Itinerary Advice -August
Hi, we are heading to SL in August and was just hoping for some advice on the below itinerary and whether it needs tweaking in terms of timings etc.
Day1 late arrival negombo, stay negombo
Day 2 train to Puttalam, xfer to wilpattu
Day 3 full day safari wilpattu
Day 4 full day safari wilpattu
Day 5 xfer + train to jaffna, stay jaffna
Day 6 Jaffna, stay jaffna
Day 7 bus -car? To trincomalee
Day 8 trinco
Day 9 trinco
Day 10 train / bus? To cultural triangle - not sure whether better to stay dambulla or habarana for 3 nights, sunset at pidurangala
Day 11 explore cultural triangle
Day 12 full day trip to anuradhapura
Day 13 lunchtime train to Colombo stay colombo
Day 14 Colombo, stay colombo
Day 15 very late night flight out of colombo
I've missed off kandy and Ella as they seem like they will be too busy, plus I'm trying not to move around too much. Any feedback, comments or tips most gratefully received, including any accommodation. Thanks in advance.
Hi there,
Sounds fine. Direct bus 88 every 2 hours Jaffna-Vavuniya-Trinco, though doing the part up to Vavuniya by train is probably more comfortable. Dambulla or Habarana is just a matter of picking the hotel that you like most.
-Erik> & [Sandya]
Sounds good and covers some of our favourites from our trip to Sri Lanka and not as rushed as many itineraries found here.
Do include both Pidurangala and Sigiriya rocks (they are not the same)
Jaffna is great, and often overlooked
We preferred to stay in Trincomalee itself (on Dutch Bay) vs the much more touristy Uppaveli
You probably do already have enough to explore, but just be aware that there is a lot more to the hill country than just Ella, and sometimes the escape from the heat can be a welcome relief (we loved Haputale and Ohiya much more than Ella)
#3, one more time posting sections like " If you’d like help... " will lead to being reported for selfpromotion, and in the longer run ending up in the forum's naughty list. You're clearly a local operator and hence not here for selfless volunteer support (like TA aims to be) but for earning money, and behaviour in that line is against TA rules.
-Erik> & [Sandya]
Thank you I'll take a look again at the hill country outside of Ella, might be that it's for another trip, as just not sure if there is enough time on this one..finding it hard to narrow down where to go without rushing through ! Thanks for the tip re trinco, I'm about to make a start on accommodation so will take a look now
Hi Heidi 1 -10,
I looked at your itinerary and thought it was great. Are you a couple?
Compare the comfort and safety of a small car with a driver against the hassles of train, bus and tuktuk with luggage of two people. And the transfers. Travelling by train and bus is in itself a pleasure, I know. I've done both.
Booking safaris and train seats in advance is important.
I have given below a slightly optimized version of your itinerary with a few suggestions:
Day 1:
• Arrive at Katunayake Airport (CMB)
• Transfer to Negombo for the night (close to airport, good to rest)
Day 2:
• Take train to Puttalam (morning)
• Transfer by car/tuk to Wilpattu
• Overnight near Wilpattu National Park
Day 3:
• Full-day safari in Wilpattu
• Overnight near park
Day 4:
• Another full-day safari or half-day + relax
• Overnight near park
Day 5:
• Transfer to Puttalam
• Train to Jaffna ( Are there direct trains from Puttalam to Jaffna? You can travel more efficiently by bus.)
• Overnight in Jaffna
Day 6:
• Explore Jaffna: Nallur Temple, Fort, Point Pedro, Casuarina Beach
• Overnight in Jaffna
Day 7:
• Travel to Trincomalee
o Consider hiring a car with driver (Jaffna → Trinco is ~5.5 hrs, buses available but tiring)
• Overnight in Trincomalee
Day 8:
• Enjoy Nilaveli or Uppuveli beach
• Visit Koneswaram Temple & Fort Frederick
• Overnight in Trinco
Day 9:
• Relax or optional snorkeling at Pigeon Island
• Overnight in Trinco
Day 10:
• Travel to Cultural Triangle
o Best to hire a car or take bus to Dambulla or Habarana
o Both are central, but:
Habarana = quieter, nature, closer to Minneriya
Dambulla = better facilities, closer to cave temple
• Sunset at Pidurangala Rock
Day 11:
• Visit Sigiriya, Dambulla Cave Temple, and nearby sites
• Overnight in Dambulla/Habarana
Day 12:
• Day trip to Anuradhapura
• Return and overnight in Dambulla/Habarana
Day 13:
• Take lunchtime train or bus to Colombo
• Overnight in Colombo
Day 14:
• Explore Colombo: Galle Face, Old Dutch Hospital, Pettah markets
• Overnight in Colombo
Day 15:
• Transfer to airport for flight out
Have a nice trip!
