Sri Lanka is an alluring hidden gem with plenty to offer- beaches, jungle, culture, surfing, leopard safaris, wild elephants, and whales year round. Not only that, it’s very affordable.
I started my trip at the south coast beaches. From there I did a counterclockwise loop through the national parks, Ella and Kandy. When I was researching for this trip, I could only find information on how to get there if you’re coming from the north. In this post I’ll explain how to get to Udawalawe National Park, Yala National Park, Ella and Kandy if you’re coming from the south- as well as safari options.
Elephant Safari in Udawalawe National Park
Udawalawe is known for it’s hundreds of wild elephants and water birds. Theres a very good chance to see elephants at any time, but keep in mind the rainy season here is from October-January and March-May.
How To Get Here
The nearest airport is in Colombo, on the west coast of Sri Lanka. If you’re coming from here, you can take a train to Ella and a few bus transfers to Udawalawe. Get cash from the ATM or currency exchange before you leave the airport. It’s cash only almost everywhere.
Bus from Mirissa Beach to Udawalawe
Coming from the south coast, there are no trains. The only options are bus or private driver. It’s 3 buses from Mirissa to Udawalawe: Mirissa to Matara, Matara to Embilipitaya, Embilipitaya to Udawalawe Junction. At each transfer, locals asked me where I was going and pointed me in the right direction. Maybe I was lucky, but I never waited more than 5 minutes for the next bus. It took about 4 hours total for me to get there and cost a total of $2 USD.
Bus Tips
There are 3 indications for a bus stand: a yellow 1/2 rectangle painted on the side of the street, a blue bus sign, or a cement hut that you can stand in. Depending on the bus, it will come every 5 minutes to 15 minutes and you’ll have to wave it down. Theres a spot next to the driver to store your backpack and vendors jumping on and off the bus selling snacks and drinks. The blue buses are nicer (vs. the red bus) and are also usually packed with people- but that’s all part of the experience.
Like other countries in Asia, driving the bus is a 2 person job- theres a driver and a conductor. The conductor signals when the driver should stop or start the bus and he collects the money. You don’t need to give money right when you get on. You can sit down and the conductor will come find you later. It’s amazing how good their memory is.
They had crazy upbeat Sri Lankan music playing on the bus and music videos on a tv for entertainment. Overall, it was easy to take the bus here and all the locals would ask to make sure I knew when to get off.
Accommodation
Eagle Safari Family Bungalow– $21/night for private room. I ended up staying here because it was only a 5 minute walk from the bus stop. I was originally looking to stay somewhere close to the entrance of the park to book a safari on my own, but the hotel said they can arrange a safari for me.
The Sri Lankan food here was incredible and dinner was lit by candlelight. Excellent hoppers, coconut pancakes and fresh fruit for breakfast.
Safari
There are morning safaris from 5-6am (sunrise) until 9/10am and evening safaris from 2pm-6pm(sunset). The safari jeeps seat 6 people and the prices are $36 USD for 1-4 people or $30 USD for 5-6 people. You can book a private jeep for yourself for about $70. If you’re a solo traveler, the hotel can pair you with others if you don’t want to pay full price.
I don’t think it matters if you go in the morning or evening safari, you have a very good chance of seeing elephants. I did the evening safari and we saw so many elephants that I lost count, crocodiles, buffalo, fox, cobras, peacocks, goannas, parrots and many other birds. It was my first safari and an incredible experience.
Leopard Safari in Yala National Park
Yala is known for having the largest concentration of leopards than anywhere else in the world! This 378 sq foot (979 sq km) park borders the Indian Ocean and even has a beachfront.
Overall, Yala was a much bigger park than Udawalawe and had more wildlife. I was really impressed with how clean they’ve kept the park. Our guide was very adamant on not littering, wandering away from the jeep or disturbing the wildlife. He explained that the national park is the animals home and we don’t want to disturb them. The times we were close to any creatures, our guide turned off the jeep so we wouldn’t bother them.
