Sri Lanka and the Maldives

I have wanted to visit Sri Lanka for years and it is rare when a destination lives up to the expectation (and I think it exceeded my expectation most days).   The welcoming spirit of the people of Sri Lanka is noticeable everywhere and I truly felt welcome in this beautiful country.  When I normally start to write a blog, I have a few pages of notes.....I just finished 10 pages for this trip.   I have no shortage of amazing things to say about Sri Lanka.   The Maldives are also beautiful, but it is hard to get to know the locals as resorts are on their own island, so it was a very different experience than I had in Sri Lanka which makes the two destinations a great combination to see together.  

My first impression on the drive from the airport was how clean Sri Lanka was----we were driving through towns on the 30-minute drive to my first hotel, Uga Riva Negombo.   It is an old colonial house now a small boutique hotel.   I quickly checked in and was shown to my room.  They thought I might be hungry and left me a cheese and tomato sandwich in the room with a few cookies.  I thought this was a very kind gesture---it isn’t like the hotel is all-inclusive, so this was just an added extra.  These small touches continued to happen throughout my journey---it was like they were welcoming a friend. 

I had a wonderful driver named Cicil for my entire trip.  We became friends and he took me to where I needed to go each day and make sure I met my guide in each location.  It is difficult to really cover the country without a driver and compared with other destinations (like Italy) the fee for the driver is fairly reasonable.  We left the next morning early for the 3 hour drive to Dambulla Caves.  One of the first things I noticed on this drive and at a brief stop at a lake was the number of street dogs.  Some look to be in bad shape and others are in great shape---they hang out on the street during the day, but have a stable place that feeds them.  The Buddhist culture feels a community effort to take care of living beings, so many homes feed the dogs.  The Sri Lankans like cats better than dogs and the cats are often inside cats.  I saw one guy holding his cat in his arms looking out his front door---the cat was a Maine Coon or something and looked to be about 20 pounds!  I knew there was a problem with street dogs (more about this later) but I was still surprised.  Thankfully most are street smart and somehow Cicil missed hitting every dog that happened to dart out into traffic. 

The Dambulla Cave Complex dates back to the 1st century BC and includes over 150 statues of Buddha that were created over time.   Some of the statues and cave paintings have been restored, but others are original which is crazy to imagine how they have survived all of these years.   

After Dambulla, we had about an hour drive to Uga Ulagalla.  It is located in a peaceful area in the middle of local villages and rice paddy fields.  Uga is a local chain of hotels and they care about the communities where they are located----in this area, they fund clean drinking water where locals can come and gather fresh water every day.   That afternoon I had a jeep tour to the local villages to learn a bit more about the Sri Lankan way of life, how they manage elephant/human interactions and a moment to enjoy the scenery at the end with some snacks.  Uga Ulagalla has many monkeys on property and then had a party on my villa roof one afternoon. 

The next afternoon I went to the ancient city of Anuradhapura.   The best way to see it is by bicycle as the ancient city is spread out and the parts that have been excavated (only a small amount have been) are scattered across a large area.   Parts of stupas have been restored, but it is amazing how much is original from a more than a century ago.  It was established in the 5th century BC.   I had a guide with me and he shared a lot of the history and importance of each site which was very helpful.  There are no signs, so you would be lost without a guide.  Parts of the ancient city reminded me of Angkor Wat but what absolutely did not remind me of that was the fact that there were very few crowds.   The last stupa was a bit crowded, but that was largely because of Buddhists coming to pray towards sunset, not because of an influx of tourists.   One part of the bike ride, I had to bike through a pack of domestic buffalo as they were being moved from one field to the next---can’t say that I’ve ever done that before!  That illustrates how one of the more popular tourist sites in Sri Lanka is still very quiet.  

The next morning we were off to another very popular location--- Sigiriya Rock Fortress.  This and the other sites I mentioned are all UNESCO World Heritage sites.  We left early in the morning to beat the heat of the day.   The journey up has about 1,200 steps and there is very little shade.  Once at the top, the views are amazing and you can see for miles.  The palace on top is all in ruins, but you can see the foundations and my guide explained what each area had been.  My guide had maybe 3 teeth and I’m not sure how old he was, but he has been taking people up Sigiriya for almost 50 years.  He speaks 12 languages and spoke in full sentence Japanese when we met a Japanese family---to say they were shocked was an understatement.  He had English down pat….and probably could have run up the stairs had I not been holding him back.  On the way down, you are also able to visit an area where there are some original frescos.  Many frescoes made it to recent history, but unfortunately in 1967 an international visitor destroyed many of them.  They all represent the ladies of Sigiriya—mostly mistresses (the King had hundreds).  There are no photos allowed of the frescoes.  

After the journey down, we headed about 3 hours away for my next stay---this time at a wellness retreat called Santani.  The location was stunning and very peaceful with views of the Knuckles Mountain range.   Each day there is a morning and afternoon yoga session and thermal bath area open to all guests.  There is also a full service spa and a clinic for those that want more of a prescription for health and healing.  There are hiking trails nearby and a daily guided walk.