Yes decent plan too. Puttalam to Jaffna would be bus to A'Pura, about 2 hours, then train (do reserve) . The road Puttalam-Mannar is impossible on 2WD for most of the year, and if a bus runs at all about the most uncomfortable drive possible.
-Erik> & [Sandya]
Hey Heidi,
First off, I love how you’ve stitched together a route that dips into the less-touched corners of Sri Lanka, Wilpattu and Jaffna? That’s the kind of itinerary that earns nods from locals who’ve seen it all.
So here’s the fun part, your plan is already strong, but with just a few tweaks, you could smooth out the pace without losing the charm. Wilpattu for two full days? Perfect choice. It’s one of those parks where patience actually pays off. If you haven’t locked down accommodation yet, try staying near the Hunuwilgama entrance, it shaves off a lot of morning travel time before safari o’clock.
现在……从维尔帕图到贾夫纳？那可真是一段不小的路程。如果你选择火车加汽车，做好长途跋涉的准备吧。不妨考虑中途停留一晚（哪怕只是为了找个绿树成荫的地方舒展一下筋骨）。或者，如果你的预算和体力允许，包车出行可以节省时间和精力，毕竟如果你抵达贾夫纳时已经筋疲力尽，那里的炎热会让你更加难受！
从贾夫纳到亭可拉各斯是可行的，但巴士可能速度慢、混乱，而且……挺有意思（这里指的是旅行博主那种委婉的说法）。如果只能选择一段行程包车，那就选这一段吧。你会感谢自己的明智之举。
至于文化三角区，丹布勒和哈巴拉纳都不错，但如果你喜欢更安静的住宿环境，又想方便前往多个景点，我会推荐哈巴拉纳。丹布勒更有城镇氛围（美食也更多样），而哈巴拉纳则能让你感受到丛林小屋的宁静。对了，一定要去皮杜兰加拉看日落。在日落时分欣赏360度全景？绝对不会让你失望。
一日游游览阿努拉德普勒听起来有些冒险，但绝对可行。建议早点出发，并提前安排好带导游的嘟嘟车或汽车。那里的规模非常庞大，与其说是徒步旅行，不如说是一次精神之旅。
乘火车返回科伦坡？沿途风景如画，但行程安排要灵活，因为斯里兰卡的火车更注重氛围而非准点率。
跳过康提/埃拉？说实话……感觉还挺新鲜的。你选择深入体验，而不是匆匆游览热门景点，而这往往能带来最精彩、最真实的旅行故事。
祝您旅途平安，愿八月的天空晴朗多云（但也不要下太多雨，增添戏剧性）！
谢谢布琳达，是的，我们是一对夫妇，都四十多岁了，非常习惯独立轻装旅行，但也注意到在某些地方包车可能更方便。谢谢你给我的行程安排提出的建议，非常感谢，这些建议或许能让我稍作调整。我们非常期待这次旅行，希望能探索斯里兰卡不那么商业化的一面，也渴望品尝各种地道的斯里兰卡美食。如果有人知道哪里可以吃到这些美食，请告诉我，我们不追求价格昂贵的餐厅，只想吃到真正美味的当地佳肴。谢谢！
谢谢Aaquib，
再次感谢您就交通和旅行时间提供的建议，要弄清楚哪些方案切实可行确实很难……所以非常欢迎大家的反馈。
你这么一说，我觉得或许可以稍微调整一下行程，在游览完维尔帕图国家公园之后去阿努拉德普勒（可以傍晚去，也可以第二天一大早去），在那里游览一天，住一晚，第二天再坐火车去贾夫纳。这样时间上可能更合适，而且也不用在行程快结束的时候再安排去阿努拉德普勒一日游了。你觉得这样安排怎么样？
Also good point re booking the train tickets and long transfers in advance, I don't want to spend much time whilst I'm in Sri Lanka organising the admin when I can do that now :) ,
thanks
