The life saving king coconut
No matter how many guide books you read, there are always some recommendations or travel tips that you miss (or get missed). That’s generally not a bad thing, except when you’ve fried off the soles of your feet at a Sri Lankan temple. Why didn’t anyone warn me to bring socks! In this post, I’ll take you through some of the quirky, funny, painful, intriguing things we discovered about travel in Sri Lanka, and offer up tips that you may not find in a guide book.
Pack socks for visits to temples and cultural sites
When entering temples and cultural sites, it is respectful to remove shoes. If you’re like us, from a northern country, where tender tootsies are wrapped in socks and slippers for most of the year, your feet will scream in pain from the searing heat. The grounds of the ancient temple ruins at Polonnaruwa are particularly hot. Mike missed out on the walk around the giant, dome-shaped shrine (in the photo above) because his feet couldn’t take it. It might look goofy wearing socks, but it does the trick.
Get acquainted with the king coconut
Have I mentioned that it’s hot in Sri Lanka? We were there in April, the hottest month of the year. While we always consumed plenty of water, the king coconut was my saviour (check out my before/after expressions in the photos). The water in this orange-coloured coconut is rich in vitamins and minerals. It’s a delicious re-charging drink when the heat has zapped your energy.
Have a sweater handy for 1st class train travel
From boiling hot to meat-locker cold—it’s not a good thing. While I liked the peaceful compartment and the comfy reclining seats on our 1st class travel to and from Jaffna, I was frozen—the air conditioning was cranked to maximum. Before you throw your luggage on the rack, grab a sweater.
Don’t be afraid of 3rd class train travel
Seats are a bit hard and tattered, but 3rd class is totally OK
While 2nd class may be the ideal way to go, 3rd class train compartments are perfectly acceptable, particularly for shorter trips. They are also dirt cheap. Our 1.25 hour trip from Ella to Haputale was 30 Rs. each ($0.17 US). For just a bit more money, you can reserve in a 3rd class carriage for a guaranteed seat.
Consider a train ride sampler
Many visitors plan their entire trips around the very popular, 7-8 hour train ride from Kandy to Ella. I’ve never been good with too much time in cars, buses, trains; I get restless no matter how nice the scenery. We opted to take two short rides: from Ella to Haputale and from Haputale to Nuwara Eliya. If you don’t have the time or the inclination for the entire stretch, these rides are the perfect samplers. According to many sources, they’re also the prettiest sections. And, you’ll still get the opportunity to take that “hanging out the door” Instagram photo.
Don’t stress about finding drivers
Ernest, our favourite driver.
Before leaving for Sri Lanka, my Canadian “book early to avoid disappointment” mindset had me worrying about finding drivers for a few segments of our trip. It turned out to be easy-peasy. All our guesthouses had contacts and secured good drivers for us with less than a day’s notice (they can do it even faster but we always inquired on our arrival). We only used drivers for day trips—pre-booking may be wise for consecutive, multi-day requirements.
Don’t forget a headlamp or torch
And then, all went black. While we were visiting, the state run power company was imposing daily power cuts as it could not meet demand during the long, hot drought period. Although a phone light works in a pinch, a strong headlamp is much better for avoiding obstacles on pitch-black, post-dinner walks back to your guesthouse (lesson learned after a bruised knee).
Read beyond “the best hosts ever”
This place in Sigirya gets A+ for hosts and all the other important stuff
It’s easy to be swayed by the “best host ever” claims on Booking.com and other sites. I took Maggie’s (monkeystale.ca) excellent advice to check out other important factors like location, availability of hot water and cleanliness. Basically, all homestays and guesthouses in Sri Lanka are amazing friendly and welcoming, it’s the other stuff that differentiates them.
Bring your appetite
Food in Sri Lanka is delicious. From your basic curry and rice, to fresh seafood, to stuffed dosas, everyday was an eating adventure. In our experience, portions were generally huge. Some dishes, like kotthu—chopped rotti fried with veggies and/or egg, meat and cheese—are super filling. We eventually learned to order more sparingly but you certainly can’t tell from the photos.
Try sunset instead of sunrise
Sigiriya Rock in the late afternoon
Sunrise, or at least early morning, is recommended for busy sites in Sri Lanka to avoid the crowds and fiercest heat. This is good advice, but isn’t always appealing to someone like me who enjoys easing into the day. We had great late afternoon/sunset experiences at the wildly popular Sigiriya and Dambulla. It doesn’t work at all times of the year, when afternoon clouds can obstruct views, but we had no such issues in late March/April.
