Tell us more about what you want from your time in Sri Lanka. You have chosen three very different places, and the drive times among them mean you'll spend a fair amount of time on the road. Galle is a long way from Nuwara Eliya - maybe 8 hours drive.

Do you have a Sri Lanka guidebook yet? If not, I'd recommend you get one (I liked the Lonely Planet).

There are a number of Sri Lanka trip reports here, including mine (click on my name and look under trip reports). If you choose Sri Lanka on the drop down menu at the top of the Fodors page, you will get a list of posts about Sri Lanka.

We used Boutique Sri Lanka to book our hotels and our car and driver. You might want to explore their website, as it has info on lots of lovely hotels. Other reports have recommendations for other travel agencies.

Before you settle on the locations you want to visit and the hotels to choose, do some more research. You have many, many wonderful options.

We also used Boutique Sri Lanka for our hotels but hired an independent guide and driver. You haven't allowed yourself much time for this trip. I can't see visiting Sri Lanka without seeing the Cultural Triangle - Sigiriya, Polonnaruwa, Dambulla etc. There's a great place to stay in Dambulla - the Kandalama Hotel. An alternative in hill country to the Nuwara Elia properties is Tea Trails which has been a highlight for anyone that has visited. I also did a trip report (click on my name and look under trip reports). Also do a search for a trip report by Robbietravels...

I agree with Kathie in regard to logistics, although I confess that if I had but one week in Sri Lanka, I would choose the same itinerary. It will take you the better part of a day to drive from Colombo to Nuwara Eliya, and from NE to Galle, and from Galle to Colombo. Of course, for a newcomer, it is all interesting, even if time-consuming.

When I was in Galle in October, 2008, I stayed at the Lady Hill Hotel, which is on a hill not far from the fort. It is a fine place, with a nice roof-top restaurant looking out at the sea in the distance, gracious dining room on the main floor, good service, and a friendly cat, Coffee.

I believe that I mentioned in another post my experience with drivers and gave a personal contact number, if you want to know more. ZZ

I see that Craig was posting his message while I was writing mine. In regard to omitting the Cultural Triangle, it all depends how interested one is in historical Buddhism. Sri Lanka is a paradise for Buddhist pilgrims, but, for a westerner not steeped in the iconography, teleology, and other-worldly view of an ancient religion, what meaning is there in the statues, stupas, and caves honoring the Buddha? Would it not be better to visit places that are understandable and to see Buddhism in practice today, as at Seenigama Vihara on the south coast near Hikkaduwa (now, going there is an experience!) or even at Gangaramaya Temple in Colombo? ZZ

Thank you all for your replies. We would have preferred flying everywhere to save time but I understand that's not an option internally. I will definitely check out Boutique Sri Lanka.

Yeah, I know one week is not enough but we are spending 2 additional weeks in India which also will not be enough (and we are repeat visitors there). I had heard about the Cultural Triangle as well. For now, we thought just to concentrate on the 3 most visited spots. Maybe if we go back to Sri Lanka, we will focus on that for sure.

Will look up driver recommendations. Thanks again!

Kathie, in answer to your question, we are looking for some nice history and culture while we are in SL, with some R&R thrown in. Nuwara Eliya sounds nice, it sounds like Simla in India which I loved. There are supposed to be some nice waterfalls nearby and some other points of interest. Galle is just to relax, go see the old fort, etc. while Colombo is again just visiting the must-see sites. I agree they are all over the place. We are used to good internal air connectivity whenever we visit India so the thought of long drives will take a bit of getting used to. Having said that, I understand that the roads are decent and the scenery is very pretty which we can actually enjoy sitting at the back.

If you are interested in history and culture, do consider the cultural triangle. I don't agree with Zambezi's assessment that it wouldn't mean anything to a westerner or that it doesn't reflect Buddhism today. It apparently wasn't of interest to him, but only you know whether it is of interest to you.

Our itinerary was quite different from yours. Take a look at my trip report and at our photos at www.marlandc.com which may give you some other ideas.

We stayed at Tea Trails up in the tea country and it was heaven on earth! It just depends on whether it fits into your budget.

