Review: We Go Whale Watching in Sri Lanka
A family holiday in Sri Lanka might just be the trip of a lifetime
Most continents were under consideration (it was for a special celebration) but focus was definitely lacking, and as is so often the way with these conversations, we started to go round in circles.
The concept of a safari cropped up, and you could tell by the silence in the room that this was an idea well met (strange that silence often signifies approval). But where and when? Here we go again…
Over the next few weeks we scoured the globe, finally ruling out Africa (which is quite something when you’re discussing safaris) until we thought a little outside the usual jungle/savanna/desert version, and instead went for the ocean, and more specifically whale watching.
A little more research quickly gave us our answer: whale watching in Sri Lanka in February. And so began the planning in earnest. Such a trip can of course easily be organised via a travel expert, or you can decide go it alone. For ease we initially decided on the former, but after more discussion (and a rather scarily priced, pretty rigid itinerary), we decided to go it alone. We wanted flexibility and worked out we could save a tidy sum too. Luckily it turned out to be a cracking decision.
Sri Lanka has a long and varied history at the hands of the Dutch, the Portuguese and the Brits, but now proudly independent after some less than happy times, the country is very much back on its feet. Lying as it does in the Indian Ocean and with a heady mix of endless beaches, rolling green hills, tea plantations, historic cities and monuments, and of course lots of elephants, lucky tourists can find jungle, beach, culture and glorious countryside all within easy reach of each other.
The areas on the west coast, south and north of the capital Colombo, are the best known as beach destinations. The country’s golden triangle takes in the busy city of Kandy and Sigiriya, an extraordinary fortress set atop a rock. We considered taking the (slow) train from Kandy (one of the world’s most picturesque journeys) through the tea country of Nuwara Eliya or Ella further along the track. The train journey is incredible but needs careful planning even in so far as to which side of the train has the best views, and especially picking the best times to travel. Too stressful, we decided as a family of six travelling with not a lot of spare time, so we sadly ruled it out. Other options included a more remote excursion to the north and to the north-west to take in the beauty of Trincomalee but we finally plumped for the south coast, which still remains relatively unspoiled and more significantly promised to provide one of the world’s best opportunities for whale watching. So we built our holiday around sun (we hoped), beaches, safaris (for elephants), whales, a bit of culture and some relaxed bars and good local cooking.
With a stop over in Dubai we landed in Sri Lanka bright and early (if not overly bushy tailed). Our first major coup was to have booked a mini van and driver, avoiding the chaos of taxis and tuk tuks outside the airport, and we were soon heading south and to our first stop which lay on the beach a few minutes outside Weligama. The last 20 minutes brought the real Sri Lanka to life, pop-up markets peppered the roadsides, busy towns and villages flashed passed alongside a cacophony of colour (and lots of cows), smiling faces despite some clearly tough conditions, and dogs that looked like strays (but apparently aren’t) ambling between the traffic with very little care despite the fairly crazy tuk tuk drivers.
Luckily our friendly driver was familiar with our destination, which was helpful as it was fairly hidden away (thank goodness we decided not to hire a car). Part of Eden Villas which manage properties all over Sri Lanka, Celadon House is one of three stunning properties that make up the On Houses in Weligama. Nestled into the hillside, split over four floors and with breathtaking views of the ocean below, the house was simply beautiful. What’s more with five very generous bedrooms all with balconies or private terraces, we had ample space to spread out. When we reconvened 10 minutes later as a family in the rooftop lounge with its vast terrace which doubled as a sitting out area and bar, you could tell by the smiles we knew we were in a really special place.
By way of introduction I met with our host Dilaj, who I felt I already knew having emailed him with requests for help many times before our arrival. One of the hugely significant aspects of a stay at On Houses is that it’s rather like staying in a hybrid hotel, (in fact since our visit that’s exactly what it’s become, although you can still rent the entire property and the two neighbouring villas too for larger parties of 30 if you wish to). The team of staff are on hand to help with everything from planning trips to arranging transport, help with shopping and sorting the menus and catering.
Our first trip after unpacking was to the neighbouring beach, a few minutes away below the villa. Small and protected by cliffs, swimming in the warm, clear water and picking up a local beer from the beach shack after a full day’s travelling was a great way to kick off the holiday.
