Udawalewe

After a six hour journey of driving through lush green views, watching people going about their day under the blazing heat, snacking on Sri Lankan biscuits, reading books and listening to summer music in our car, we finally arrived in Udawalewe. A huge contrast to Kandy’s city vibes, this place had a real village feel to it. There were barely any tourist shops around and we were truly out in the sticks hearing a symphony of unusual insect buzz as our car’s engine turned off. We stayed for the night in a sweet AirBnB hostel greeted by our equally sweet host, Tilly, who hailed from Colombo and took the time to chat to us about the history of Sri Lanka and the dangerous conflicts he witnessed a couple of years ago. Tourism has been rising and rising every year following the end of the civil war in 2009 and Sri Lankan’s have been feeling a sense of unity and calm in recent times.

In the afternoon heat, the three of us climbed into our jeep, driven by our Safari tour guide, and whizzed through the village to get to the Udawalewe National Park. On the way, I worried that we weren’t going to catch a glimpse of any elephants on our safari after hearing rumours that they only come out early in the morning. As we raced down a long bridge, admiring the reservoir, Dan screamed “ELEPHANT!!!!” as the wind chopped up his words. It took a couple of seconds for us to realise there was a beautiful elephant ahead of us on the side of the bridge standing completely unaffected by a few vehicles and people that had already stopped over to stare. We parked up and took a moment to let it sink in – we were in the presence of a wild elephant, looking straight into its eyes and watching it sway it’s trunk. We took lots of photos and videos but had to keep reminding ourselves not to get too close.

After practically dragging ourselves away from the charming elephant we continued on in our jeep to the National Park. Arriving at the Park, we drove over bumpy ground into the heart of the Safari. Our driver turned off the car and not knowing why, we looked around to see grey movement behind high plants. We couldn’t quite believe there was a group of wild elephants metres away from us munching on leaves and living their everyday lives. To see this iconic, grand animal was a big moment for all of us. Jeeps started to gather around the same location to get a glimpse and eventually we saw the whole elephant family come out – mother, father, babies…cousins! An assortment of all sizes and we couldn’t stopped smiling from ear to ear.

As the sun began to set, we drove to a flat, open, grassy area of the park and took turns on binoculars to observe even more elephants, cows, buffalos, peacocks, crows, alligators, land monitors. The only way I’ve described it to friends and family since – it was like a scene out of Lion King. Crows sitting on elephant’s heads, peacocks running around mischievously around cows, land monitors slithering between birds. What was so beautiful was the way in which they all lived harmoniously together, overlapping into each other’s territories. It felt so natural to see them in their habitat and made us realise just how free animals can really be.

On the way back from the park we drove back down the long bridge and had the chance to see the sun setting against the clear sky. It was one of my favourite moments of the entire trip. With the river on one side, a forest on the other and mountains bordering the view up ahead, the sky was turning a deep, dark orange and the sun looked perfect – huge, with a crisp outline.

Although the jeep was roaring down the road everything fell silent and magical in the presence of the best sunset I’ve ever seen.

Unawatuna

We headed further south to the coast after leaving Udawalawe. This time we were brimming with excitement to finally smell the salty air and see the end of land and beginning of sea. We arrived in Unawatuna in the afternoon with the sun shining onto a tiny lane of bright beach houses, markets and restaurants tucked away right next to the beach. We checked into our AirBnb place – a stunning beach house with a huge garden full of blooming flowers, books and wooden furniture. These beach houses are super cheap and shoulder to shoulder with the sea so I’d definitely recommend staying there. A lot of the places also offer ayurvedic massages (as if the sun and food wasn’t relaxing enough!). Paradise.

We spent the next couple of days as laid-back as the residents and surfers that lived there. We would wake up in the morning, get ready, have breakfast and then walk down to the sea. The beach curves in a crescent shape and Sri Lanka’s waves can be pretty crazy which I guess is the reason why so many surfers come down to enjoy the crashing waves. It was funny to see the contrast: all the tourists settling down in the middle section where the waves were relatively calm and safe. Meanwhile, a short walk away where the curve of the beach sharpened, Sri Lankan’s were enjoying being thrown here, there and everywhere by the strong currents.

Everyday, we made sure we didn’t ever miss a sunset so we’d re-group and settle down on the sand and watch the sun get swallowed up by the ocean. Our favourite restaurant was called, quite fittingly, One Love, which was located right on the beach overlooking the sea. The food was so great here that it tasted homemade (and that’s saying something). Another restaurant to check out is Jina’s Vegetarian and Vegan restaurant which offers everything from falafel wraps to traditional Sri Lankan dishes. Everyone is so friendly and enthusiastic here that even if your food is a little late, the waiter’s wide smiles can make you weaken.

During the evenings we checked out the shops selling everything from key-rings to clothes to magnificent carved wood sculptures. We made friends with our bantery haggling techniques and ended up buying tea bags, carved elephants/buddhas, jewellery, bedspreads and other little presents for our loved ones – all of them gorgeous and carrying that Sri Lankan swag to the core.

At night we hung about in the Koha Surf Lounge. Now this place has got an absolute vibe. The place is open plan, open doors, open windows. At night, there are dim lanterns, cushioned floors, colourful artwork on the walls and insanely good music being effortlessly played. The owners are a couple of surfers who are so laid-back they make you want to stay there forever. Definitely spend one of your evenings here. We spent ours bonding over desserts, drinking, chatting and playing competitive games of draughts.

It’s safe to say as our time at Unawatuna drew closer to the end, all 3 of us had been well and truly fried by the Sun. There is no way to do this place justice by writing about it. I know I will 100% come back to this beautiful place one day in the future. It’s truly an escape from city life – a place to rejuvenate, reflect and enjoy life’s amazing moments.

Kalutara

After hostel hopping across four different regions of Sri Lanka, we finished our trip with a 3 day stay in the luxurious Avani Kalutara resort to watch two of our friends get married in the most stunning ceremony. We met some great people along the way and had so much fun with the bride, groom and their friends and family. The hotel had it’s own private beach which we took full advantage of and amazing service all round. The deco was grand marble floors, water features and modern interior decoration. I’d recommend this place for anyone looking to get married, looking to go honeymooning or looking to just do things in style.

We didn’t get the opportunity to explore Kalutara but staying in the resort was the perfect way to put our feet up, look back, and appreciate the things we experienced and saw on our 11-day adventure.

Words – Anjali

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