tereza

I've just started planning a trip to Sri Lanka for later this year, so I have a few questions for anyone who's been there already:
1)When is the best time of the year to visit the island?
2)Any worthwhile places to visit while there? We'd like to book a nice hotel in a place from where it's easy to do some short trips. Or, do you think it would be worth it to stay in two different places (change hotels) so we could see as much as we could while there?
Our idea of a holiday is a nice/comfortable hotel, but also being able to do as much sightseeing as possible. We like to walk a lot and take hundreds of photographs.
3) Which part of the island is better to visit? Any good hotels there for you to suggest to us?
Any help you could give us will be much appreciated. Thanks in advance!

ccc

Tereza, We spent a week in Sri Lanka this summer and posted a trip report, which you can access by clicking on my name. A few tips: 1) hire a driver. It's ridiculously inexpensive and gives you the flexibility to stay in places other than the middle of cities, 2) don't limit yourself to hotels. We stayed in a couple of "plantation bungalows" (eg on a tea plantation) which we loved. Especially if you like to walk and take pictures this might be an interesting option, 3) we used Lindsay at Boutique Sri Lanka (www.boutiquesrilanka.com). While I am certain there are others who can also help, I think she did a great job at steering us to some things we wouldn't have found on our own. Please let me know if you have any questions.

tereza

ccc, I'm just going to go over your trip report, I found it. One question first, late April, beginning of May, is it a good time to visit Sri Lanka?

ccc

Sri Lanka has two different monsoons, which affect different parts of the country at different times, so the answer to this primarily depends on where you are going to be in the country. You should check Lonely Planet for better information. I will say that we were there in August primarily in the hill country and the south, which I don't think is supposed to be the best time for that part of the country. Other than a few rain showers in Kandy the weather was great. The bottom line is I wouldn't worry about it too much.

Lyndie

Hi tereza-we visited Sri Lanka for a month arriving mid Aug 2005 and found the weather was hotter in Colombo and on the south coast than in December 2005 when we visited again. April is very hot apparently. We met a couple in September when we stayed at the Taj Exotica, at Bentota, who had visited in April 2005. They said the heat during the day was uncomfortable when they went for walks etc. Movember to March is probably the best time if you can make it then. Otherwise just go when you can and stay away from the East coast near Trinco. Car searches by the army & LTTE conflict don't make for a nice holiday! Good luck!

ccc

When we were in the hill country during August, we actually had fires at night, quite a refreshing change from everywhere else we went.

Lyndie

ccc-Haputale & Ella were actually warm & humid in late August. Hard to believe. We took some warm clothes and did not need them! Strange climate in Sri Lanka, but oh such a beautiful island. Let's hope they can work out their political differences! All the best.

ccc

Bizarre. We were actually very close to Heputale in early August and the cool climate was a very refreshing change from the other places we went on this trip (Laos, Cambodia, and other parts of Sri Lanka). Tereza, the bottom line is that you should not let the weather guide your decision making process.