Although it’s fair to say you could enjoy the most amazing holiday here, barely moving from the palm-fringed beaches, the main purpose of our trip was to see a bit of the island as well as seeking out the whales for which the waters around Sri Lanka are renowned. So after a perfect first evening which began with drinks on the rooftop terrace, lazing in the hammock and watching the sky change colour multiple times, followed by a specially crafted menu of local delicacies (the cooking here is amazing), we headed to bed ahead of a very early start for our whale watching trip.
The weather report in the UK hadn’t looked the best but in the 10 days we were in Sri Lanka we didn’t feel a drop of rain and our first morning was a beauty. Racing off in our tuk tuks (they are just the best, easiest and cheapest way to get around) we made our rendezvous with the Borderlands boat which was going to take us out whale watching. We’d opted for a smaller, nippier boat to ourselves rather than take a seat in one of the much bigger (slower) boats. I’m sure our choice was right, but despite our enthusiasm we saw very little, and with the seas a little friskier than usual we had a memorable rollercoaster ride before returning to the shore to enjoy a swim in a sheltered cove. We hadn’t seen whales but we had had a brilliant time and like a gambler at the tables we rolled the dice and booked the boat for another go later in the holiday.
Returning to Celadon House we enjoyed an afternoon of sunshine, swimming in the fabulous, and I would say unique infinity pool (trust me), before once again dining al fresco, and left Weligama early the following morning with some sadness. It had been a memorable first few days and in hindsight we wished we could have stayed here longer, but you live and learn.
The next part of our trip was to see another huge and wonderful beast Sri Lanka is famous for: the elephant, and hopefully we would have more luck in finding them. Udawalawe National Park is about a two-hour drive from Weligama so it’s all easily doable in a day if you book the afternoon/early evening safari excursion. The roads were busy, but once through the many busy small towns and villages by the coast, the roads do open up and before long we were at our camp at Udawalawe. You can book almost any type of accommodation when visiting the National Parks for which Sri Lanka is so well known, but to mix things up we had gone for good eating, a lofty reputation in terms of vehicular support (essential) and knowledgeable guides… but what would it be like sleeping in a jungle under canvas?
We were treated to lunch in camp (and what a totally unexpected feast it was too) before climbing into our safari jeep. Renowned for its elephant and bird life there was a host of other vehicles setting off into the park at the same time, and yet except when there was a sighting (the drivers let each other know), we hardly came across them. Our guide was knowledgeable, kind and gave us a great insight into everything we saw. Although elephant are prevalent in the park (two rambled by us as we approached the gates) getting up close to this magnificent animal can’t be taken for granted. Our trip lasted about two and a half hours and we came across quite a few elephants, but the most memorable was a group of four females and a tiny baby calf right beside the track.
Back at camp our tents were pretty luxurious, decked out with wardrobes, painted wooden furniture, generous quilted beds and rugs and a shower and loo. We split into two, three in each tent, and got ready to have dinner beside the campfire where our table had been set, complete with ice bucket and a cool box filled with a selection of cold beers and wine. There were a few more guests around as we tucked in and the food was pretty amazing. The service was great and the wine flowed, but we had an uninvited guest: landing in the birthday girl’s hair from a tree overhead the spider was ‘a biggun’ to quote my son, who took a snap of it on his phone for future reference (you don’t want to know). She was fine, but fear had set into our little camp. My oldest daughter, usually rock solid, melted, my middle daughter just asked for more wine, and we managed to finish dinner, if somewhat hastily, while the staff used torches to check the trees around us. Despite the magnificence of the camp fire, the really astonishingly good barbecue, and liberal amounts of wine, when we turned in the mood remained, shall we say, tense.
We slept soundly in our tent but in the quiet of the jungle every noise is magnified and it wasn’t long before it woke us up, and as dawn broke the noises quickly increased. But as we staggered out into the early dawn it transpired we had been the lucky ones. The other tent had had a few unwelcome visitors through their slightly broken zip so had endured a difficult night interrupted by visits (firstly from animals and secondly from our hosts to get rid of the animals). Nevertheless, we all headed out on our pre-arranged pre-breakfast early morning walk accompanied by our guide. After that, we (some more than others) were delighted to see our mini van and couldn’t wait to jump in, heading north and up into the hills to Ella.
Slightly scarred but still laughing over the kind of memories that will last forever we reluctantly agreed that another night under canvas wasn’t going to happen, so in the best interests of the tour we cancelled our second safari to Yala, the country’s busiest National Park, instead tacking on an extra day onto our beach trip.
