Sri Lanka

This year I was delighted to be invited on an 8 day tour of Sri Lanka with Exodus travel. Having never been on a tour before I was excited to see what it would be like and if my expectations were correct. In short I loved it!! It was such an easy, stress free way to travel. The guide was amazing, so generous with his knowledge, so I really felt that I got under the skin of the country and our every need was taken care of. Here is my diary from the trip - Day 1 of my cultural triangle tour of Sri Lanka.... Lovely to be met at the airport by our tour guide Dilip, and escorted to our air conditioned bus, as the heat on arrival was overwhelming after a long journey. Our tour is 16 passengers, & the bus has twice as many seats so plenty of space & very comfortable. Our hotel for the night was only 30 minutes from the airport, perfect for some rest & delicious fish dinner, ready to head to Sigiriya the next day. As soon as you arrive here you are struck by the noise of the traffic, tuktuks, bikes & an original way of driving!! Along the roadside are lots of small businesses, shrines & activity. Everywhere is so green, it is beautiful ?? Day 2 ...the itinerary today was a four hour drive & then a climb up Sigiyira (Lions Rock) ...neither of which I was relishing, but I had a fantastic day. The journey was very comfortable, interesting & went very quickly due to the tour guide entertaining us, we even had Sri Lankan singing, & the wonderful views of Sri Lankan life out the window...plus a quick snooze ! We stopped to watch men working their way through opening a huge pile of coconuts, in the heat, & learn how they use all parts of the coconut in this amazing country. On the tours the guides will stop when there is something they think the group will be interested in. Along the way we also saw lots of monkeys, deer & two elephants just hanging around on the side of the road, which was magical.?? There are plenty of comfort stops included, but you're not hanging around, & all the facilities were very clean & only one squat toilet so far, although others were available! After a delicious lunch at the beautiful Ariya hotel we headed to the rock. Famous for it's historical significance, with ruins from 5th century, it is an ancient rock fortress with ruins at the bottom & the top which is nearly 200 meters high. It dates back to 400AD, and you can see the walls decorated with frescoes, and the remains of an impressive palace right on top of the rock column, accessible only through the mouth of an enormous carved lion. The climb up was precarious, on very narrow steps, metal staircases & a bridge, but we made it! Spectacular views & bonkers that a palace was built at the top. After all that exercise a cold beer was waiting in the bus .. perfect. We returned to a swim & a well earned meal. Your tour guide advises you with options of where to eat. This hotel is now for 2 nights & is really lovely. Day 3 ....having spent the night in a beautiful hotel near the base of Sigiyira rock we made our way on the coach to the national park & Polonnaruwa ancient capital with archeological ruins from 12th century. Being on a tour has lots of benefits including having someone to tell you what time to be ready, what to bring, so you can relax & let someone else be in charge of all arrangements. We enjoyed a cycle tour around the ruins, with the coach & a back up vehicle, so it was easy to leave things on the bus & grab them when needed, especially for the sacred places where you need shoulders & knees covered. If you don't want to participate in any activity then that is no problem. Now for an authentic Sri Lankan lunch & the elephants!! ?? Day 4 ...this morning was a short drive to Dambulla caves, which was home to the king in 12th century, & where he installed many many Buddhas. The caves are super hot, but seeing the beautiful Buddhas is worth it. We learnt so much from our guide Dilip about the history & Buddhism as a way of life, which was fascinating. I'm certainly learning much more being on a group tour. Various forms of transport today including a tractor called a Land Master, the Sri Lankan version of a catamaran & a tuk tuk to see the rice fields, coconut drinking Sri Lankan styley & the most delicious meal in the home of a lovely local family. They were perfect hosts, with all the family involved & then demonstrated some of their local skills. Day 5 .... Spice Garden & Peradeniya Botanical Gardens Loved visiting the spice garden where we learnt all about the different spices & their medicinal benefits, then had an invigorating massage. We also had the opportunity to plant a tree each, & see some that were planted by previous Exodus customers a few years ago. The botanical gardens are beautiful & today it was full of hundreds of school kids in their smart white uniforms, enjoying the gardens. Day 7 ...tea, tea & more tea? We picked it, watched the process of production from bush to packet, drank it & drove past miles & miles of plantations in the mountains. The temperature here is only 20 degrees, so much cooler than we are used to. Today was supposed to be on the train, but sadly it broke down, so we were back on the coach. However the speed at which the tour guide arranged a new itinerary was super impressive. The train is an experience on its own. The carriages have no doors or windows , are very busy, with passengers sitting in the doorways or literally hanging outside the train! Day 8 ... lots of driving today back towards the airport, with the highlight definitely being white water rafting. It was something I've always wanted to do, although was rather nervous! The rapids were grade 3 down to 1, so perfect for beginners. Of course I fell in!!!....but it all added to the experience & fortunately came away without any injuries! The scenery along the river was beautiful & so peaceful. We finished by body rafting which I loved!! Final day of cultural triangle tour of Sri Lanka....Colombo is a vibrant, westernised city, very different to everywhere else we have seen in Sri Lanka. We had a fantastic final meal at a local hotel & cocktails at the rooftop bar, which was a great way to end the trip. Sharing these experiences with a group of like minded people was a privilege. We started as strangers but definitely ended as friends. Whether you are travelling solo, in a couple or with friends, an organised tour is a fabulous way to explore.