Here's our tentative 18 day itinerary:
Dec 19 arrive Airport 10:30 pm; drive to Villa Araliya,
Negembo for o/n (overnight)
Dec 20 drive to Cultural Triangle region; late
afternoon tour of Dambulla cave temples
o/n Kandalama
Dec 21 tour Sigirya, then Polonnarusa
o/n Kandalama
Dec 22 drive to Anuradhapura (if safe)
o/n Kandalama
Dec 23 drive to Kandy: see town, dance show
o/n Kandy House
Dec 24 Kandy: visit temples en route to Pinnewala
Elephant Orphanage o/n Kandy House
Dec 25 tour Temple of the Tooth Relic; visit Peradeniya Botanical Gardens
o/n Kandy House
Dec 26 9 am train to Hatton (observation car)
o/n Ceylon Tea Trails
(Tate in Castlereagh or Garnet in Summerville)
Dec 27, 28 Tea Country o/n Tea Trails
Dec 29 drive to Yala Nat’l Park (if safe) or Uda Walawe
o/n tented camp: Leopard or Kulu Safaris
Dec 30 Yala National Park Tented Safari
Dec 31 drive to Galle o/n Galle Fort Hotel
Jan 1, 2 Galle o/n Galle Fort Hotel
Jan 3 drive to Bentota
4,5 Bentota :Taru Villas or Saman Villas or ???
Jan 6 day in Bentota, afternoon visit Ambalangoda,
maybe visit /have dinner in Colombo
arrive at airport at 10:30 pm for 1:20 am flight

We have 18 nights in SL; perhaps more than we need but one can never have too much time in a new country. Besides Jan 6 was earliest we could get return flight in BC on Cathay Pacific using our ff miles.

Question on allocating days: Need feedback on whether to have 2 nights at Tea Trails and 3 at Yala or visa versa. I keep going back and forth. More than two nights at Tea Trails may leave DH bored and me looking like a blimp..or maybe not. We could do 3 nights TT, 3 Yala and reduce Galle to 2 nights.

Craig I know you had to reroute and avoid Yala. At this point Leopard and Kulu Safaris are saying Yala will be open in Dec. and that it should not be too rainy. No one seems to know what is to be done in the event we can’t go to Yala due to TTiger activity. How would we find substitute lodging around New Years? (The tour operators I’ve asked don’t seem to have any contingency plan in place for these circumstances.)

I have questions about the accommodations. Information, especially info that compares apples to apples is very difficult to come by. Rates are opaque. It appears that using a tour operator saves no money (in fact may be 20% higher) and sometimes I get more up to date info on availability directly from the hotels. The British outfits have to contact their ground operator and days pass and availability changes.

At Villa Araliya: We called directly using Skype. The owner was suppose to send us confirmation by e-mail but no word. He said he didn’t need a credit card to guarantee. Does anyone have his e-mail address, we had a poor connection and didn’t get it right. I want to follow up.

Kandalama: The superior rooms sound quite small. Anyone stayed in superior or deluxe room? What are the advantages and disadvantages of B & B rate vs half board rate, given the food and the costs?

Kandy House: Their web site does not list any direct e-mail or phone number. They seem to book primarily through tour operators. Does anyone have a phone number and e-mail to contact them? The rates I’m getting from internet sites (like Luxury SriLanka, Boutique SR, Red Dot) are all over the map! Any locations within the hotel to be avoided? Any advantage to half board? Anywhere good to eat in town?

Yala: Anyone dealt with Leopard or Kulu Safaris? How satisfied were you with your safari experience?

Galle: Is 1 1/2 days enough time to enjoy the town or should we reduce Tea Trails or Yala to 2 days to keep 3 nights in Galle?

Bentota: Where do you recommend staying for a tranquil end to this trip? We like small boutique beach properties so Taru Villas (rated on #15 on Trip Advisor, based on one report) and Saman Villas (rated #2) got our attention. Anyone know about the food at
these places? The other small properties reported on TA are more for the backpacking set. any other intel on beach hotels in this area? Tangelle area would be backtracking from Galle so we thought that a poor idea.

