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Planning for Sri Lanka: Bye-bye mountains, hello heat stroke

Planning for Sri Lanka: Bye-bye mountains, hello heat stroke

Old Mar 10th, 2016, 11:38 AM
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Planning for Sri Lanka: Bye-bye mountains, hello heat stroke

Well, as some of you know, we *had* been planning a trip to Bhutan (in Dec. 2016) for about 2 months now. When we finally got some final numbers around our trip from 3 different operators, the overall cost ended up being probably more than an African safari. I think we grossly underestimated how expensive Bhutan would be in "off season" and our eyeballs nearly fell out of our head when we saw the totals we were looking at. Yes, we could've probably have done a more basic version of Bhutan but, more and more as of late, we prefer to stay in nice places, so, in the interest of saving that money for an actual safari sometime in the next decade, we're passing on Bhutan this year and moving our feelers to warmer and more affordable climates.

After much map-searching and list-culling, we've decided on Sri Lanka. Some of you also may remember we were originally planning a Sri Lankan trip 2 years ago, but ultimately decided to forge directly into India instead (as opposed to "India Light"). Since I haven't been able to drop the nagging bug that's been wanting to go there -- and because Smeagol is such an amazing travel agent and a hell of a salesperson for the Sri Lanka Tourism Board -- it was a no-brainer to choose this as our next destination.

Been reading through a ton of trip reports on Fodors for the past 2 weeks and have already been working with Boutique Sri Lanka (whom we were going to use 2 years ago) on a new itinerary. I think we're pretty much settled on the overall itinerary, but wanted to get everyone's thoughts before we finalize everything.

In specific, we've just decided to add an extra 2 days to the trip (these were originally going to be spent in Thailand instead) and use those to safari/explore Wilpattu via Ulagalla. I know December isn't the most ideal for spotting leopards, but it seems worth a shot. At the very least, we'll see other interesting wildlife. Decided to forgo Yala, as, from what I've read here and elsewhere, it's a total and utter zoo in December with lines of jeeps and hordes of tourists. Definitely not the way we want to have that kind of experience. Not sure who here has had first-hand experience at Wilpattu, but looking for advice if you have had any.

I also know that Colombo is the object of much debate and scorn here on the forums. We surely could stay somewhere else (like Wallawwa again) but decided that it's more interesting to have a change of scenery and see what the "big city" is like in Sri Lanka rather than something rural again. I'm fully aware that Colombo might not be the most interesting place, but it's one night and it's really just a way to get closer to the airport.

So, without further ado, here's the proposed plan

DAY 1 Arrive Colombo (early AM)/transfer to Negombo (stay at Wallawwa)
DAY 2 Dambulla (stay at Heritance Kandalama)
DAY 3 Dambulla
DAY 4 Dambulla
DAY 5 Wilpattu Nat’l Park (stay at Ulagalla)
DAY 6 Wilpattu Nat'l Park
DAY 7 Kandy (stay at Kandy House or Elephant Stables)
DAY 8 Kandy
DAY 9 Tea Trails (stay at Castlereigh Bungalow)
DAY 10 Tea Trails
DAY 11 Tea Trails
DAY 12 Weligama (stay at Cape Weligama)
DAY 13 Weligama
DAY 15 Weligama
DAY 16 Weligama
DAY 17 Colombo
DAY 18 Departure for BKK (early AM)

Anxious to get some Fodorite input!
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Old Mar 10th, 2016, 12:29 PM
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As you know, we loved Sri Lanka. If you really want to see leopards, contact Noel at Leopard Safaris. When I last contacted hime a few years ago, there was no camping allowed in Wilpattu national park, but that may have changed.

You may well decide to cut Colombo and use that day for one of your other destinations.

Happy planing!
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Old Mar 10th, 2016, 02:36 PM
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Oh man, I really hope you like Sri Lanka now!!!!
I like the pace of your trip, I am one of the few that will say keep Colombo in ( book Ministry of crab for dinner , Kerry said its fab!)