Zambezi is a "she" and she, having taught---from the historical angle---about Buddhism for a long time, has even been to Lumbini, the birthday place of the Buddha in Nepal. I didn't say there wouldn't be any meaning in visiting these sites; I just questioned how much. By "places that are understandable," I meant tea estates and historical towns like Galle, not Dambulla, etc. I did not say, either, that they don't reflect Buddhism today, although you might infer that. It looks as though I need to do a better job of writing. ZZ
P.S.
Kathie: At least you made a stab at gender. I didn't come out a "they."

I would not spend 3 days in Galle and I don't know that there are any "must see" sites in Colombo. I am sure there are those that would disagree but whether you love historical Buddhism or not, the cultural triangle is the most interesting area in Sri Lanka. For the amount of time you have, just pick two places, preferably close together. If it were me (and as Kathie often says, "it's not") I would do the cultural triangle and the hill country.

Sorry, Zambezi for guessing wrong on gender. From what you wrote, I (wrongly) deduced that you had little interest in the historical Buddhist sites in Sri Lanka. Given your interest in historical Buddhism, I'm surprised that you discouraged Baby Bear from visiting these sites. (or did I misunderstand that?)

I know that I am very interested in Buddhism and have actively pursued visiting Buddhist sites in Asia. I'm the sort of person who has never gotten "templed out" and I've said before that I've never met a wat I didn't like. So, while I don't assume that other travelers will want to spend as much time as I do at Angkor or visiting the wats in Luang Prabang or immersing themselves in the Cultural Triangle in Sri Lanka, I do encourage other travelers to explore these places, and try to convey my experience of these places. I'd be interested in hearing about your experiences of Buddhist sites in Asia.

I couldn't contemplate a trip to Sri-Lanka without including some part of the Cultural Triangle. You must find time to climb Sigirya Rock and, to see Dambulla Temple.

Both Galle and Nuwara Eliya are more about Colonial history and in your time frame I would skip Galle and include some time in Kandy and possibly squeeze in Pollonaruwa to get a better understanding of Sri-Lanka before the English and Dutch periods. This combined with some time on a Tea estate will give you a nice diverse taste of this magnificent country.

I'm listening in.

ZZ I thought you were a 'he' too Something about the name.

I'm one of those who would probably skip the Buddhist sites (sacrilegious, I know), so I'm happy to hear both sides of the argument.

A friend of mine just got back from SL.She happened to stay at the Cinamon Grand in Colombo.Seemed to like the place a lot.I would like to try on my next visit.Heres the link:
http://www.cinnamonhotels.com/Grand/CinnamonGrand.htm
Galle is ok.Can give it a skip,since you are hard pressed for time.Bentota was a little too commercial to my liking.Hikkaduwa was nice.So was Unawatuna.These are as far as beaches are concerned south of Colombo.Some lovely beaches in the eastcoast.
SL is steeped in culture.Considering you have just a week & travel would takes up a lot of time.Think of doing Colombo-Kandy-Nuwara Eliya back.

I'm snooping too.

Nobody seems to have noticed that BB wants to travel over the Christmas/New Year period.

Be aware BB, that the drive from Nuwara Elia [if you must stay there] and Galle WILL be 6-7 hours. If you do this on a holiday just take sedatives and abandon hope.

IMHO you'll get more Sri Lanka vibe inland - unless you've never seen a beach and a palm tree. Why on earth no Kandy? It's on the way to Nuwara Elia. Remember too, there are some very cool boutique 'destination' hotels in Sri Lanka.

Ms Zambezi's comments are spot on. For the 'kinda interested' I'd say Sigiriya and Dambulla were the more approachable. Anuradhapura and Pollonaruwa errr... stretched my enthusiasm. Bang for buck [if you really want to climb one million steps gasp gasp wheeze gasp and then climb down again] Sigiriya.
Frankly, I'm still none the wiser about any of it.

You don't seem to have found a good resource to help you select hotels. Have a look in here too, just to see what's around.

www.reddottours.com

Hi Femi,
The appeal to me of most of the Cultural sites in Sri-Lanka was more the historical significance than anything religious.

There are many "WOW, HOW DID THEY DO THAT?" momments that take your breath away and the stories behind places like Sigirya are really interesting. It is not just all about Buddhism.

