A Lankan Odyssey : How to roadtrip Sri Lanka

Our Sri Lankan odyssey was almost serendipitous; borne out of a cancelled road trip from Bangalore to Arunachal Pradesh it turned out to be one of the best Plan B’s ever…Our tryst began in Colombo early September, when five of us decided to overland through Lanka. We hired a Micro-Bus (Toyota HiACE) for our 10-day 1,500 kms journey. This 9 seater automatic baby soon proved to be a wise decision; ample room, a peppy engine and automatic gears on marvellous Lankan roads made the journey a fun affair.

Our first night’s stay was at Mount Lavina’s — Colombo Beach Hostel, a quaint backpackers hostel with a lovely roof top cafeteria. There’s something about a hostel’s energy that catalyzes you into becoming a no holds barred traveler. The Mount Lavina beach is a short walk away and hosts many restaurants and nightlife spots. We were keen on getting on our way so we dived into a lovely breakfast served by Mr. Paul next door and hit the road soon after.

“Sri Lanka is a little Island, a pendant, that nestles gently on the swelling bosom of the Indian Ocean. Caressed by warm waters, 770 miles of golden sand ring the Island. Within these sands is green, lush green, fertile land sculptured, towards the centre, into soaring mountains. An emerald, fringed by filigreed gold and set in aquamarine — truly a jeweled pendant.” — Handbook for the Ceylon Traveler

In about 6 hours and 200 kms later we found ourselves in Sigiriya, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Lion Rock about 600 ft. high houses the remnants of a palace built by King Kasyapa in the 5th Century AD. The walk to the top albeit a test of your physical fitness is very picturesque. As you ascend you’re greeted with views of the thick jungle foliage and distant hills, a breath taking view, quite literally, since your lungs are cringing for air from the trek up. We spent an hour or so soaking in the views (read recovering) before we headed back down.

As it was getting dark we started to look for a place to stay, and chanced upon The Inn on a Tree. A tree house based hotel not too far from Sigiriya, we opted to stay in a regular dorm and settled in for the night. As we got around to dinner the clouds parted to showcase a brilliant star studded sky — we could even see the faint outline of the milky way with the naked eye, it was definitely a first for me. The magical view paired with some nice whiskey ensured a long and memorable evening.

We woke the next day bright eyed and bushy tailed and headed out to our next destination, Pasikuda — about 125 kms away. Although only a little over a hundred kilometers away, we took a good 5 hours to reach owing to a few unavoidable detours caused by road construction. We reached Pasikuda in time for dinner and found a small non-descript motel to hang our hats for the night. The Inn on the bay, was literally that — on the bay. Pasikuda, meaning “green-algae-bay” is situated in Eastern seaboard of Sri Lanka between Kalkuda and the Indian Ocean, approximately 35 kilometers from Batticaloa Town. The turquoise waters, white sands and deep blue sky were a welcome sight — allowing us to revel in an afternoon of snorkeling. A word of advice though, the sun can get pretty strong in the afternoons so a large brimmed hat and ample sunscreen is advisable, else like me you eventually will become unrecognizable to your family when you return.

Arugam Bay, a surf town about 3 hours away from Pasikuda was next on our list; the drive along the western coast of the island with long stretches of open beach hemming the road was absolutely spectacular. Arugam bay is one of those places that can make you feel like a fat slob regardless of how fit you are. This surf town is teeming with travelers who seem to have been doing crunches and burpees all their lives. Good looking people, long stretches of surf and an awesome shack culture makes this place a likely stopover for most travelers. We learned to surf (read beach slapped), partied till the wee hours of morning, ate copious amounts of street food and kicked back like a Sunday morning. If there was any place that I’d go back to in a heartbeat, Arugam Bay would be it. Do drop by Mambo’s on a party night, its guaranteed to leave you with a hangover.

For those who find the surf at Arugam Bay a little intimidating, Weligama Beach is the place to hone your skills. A quiet stretch of beach-line dotted with surf schools and beginners getting pounded by the waves, Weligama has a little bit to offer for every type of traveler. About 6 hours away from Arugam Bay, Weligama has quite a few places to stay at as well as a few restaurants and night spots. We stayed at Sea View Hotel, overlooking the beach; an excellent location with decent quarters.

While staying at Weligama, Galle town being a mere 40 kms away couldn’t be passed up. A day trip to the Old Dutch Fort area was a pleasant experience. You need no more than half a day here to wander around the old churches, colonial buildings, museums and walk the ramparts admiring the views out to sea. If you want to have a nice lunch and visit some the more arty boutique type shops here, give yourself a day. Do drop by RNR Taphouse for a cold beer and some sumptuous food before you call it day.

As we drove back to Colombo on the Southern Expressway, we couldn’t help but marvel at the quality of road infrastructure not only on the breezy expressway but every little village and town that we visited. Most people had reasonable road sense and gave right of way to pedestrians. Its a far cry from the chaotic roads of Bangalore, where everyone feels entitled to tarmac space.

We spent the night at the Backpackers Hostel and partied in Colombo city, too many Bullfrogs at the Taphouse have damaged some grey cells impairing my memory of that night. We awoke safe and sound in our beds, the night couldn’t have been all that crazy…. could it?

As we headed home, Sri Lanka stayed in our minds and hearts. We left with a longing to return again and relive the wonderful ten days we spent on this gorgeous island.