Definitely "A Land Like No Other"! It is highly recommendable for anyone seeking tranquility, raw nature and diverse culture. Indeed, Sri Lanka is the next big thing in South Asian tourism; with its stunning coastlines, disparate wildlife and natural parks, historical structures that will transport you back in time, religious sites and of course, the warm-hearted and friendly people… the nasty civil war that last for decades will become just a thing in the past (happy to say they are on the road to great recovery).
Transportation:
We splurged big time... we needed to relax badly and last thing we’d like to do was to stress on transportation.
Cathay Pacific – stopover BKK outbound and SGP inbound.
Hotel Limo – arranged by hotel, US$180 from Colombo Airport to our hotel in Wadduwa.
Private Car – arranged by one of the hotel staff, US$180 from Wadduwa to Sigiriya
Private Car – arranged by restaurant owner, US$130 from Sigiriya to Colombo
Taxi – Hilton Colombo to Airport costs US50
Hotels:
Similar to transportation, we didn’t have much energy to stress on our accommodations. We wanted to unwind and indulge.
- Elephant Corridor Hotel - (Located at the heart of Sri Lanka - Sigiriya) All I can say is, staying in this hotel is an experience like no other. :)
We gathered that trip to Sri Lanka will not be complete without a visit to the Sigiriya’s Lion Rock and Dambulla.
The advantage of hiring private car is the opportunity to take side trips whenever wherever. Wadduwa to Sigiriya is more than 200km and Dambulla is on the way so we took little time to see the town.
It is a shame we didn’t go see the temple cave. Got so excited to see Elephant Corridor Hotel, a perfect place to lodge for 4 days while exploring the heart of Sri Lanka.
Minneriya National Park became my most fave place in the island. It is smaller compared to nearby national parks; located 180km from Colombo (around five hours drive), but it has the biggest concentration of wild animals. It is home to elephants, leopards, sloth bear, spotted deer, sambar deer, wild buffalo, wild boar, grey langers, purple-faced leaf monkey, mongoose, porcupine, indian pangolin and to more than 150 species of birds. We were told that from August to October, 300 wild elephants come together to gather. True that! We saw nearly 200 wild elephants around the Minneriya Lake roaming and playing. It was paradise!
The jeep drove through a beautiful collection of trees and greenery and as the driver winded through the shrubs, it slowly bare the wide-open space full of wilds that were seemingly under the spell of its incredibly peaceful atmosphere. We spent a great deal of time observing the herd of elephants scattered around the park grazing and playing. Truly and experience in itself.
I will leave you some time to visit the hotel website... what you read is what will you get. Don’t forget to join the morning exploration, the guide will take you to the hidden temple and you’ll get the great rewards – an amazing 360 view of Sigiriya and received blessings from a monk who is heading the temple.