Robbie, its great that you will have 18 nights. My advice is don't rush. Traveling around by car is REALLY slow. Don't plan much on your first day - maybe save the Cave temples for later. Its a long drive to Kandalama.

Definitely do 3, maybe 4 nights at Tea Trails. With only 2, you will not have a good experience IMO. It takes a while to go to and from there to anywhere else so your first and last days will not count for much. The tour operators consistently recommended only 2 nights for safari. Also consider Mahoora Camps, a division of EcoTours, a major operator in SL. As for changes in plans, Boutique Sri Lanka performed admirably when they had to cancel our safari and reschedule us. I was very specific about what I wanted though and they came through.

I have heard stories about people not using tour operators and being bumped at hotels, especially Kandalama so best to use a tour operator I think.

Villa Araliya is so cheap that any mark-up using a tour operator will be minimal. Don't try to book direct.

I think the rooms at Kandalama are pretty much all the same size. The difference is in the view and that depends on what floor you are on. We stayed in a deluxe room (4th or 5th floor) which also had a jacuzzi which we did not use. I see no point in doing anything other than 1/2 board as there are no alternate places nearby to have dinner.

Again, book Kandy House through a tour operator. The rooms are all different but spelled out clearly on their website. I would book a room on an upper floor but its a small hotel and all of the rooms should be ok. If you spend more than one night you may want to eat in town. However, it's a 20 minute drive so keep that in mind.

1-1/2 days is plenty of time to enjoy Galle. We felt quite satisfied after 2 hours. From Yala it would be better to stay in mellow Tangalle for beach time before heading to Galle. We saw all of the beach towns along the southern and southwestern coasts and they were not that impressive. We did enjoy our stay in Tangalle - report to come soon.

You must reserve the train well in advance. A tour operator can help you with this. Please read up on the elephant orphanage. For a number of reasons we decided to give it a pass.

You will have to deal with lots of variables as we did. It was not a perfect trip on account of this.

Our tour director, Rammuni Silva can be reached by e-mail at [email protected]
If you have the capability, send him a text message on his cell at 011-94776067282 to let him know that you have e-mailed him. He travels a lot and is always reachable by text message. He has the contacts to reserve at pretty much any place you want to stay and could possibly get some good discounts.

I've stayed at Taru Villas in Bentota three times - most recently about 12 months ago. I love it. Highly recommended. The least expensive rooms are fine. Very cool, very classy - and a hundred miles of beach just one minute away.

I moved there from Saman Villas - which is not far away and not nearly as good.

Tea Trails, Kandy House, Galle Fort Hotel - excellent choices. Go for 3 N Tea Trails - Craig is correct - travel time is a killer.

I'm not overly impressed by the Elephant Orphanage. It's, from memory, quite a way from Kandy. I guess, if you've never seen an elephant before...

Hi,Robbie, just some quick comments from Kauai. I'll give you more detail when I get home.

Frankly, I can't imagine visiting both Sigiriya and Polannaruwa in the same day (Cheryl agrees). So I think you need to add another night at the Kandalama.

Also, I agree with Craig that you need more time at Tea Trails. Plan to spend much of your Tea Trails time at Tea Trails. It's really a wonderful experience and will be a nice break for you in the midst of your very busy schedule.

Craig is also right about the amount of driving involved in your itinerary. While the distances seem like they aren't that far, driving is very slow and err... exciting.

Villa Araliya does not take credit cards. So a credit card guarantee is worthless to them. You'll pay them cash upon departure.

I do have the card from the woman who manages Kandy House in my travel journal. I'll find it when I get home and send you the information and also get back with more specifics on other topics.

I'm already revising. Keep it coming, you're great. Why doesn't anyone go to Anuradhapura? Too far? Unsafe? If we don't go there, we could do one day each for Sigirya and Polonnarusa and unclutter our schedule.