Check your calendar for full moon
If you happen to be in Sri Lanka on a full moon day, head over to the nearest Buddhist temple to experience Poya—special days of prayer and devotion. Poya days are celebrated 12-13 times per year and are public holidays. We first learned about Poya from Peta and Ben’s engaging posts (greenglobaltrek.com) and knew we wanted to experience this. Poya celebrations happen at all local temples, large and small, and visitors are welcome—just remember to dress modestly and take off your shoes.
Take time to appreciate the signs
“Instructions for Tourists” sign at the Sigiriya entrance
Sri Lanka is filled with colourful, large, and often humorous signs for restaurants, hotels, attractions and other services. One of our favourites is at the entrance to Sigiriya Rock and pictorially relays all the hazards and do’s/don’ts at this site. We must have stood there for 15 minutes trying to interpret all the symbols…I’m still not sure about the handcuffs. Any ideas?
Next post I’ll get back to places we visited: Sigiriya, Dambulla, Jaffna and more.
Writes of Passage 
Lovely tips and another great article from you, Madam..!! 😀
You have extremely great observation skills and that’s what makes you thoroughly explore every aspect of the area where you set foot in. I hope to learn some of those skills from you.. 😊😊
The coconut is a versatile fruit in India, Sri Lanka and South East Asia. I don’t know why people call the one you are holding as the King Coconut, because it’s an average sized one. The real King Coconuts (I don’t know whether that’s the proper name of not) I found were in Singapore.. They were really very very massive..!!
You can try ordering the coconut with tender coconut flesh the next time you order Coconut. Once you finish drinking the water, you can ask the seller to cut the fruit open for you to savour the delectable tender coconut flesh.. ❤
Well penned down article, yet again, Madam.. 😊😊
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Thank you once again for your nice comments. Living in Canada, I am no expert at coconuts (I only buy the canned coconut milk) but I sure enjoy them when I travel to tropical climates. Now that you mention about Singapore, I do remember they have really big King Coconuts there. As you say, the flesh is delicious and I got to try it a few times when I was in Sri Lanka.
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That’s great to know Madam.. ☺️☺️
Good that you tried the tender flesh of coconuts..!! I hope you liked the taste of it.. ☺️☺️
You told that you would like to visit India.. If you do visit any of the coastal places, islands or beaches of India, you will easily get to taste as many coconuts as you want to.. ☺️☺️
Welcome to India..!!
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Very informative and what a breathtaking countryside from Sigiriya Rock and the train. Approximately how long do the power outages last? Are the evenings any cooler than the heat of the day?
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Hi Stephanae, so nice to see you here!
Sri Lanka is a wonderful country. The power outages, which usually lasted an hour or two in the afternoon/evening (not everyday), were only minor inconveniences. It only cooled down a bit at night in coastal areas and around Sigiriya, but thankfully it was was refreshingly cool in the higher elevation hill country.
Happy New Year to you and your family!
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Thanks for answering my questions Caroline. Hopefully one of these days I will have the opportunity to do some international travel. Happy New Year to you and yours as well!🎉
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Those signs are hilarious! I took the handcuffs to mean “if you disobey any of these rules you will be arrested” but who knows…
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You are probably correct…pretty drastic punishment!
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Thank you so much for all this information and I love reading about your adventures. The sock tip is awesome 👍
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Ah, thanks Myra. Such a simple tip that works so well!
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A very useful post Caroline. Sri Lanka may be sooner than we thought. Maybe.
The food portions! OMG! We’ll know to order only one meal and share it, and still probably have too much.
I’m puzzled by the sign for Sigiriya that seems to indicate it’s ok to fall down the stairs lol 🙂
Alison
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Exciting Alison! I’ll look forward to hearing your plans (maybe).
Yes, the portions are enormous. We found that especially in guesthouses and smaller restaurants, the hosts really want to please, which means copious amounts of food. I felt terrible having to leave food and explain that I simply couldn’t eat so much. When possible, I just wrapped it up for later.
I’m still puzzled too!
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I wish we had known about the full moon pujas before we went. We stumbled on it by accident but would have preferred to be at a better site. Great list!
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We were in Tangalla at the time and our guesthouse directed us to a temple in walking distance. There were only a couple of other tourists there. It was really interesting but I imagine much more low key than at bigger temples. I’ve read that puja at Anuradhapura is spectacular.
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We heard about Anuradhapura too, it would have been nice to be there. We were kiteboarding so mostly enjoyed the moonlit beach!
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That sounds pretty wonderful! You can’t do it all.