The next night I stayed fairly close by on one of the top 100 golf courses in the world.  I had no idea that Sri Lanka had one on the list before this trip, but it makes sense after many years of English occupation (and Dutch and Portuguese before that).  The Victoria golf course has a resort and many private homes that are rented out as villas.  I stayed in The Alfred, one of those villas.  There are 6 bedrooms spread out across several floors of living space, along with a library, media room, dining room and private pool.  There is a staff to serve meals and help you arrange activities.  I think this would be a great location to spend time with a larger group of friends or family.  The first photo of this blog is the view from The Alfred.....it was stunning!
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The next morning, I headed to Kandy, about an hour away.   This city is famous for the Temple of the Tooth…one of the temples around the world that has a Budda’s tooth (this one is the left canine).  There is a large festival every year in July or August (correlates with a specific full moon) and it is a common Buddist pilgrimage site.  I happened to be there the last day of a 10-day very special occurrence where the casket holding the tooth was opened---the last time it was opened was 16 years ago.   Millions of people came to see the tooth itself and I think we drove past probably 100k or more as we came into the city.  People were waiting in line for DAYS to get inside.  I had no idea my visit corresponded with this special occasion.  Needless to say, I didn’t go inside the temple.  Even my city tour was impacted as the city was simply full of visitors.  

After a couple of hours in Kandy, we headed up to the hill country where tea is grown.  The drive is a bit curvy but it is beautiful scenery.  It is amazing how quickly the terrain changes.  My next stay was a Uga Halloowella.  This is a former colonial bungalow located about 7,500 feet above sea level.  There are only a few rooms here and the plan is all-inclusive, so it seems that there is always something being offered to eat or drink throughout the day.  Each room has a butler and mine, Karun, was one of the kindest people I have ever met.

The next morning I had a tour to a tea plantation and factory to see how tea is made.  I have done tea plantation tours in other countries (India and Rwanda) but each story is a bit different.  Like on many tea plantations, the workers are typically women and the supervisors and factory workers are men.  Some of this is due to the low pay for pickers and many men leave the village to try to find higher paying work---but the women need to stay close to the village to take care of the family.   For an average of 18kg-20kg of tea leaves picked each day, a woman receives about $5 each day she picks and is paid once a month.  They bring the tea to be weighed at set times during the day and I witnessed one of those sessions.  A supervisor looks over the leaves to make sure they are younger leaves (lighter leaves) and takes out any dark ones he sees.  This group of ladies had a dog with them---my guide said dogs are often with the pickers to protect them from wild animals (and for a dog, it is safer than being on the main road).  The guide was surprised when the dog came up to sniff me—most street dogs don’t interact much with humans, but I happened to be wearing shoes I often wear with my foster dogs and I think the dog was wondering why this human smelled so good….lol :)

​The factory tour took me through each step of the process and from leaf to packaged for auction, the process only takes about 24 hours.  The packages that are sent to the weekly tea action are large bags---nothing gets branded or made into tea bags at this factory.  In one room where the dried leaves are chopped, there was a definitive haze of tea in the air….it was hard not to cough.   I asked about the workers as none were wearing masks---the answer was that you get used to it….and that you can absorb caffeine from the dust and it keeps the workers strong.  Made me want to Google if there is something like tea lung disease (I did--this isn’t something specific to tea workers, but it can cause respiratory disease).  No photos were allowed in the factory.

I was off the next morning for the scenic train from Hatton to Ella.  This historic train has been making the route for years and you weave in and out of tea country and local villages.  The train doesn’t go all that fast and unfortunately now there are segments that are really busy with people wanting IG or Tik Tok photos or videos hanging off the side of the train.  Thankfully nothing happened on my train, but there are frequent incidents of people getting injured or falling off the train.  

About 4 hours after boarding, I got off in Demodara (one stop past very busy Ella) and headed to Nine Skies Boutique Hotel.   They are located right on some of the longer hiking trails in this part of the tea country.  This property is also all-inclusive.   There isn’t anything within walking distance so it makes sense to have everything at the property.  I was only here one night, but it is in a very peaceful location.

The next morning, I got up early to beat the heat for the walk up to Little Adam’s Peak in Ella.  This walk is relatively easy compared to the other places I visited, but it is still about 450 stairs up and a stretch of walking.  It was a cloudy day, so no stunning view that day.  

We were heading to Yala National Park from Ella---a couple of hours away.  We were descending from the tea country down to the ocean.  Yala is one of the few national parks with wildlife that abuts the ocean.  In the dry season, elephants will come down to the ocean to cool off.  As many of you know, I love to see wildlife in their natural habitat.  I knew Yala was going to be crowded, but I still thought it was my best chance to see leopards.   I stayed at Uga Chena Huts located right on the ocean and just a few minutes away from the park entry.  I ended up seeing several elephants, monitor lizards, crocodiles, deer, jackal, domestic and wild buffalo and many varieties of birds.   I did not see a leopard or sloth bear.  I would still go to Yala even knowing what I know now, but I don’t recommend going to Sri Lanka just for a safari---I feel like you have much better opportunities to see animals in other locations.   However, since Sri Lanka has so much to offer, while you are there seeing other things, I would include a night or two of wildlife viewing (in Yala, Wilpattu or one of the other parks).