Anuradhapura, these days, is getting pretty damn close to where the bombs are going off. It's half an hour from Wilpattu - still closed. [I know - I was the last foreign tourist there before the bombing and closure]

The ruins at Anuradhapura are [how can I put this and not give offence] not thrilling. You need a healthy imagination and a great deal of background research to make sense of them. Pretty tho'. Angkor Wat it ain't.

Check your distances and driving times for your 'day trips'.

Do you realize that you'll be up for a Christmas Dinner fee? [Which, as you're at the Kandy House, won't be any chore] But it'll be compulsory, I bet.

And, despite what Craig thinks, [with the greatest respect] you really don't have to tip every damn thing that moves.

Somehow I missed that you planned to do Polonaruwa and Sigiriya in the same day. It may be possible to do it but its way too much in one day. Besides, they are in opposite directions from the Kandalama. We did the Dambulla caves on the same day as Sigiriya and that worked out well.

Our guide recommended that we skip Anuradhapura for the reasons dogster gave.

Kathie's point about Villa Ariliya not taking credit cards is correct. They don't take travelers checks either.

At Kandy, do the Peradeniya Gardens first thing in the morning when its not too hot. If you do photography the colors will be better also.

In terms of getting accurate pricing for hotels, its best to get a quote. We received quotes from Red Dot Tours and Boutique Sri Lanka with BSL being the more competitive of the two.

While we did not necessarily tip "every damn thing that moves", we did try to recognize the good service that we received. We also felt it was nice to give to those at the bottom end of the economic scale - toilet attendants, those that watch your shoes at temples etc. Note also if you are photographing tea pickers - their salary is $2/day so 50 rupees for a photo goes a long way.

Based on all your input I've revised to
1 night Negembo
3 nights Kandalama or Cinnamon Lodge. Anyone know about Cinamon (formerly The Lodge)?
2 nights Kandy, 4 nights Tea Trails, 2 nights Yala, perhaps one night around Tangella, 2 nights Galle, 3 Bentota. I'm favoring Bentota as our beach stay because its closer to the airport and won't make for as long a drive (on a very long day) as from Tangalla area. Our homeward flight leaves at 1 am with long layover in HK.
Better?

That sounds better to me, Robbie.

We wanted to go to Anuradhapura, but we were advised it wasn't safe. I don't think Dogster's comparison to Angkor is fair (it's not Abu Simbel either), but I do understand that the ruins are not as impressive as Polannaruwa (which seems to me to be the appropriate comparison).

By the way, as you know we visited the Dambulla Cave temples our first afternoon. But we had spent a few days in Bangkok before flying to Sri Lanka, so we weren't contending with jetlag.

18 days! I like that. That's the way to come to Sri lanka....

Cinnamon Lodge - this was formerly known as the Habarana Lodge run by the John Keels Group who have several hotels around the country. Rooms are spread out around the grounds in Chalet style. I think Kandalama is nicer though, has better food also.

I don't think Galle is worth 2 nights but it would be a good place for an overnight stop from Yala. Don't bother staying in the Tangalle area for just one night. Shortly I will be posting on my stay at Tangalle and you can decide for yourself whether it is worth staying there or not. The Taru Villas at Bentota sounds great, however. Keep in mind that you will have a 2-3 hour drive to the airport from Bentota. Since Galle to Bentota is also a 2-3 hour drive, you would have plenty of time to tour before you leave to head north. On the afternoon/evening before your flight I would consider driving north from Bentota at mid-day and stay at Villa Ariliya so you can do a shower, nap and/or dinner. The airport is only 1/2 hour from Villa Ariliya. At about $70/night it would be worth it with the overnight flight and layover ahead of you, even if you don't stay there for the whole night. If you are flying business class don't count on spending a lot of time in the lounge at the airport - there is a separate smoking area but bizarrely, it is open so the whole place stinks like cigarettes.

I'd like to apologise to the ruins at Anaradhapura.

And, indeed, for having any opinion at all.

Stupid of me to think that the opinion of someone who has actually BEEN there could, just perhaps, be
more valid than someone who hasn't.

Stupid of me to think that the impressions of my 12 weeks in Sri Lanka could, in any way, be as valid as those of you who have spent 10 days there.