We had been told that Ella was a smaller version of Kandy which was one of the reasons we took the city off our schedule (we just couldn’t do everything) and it was busy, but actually seemed to be a really nice combination of vibrant bars, restaurants, friendly locals and backpackers.
We passed straight through the town on the way to our next stop, villa Walaa Kulu, part of the 98 Acres Resort. With every turn we climbed higher, and with every twist of the winding road the views over the tea plantations and escarpments below became more remarkable. At last we reached our lofty destination and were greeted by a team of four staff who readily helped with our bags and offered us a welcome drink.
To say Walaa Kulu is special is a real understatement. It hangs over the valley with views across the mountains opposite, over the tea plantations which spread out below, and down to the valley floor: simply breathtaking, The walls are of glass to make the most of the 270-degree views and the infinity pool seems to hang in mid-air. If ever you want to stay close to heaven in every sense Walaa Kulu has to be on your shortlist. The excellent staff here will happily sort everything you want, but we had everything we needed, lunch, dinner and breakfast were already booked for us and as we took in the view from the terrace, we were pretty pleased we’d decided to eat in.
Despite the superlatives we did head out for a couple of hours to take in the extraordinary and very famous nine-arch bridge at Ella, an architectural design wonder where tourists and locals wait to see (and sometimes catch) the slow moving train as it crosses the ravine. The train was a no-show but the bridge was still spectacular, and we headed off for an evening sundowner at 98 Acres, where the mountains in front were just turning pink in the setting sun. Returning to Walaa Kula in racing tuk tuks with the sun setting behind us was something we will never forget.
Sleeping soundly until 6.30am, four (at least) alarms went off in unison as we’d agreed to get up to witness the sunrise. As the pinky rays crept over the mountains opposite, the valley literally came alive below us. Well worth losing a few hours sleep for.
Having breakfasted we said our goodbyes (paying tips beforehand, which is an important part of the culture here). We all wished we could have stayed another night, not least to experience this buzzy place at nighttime.
Avoiding Yala, we headed back south to Mirissa and our final destination. The Beach House is what it says on the tin. The beach was beautiful, though you had to walk a few hundred yards for safe swimming (no big deal) and a slightly longer walk bought you to a great local beach bar. The plan for our final few days was to relax, try and see some whales, try a bit of surfing, and with our extra day in hand visit the fort town of Galle. Just an hour’s drive away, Galle is famous for being home to one of the most picturesque cricket grounds in the world, and is well worth a visit. We loved the mix of architectures from various parts of history, and popping into the many shops and galleries as we wandered round the historic fort.
Heading away from Galle my son had selected somewhere for lunch. Privately we all thought it a dodgy choice, but always happy to give it a go… (when in Unawatuna…) and luckily we went along with it. The speakeasy-style entrance had us asking more questions but then we saw tables full of customers and with the waves below providing a rousing chorus, it was brilliant in every way. Dropping into another bar en-route home, in Ahangama, we found one of the buzzier parts of the coast. We were told it’s ‘on the way up’ and it certainly seemed pretty popular. A place where (and I tell no lies) young Ukrainians and a lot more Russians surfed together to their hearts’ content, perhaps with their heads in their hands (or the sand) escaping the war at home.
We ate beachside at the hotel, but just as we were finishing we were invited to help release tiny baby turtles back into the sea. There is a turtle hatchery next to the hotel where they hatch turtle eggs which they gather from along the beach to stop them being eaten by monitor lizards and local dogs. Now hooked on turtles, we asked to be woken up if the adults came up to lay their eggs and we were lucky enough to watch a few carefully bury their eggs in the sand.
Another early start saw us heading back out in search of whales. The wind had calmed and we were optimistic, but despite getting up close to lots of dolphins of different sorts the whales still eluded us. It seemed the whole month’s whale watching hadn’t been successful but despite not achieving what was partly the purpose of the trip, we couldn't feel disappointed.
With one of the team going to the Middle East, and another heading off to Australia, the final day was mixed with fond farewells. Time to get on the road and soon we were heading back to the (very busy) airport at Colombo.
We had been unsure where to go and when but we made an inspired choice. Sri Lanka will take your breath away. We went away from the crowds but still in high season and for us it was the right call, but whatever type of adventure you are seeking give Sri Lanka careful consideration. It’s a beautiful, friendly and fun part of the world.
Eden Villas
edenvillas.com
Jack@edenvillas.com
Borderlands
discoverborderlands.com
Walaa Kulu
walaakulu.com
The Beach House
revealthecollection.com
