Golden beaches, ancient temples and the friendliest locals - Sri Lanka was a destination that exceeded every expectation. It was a pleasure to experience this beautiful country with Riviera Travel. Our tour was led by the wonderful tour leader, Adrian and expert guide Dimi, who made the trip stress-free and informative.
Days 1 – 3
We began the tour on a direct flight from Heathrow, where, just under 11 hours later, we arrived in Colombo. Our first hotel was the 4-star Aire Lagoon in Negombo, with a gorgeous pool and across the road from a little beach. This hotel was the perfect place to start our tour. Dinner was buffet with a variety of local and international cuisine (all hotels throughout the tour offer buffet dinners and breakfasts, which are included in the cost with Riviera). Day 3 was an early start as we passed through a small fishing village in Negombo on our way to the Dambulla Cave Temples. These 1st-century cave temples are a UNESCO World Heritage site adorned with over 150 preserved Buddha statues. After an in-depth tour of the temple with our guide, we made our way to the second hotel of the trip, the 4-star Habarana Village by Cinnamon. Here we stayed for 2 nights.
Days 4 – 6
Day 4 was one of my personal highlights of the tour as we climbed the famous Sigiriya Rock, a 600ft granite tower crowned with the remains of a 1500-year-old palace. We braved the 1200 steps up the side of the rock and were greeted with the most incredible panoramic views of greenery and lakes. The bottom of the rock is home to many cheeky monkeys; one even jumped onto my bag to try and steal my banana! It was back to the hotel to spend the rest of the day relaxing by the pool. On Day 5, we said goodbye to Habarana and made our way to Kandy. Along the way, we stopped at a spice garden to see many indigenous plants such as nutmeg, cocoa beans and cinnamon. In the late afternoon, we arrived at hotel number 3, the Cinnamon Citadel. This hotel was my personal favourite, it had such a relaxed feel with a stunning pool overlooking the Mahaweli River. Day 6 began with a visit to the Royal Botanical Gardens, the perfect excursion if you have a green thumb. The gardens are home to many historic trees planted by the British Royalty. In the afternoon and early evening, we were lucky to experience two of Riviera's excursions only available on their 'Signature Tour', which was a boat ride down the Mahaweli spotting water monitors, turtles and an array of birdlife, followed by a traditional Kandy dance performance.
Days 7 – 9
The seventh day started at the Temple of the Tooth. This sacred site is believed to enshrine a relic of Buddha’s tooth and is the holiest Buddhist shrine in Sri Lanka. We then made our way into the hills up to Nuwara Eliya, where the weather was notably cooler. We stopped at the Glenloch tea plantation for a full tour of the factory and even got to pick some tea leaves ourselves! The afternoon brought us to our 4th hotel, the Golden Ridge. A gorgeous hotel with amazing views of the hills, where we were treated to another signature tour experience, Afternoon Tea. After setting a personal record for the number of cups of tea drunk in one day, it was an early night for me. Day 8 was our longest day of travel as we made our way down to the south of the Island. We made many stops along the way, including the Udawalawe elephant transit home. This wildlife protection facility focuses on rehabilitating orphaned elephants from babies until 5 years old. We even got to see feeding time for the elephants - so cute! In the evening, we arrived at hotel number 5, the Chaarya resort and Spa. Day 9 was my absolute favourite day of the tour, beginning with a 4:45am start to Yala National Park. On our morning safari, we were lucky to see the rare sloth bear, elephants, spotted deer, water buffalo and lots of birdlife. I decided to do the optional chargeable afternoon safari, and it most definitely did not disappoint. We were lucky to see more elephants, crocodiles and the star of the show - the leopard. I felt so incredibly lucky to have seen 3 leopards and be so close to them, it was so surreal. The afternoon safari takes you to a different part of Yala National Park, and I could not recommend doing this more.
Days 10 – 12
On our final stretch of the tour now, we start by visiting the beautiful town of Galle. This UNESCO World Heritage site, where you will find the 16th-century Dutch fort. This town felt very European with structural influence from Portuguese, British and Dutch ruling. Our final excursion on the itinerary was visiting the Kosgoda Turtle hatchery. Another highlight for me as we were awed over 1–4-day-old turtles before they get released into the ocean. They also look after older turtles who may be injured or have been rescued. Our final hotel, the stunning 5-star Anantara Kalutara resort, where we were welcomed with a song and dance from the hotel staff. Day 11 was our final day, where we could spend the day winding down after a fabulous 10 days. I chose to spend the day at the adults-only pool, a quiet area where you have direct access to the beach. In the evening, we watched the most beautiful sunset, which was the perfect way to end our tour. On Day 12, we sadly travelled back to Heathrow after our final buffet breakfast. It was truly an incredible journey from start to finish, and I am so grateful I got to experience it.
My top tips:
- Bring lots of mosquito spray!
- A rain jacket or jumper is handy for Nuwara Eliya
- Make use of the laundry services at the hotel as it is very reasonably priced