I'll butt out and leave it to the experts.

Hey dogster, lighten up - your experience and your opinions are no less valid just because someone of lesser experience disagrees with you.

Craig - it's when somebody with NO experience disagrees with me that it gets up my nose.

Robbie, Rammuni tells me you contacted him. Let me know how you make out.

Dogster, my point was that it's not a helpful comnparison to say that Anuradhapura is not Angkor. It would be very helpful if you could say that Anuradhapura is in worse shape than Sigirya or is not as extensive as Polannaruwa, or whatever. That is, compare sites within a particular civilization.

Well, your input counts with me Dogster. Hmmm, if Craig thinks only one night in Galle, how to apportion the extra day.
My revised revision is 2 nts Negombo (we need the rest); 3 Kandalama (thanks Mohammed); 2 nts Kandy House; 4 nts Tea Trails; 2 nts Yala; 2 Galle; 3 Taru Villas.
SOOO, if I cut Galle to one night as Craig suggessts, where should I apportion the free night??
Yes, I am in contact with Rammuni. His quote was about 30% higher than I got just by contacting the hotels directly or in the case of Villa Araliya, Kandy House and Kandalana by using internet sites SR in Style and I-Escape. Thanks Craig for alerting me to use operators or booking services for these hotels. So I wrote him again to discuss this. I'll keep you posted.
When Kathy gets home from her vacation, she will give me her driver's info and I'll contact him for a quote on driving services.
I think it makes sense to use a tour operator but I don't think it makes sense to pay 30-80% more to do so. (Boutique SL sent me a quote that was 80% more than the modules I could assemble; quotes range from $5400 to $12,000 for this 18 night itinerary) Since hotels charge their highest rates at this time, maybe tour operators do the same.

O.K. - I'll be coaxed out of my pouting to say this:

A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. Craig and Kathie have been tremendously generous in their advice but, as they would be the first to admit, their experience of Sri Lanka is limited. [this is not an attack on either of them: both their trip reports have been great - just like the first time I went to Sri Lanka - in fact EXACTLY like it.]That trip was thru Abercrombie and Kent. It cost a bomb [comparitively]. Unnecessarily.

As you're discovering BSL, SriLanka in Style etc are in the business of Bullsh*t. So, in my humble opinion, are their guides. I am also in the BS business. I know a fellow BS
artiste when I see 'em. They'll tell you what you want to hear and take you where they want you to go.

The tourism industry of S.L. is in a state of denial. Columbo could explode and they'd still be taking your bookings - at outrageous rates.

You would be, IMHO, a complete idiot to book your hotels thru them - OR the ubiquitous Rammuni. If he's giving you the mark-up now on the big stuff you can be assured it'll be happening on the small stuff.

And, if he's good at his job, you won't have a clue. You'll leave wide-eyed, tip lavishly and jump on the plane none the wiser. O.K. - nothing wrong with that. If that's how you want to travel - enjoy.

Plus, you're stuck with him for 18 days.

Reading Craig's report, it appears that at every location, you'll be passed over to a local guide. Who you will pay extra.

Why you would want to stay in a dump for two nights in Negombo is beyond me. There are better options. If you want to be a target for every low-life beach bum then, by all means, go.

You've been advised, I assume, to avoid Colombo - by people who've never been there.

You've been advised to not bother much with Galle - by someone who spent 2 hours there.

Think about your dates. Where will you be for Christmas Day? New Years Eve? Galle Fort Hotel is about as good as you're gonna get for NYE. It's a great place.

Given the time of year you're travelling you've got no chance at all of getting cheapo rates. You'll just have to cop that. It's known in the hotel trade in Sri Lanka as 'the season of greed.'

For good reason.

You don't need either a guide or a driver during your 4 days at Tea Trails. Look at their website. All included. Max extra cost would be a tuk-tuk from A to B. [I've stayed in them all, bar Summerville]

Let them organise you. You're paying for it.

