Second solo trip to Sri Lanka
Rest time: November 2011
Second trip to Sri Lanka
In November, I decided to go to Sri Lanka for the second time. Before that was a year ago as an "organized" tourist. That is, I bought a package of services with friends (hotel, flight, transfer) from a tour operator. Being on the island, I realized that you do not need to pay for the hotel. It is best to buy a ticket and travel around Sri Lanka with a local guide. And it turns out that the beach hotel is paid, but you want to travel. Why pay twice? Moreover, many excursions are designed for 2-3 days.
And so: took the tickets and go. We flew through the UAE. The ticket cost $635. (from Kyiv to Colombo in two directions). With a transfer and hotels, I agreed in advance with a local guide. By mail (and phone calls). We met him a year ago. Rest in Negombo. Hotel Camelot. In general, any trip is better to start in Negombo. Close to airport and closest to attractions. The guide's name is Marshall.
He knows English and German. Learn Russian. Its coordinates:
Marshal's Oriental Sea Food Restaurant & Rooms
no. 307/1 Lewis Place
marshal_1958@yahoo. com
If you go out of Camelot to the street, then on the right to go 300 meters and there will be his office.
It was my first "independent" trip abroad. So it was a little scary. Will they meet or not? When we arrived in Negombo. At 3-30 at night. Of course we were welcomed. And first we went to a large fish market (to buy fresh seafood) so that Marshal's wife would prepare a festive dinner for us. Rather, the marshal bought everything. And we followed him and looked with surprise at everything that was sold on the shelves (sharks, tuna, king prawns, Jumbo shrimp, live lobsters, etc. , etc. ). Marshal bought a little bit of everything and there was a chic feast for the evening. Everything cost about $10. per person.
We rested for the night and in the morning we went to the other side of Sri Lanka. In Trincomal.
Vouchers to this region "bite". Getting there is much easier.
We went there because the sea is calmer. And most importantly, visit about. Pegion. Was in Egypt 9 times, Was in the Seychelles. I thought I would not see more beautiful corals. An no. I have never seen such corals anywhere.
Yes, they also took a diving instructor Dasha (they paid $ 1 per person - only $ 9 - funny)
He showed us the most beautiful underwater places. We saw sharks, turtles, lobsters. In short, it's still fun. True, the entrance to the island was made paid (earlier, they say, it was free) - 10 dollars. And a $10 boat. But no one regretted the spent dollars.
We rested for two days (three nights) in Trincomal. Hotel Lotus Park.
And then we went to Kandy.
On the way we visited Sigiriya. Dambulla cave temple.
We saw wild elephants in nature.
We spent 2 days in Kandy. We visited the botanical garden.
Marshal led to the village where he used to live. An unforgettable sight. People are all smiling. Children climb trees and pluck all sorts of fruits, which they feed us.
No travel agency will show such exotics.
Then we went to Nuwara Eliya. through tea plantations. Waterfalls. We spent the night in the mountains at an altitude of 2000m above sea level. A completely different climate. As we have at the end of September. Then there was rafting (cooler than in Turkey), 2 people fell out of the raft. But the water in the mountain river is warm. Don't even believe it. Well, then we arrived in Negombo. The tour was 8 days in total. We paid for it (together with hotels and meals, transfer) 440 dollars from the nose. Not very cheap. But we had a bus at hand during the whole time. Wherever you want to go, go there. I have described only part of the excursions. Everything is impossible to describe. All the same, it's cheaper than buying in Ukraine (Russia). You can change the route along the way. Stop wherever you want. Choose a different class of hotels. Marshal offered us to live with him - 40 dollars. room for two. But we decided to live in more comfortable conditions and rented a hotel for $75 for two.