From Yala I headed to the Galle area for the history and some beach time….and to visit a dog care clinic I’d heard about.  I always try to include at least one visit to a non-profit in my travels and animal welfare is often top off my list.  
 
En route, I stopped at a small bed and breakfast that also harvests cinnamon.  I knew cinnamon came from some sort of bark, but that was the extent of my knowledge.  My guide explained the process from growing the plants, to harvest to peeling the bark to create cinnamon sticks that are dried and eventually turned into the cinnamon we put on our oatmeal or in our cookies.  Much of the cinnamon we have in the States is cassia which isn’t considered real cinnamon.  Ceylon cinnamon (harvested only in Sri Lanka) is considered the only real cinnamon….sometimes called true cinnamon.  The flavor and chemical profiles of cassia and Ceylon cinnamon vary quite a bit.  

I loved the city of Galle and how resilient the people are (from colonialism to the 2004 tsunami).  I originally chose to stay at a beach resort that I knew might have more of a party vibe than I usually like….but thought I might be a good fit for several of my clients that like a DJ by the pool/beach club.   I rarely find I place that I absolutely would not recommend to anyone, but Angel Beach is one place that I will not be sending anyone for various reasons.   I left after one night.   I found another great property nearby and the little glitch didn't impact my schedule. 

That morning I met with some local artists from a community about 20 minutes away that specialize in the traditional art of mask painting.  I was shown examples and given a blank wood mask template that had been carved by hand.  I am generally not very artistic, so I thought the mask might look like a 2nd grader created it, but somehow it looked pretty good (and most of the creative decisions were mine—only a couple of suggestions from the artists…like when I forgot to paint on eyebrows).  It was almost mediative creating this small mask.  

Afterwards I visited the dog care clinic and brought both in-kind material donations (such as sutures, medications and dog toys---many donated by my local rescue Community Paws in Buckeye, AZ) and a cash donation.  This non-profit is one of the most organized I’ve visited in my travels.  A German woman runs the non-profit and they offer complimentary spay and neuter surgeries, they feed street dogs on a set schedule each day and offer a stipend to locals who will care for a street dog.   This gives them a little income to help pay for the dog’s food, as well as their own.  It is a win/win situation.   Volunteers visit the homes to make sure the dogs are still be cared for each month before giving out the stipend.   The facilities are on a large parcel of land and are very clean and modern.  This is the website if you are ever in the neighborhood or would like to donate money from home to help support this important mission (https://www.dogcare-clinic.com/en/)
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I was sad that my time in Sri Lanka was coming to end.  I left Galle and stayed at a beautiful property tucked into an industrial area near the main Colombo Airport---much nicer than most airport hotels around the world.  Wallawwa has a beautiful pool and manicured grounds with plenty of places to sit outside, in addition to a spa and restaurant.  It was only about a 20 minute drive to the airport the next day for my flight to the Maldives.

Sri Lanka is a great location to combine with the Maldives as it only a 1.5 hour flight away.  I knew I would only be spending 3 nights in the Maldives and I choose a resort close to Male that could be reached via speedboat.   Many resorts in the Maldives can only be reached via sea plane and the planes have more restrictions in place than the speedboats do. Sea plane transfers are also quite a bit more expensive. I chose a resort called Velassaru because it was smaller than many properties (about 130 rooms, bigger than I like, but still small by Maldives standards) and was only about 25 minutes away from the Male airport via speed boat.   Velassaru is also known for more barefoot luxury, so no need to dress up for dinner….it is very beach casual and has a bit of a boho chic vibe.  

As I mentioned when I spoke about French Polynesia, I am one of the few people that would choose a beach villa over an over water bungalow.  I saw an over water bungalow at Velassaru and they are beautiful and actually have quite a bit of outdoor space with a plunge pool….but I love the additional space and privacy that you get with a beach villa.  The villas themselves are about the same size, but you get more outdoor space with the beach villa.  

Most resorts in the Maldives each have their own little atoll/island.  This gives you a sense of exclusivity, but it also means that you can only explore that island.  There isn’t transportation between most resorts, so if you switch resorts, you often have to go back to Male and start over going to the next resort.  It also means that you will be eating from only the resort restaurants during your stay.  This isn’t terrible as most resorts have fantastic food and a variety of options, but if you are the type to go a bit stir crazy, keep that in mind when you decide on your length of stay.  I enjoyed every moment of my 3 night stay, but I was ready to leave the island.   Food is also quite expensive….similar to French Polynesia.  For example, the dinner buffet at Velassaru came to about $90 per night, per person, not including drinks.  
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Being fairly close to Male also has its perks on the way home.  I could enjoy the resort until 3:30pm before having to head to the airport for my 7pm flight.  

I know this was a LONG post, but I hope I have gotten you excited about Sri Lanka and the Maldives.  Until September 30th, 2025 I will have an exclusive offer for those mentioning the word "Dream" when contacting me about traveling to either destination.