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Socks! Such a simple and brilliant tip!
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I know! I wish I had thought of it before our first fried feet experience, but credit goes to other visitors that we saw there who were pain-free in their socks.
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I’ve just spent way too much time thinking about the handcuff symbol! There’s no line through it, so it’s not an admonition to not do something, but … hmmm, what on earth could it mean? The other un-slash-marked items are all things that are there, so maybe it means that police are on-site? Loved your light-hearted but very helpful post!
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I’m glad I was able to engage you in a bit of silliness. I guess they’ve had their issues at this site, and the sign would deter many of us from doing almost anything…The swarming bee symbol (and more signs on this further in the actual site) scared me the most.
While I still have a bunch of places to write about on Sri Lanka, I needed a lighthearted break.
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Great tips! My favorite is ‘Don’t be afraid of 3rd class train travel’. It is the only way to go in my opinion. I see you did the reverse route (Ella to Nuwara Eliya) which is definitely the right direction to go; the more overnight stops, the better. Love your sunset picture with the monkeys ascending Sigiriya.
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Thanks Lisa. We really enjoyed our 3rd class travel and were lucky that we didn’t have a problem finding seats (I think travelling closer to midday helped). The overnight stops definitely worked for me. Although Ella, Haputale and Nuwara Eliya are not that distant from each other, I’m so glad we stayed in each of them. As you know, they are quite different from each other.
I’ll get to writing about Sigiriya. Both the site and the monkeys that live there are incredible (you’ve probably seen many more monkeys in your travels; they continue to be a delightful novelty for me).
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Looking forward to your Sigiriya post as we didn’t have the opportunity to visit there!
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Great post and fantastic tips, Caroline, I’ll definitely keep them in mind if we ever travel to Sri Lanka ( and I hope we will because those train rides look and sound fantastic!), especially about the signs and the food! Thanks for sharing and have a good day. Aiva
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Thanks Aiva. I hope you guys go there. I’m sure you’d love it. It has a ton of variety and beauty.
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I remember the second time I went to Sri Lanka, when we were in Anuradhapura, our guide who happened to be the owner of the guesthouse we stayed at in Kandy asked us to remove our shoes. It was a hot day, so we ended up tiptoeing our ways across ancient ponds and temples — the same custom applies in Myanmar.
Caroline, this post brings back some great memories of my trips to Sri Lanka. Sigiriya still is one of my favorite places in the entire country for its history and view. Walking along the Mirror Wall always made me imagine how this place must have looked like during its heyday, what the dignitaries thought when they climbed to the top of this monolith to see the king, and how the palace dwellers lived.
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Haha, I’m glad we weren’t the only people tiptoeing! My favourite section of Polonnaruwa (the Quadrangle) consists of a series of fascinating temples and ruins and only one has an intact roof that provides shade. I’m so glad I remembered my socks that day.
I agree Bama, Sigiriya is totally amazing; it will be the subject of one of my upcoming posts. The route up to the top is quite the engineering feat. It is hard to believe that they could build a palace at the top of that massive rock in ancient times.
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I can’t wait to read your stories from Sigiriya!
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I have never seen such an elaborate tourist instruction 🙂 Did you figure out the meaning of all those signs? I wonder what the handcuffs mean haha. The first tip is particularly true for all religious sites in Asia (to reduce the heat and for the hygienic reason as well). Thanks for sharing this practical guide, Caroline!
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That sign is definitely the most elaborate set of instructions I’ve seen too. I’m still changing my mind on the meaning of a few of them. I love the no singing or playing instruments (go figure!). Hygiene is a good point…though the heat in Sri Lanka probably kills any pathogen (haha).
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Great advise. Would love it if you published a list for every destination you’ve been too. Handcuffs? Don’t jail those pesky monkeys perhaps.
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I’ve thought of doing that Brian…one of these days! I like Louise’s interpretation of the handcuffs.
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Hi Caroline, Great post, great tips. You make me want to run off to Sri Lanka straight away. Love, love the sign. Classic. I’m going to show the creatives in the design/art department at work. I think it says we’ll handcuff you if you do any of the things you shouldn’t do then give you to the elephants, crocodiles and mozzies to finish you off! Check out your Try Sunset paragraph. Don’t ever stop writing your posts. Louise
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Thanks so much Louise! I love your interpretation; you are so funny. I was saying to another blogger that I might do a post just on the great signs…they really are brilliant. Can I hire you as my editor? It’s amazing how often I miss things even after reading over the post several times. Hope life is treating you well. Cheers, Caroline
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