I'm definitely looking for wow moments like you describe Shanek. I love culture, and don't mind a bit of history, but am bored almost to tears when having to stand and listen to the significance of religious ruins.

I don't mind breezing in and out in a 'just the highlights' kinda tour, but guides don't usually feel like you're getting your money's worth if you don't climb every rock tourists tend to want to climb, and listen to them recite page after page of college textbook script.

Sri Lanka is very high up on my list of places to go, and I'm looking forward to learning about the tea and spice trades and wildlife.I'm almost certain I'll be skipping Kandy and Dambulla, not to mention the rest of those sites even though my visit would be about 3 weeks long.

Baby Bear hope you don't mind the wandering paths these threads sometimes take.

To me Sigiriya is to Sri-Lanka as the Pyramids are to Egypt. The Amazing stone carvings that remain and what is left of the fortress on the top of this sheer rock lays testament to the amazing engineering abilities of early Sri-Lankan civilisation. It rates up there with the 7 wonders, if there was a top 10 it would be in it in my opinion.

If you time your trip right, the Kandy Perahera is also a must see. A spectacular religious festival with a fabulous parade. Dont skip Kandy, it is a great place with fantastic gardens and buildings and is on the way to "tea country"

I'm considering going in Feb 2011, so I won't be able to see the Perahera, the only reason I would have considered Kandy.

You're argument for Sigiriya has made me re-examine the possibility of a visit.

Femi, as you know, we hired a car and driver in Sri Lanka. He was not a guide, but would arrange guides IF we wanted them. You might like to visit some of these places and not use a guide, which is very possible to do.

The first time we went, we did it with a driver who had an extremely good knowledge of the sites we visited and he gave us a run down whilst we drove. We found this information enhanced our appreciation of the historical significance of the places we stopped at, without having to hire guides.

On my second trip, I self drove from Kandy and I did hire a guide for the climb up Sigiriya. Because I already had a good understanding of it's history it probably wasn't necessary but he did point out quite a few things that I had missed on my first visit.

If you go without a guide, do read up on it before you go as some knowledge will be of benefit.

Thanks to everyone for your most interesting feedback. We have started contacting some travel agencies. One of them - Tangerine Travels - has told us that the English speaking driver supplied by them will also have a good knowledge of the local attractions in the areas we want to see, i.e., no need for a separate guide. That suits us just fine as we are independent travellers at heart. I've ordered Lonely Planet Sri Lanka from Amazon get more info.

We will probably amend our itinerary to include Kandy. I'm told there's a wonderful elephant orphanage on the way which I want to see. Since I went to India, I fell in love with elephants and the chance to see so many of them up close would be great.

Baby Bear, let me give you a caution about driver/guides. Yes, any English-speaking driver should have a good knowledge of the history and such. But the info such a driver will have in in way compares to the info that a good local guide can give. I'm someone who believes in only judicious use of guides. We had really studied up on Angkor and so didn't use a guide there, but we did use local guides at several places in Sri Lanka. You might be interested in this: www.travelindependently.com/independent-travel-guide-or-no-guide

If you like culture/history do put in a couple of nights in around the cultural triangle. Many hotel choices here:-

Heritance Kandalama has a nice jungle feel
Cinnamon Habarana
Elephant Corridor
Vil Uyana

Nuwaraeliya is in nice tea plantation country but the town is pretty much a dump now, run down and overcrowded, the old charm is all gone now. Grand Hotel is a a grand old colonial hotel, great service but a bit tired, Tea factory migh offer more solitude and a bit of fantasy with the hotel built in a old real tea factory, however for a real plantation experience do try Ceylon Tea Trails. The golf course an the is very picturesque.

Kandy is always full of culture and history plus the botanical gardebs are nice, worth a overnight stop but if time is pressing perhaps you can skip it.

Down south beaches will be great in December and Galle and vicinity has a few hotel options/budgets/locations.

Lighthouse nice hotel but not the best of locations.

Aditya in Hikkaduwa is classy and private with the buzz and strip of Hikkaduwa just outside.

Heritance Ahungala (a bit away from Galle but super beach)

Weligama Bay Resort is also supposed to very good but I havent seen it myself.

TW, for Colombo Hilton is definitely very good but a bit of a pain with the present security checkpoints for access.