I'll be interested to see what people think...
Glad you are doing the train ride up to Tea Trails, buy the chilli nuts off the vendor on the train, delicious!
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Old Mar 11th, 2016, 05:38 AM
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Were the high costs due to the fact that there is a requirement that tourists spend $250 (and the extra $30 for people traveling just as a couple) a day a person? Or, did you want fancier hotels that really added up?

I am just curious since we had already pretty much eliminated Bhutan from our possible list because of the fact that as a couple we would need to spend $560 a day. We are mid-range travelers who have had some lovely trips, but we never spend anywhere near this amount when traveling independently, and we are not the kind of people who feel the need to have a constant guide.
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Old Mar 11th, 2016, 05:47 AM
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following along with keen interest
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Old Mar 11th, 2016, 03:43 PM
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Bhutan is off our list too due to the exorbitant prices. Let the happiest people in the world get their money from someone else!
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Old Mar 11th, 2016, 05:04 PM
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Sorry to hear that neither of you will be visiting Bhutan. While we love luxury travel and can say we have stayed in some of the top hotels in Asia, Bhutan for all of its faults, is one of our top 3 trips of all time. And because we did not insist on staying at Amans or other "luxury" properties, it was really not that expensive. You are truly missing out. Sri Lanka was a pleasant trip for us, especially our 4 nights at Tea Trails, but truly uninteresting compared to so many others. Time to get out of your comfort zone and live a little...
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Old Mar 11th, 2016, 05:18 PM
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I'm trust you didn't mean that to sound as condescending as it did, Craig. No Amans were included in the final bids, and it still was easily two to three times as much as going to Sri Lanka (or essentially anywhere else in the world). Going in December also didn't seem to be ideal, especially when spending a lot to be there.

Has nothing to do with not being able to stay at the Aman--but didn't fancy the idea of spending $10k to go on vacation to stay in basic accomodations, either. I prefer to get a little more for my money if I spend that much.

Curious where you stayed in Bhutan that allowed it to be so affordable.
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Old Mar 11th, 2016, 06:09 PM
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Your itinerary looks good. Colombo is worth a day if nothing else than a visit to Ministry of Crab; it's simply amazing.
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Old Mar 11th, 2016, 11:20 PM
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I have to admit I nixed Bhutan aswell this year, just too expensive for a short 6/7 day trip and given I had already booked my BKK flights it was making my whole trip too expensive,
I very much want to go but will have to save for a different trip!

Now back to Sri Lanka....��
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Old Mar 12th, 2016, 02:23 AM
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Sorry Billy, did not intend to sound condescending - just passionate about Bhutan .

Land cost in Bhutan was $500/day. $6200 was the invoiced cost for 12 days/11 nights and included huge rooms in the best of the "basic accommodations", driver and transportation in a large SUV, an excellent guide and all meals. What's a suite at Tea Trails going for these days?
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Old Mar 12th, 2016, 04:20 AM
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I should also mention that my post was really directed at djunbug's snarky comment: "Let the happiest people in the world get their money from someone else!"

P.S. I would not pay the big bucks to go to Bhutan in December...
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Old Mar 12th, 2016, 05:15 AM
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Craig-- Glad you are passionate about the country but its value, to me, seems dubious. We just spent six weeks in Laos and Cambodia, staying at some very nice mid-range places. I'd guess that our total in-country costs (food, lodging, tours, transportation, admissions, lodging) were max $5000 for six weeks.

I too am interested in hearing more about Sri Lanka since it is a possibility for us, but we are wondering if having spent a total of 4 months in India (spread out over 3 trips) it will be too similar to India.
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Old Mar 12th, 2016, 07:03 AM
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julies - everyone's perception of "value" is different. I'd be willing to bet that for our money, we received as much "value" for our 12 days in Bhutan as you did for your 6 weeks in Laos and Cambodia. If I had 6 weeks in a row to travel I might think differently, however. Our next trip of similar length will be to Ecuador and since it includes 8 days/7 nights in the Galapagos, will likely exceed Bhutan (and other trips for that matter) in cost. Since we only do one trip of this type per year, we are willing to splurge.

