Dates Visited: July 9 2022 – July 18 2022
Background
I visited Sri Lanka during the toughest week in the country’s recent history, Easter 2019 terrorist attacks, the pandemic’s effects on tourism, the Ukraine war, and overall government mismanagement lead the country into a rapidly degrading situation with fuel shortages island-wide, lack of forex to pay for critical food and medicine imports, etc. This trip was originally scheduled for July 2020 but had to be postponed due to the pandemic. I enjoyed my trip in July 2022 but it definitely did not feel 100% “normal” with the fuel situation going on in the background. I would definitely come back to Sri Lanka in a few years after the domestic situation has settled down – while the fuel situation did not affect me as a tourist as much as the locals were affected, the lingering effects of having no fuel for an entire country’s economy and transport definitely had an impact on daily life in the country and my overall experience.
Arriving
Bandaranaike International Airport (CMB)
The main international airport for the island, located about 45 minutes outside of the capital city of Colombo. It’s an average airport given the conditions and there are adequate facilities here but nothing to write home about. Most of the shops and restaurants were open when I landed at a very late hour and staff speak English for the most part. As soon as you exit from baggage claim, there’s at least a dozen different currency exchange counters available who will compete with one another (literally) for your dollars/euros/pounds. Pick the best rate to go with. You can also pick up a SIM card from the counters near the exit doors.
Immigration/Customs
Sri Lanka allowed U.S. passport holders to sign up for an ETA/eVisa which I took advantage of. It took 3 days to get the email with my approval notice and I was able to clear immigration with relative ease. The line did take a bit longer than usual with the limited amount of flights/heavier load hours. Customs was uneventful, standard bag X-ray.
The second option was visa-on-arrival which was what I did. Visa-on-arrival, while wasn’t the fastest option was beneficial in that I got a beautiful Cambodian visa stamped into my passport. You’ll fill out a form given on arrival, pay about $30 USD, hand over your passport, and wait 20-45 minutes for your passport to be validated, stamped with the visa and returned to you before proceeding through immigration.
Note that the visa fee must be paid in U.S. Dollars cash only and ATMs might not be working. I did not have any issues in terms of being asked for bribes or anything of that sort. However, corruption is a major problem in Southeast Asia so do be on the look out.
Lounges
I tried the Lotus First Class Lounge by Gate 7 with Priority Pass and was unimpressed. The seating was a relict of the 1970s and food/beverage options looked cold, stale and otherwise unappetizing. Skip.
Currency
This information was written in July 2022 and may have changed by the time you’re reading this. Due to the Ukraine war and overall economic forces globally, the Sri Lankan rupee lost 50% of it’s value in the first half of 2022 resulting in mass inflation on the island/food prices skyrocketing for locals. To the benefit of foreigners though, this meant everything became cheaper with our dollars. Coupled with the forex shortage in Sri Lanka, as soon as I stepped out of baggage claim, every currency exchange counter at the airport was competing for my attention/my dollars. I never had this happen anywhere else in the world. Each counter would scream, wave, shout, hold up clipboards with their USD/LKR rate to try and entice me to choose theirs. You have at least a dozen counters to choose from here, so simply pick the best rate.
Sri Lankan rupees come in 20, 50, 100, 500, 1000, 5000 notes at the time of writing. In general, 50/100/500 notes are the most useful. 5000 notes are often too much for daily use but this can depend on your lifestyle. Coins are used and in circulation but I never had to deal with them.
ATMs are abundant island-wide and they do accept foreign debit cards. It is also possible to exchange foreign currency at hotel receptions island-wide (albeit at a bad rate) and your driver/guides might know some ‘black market’ exchange options (jewelry store, local businesses, etc) in the cities you’re visiting.
Taxis/Rideshare/Local Transportation
I strongly recommend hiring a local driver/guide for your trip to Sri Lanka – it is possible to drive your own car/tuktuk/motorbike but it’s best to leave that to the professionals. During my visit, given the fuel shortages, most cars/tuk tuks were stuck waiting in the miles-long fuel queue rather than on the road. This meant I basically had no traffic/no congestion on any roads whatsoever during my stay. The downside was that we couldn’t afford to “waste” fuel by speeding – not that there were any police officers monitoring the road. They, too did not have fuel.
If you are in the capital city of Colombo, you can try Uber or PickMe (localized Uber) but I was unable to find any rides on either due to the fuel shortage at the time. Outside the capital city, tuk tuks or local drivers with cars is the better option.
I can recommend my local driver/guide and introduce you if you’re interested.
SIM Cards/Wi-Fi
Coming out of immigration, you’ll see SIM card kiosks by the exit of the airport. SIM cards are quite cheap in Sri Lanka (~8-10USD) for a whole package. I recommend purchasing Dialog – I had no issues with speed or coverage throughout the whole island. WiFi is available at all hotels and some large touristy restaurants. Internet speed is acceptable.
Sightseeing
Galle Fort
Built by the Portuguese and the Dutch in historic times, this is a giant fort complex on the seaside. Nice view points and there was even a cricket match going on in the stadium adjacent. Lots of young couples on romantic dates, families on nice strolls, etc.
Yala National Park
This is where you would find leopards, bears, etc on your Sri Lankan safari. They also have elephants, deer, water buffalo, etc. Unfortunately I didn’t see any leopards as my guide said there’s only about a 20-30% chance of seeing them. You need a safari jeep to enter and your hotel can help arrange a safari driver for you.
