Budget and Safety Tips in Solo Traveling Sri Lanka and Maldives

4-days quick solo trip in the island countries of Indian Ocean

February 25 to March 01, 2014 

Maldives last part; Male city tour and airport departure

1. If planning to visit Sri Lanka or Maldives, it is highly recommended to visit both due to the following;
- Filipinos are visa on arrival in Sri Lanka with very relax immigration. Though as per their website they require return ticket and show money, I did not do both even not bothered by the usual questions. On the other hand, Filipinos are free visa fee and visa upon arrival in Maldives. Mandatory requirements are return ticket and confirmed hotel booking.
- transiting from Colombo up to 48 hours maximum is free of charge.
- roundtrip fare from Colombo, Sri Lanka to Male, Maldives is much cheaper due to proximity to each other (nearest neighbor country).
- Sri Lanka has very, very cheap cost of living compared to very high cost of Maldives (plus the additional charge and tax on ALL food and service availed).

2. Colombo Airport has approximately 35km distance to downtown. Bus #187 is the cheapest public transportation to downtown, Colombo Fort and Central bus station for only 200 lkr ($1.3). Almost 2 hours travel time going downtown (because it passed through the inner roads) and an hour only going to airport (because it passed through the express highway). Rickshaw (tuktuk) = 100lkr min (provincial) 200lkr min (colombo) and average meal = 400lkr

3. Sri Lanka is very, very safe to travel even for solo backpackers. Sri Lanka is like a mixed of India and Myanmar culture, custom, language and way of living. They treat foreigners as special and fairly in fare negotiations. Backpacks/Luggage can be safely stored in the ticket booth of major parks for free of charge. I left my backpacks both in Dambulla and Sigiriya. It was guarded by staff(Dambulla) and police (Sigiriya).

Maldives island tour (Baros)

Sri Lanka last part; Colombo City's Dehiwala Zoo

4-days quick solo trip in the island countries of Indian Ocean

February 25 to March 01, 2014 

Sri Lanka 2nd part; Sigiriya, the Lion Rock Fortress

From Sigiriya park, I rode a tuktuk at negotiated 500lkr bound to Sigiriya junction where a waiting shed can be found bound to Colombo. I aboarded the bus 1730h and arrived in Colombo Fort at 2000h. Then, I hired a tuktuk to help me out look for cheapest hostel for a night. Initial plan was the cultural triangle tour where upon arrival I will start my adventure to Anuradhapura then Sigiriya and Dambulla. Due to the enormous travel time to Main Airport and very shaky bus ride, I decided to change itinerary in an instant. Colombo Zoo is famous for its huge tree covers and well-landscaped gardening. To provide more natural habitats some lawns of the zoo have been converted in to small forest patches which are rich in rare plants. Valuable medicinal plants are prominent among the trees in these forest patches. The zoo comprises of around 350 species of animals belong to the groups of mammals, birds, reptiles, fish, amphibians, butterflies and marine invertebrates, approximately 3,500 in numbers. Because of the free living colony of birds and breeding fish, the number varies from hundreds.

How to go to Dehiwala Zoo;

From downtown, ride bus#176, travel time of around an hour due to traffic and fare of 20lkr. Entrance fee costs 2,500 for foreigners, and can stroll around 1.5 to 2 hrs.

Colombo City's Dehiwala Zoo (rhinoceros)

Sri Lanka 2nd part; Sigiriya, the Lion Rock Fortress

4-days quick solo trip in the island countries of Indian Ocean

February 25 to March 01, 2014 

Sri Lanka 1st part; From Colombo Airport directly to Dambulla

After finishing the almost 700 steps to Damubulla's Cave Temple, I negotiated my rickshaw ride to Sigiriya to a fare of 800lkr starting from Dambulla's Golden Temple to Sigiriya's main entrance. Sigiriya is a unique landscape city, created in the 5th century by King Kashyapa embracing a 200 meter rock out crop and its surrounding with nature driven architecture composed of buildings, pathways, terraces, ponds, paintings and sculpture. There are more than 1,000 handwritten poems on the mirror wall written by visitors to Sigiriya from 7th-14th century. The UNESCO declared this world heritage site in 1982. 

How to go to Sigiriya; 

There is no direct bus from Colombo Fort. From Dambulla junction, either bus or tuktuk. Bus at a very cheap fare of less than 2olkr but departure timings is irregular. Tuktuk travel costs 1,000lkr at 20mins travel time. What I did was from Dhambulla Temple, I hired tuktuk directly to Sigiriya at negotiated fare of 800lkr only. Entrance fee costs 3,900 lkr ($30) for the mirror wall, museum and at the palace above the lion rock.

Sigiriya, the Lion Rock Fortress

Sri Lanka 1st part; from Colombo Airport directly to Dambulla

4-days quick solo trip in the island countries of Indian Ocean

February 25 to March 01, 2014 

Sri Lanka Inroduction and Colombo Airport Arrival

Upon airport exit, I asked the local security how can I go to Colombo Fort. He pointed out to the main road then turn left and look for the waiting shed where the yellow bus is located. This bus is #187 that passed through the inner roads of Colombo. Bus driver wait for passengers to arrive until the bus is full and then starts to move. Colombo bus terminal is approximately 35km from airport. Travel time from Colombo Airport to Fort is around 2 hours including traffic jam and waiting time for passenger boarding. Fare is 200lkr. I left airport around 0500H, arriving in Colombo Bus Terminal (beside Colombo Fort) at 0700H. I asked the locals immediately how to go to Dambulla, they pointed me out to Bus Terminal 3. 

How to go to Dambulla Cave Temple;

 
From Colombo Bus Terminal, proceed to Terminal#3 where the bus#15 is located bound to Anuhadhapura. Fare cost is just 190LKR for a 4 hour travel time. Departure timings is I think every hour interval. We left 0715H and arrived in Dambulla junction around 1120h. Then, I hired a tuktuk bound to the Temple for only 100lkr at 1.5km distance. Entrance fee costs 1,500lkr with separate charge for Golden Temple.

Dambulla Cave Temple

4 Days Holiday Tropical Solo Get-away in Sri Lanka - Maldives

Dambulla - Sigiriya - Colombo - Hulhumale - Baros Resort - Male
February 25 to March 01, 2014

"I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear." -  Nelson Mandela

My 32nd and 33rd country to visit, 29th solo backpacking trip, 14th visa on arrival application encounter, and of course, usual budget do-it-yourself itinerary from arrival to departure.

Sri Lanka, formerly known as Ceylon, is in Southern Asia. It is an "tear-drop shape" island country in the Indian Ocean, south of India. The capital, Sri Jayawardenapura-Kotte, is a suburb of the largest city, Colombo. Sri Lanka is known as "the Pearl of the Indian Ocean" because of its natural beauty. Sri Lanka has also been called "Pearl of Indian Ocean" because of its shape and location, and "the nation of smiling people". The island contains tropical forests and diverse landscapes with high biodiversity. 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lanka

visa - Filipinos are visa on arrival in Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
requirements: return ticket, hotel accommodation and visa fee of $35 for double entry tourist visa (very relax immigration)
timezone - +0530H UTC;   capital - Colombo;   language - tamil
currency - rupee 130 LKR = 1 USD

Dambulla Golden Temple