Sorry to hijack your thread, Billy...
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Old Mar 13th, 2016, 05:35 PM
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Hi Will- How long will it take to get from Ulagalla to Wilpattu each day? It's something I thought of doing, but the logistics didn't sound right.

I loved Wilpattu by the way, so much greener and more peaceful than Yala. However there's reason Yala is so popular, I found the density of wildlife to be much higher there.

I stayed with Noel Rodrigo in Yala, but I think you'll need to choose which is the priority, staying in nice digs (Ulagalla), or increasing the chances of seeing wildlife by staying with Noel.
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Old Mar 13th, 2016, 09:43 PM
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Femi! Wow, what a blast from the past! Great to hear from you! (And your trip report was one of the ones I read in detail...and one of the only ones I saw that even mentioned Wilpattu!)

I've been told it's one hour max from Ulagalla to Wilpattu. Even if we decide to go with Noel (and that's definitely still on the table) my understanding is that their camp is still on the outskirts of the park and not actually in it and still a bit of a drive away from the main park. Still on the fence about whether or not to spend 1 night with Noel and 1 night at Ulagalla -- or just at the hotel the whole time and do day trips to the park.

As for Yala, I agree...I was really torn. But, everything I've read definitely didn't paint a pretty picture about Yala over Christmas. Would love the opportunity to see the variety of wildlife there but was afraid we'd see less of that and more tourist grazing than anything else. I've heard there's literally lines of jeeps in and out of the park over high season.

Another idea boiling in my head is a day trip while we're in Weligama to Udawalawe. I believe it's only 2 hours away and that's still another place I'd love to see -- if only for the elephant sightings that the other parks don't seem to afford.
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Old Mar 14th, 2016, 06:54 PM
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Hey Will!

I haven't been saying much because I haven't done a lot of travelling in Asia recently (current focus seems to be on South America and Africa), but I'm still here!

So glad to know my trip report helped. If Ulagalla is only an hour from the park max (I thought it was further) I would stay there.

I didn't care much for Udawalawe. It seemed overgrazed, and I remember how the elephants would stand by the perimeter fence begging for sugarcane from passersby. The behavior of the mandated park guide assigned to our vehicle was atrocious.

I'll be anxiously waiting to hear how things go with you, as I've been wanting to return to Sri Lanka almost immediately, but I just haven't been able to find the right accommodations to go with the parks I'd like to visit.

I'm reliving my trip through you!
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Old Mar 14th, 2016, 07:13 PM
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Will, you are right about the number of jeeps at Yala. The least we had at any one time was three, and I've passed by groups of 10-15 at a time, even though we didn't partake in those viewings.
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Old Mar 15th, 2016, 08:21 AM
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no Galle? That's a shame IMO; as a town/city we found it very interesting and a most pleasant place to be. I see that Cape Weligama says that it's only 30 mins from Galle but IMO there is nothing like actually staying in a place to get a feel for it.

what are you going to do with 5 nights in Cape Weligama?

BTW, I'm sure that you're right with your decision about Yala - we were very disappointed with the management of the park and the concentration of Land Rovers chasing any wildlife that had the temerity to poke its nose out of its lair. Neither the safety of the animals or the tourists seemed to be uppermost in anyone's minds.
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Old Mar 15th, 2016, 08:59 AM
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Not a choice, ann. During Christmas/New Years, ALL hotels on the south coast--including Galle--require a 4 or 5 night minimum stay, depending on the property. So we had to make the choice...and, as much as I want to stay in the fort, I don't want to stay there for 4 nights. So we'll do visits from Weligama.

And, as for the rest of the time there: relax (since we're not doing that really on the rest of the trip at all--and, as I've come to realize on these trips over the years, parking your butt and just relaxing a bit is a super important part of any vacation).
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