Ella Town
My favorite town in Sri Lanka, it’s backpacker central and has a handful of nice restaurants congregated in the main town area.
Ravana Waterfall
A quick stop along the drive to Ella – it’s a nice photo spot but nothing much here otherwise.
9 Arch Bridge
You’re going to have to strap up for a hike through the railroad tracks to get here, it’s relatively safe though. Nice viewpoint and beware the wasp nests under the bridge. Don’t fly a drone here or the wasps will attack. If you see or hear a drone, better to get out of here before the attack commences.
Little Adam’s Peak
A moderate hike near the town of Ella, takes about two hours round trip. Nice views from the top.
Ella to Nanu Oliya Train Journey
Sri Lanka is famous for the scenic train journey where brave and daring people hang out of doors and windows for the perfect selfie. The train journey indeed is beautiful but I would forego the selfie stunts.
Labookellie Tea Lounge/Damro Tea Factory
A beautiful tea plantation on the way from Ella to Kandy – nice photo spots, a good tea factory tour and a slightly overpriced gift shop.
Kandy Temple of the Tooth/Kandy Lake
Dambulla Rock Cave Temples
Polonnaruwa Ancient City
Minneriya National Park/Kaudulla National Park
Your safari guide/driver will know which park to go to based on where the elephants are that day, it’s required to hire one otherwise you can not enter the park. Your hotel can assist in finding a safari driver.
Colombo City Tour
We did a quick two hour circuit of the main attractions of the city – Lotus Tower, President’s House (damaged in the protests), Temple Trees/PM house (burned down in the protests), Galle Face, Independence Square Park, Old Dutch Hospital, etc.
Food/Drink
The Bungalow Galle Fort
Delicious crab curry at this small restaurant in Galle. Kind staff but only outdoor seating without air conditioning.
Cafe Chill
I tried the Sri Lankan lumprais here (similar to Cantonese lo mai gai or Malaysian nasi lemak) and it was quite delicious. A bit of a touristy restaurant and popular amongst visitors/expats/locals in Ella, Cafe Chill is sort of the backpacker central restaurant to be at. At night, the atmosphere is quite festive.
Pradeep Restaurant
This is a small restaurant near the town of Sigiriya with Western/Sri Lankan options my guide took me to one night. English menu is available and it was reasonably priced. The curry and rice was average but there were not many options around Sigiriya.
Ocean Restaurant
This is an “expensive” seafood restaurant in the Kingsbury Hotel where you can pick fresh fish/shellfish from an iced display and have it prepared however you like. I tried lagoon crab and mud crab prepared in curry style and garlic/butter respectively. The mud crab was the superior choice, by far.
McDonald’s in Sri Lanka
I tried two local menu items on the McDonald’s menu – the Curry McRice and the Chicken Big Mac. The Chicken Big Mac was underwhelming, tasted like a drier version of your normal Big Mac. The Curry McRice was surprisingly well flavored though with two pieces of fried chicken, basmati rice and a side of curry sauce.
Accommodation
Agnus Unawatuna – Galle
This is a small boutique 4-star hotel near Galle city I stayed at for two nights – friendly staff, delicious room service, and amazing sea views. It is clean, inexpensive and a quiet oasis. Ask for a sea view room and enjoy the wide spanning views.
EKHO Ella
This is a local chain (EKHO) hotel in the small town of Ella, probably the most expensive hotel in the town. I found it to be a bit overpriced for what you get although the rooms are quite nice and themed after the Sri Lankan train journey that brought Ella to fame. I would stay here if you want to splurge but otherwise, find cheaper accommodation in Ella.
DoubleTree by Hilton Weerawila Rajawarna Resort
Surprisingly inexpensive for a 5 star hotel (~$55USD) – this is a secluded from town and extremely posh Hilton resort near the Yala National Park (good for safaris). A nice resort that has everything you need without the splurge prices of EKHO Ella. The grounds are huge and isolated from the town. You would need a car to get in/out as there’s simply nothing around the hotel. Rooms are clean, large and spacious and the staff service standard is up to Hilton’s high bar. Limited dining options on site though.
Cinnamon Citadel Hotel – Kandy
This is part of a local chain (Cinnamon) – 4 star hotel near Kandy but not in the city. 20 minutes from the Kandy City Center/ Kandy Lake Clean and spacious rooms, large property.
Cassandra Culture Resort – Sigiriya
There’s not many good options near Sigiriya for hotels but Cassandra is a decent 3-star option. It’s in the middle of absolutely nowhere and the road to get there is a bit undeveloped/rough but the rooms/hotel itself is fine. Extremely friendly staff and chef at the restaurant – I was one of only 3 guests there during my stay. The chef came out personally during breakfast and dinner to check on the food.
Shang-ri-la Colombo
This is often mentioned as the best hotel in Sri Lanka and definitely lives up to that reputation, at eye-watering prices (~$200USD/night). It’s a 5 star Shang-ri-la with a beautiful interior lobby and nicely decorated rooms. Staff are very courteous, kind, and professional. High tea was delicious and there’s a nice spa on site as well. It’s connected to the Galle Face shopping mall by elevator for your shopping needs. During my stay, the #GotaGoHome protests were ongoing and you could get a front seat view from this hotel on Galle FACE.