Getting from Udawalawe to Yala
You can get there by bus, tuk tuk or private car. It’s 2 buses: Udawalawe 98 bus to Thanamalwila and Thanamalwila to Tissamaharama (Tissa). This will take around 2.5 hours and cost around $1 USD. A tuk tuk is about 1.5 hours straight to Tissa for $15 USD.
Accommodation
There were lots of options in the Tissa area from budget to luxury.
Hotel Nilketha– $29/night for a nice private room with AC, walking distance into town and to the bus station.
Airbnb.com has some cute rentals as well:
-2 story luxury treehouse.
-Stone cottage on a secluded lake with a pool. They have a room with 1 bed or with 2 beds.
– Treehouse with 2 beds on a Wirawila lake.
If you can’t tell, I love treehouses!
Safari
Scam– the hotels will arrange a safari for you but they hire their friends instead of actual guides.
This national park is huge and had a completely different feel to it than Udawalawe. I hired a guide, Jayantha, who’s been guiding for 30 years (cell: +94-77-707-3813). The safari was $42 for 1-4 people and $36 for 5-6 people. For leopard spotting, it’s best to do the morning safari.
The morning safari pick up time was 4:30am and went until noon. The safari included snacks but not water.
Unfortunately, it rained the night before and leopards don’t come out when the ground is wet. We spotted elephants, crocodiles, buffalo, cobras, rattlesnakes, tucans, monkeys, wild boar, peacocks, but no leopards.
I didn’t want to do the evening safari, first, because the mornings are better and 2nd, because weather.com said it’s a 90% chance of rain. My guide looked at the sky and said, “I can 100% guarantee you it won’t rain today.” Because he’s a guide, I reluctantly took his word for it. It turned out he was right and it didn’t rain! Our guide had such a good eye and we saw a ton of animals but again, no leopards. 2 other groups saw a leopard and we went to the same area but it was already gone.
Ella
Ella is a beautiful scenic village set in the hills of Sri Lanka amongst tea fields and waterfalls. If you’re coming from Colombo you can get here by train, and from the south you can come by bus or private car.
Bus from Yala to Ella
You’ll need to take 3 buses- Tissa to Thanamanwila, Thanamanwila to Welawaya, and Welawaya to Ella. It took about 3 hours and cost a total of $1.38 USD. Again, I didn’t wait more than 5 minutes for each bus to leave.
Things To Do in Ella
Nine Arches Bridge– beautiful architecture. It’s better to get there in the morning before the crowds. Trains pass over it around every 30 minutes for a nice photo.
Little Adams Peak– about an hour hike, nice lookout point at the top and much shorter hike than Adam’s Peak. You can combine little Adams Peak and Nine Arches bridge in one trip. Walk up the hill toward Ella Flower Garden Resort. On the main road, just past Flower Garden, you’ll see a sign for Little Adams Peak. After the hike and on the way back down, take the trail to the right. You’ll end up at 98 Acres Resort. Walk through the resort to the main road and take a right. Continue and take the first side road on your left. Walk until you see a juice bar and theres a trail down to the bridge from here. To get back, you can walk along the train tracks and it will take you all the way back to town.
Ella Rock– nice viewpoint
Waterfalls– theres a few to choose from. Ravana Falls is the easiest to get to from the main road.
Cooking Class– theres a few places that offer cooking classes. It’s very interesting to see how they make fresh coconut milk, curry and local dishes.
Tea Tasting– AMBA Estate tea plantation. Quiet area with no tourists, tour of the estate, tea tasting and lunch (book lunch in advance).
Accommodation
Ella Mount View Guest Inn– $30/night for private room if you book straight from the hotel or $40/night if you book online (includes commission). Absolutely stunning views and includes a delicious breakfast. Quiet relaxing atmosphere and only 5 minute walk into town.
Golden View Guest House– $30/night for a private room and includes breakfast. A bit far out of town and up a steep hill but breathtaking views of the Ella Gap, waterfalls, Ella rock and delicious home cooking. This family went above and beyond to make me feel welcome. They even taught me how to cook Sri Lankan curry, coconut sambal and kept giving me snacks and tea. If you want to get away, this is a great place to relax.
Luxury: 98 Acres Resort– up scale tiki hut bungalows on a tea plantation with out of this world mountain views.
