Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an island country in South Asia, located in the Indian Ocean just below India. It is known as the heart of Indian Ocean, and the tear drop of India due to its shape. It is a world famous tourist destination due to its beautiful forests, beaches and landscapes, in addition to its rich cultural heritage. The country is well known for the many natural resources it produces; such as coffee, tea, rubber, coconuts, and cinnamon.

My Trip

• 2017 January 07 to 09 (3 Days): I travelled to Sri Lanka with a friend from Doha on our way to Kerala and spent 3 days visiting major attractions near by Colombo.

Visited Places/Attractions

• Colombo (Capital city)
• Galle (Old town and its fortifications; UNESCO World Heritage Site)
• Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage
• The Sri Dalada Maligawa or The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, Kandy (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
• Dambulla Cave temple or Golden Temple of Dambulla (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
• Lion Rock, Sigiriya (UNESCO World Heritage Site)

Day plans

On the first day, arrived in Colombo from Doha and visited Galle in the south and all the interesting places on the way. Did river boat safari, turtle farm visit, fish pedicure etc.

On second day, covered the central areas in Sri Lanka and visited Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage and three famous UNESCO World Heritage sites: Temple of the Sacred Tooth in Kandy where a tooth belived to be of Buddha is kept, Golden Cave Temple in Dambulla where there are 2200 years old Buddha statues and murals in rock caves, and the 5th century Lion Rock fortress in Sigiriya.

On third and final day, there was no time for sight seeing. Headed straight to airport at early morning to catch the flight to Kochi.

Day 1: 2017-Jan-07, Saturday

• Arrived in Sri Lanka from Doha by 7 AM.
• Bus and auto to hotel. Ready and day tour in taxi car started by 9:30 AM.
• Had breakfast on the way.
• Stopped at Beruwala beach and bentota water sports area.
• Visited turtle farm, took them in hands. (Arun & Aman Turtle Conservation and Research Center, Galle Road, Duwamodara, Kosgoda).
• Boat ride through madu river at Captains Boat House, Ambalangodu. Visited few islands, had fish pedicure, bought cinnamon from Mada Duwa Cinnamon island.
• Lunch at Hikkuduwa.
• Galle fort visit and walks through sea side areas.
• Return through express way.
• Back to room by 9 pm

Day 2: 2017-Jan-08, Sunday

• Day tour in taxi started by 6 AM.
• Breakfast on the way. Appam and curry.
• Visited Pinnawala elephant orphanage at 8.15 am. Left at 10 am.
• Reached Kandy by 11.30 am. Visited famous buddha tooth temple. Left by 1 pm.
• Lunch at Alawathugoda at 2 pm.
• Dambulla cave temple by 3.30 pm. Left by 5 pm.
• Sirigiri by 5 30. No climb as it was late. Left by 6 pm.
• Stopped only for a tea. Back to room by 10 PM.

Day 3: 2017-Jan-09, Monday

• Went to airport from Colombo hotel at 4.30 AM and reached there by 5 AM
• Flight to Kochi by 8 AM

Expenses

• Ticket Doha-Colombo-Kochi : 1260 QAR
• Hotel 2 days Ramada : 509 QAR
• Visa (Online) : 74 QAR
• All Within Lanka (Taxi,Tours,Food,etc.) : 1000 QAR
• Total : 2843 QAR = 50K INR = 1.2L SLR = 780 USD