One can always count on a seasoned traveler to pick out gems from the rough. Another such example was Vinita’s offbeat vacation in Sri Lanka. Along with her husband, she explored the lesser known parts of Sri Lanka to extract pristine beauty and priceless culture.
Travel, for me, is more than just a hobby. It is a passion that I wish to carry on as long as possible. After visiting 20 countries, I chose to continue globetrotting with my husband on an offbeat vacation in Sri Lanka.
My husband and I selected Sri Lanka because it is a lesser traveled destination where we could see mountains in Nuwara Eliya, beaches in places like Kalutara and Bentota, culture in Colombo and Galle.
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Details of our offbeat vacation in Sri Lanka
Trip Cost: INR 17,000
Trip Duration: 5 nights 6 days
Agent Name: Self Holidays
Inclusions: Transfers, sightseeing, and all entrance fees
Exclusions: Flights, visa, accommodation, and meals
While searching for travel packages on the internet, I found out about TravelTriangle through an advertisement on Facebook. The customized packages they provided gave me an option of constructing my trip according to my needs and covering all the places we want to visit.
Aastha from TravelTriangle was really helping in ironing out all the details and combining all the specifications to create a perfect offbeat vacation in Sri Lanka for us.
Day 1: Picturesque river cruise in Sri Lanka
We took an early morning flight from Hyderabad and reached Colombo at 10 am. The driver was present to receive us at the airport and directly drive us to our first destination- Bentota. We checked into the hotel at 2 pm and had lunch in a restaurant nearby.
A few hours later, we got ready for the Madhu river cruise. A lovely cruise that took us through the mangrove forest that surrounds Bentota. Later that night, we had dinner at the local market in Bentota and returned to our room for the night.
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Day 2: History and art in Galle
The next day, we had breakfast and proceeded for a day trip to Galle. On our way, we stopped by the Kosgoda Turtle Hatchery to witness rare and endangered species of turtles being protected and raised.
After an hour-long drive from Bentota, we reached Galle- a quaint and artistic former Dutch settlement surrounded by the sea on three sides. In Galle, we visited the international cricket stadium and Dutch Fort. The imprint of colonial architecture was very much visible as the city reflected an intriguing mix of old and new architecture in its skyline.
As we made our way back to Bentota, we visited the Moonstone Mine near Ambalangoda. It was really interested in seeing how a gemstone so rare, that it isn’t found anywhere else in the world, is extracted. Later on, we transferred back to the hotel in Bentota for the night.
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Day 3: Enchanting mountains and intriguing mist
This day of our offbeat vacation in Sri Lanka began with breakfast and then a six-hour long journey to the Little England of Sri Lanka- Nuwara Eliya. En route, we had a thrilling session of water sports by going for river rafting near Nuwara Eliya. The ice-cold water washed off any weariness we might have had up until then on our trip.
After all the heat and humidity, driving up to the place with the coolest climate in the country (Nuwara Eliya) was immensely satisfying and relaxing. Many of the buildings in Nuwara Eliya reflected charming Victorian architecture. In the evening, we visited the serene Gregory’s Lake which looked even better with a shroud of mist around its periphery. After that, we proceeded to check into our hotel in Nuwara Eliya for an overnight stay.
Day 4: A spiritual vibe in Kandy
Post breakfast, we checked out of Nuwara Eliya and proceeded towards our next destination. First up, we stopped at a lovely strawberry farm- an hour downhill from Nuwara Eliya. Three hours later, we reached Kandy – a predominantly Buddhist city famous worldwide for its Tooth Relic Temple. We checked into a hotel in Kandy and proceeded for some sightseeing.
We found the city to be a great place for shopping (especially for people who have decent bargaining skills). At Kandy, we also visited the Botanical Garden which I didn’t like because of its overpriced ticket for foreigners. However, the visit to the garden was still not enough to get our morale down on an otherwise successful day on our offbeat vacation in Sri Lanka.
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Day 5: Meeting and greeting humble giants
On the fifth morning of our offbeat vacation in Sri Lanka, we checked out from Kandy and proceeded towards Colombo. As always, we had lined up places to visit that fell on the way to our destination. This time we visited the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage to greet and feed some rescued elephants. Next up, we visited a Spice Garden in Matale that showcased the different types of rare herbs and spices grown in this tiny-but-amazing country like Cinnamon, Pepper, Cardamom, and Clove. Meanwhile, the nightlife in Colombo was really buzzing and what I really enjoyed about it was its Casinos. My husband and I had a gala night in one the prime casinos in Sri Lanka.
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Day 6: The last hurrah in Colombo!
The final day of our trip began with a hearty breakfast. At noon, we started with some sightseeing by covering places like Independence Square, Premadasa Stadium, Floating Market, and Galle Face. In the evening, we again visited a few Casinos in Colombo before we proceeded to the airport for our 2 am flight back to Hyderabad.
After this offbeat vacation in Sri Lanka, the one thing I can say about this beautiful emerald island is- ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover’. The tiny island nation has a lot to see and probably makes it impossible for tourists to cover everything in one trip.
Sri Lanka constantly astounded, amazed, and fascinated us as we uncovered the untouched natural beauty of this island step-by-step.
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High points:
All of these high points have been things I never expected to find in Sri Lanka, and that’s it made the vacation all the more special for us.
- Blood-pumping river rafting in Nuwara Eliya.
- Seeing the extraction of the rare Moonstone.
- The nightlife of Colombo is upbeat, lively, and on point.
- The misty climate of Nuwara Eliya was the cherry on top.
A tiny island, but so much to explore. Book your Sri Lanka tour package and discover why Sri Lanka offers a vacation unlike any other before!
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Pranav combines his love for languages, storytelling, and traveling to make a life out of it. A travel writer by profession, he believes in traveling with a purpose and sharing unheard stories through the perspective of the people and places he encounters along his way. When he’s not traveling, he likes to spend time watching sports, and binging on Netflix.