Cinnamon is great and full of life.

Yes I can also recomend Tangerine they are top notch.

Kathie, I think I will follow your trend and will not be using a guide every day.

Baby Bear Kathie is correct in that a driver/guide does not deliver the same level of knowledge that a seperate guide would. As long as you know that and think it would meet your requirements, you should be fine.

Femi, I look forward to hearing about your trip planning.

On my first trip to Sri Lanka, on an Aberchrombie and Kent private tour, we had a driver/guide with all the above assurances. He was a curmudgeonly sod.

My understanding of the driver/guide dynamic is that a good guide would no more drive than a good driver would guide. I'd always thought they were utterly separate professions: certainly the professionals seem to think so.

My understanding of the tour operator/tourist dynamic is that the words 'caveat emptor' apply.

...the words 'caveat emptor' apply at the lower end of the market and in dealings with drivers. As long as everything is sorted out upfront, things will be fine. My [unconsummated] dealings with Boutique Sri Lanka were also fine.

Kathie, as you probably know, I've had my trip planned for about two years now, I've just been waiting for a break in the fighting, especially as I want to visit Yala.

Dogster, Well said about the driver/guide dynamic! And as for the tour operator/tourist dynamic - Absolutely, LOL!

Most drivers will claim or be sold as "driver guides" however they will most likely have limited knowledge. Especially in places like Sigiriya you need a specialist local guide and these are easily available at the entry point. Feel free to bargain a bot and speak to them a bit begore deciding on who you retain for the day. In the natinal parks like Yala you will have the mandatory "tracker" from the wildlife department and also many of the jeep safari drivers have become good spotters. I don't think you need specialist guides to show you a tea plantation or a beach or stopping by smaller sites such as temples, viewpoints, waterfalls etc - the driver guide will do that well enough.

So, friends, where do we stand on our advice to Baby_Bear? After reading the many posts since my last, I'm leaning toward an itinerary that combines part of the Cultural Triangle with the hill country (thus omitting Galle). It would be fairly compact and include historical and religious sites.

Baby_Bear: Believing that you are referring to the Pinnewala Elephant Orphanage enroute to Kandy, I suggest that you not expect too much. I was told that it is the biggest tourist attraction in Sri Lanka (implying that it must be great) and maybe it is, but I found it a miserable one of little interest.

To everyone: In the September 2009 issue of The Atlantic, there is an article by Robert D. Kaplan entitled "Buddha's Savage Peace," that uses Kandy as a backdrop to discuss the recent conclusion of the civil war and the role of Buddhism. ZZ

We did not do the elephant orphanage and from everything I've heard, it is well worth a miss...

Kandy is a good half-way stop between the cultural triangle and hill country. There is a decent botanical gardens outside of Kandy worth seeing if you are into those kinds of things. Temple of the tooth is also worth a visit since you will be there.

We didn't do the elephant orphanage either.

I feel like we've given Baby_Bear enough info to decide what is "right" for them. But clearly, there are lots of people with opinions and info here if you need more input, Baby_Bear.

Oh, and Zambezi, thanks for the info on the article. I'm going to look it up.

I think BB has long left us.

I'd appreciate views on travel to the north of the island now [or, in the nearish future]. I noted recent footage of a Catholic pilgrimage to the north for the first time in 31 years. Yes, I'm working on the assumption that the war is over.

I'm after hard info from the ground, not speculation. Mohammed? Anybody else in Sri Lanka?

Second thoughts: I'll start a new post with this question.

Thanks to everyone for your input. Lots of good ideas here! We are closer to finalizing the itinerary now - Nuwara Eliya, Kandy and Colombo. We will skip Galle - if it's like Goa, we've seen the original, no need to repeat it. We are also trying to fit in part of the Cultural Triangle, possibly Sigiriya.

On a related note - I must say I'm impressed by how many people are on these boards. I had posted the same question on Frommer's and got very few replies which was disappointing as when you are trying to figure out itineraries, you need as much input as possible. I'm glad I got so much info here! Thanks again and if you guys ever need info on India, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, et al, feel free to ask away.

Have wonderful trip!

Galle is nothing like Goa, but then again you can do so much in seven days. Have a great trip to Sri Lanka.