Luxury: Mountain Heavens hotel– 5 minute walk into town and great views of the valley.
Food
Chill Restaurant and Bar– nice rooftop area with a tiki bar and chill atmosphere. Theres tables to sit at or bean bags around a low table. Delicious curry’s and western food options including fresh juice.
Matey hut– Small family restaurant with good home cooking.
Ella Flower Garden– up the hill, nice view, good food and tea selection.
Ella View Restaurant and Bar– lounge bar with pillows and daybeds everywhere.
Kandy
Epic Train from Ella to Kandy
Make sure you ride this train during the day to enjoy the views! This train ride is an attraction in itself. When I got on the 2nd class train car, all the seats were taken. I ended up with the best seat on the train which was sitting in the open doorway dangling my feet over bridges, waterfalls, tea fields and feeling the fresh breeze on my face. Even though seats opened up I stayed here the full 7 hours.
During the first 30 minutes, the view of the tea fields was better on the left side but the rest of trip the views were better on the right side (and vice versa for Kandy to Ella). It cost $3.86 USD for a 2nd class ticket and it’s almost a 7 hour journey.
The options are 1st class AC $8 USD, 2nd class $3.86 USD, 3rd class $2.50 USD or the Observation deck for $6.44 USD. In 1st class and Observation deck, theres AC and you’re guaranteed a seat (but the windows are shut which isn’t good for photos).
Things To Do in Kandy
Keep in mind that Kandy is a busy city, versus the little hill towns on the train ride here.
Market-The market in Kandy is the cheapest place I found to buy gifts, souveniers, tea and spices. I suggest NOT going to the Central Market but going to the market across the street in Torrington Park. The Central Market seemed like a tourist trap. If you’re looking for spices, there are a few alleys that you can find local prices.
Bogambara Lake– nice walk around the lake
Royal Botanic Gardens– I didn’t make it here but I heard it’s nice.
Buddha statue– huge white Buddha statue on the hill- lit up at night.
Sri Dalada (temple of the Sacred Tooth)- next to the lake. I walked by it but I was all templed out so I didn’t go in.
Whales Park– make out central! There were about 15 couples at this park and literally every couple had an umbrella open and was making out underneath it.
Accommodation
Nathashiya Inn– $20/night, nice view of the lake. It’s up a hill and away from the busy city center.
Kandy-> Colombo ->Airport
Kandy to Colombo Fort train was 3 hours (standing), 2nd class $1.25.
I had an early morning flight, so rather than staying an hour from the airport in Colombo, I took the Negambo train to the Liyanagemulla stop. There’s not much around here but I was just looking for a place to crash for the night. Guest Ryan Inn was a 2 minute walk from the train stop and a 10 minute tuk tuk to the airport.
When To Go
Theres 2 different monsoon seasons in Sri Lanka. The west and south coast have a rainy season from May-September, while the east and north coast rainy season is October-February.
At the time of writing this, you need to purchase a Sri Lanka travel visa in advance. You can get it online for about $35 USD. You also need proof of a return flight exiting Sri Lanka, or they won’t let you on the plane.
Expenses
Plan to budget around $30-$40/day (in USD).
Flight- $529
Transportation- $3/day
Accommodation- $10-$20/night (for private room)
Food- $6.5/day
3 Safaris- $114
Travel Visa- $35
This was my 2 week itinerary: (I didn’t plan in advance, this is just what it turned out to be)
4 nights Hikkaduwa
2 nights Mirissa
1 night Udawalawe national park
1 night Yala National Park
4 nights Ella
2 nights Kandy
1 night Colombo
After years of experience with solo travel, this is one of the easiest countries to get around, but not because of the public transportation. Although the train is easy travel, the trains won’t go to a lot of places. It was easy because of the people and how genuinely helpful the locals were. They went out of their way to make sure I knew which buses to take and where to get off and this made it easy to get around.
Well that’s Sri Lanka. If you’re interested in the beautiful Sri Lanka beaches, you can read about it here. Please email me if you have any questions or want to know more 🙂
Heres a video from my trip