You don't need a guide on the choo-choo [great idea by the way]
You could EASILY sort out your trip from Kandy to Tea Trails and beyond with just a driver to Tea Trails and one from TT to Yala. TT will sort that. Simple.Kulu will be looking after you while on safari - you don't need a guide or driver for that.

All you need is a driver from there to Galle. Kulu can organise that. Or, as I've done, Karl at Galle Fort Hotel will sort it. Three hours.

Galle Fort can also sort you with a car and driver to Bentota. Two hours - or less on a good day. Or, as I've done, you could do it in a tuk tuk. Or two tuk tuks - one for the luggage. It's fun. Stop and start as you like. Cost? bugger-all.

Once you're at Taru they'll sort your day trips in their nice white tuk-tuk. Brief is great, poarticularly if you're staying at Bawa's Kandalama. [google it if you don't know what I'm talking about.] You don't need a driver or guide.

So: Dambulla, Polo.. and Sigiriya you'll be using local guides.

Temple of the Tooth - local guides. Kandy House will sort all this out for you. Trust them, they're fine.

Tea Trails - no guide needed. Kulu safaris - no guide needed. Galle - no guide needed. Bentota, no guide needed.

So why, may I ask, do you need a guide - or for that matter, your own designated driver? You're travelling in self-contained chunks. All you need is a connection from A to B. Otherwise you're paying both of them to sit around.

Bits and pieces:

Be warned: the drive from Tea Trails to Yala [and I've done it] can take up to ten bum-numbing hours. Yes, ten. Road works.

You don't really need to stay anywhere before your flight - Bentota to Colombo is about two hours. But if your flight out goes at night I'd be thinking of it, I guess. Only because travelling at night is less interesting - and probably marginally less safe - accident wise. Marginally. Depends how fragile you are.

I could go on, but I think you're a smart traveller. And we've got lots of time to fine tune the details. Like I said before - some of your day-tripping is optimistic - to say the least.

I can't comment on the Kandalama. I chose not to stay there - but I'm told it's improved. But if it's two hours from there to Polo.. [I can't be bothered looking up the correct spelling] that means it's two hours back.

Sri Lanka is EASY. But they'll rip you off blind if they think you're a target. Some of it you can't avoid - but outrageous mark-ups are not acceptable. Anybody who gave me a quote for $12,000 for 18 days would get a curt reply and nothing more.

It doesn't make sense for you to do it thru a tour company - or to have a guide. If I understand your trip correctly you have seven things to do: book Negombo, Kandalama, Kandy House, Kulu Safaris, Galle Fort Hotel and Taru in Bentota.

All of them can be done on the net, or with a phone call direct. Easily. I'd estimate I could knock that off in about an hour.

You're more than capable of that.

Robbie - I'm off to India tomorrow so I'll be out of range for a few days. I'll drop back in here when I can. Doubtless I'll have something to reply to.

I want a percentage of the $$ I'm saving you.

Interesting perspective from Dogster - I will make a few comments in a a separate post.

Robbie, I hope you are getting itemized quotes, not package pricing. Also I hope you are being very specific about which room is being quoted at each property as prices vary widely. The pricing that Boutique Sri Lanka offers is the same as that on the Kandalama, Tea Trails and Kandy House web sites. There is a premium in some cases for the X-mas/New Years holidays. Some of BSL's prices (Tea Trails, for instance) are now in pounds Sterling so you may have to convert. Note that on its web site, Tea Trails pricing is per person, not per room.

I had not heard of I-escape before. What is the URL for SR in Style? - I can't seem to find it. Looks like you deal directly with the hotels when you ask for a quote through I-escape - is this correct?

Be sure to be specific on the type of vehicle you want. Rammuni used a large van with plenty of room to stretch our legs and tons of room for our luggage. Kathie's driver had a sedan. With gas prices as they are it will make a big difference in pricing.

After rereading dogster's post I was able to find the Sri Lanka in Style website - the pricing for Kandalama is identical to that on Kandalama's own site. The same goes for Tea Trails - note that again this is per person pricing. Pricing for both is the same at BSL.