Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka!!! This country has easily become one of my favorites on the planet. Why, you ask? Well, for starters, it’s CHEAP – – like dirt cheap, making it perfect for someone like me, who’s a budget traveler (a/k/a cheap lol). Let’s get your biggest expense out of the way – your flight. Depending on your departure city, the flights to and from Sri Lanka will undoubtedly be your largest expense. If you’re in America, the flight alone may cost over $1k depending on the season. BUT, but once you’ve arrived, you’ll only need a budget of $20 per day to get by. Now, this does not include any accommodations and excursions. My goal is always to have my larger expenses paid for in full before I step on the plane, so any spending money I’ll have with me will just be for that – spending. You’ll need to exchange money because few places accept credit cards and ATM’s may be rare. Be sure to ask for lots of small bills. An average, well-paid salary in Sri Lanka is about $20-30 per week. Hopefully, that’ll help give context as to why everything is so cheap. It’s a poor and developing nation, but rich in culture, history, adventure and beautiful people. Note: LADIES! Tampons are not a thing in Sri Lanka, so bring your own because you’ll be hard-pressed to find any. K! And bring bug spray, sanitizer and wipes because toilet paper in public restrooms is apparently not a thing either (lol). And one last piece of advice on how to make friends easily, bring one converter and a power strip. People will love you. =)

I spent 12 days there and only exchanged $300 US and had $50 left over by the end of my trip. If you’re traveling all the way to Sri Lanka, I recommend that you spend at least 12 days or more, if possible. The country is not very big, so you can see a lot in a short time. The bus system in terms of access – not in terms of luxury (lol), is the best I’ve seen. The buses go EVERYWHERE. Even if it’s a village of 5 houses, there’s a bus that will get you there, and the 4 hour trip may only cost you $1 or less! Below is a simple itinerary I recommend for a 2 week time frame. A quick note: the airport is actually located 40 minutes north of the capital city of Colombo in a town called Negombo. I highly recommend that you skip Colombo all together if on a time crunch. There are far superior towns to visit – don’t even waste your time. Depending on what time your flight lands, if at night, get a hostel in Negombo for the night and then start your trip the next morning. If arriving in the early morning, catch the 8a direct bus (double check these times because they may change) from Negombo bus terminal to a sweet town called Kandy. Also, Sri Lanka has a version of Uber called Pick Me. Download it! You can request a car or tuktuk with this app and it’s CHEAP! Even the locals would agree. It’s only available in the larger towns, like Negombo and Kandy, but if you’re like me, I have a hard time negotiating prices. The app, will still work to at least give you an estimate of what the ride would cost, that way you have a bargaining starting point. Even though, things are cheap, you don’t want to ripped off just because. Feel me?? Moving on (hehe).
Places of Interest:
– Negombo (airport)
– Kandy: Bahirawakanda Buddha Temple, Temple of Tooth, Kandy Cultural Dance Show, Pinduragala Rock Hike (day trip). You don’t need a tour guide for any of this stuff. You can either walk, hire a Tuk Tuk, or bus. For the day trip to Pinduragala, I took the one and only early morning direct bus. I think it cost me 150 rupees, which is around $.80 cents – more or less. On the way back, you’ll have to transfer, but its sOOO easy. Just ask the bus driver or bus attendant. They work in tandem and most speak english and are very helpful. Th buses run regularly, so don’t feel rushed. Keep in mind, that there may be a chance you won’t find a seat. They jam the buses to the max. Like literally people hanging out the doors. It can be really immidating because you’re mainly riding with locals, but I’m telling you, if you’re smart, you won’t have any problems. Do like the locals do, and take the bus. Oh, and there are wild monkeys!
– Ella: Next, the train ride from Kandy to Ella is considered one of the most iconic in the world. The trains are these old, Chinese, dilapidated trains but the brilliance is that they maybe travel 40-50mph with the doors wide open, so you can literally sit with your feet hanging out of the doors. I’ve never felt so free in my life. If you’re ballsy, grab an iconic photo while holding on, hanging outside the moving train, with the landscape of tea terraces sounding you. It’s magical. BUT be careful! The train ride cost me around $2.50 USD (I recommend 2nd class tickets) and last 7 hours but it goes by quick. Things to do in Ella: Nine Arches Bridge, Ravana Waterfalls (get a tuktuk and ask how much for him to wait an hour and bring you back to town. You may see more monkeys!), Ella Rock (Sunrise) Hike and Little Adam’s Peak (Sunrise) Hike.
– Udawalawa (known for elephants) or Yala National Parks (known for leopards): I wanted to visit Sri Lanka because elephants are my favorite animals and for the most part, the government protects them and hundreds of miles of their natural habitat. There are sanctuaries you can visit in Kandy, but I rather see them in the wild. Sanctuaries can kind of be a tourist trap, in my opinion. I chose a safari to Yala National Park. I stayed one night is a town called Tissamaharama (a/k/a Tissa). In order to do the safari, you must rent a tour. Only licensed persons or professionals are allowed access into the park for tourism. An African safari could run you hundreds of dollars, but a safari in Sri Lanka costs me around $40 bucks. I saw leopards, elephants, water buffalos, crocs, tons of birds. It was amazing. I highly recommend that you visit one of Sri Lanka’s national parks.
– Mirissa – BEACH, BEACH, BEACH. I only spent one night in this town, but I wish I would’ve stayed longer. During the fall, the weather is incredible on the southern coast of the country. The water is warm, good places to surf. UGH, I just loved it so much! The beach towns of the south are very surfer and hippy. Hostels and hotels also cost a bit more as well, but in comparison to prices on Miami Beach, it’s still super cheap. Things to do: whale watching (not a good idea if you get sea sick easily, but super cheap; around $40 bucks! Normally, whale watching in the U.S. can cost you hundreds.), chill on Mirissa beach, Parrot Rock (sunset views), Coconut Tree Hill (amazing), The Doctor’s House (drinks), No. 1 Dewmini Roti Shop (eat the best Roti of your life!).
– Unawatuna Beach: amaaaazing. You can take a bus from Mirissa to Unawatuna for like $0.30 cents, nuts!). Things to do: walk and shop around Yaddehimulla Road, Skinny Tom’s Deli (eat), Wijaya Beach, Japanese Peach Pagoda, surf, snorkel – you name it!
-Galle: Now, Galle is a big town, so I decided not to stay the night there. Instead, i just took a $.20 cent public bus for like 15-20 minutes from Unawatuna as day trip. Things to do: Galle Dutch Fort, Galle Lighthouse, Old Dutch Hospital. Lots of just walking around the beautiful, historic streets of Galle. There are also wild monkeys everywhere. Whether or not you decide to stay the night in Galle, this is where you’ll take the direct coach bus back to the Airport. There are 2 direct buses that run daily, one in the early morning and the other in the afternoon. The bus will be parked across the street from the actual bus station, on the Fort side, near the cricket stadium. This will make sense – just ask around. For all of the buses in Sri Lanka, you pay onboard. There will an attendant walking around collecting your fees, so just have a seat, have your Rupees ready and wait patiently. Unfortunately, I cannot remember the cost, but it had to have been somewhere between $5 – $15US – sorry about that.

Anyway, I hope you’ll find the majority of this info helpful and useful. Sri Lanka is an incredible country and I CANNOT WAIT to go back! Oh, one last thing! Don’t worry about any traveling while black issues because everyone around you is black. Sri Lankans are dark-skinned people. The only white people you’ll see are tourists. You’ll fit right in (lol), but really people are kind and generous. You shouldn’t have any problems. Happy Travels!