. In the bright sunshine the cool water felt great, even if a few nippy fish in the pool triggered the occasional spontaneous leap to the side.

Next up was Ella's biggest tea factory. Since we only had an hour left before the rain, we did the tea plantation tour first – smart move: we not only paid the entrance fee, we also helped with the harvest. Our hand-picked tea is export-ready within 38 hours and might already be sitting in someone's cup somewhere next week. After a tour through the tea production process there was a tasting, and then, timed just right, we headed back in pouring rain. After a short break, a cooking class followed around 5 p.m. – more work, this time for our own dinner. But the work paid off: various curries and homemade bread. We wrapped up the evening with beer and good music.

A safari letdown and the drive to the coast

The next morning brought the last long journey. After breakfast with a dreamy view, we checked out the Nine Arches Bridge – in our opinion, completely overrated, packed with tourists, and overlooking a construction site. Even on the way there, a few elephants blocked our path, an experience that visibly rattled even our driver.

The booked safari turned out to be simply disappointing: four hours of being jolted over the worst potholes imaginable, and apart from a sore neck there wasn't much to take away. After 3.5 hours of torture we finally saw elephants, but were so exhausted that we were mostly just relieved to get back to the parking lot. For us, that's worth a bad Google review at best. To top it off, there was bad food and a two-hour drive to Hiriketiya. The taxi driver had accompanied us the whole day, safari tour included. Finally at the coast: the beds were cosy, and thankfully our first jungle hotel seemed to have been a one-off.

Hiriketiya: surfing and relaxing

The next day was right up my alley. While Laura made up for the lack of sleep from the last few days, I was on the beach before 9 a.m., grabbing the first board before all the surf lessons started. Even though my first surf lesson was a while back, I was standing pretty confidently before long – and concluded that I'm actually reasonably decent at this. By midday it was far too crowded to find a spot without a surf instructor, and despite Laura's lively impression of our last surf instructor, Alfonso, there were barely any waves, just a sunburn. After a few hours of relaxing, though, a wonderfully tasty pizza – ordered on a good recommendation – made up for it.

The next day, to my delight, I found T-shirts on the beach again – the longest one at least covered a good chunk of the sunburn, though it wasn't enough to save the backs of my knees. With a little help from Laura and her impression of a professional surf instructor, we managed to ride a few waves all the way to the beach. Late in the afternoon there was a bodysurfing duel against a Spanish dad – no chance of winning, but it earned an appreciative "good performance." At least I beat Laura 10:7. Nightlife here, too, was pretty sparse, even on a Saturday.

Weligama and Mirissa

In the morning we drove about ten minutes to Turtle Point, a small, cute beach – though apart from one turtle there wasn't much to see. Once it got too crowded, we headed over to Weligama, to the nicest hotel of the whole trip. For the equivalent of just under three euros, you can rent a surfboard there and get a sun lounger thrown in for free. The waves are super beginner-friendly, so even Laura, with her injured knee, dared to catch a wave or two – and with only a few other surfers in the water, it was much more fun.

The next day started off solo for me, since the bolognese hadn't agreed with Laura. For the equivalent of about 0.16 cents I took the bus to Mirissa – riding the bus here is a real experience: the bus always has right of way, the horn only sounds once, and if you're not fast enough getting on or off, it simply drives on or leaves you behind. At Parrot Rock, which you can only reach at low tide, only crows were still around, and apart from a few fish there wasn't much to snorkel at Turtle Point either. Still, a lovely beach for reading. After that I tried to make it to Coconut Tree Hill, which turned out to be anything but easy: at high tide there's basically no path left to get there. On the way back I hunted down bananas and milk rolls for Laura and picked up some medicine at the pharmacy.

Thankfully Laura felt better the next morning. While she worked up the courage for a milk roll, I treated myself to a full-body massage for under €13. We took the bus to a turtle rescue and conservation station, where we learned a lot about the small and injured animals there. Afterwards, for a donation, we got to release two baby turtles into the sea ourselves – good for karma, for a long life and fertility, and we also got to make a wish. I'm fairly sure little Franklin is now living happily in the ocean for the next 150 years. After a visit to a small bay in Anagahma, we walked along the beach at sunset all the way to a cliff and just caught the sunset in time. The bay and the sunset were a dream.

Galle: a hot day in the old town

Thanks to the noise from the main road right next to us, we were up again around 6 a.m., but a quick morning swim in the pool lifted the mood. For under 50 cents per person, we took the bus the 30 km to Galle. We'd barely arrived when people started approaching us from all sides for a tour – not two metres went by without a "Hello Madam, tuk-tuk?" Since it was too hot in the sun to walk, we even let ourselves get talked into a tour, which was of course a letdown. Galle does have a beautiful old town, though: the city was once an important trading port, and the Dutch-built, UNESCO-protected fort even ensured that the old town survived the 2004 tsunami undamaged.

Since the midday sun and the noise were pretty unbearable, we skipped the market and went looking for the (unmarked) bus stop. In the entire two weeks, we never looked forward to the sea as much as we did that day. After a brief "cooldown" in 29.6-degree water, the forecast rain never showed up. So we grabbed a surfboard as well – and since surfing burns around 500 kcal an hour, we'd definitely earned the curry that followed. Shame we only discovered that really good curry on our very last evening. On the way back we treated ourselves to a foot massage – after that, sleep came easily.

The last day and the journey home

We let the last day start off relaxed by the pool and, after checking out, headed to the beach one final time. One last surf session, then to finish it off, a cold king coconut and a back massage – the perfect way to head into the flight feeling relaxed. Well fed after one last curry, we set off toward Negombo and, luckily, decided against the highway bus (which can take as long as five hours) in favour of a relaxed 2.5-hour taxi ride. Shortly after we left, the entire highway to Colombo was closed for three hours because the Indian president was arriving – great timing on our part. In pouring rain, which felt like fitting departure weather, we checked in for one last short night; at 2 a.m. we headed to the airport. After about 17 hours of travelling, we arrived back in a likewise sunny Germany.

My takeaway

Sri Lanka is an incredibly diverse and varied island, with stunning landscapes and impressive nature. The mountains especially, with their waterfalls and tea plantations, are simply breathtaking. Personally, the cities were far too loud for me – Ella and Hiriketiya were my favourites, and it was really among fellow tourists that we felt most at ease. It's a perfect country for surfing, since you can grab a board anywhere at any time, and the food wasn't just cheap, it was seriously delicious – I could easily have eaten like that for another two weeks.

My personal highlight was the waterfall and the cooking class in Ella. The first sunrise hike with a view of Lion Rock was also an experience, and the first surf lesson in the early morning, as well as releasing the baby turtles, are things we won't forget anytime soon. A safari, on the other hand, we can't recommend, and I won't be missing the constant haggling over absolutely everything now that I'm back in Germany.

Two weeks is tight for a trip covering this much ground, but enough to take in every impression, from the beach to the mountains.