Considering booking a spot on a One Life Adventures Sri Lanka tour? Here’s a super detailed and honest review of my experience on the One Life Adventures 12 day Sri Lanka tour.
After spending some time solo in the Maldives, Sri Lanka was an easy (and affordable!) option for my next stop on my round the world trip, only a 1.5 hour flight from Male Airport.
I had about two weeks to spend in Sri Lanka, which aligned perfectly with a group tour that had been on my bucket list for years: the One Life Adventures 12 day Sri Lanka tour.
One Life Adventures is a small group adventure tour operator that runs epic tours throughout Asia as well as Morocco, with some more destinations rumoured to be coming soon 🤫
In my past life when I worked as a marketing manager for a travel agency, One Life Adventures were one of our suppliers and we only ever heard good things about them. I actually was on their Philippines tour back in 2020 when Covid hit 🙃 we were quarantined on a private island on day three of the tour before being evacuated to our home countries but hey, that’s a whole other story.
ANYWAY their Sri Lanka tour won TourRadar’s Tour of the Year for Sri Lanka in 2019 (the awards haven’t been held since but I’d say they’re still #1) and the tour boasts an impressive 4.9/5 average rating from more than 1600 reviews, which is wild.
I was able to try out the tour for myself in May 2024, and I’ve put together this super detailed One Life Sri Lanka tour review to tell you all you need to know before booking a spot for your upcoming trip. If you have any questions at the end just let me know in the comments!
SAVE 10% ON YOUR ONE LIFE ADVENTURES TOUR: The team at One Life Adventures have kindly given me a promocode to give you 15% off any One Life tour 💃🏼 just use the promocode FINDINGALEXX when you book, you can see all the tours right here,
Disclosure: One Life Adventures kindly hosted me on the Sri Lanka tour, but they have no editorial control of this review and (as always) all opinions are my own and are based on my personal experience. There are affiliate links in this blog post which mean I get a small commission if you make a purchase, at no extra cost to you. These links allow me to publish ridiculously detailed blogs that hopefully are helpful for you, including this one!
One Life Adventures Sri Lanka review: A quick summary
About One Life Adventures: They’re a small group tour operator that combine culture, nature and adventure to create trips that you’ll be raving about for years to come.
Tour itinerary: 12 days, 11 nights starting in Negombo, then onto Sigiriya, Kandy, Ella, Udawalawe, Mirissa and Galle before ending in Colombo.
Tour accommodation: Simple but comfortable hotels as well as a jungle glamping spot (super cool!) and the last night at a beachfront resort. Elevators in all places, pools everywhere except one, and air con everywhere except glamping which has a fan instead.
Tour guide: Our guide Rihas is an absolute legend, he’s been with One Life since they first started in Sri Lanka back in 2017 and he’s a proud representative of his country. He also answered all of my questions (there were many) about Sri Lanka’s culture and history in detail without seeming annoyed at all, which is honestly award-worthy.
What was the group like: The kind of group you’ll never forget! There were 13 of us in total, ranging from early 20s to 40 years old, from New Zealand (just me), Ireland (1), the UK (6), Germany (2), Norway (2) and Indonesia (1). 4 guys, 9 girls, one couple, one friend duo, and 9 solo travellers.
Activities: This is what sets One Life Adventures apart, a bunch of activities are included in your tour rather than having to pay extra for optional add ons every single day. Some activities included in the tour were a safari, tea plantation tour, tuktuk tour in Kandy, spice garden visit with a cooking class, a bike tour and the famous Ella train.
All you need to know about One Life Adventures
Who are One Life Adventures?
One Life Adventures are an award-winning tour operator with a focus on transformational travel, with bucket list itineraries covering all the top spots as well as providing authentic, local experiences, maximising your precious annual leave and travel budget.
I’d say their tours are ‘flashpacker’ tours, a step up from backpacker but still easy on the wallet and full of adventure. Pretty much exactly what I’m looking for at this stage of my travels! I need WiFi, air con and a swimming pool but also want to do sunset hikes, surf lessons and eat street food 🙃
The age range for their tours is 18-45 years old, with most of their travellers being in their mid-20s to mid-30s, and solo travellers make up a huge chunk of their customers so if you’re travelling by yourself, it’s the perfect option.
But what I love most about One Life is their commitment to responsible tourism, they want to make sure that while giving their customers a once-in-a-lifetime travel experience, that they’re also making a positive impact on the places and communities they visit.
This might look a little different on each of their tours but for us it was using a local guide and driving team, staying at locally-owned hotels, visiting family-run restaurants, visiting a turtle sanctuary and a dog sanctuary, and giving us authentic local experiences like a village bike tour and tsunami museum visit, rather than only seeing the Instagram-famous photo spots.
Why visit Sri Lanka with One Life Adventures?
I’ll hit you with some bullet points:
- They won the best tour in Sri Lanka the last time the TourRadar awards were held (2019)
- The tour has a 4.9/5 rating from almost 1700 customers
- The group size is 22 maximum, so no need to wait around for 40+ people to take photos before getting back onto the bus
- It includes a bunch of stuff that other operators make you pay extra for or leave out entirely, like an arrival transfer, a safari, the famous Ella train, temple visits, a cooking class, a bike tour and more
- Solo travellers can join without paying a single supplement if they’re happy to room with another solo traveller of the same gender, or they can pay to upgrade to a single room
- You’ll tick off a bunch of Sri Lanka bucket list experiences while also getting an insight into local culture
- There’s a decent amount of free time in Ella and Mirissa to choose your own adventures on those days (with hiking, pool clubs, surf lessons, massages, scuba diving and whale watching on offer)
- You can get 15% off with the promocode FINDINGALEXX when you book direct on their website
Where else does One Life Adventures go?
If you’re planning an extended trip and want to check out other One Life tours, you can find them in:
- The Philippines
- Japan (this tour won world’s best tour in 2019!)
- Vietnam
- Bali, Indonesia
- India
- South Korea
- Morocco
And you can use the promocode FINDINGALEXX for 15% off on any of these tours 💰
Why book a tour instead of travelling independently?
I like to split my travels between independent exploring and small group tours, both of them have their benefits so it really depends on your priorities.
The reasons I booked a tour for Sri Lanka were:
- Logistics can be difficult to navigate, like booking the Ella train with my huge suitcase 🙃
- Private transport is expensive as a solo traveller, the quotes I got were $50-70USD per day, which is affordable compared to many other countries but wasn’t financially feasible when I have no one to split it with
- I knew I wanted to do some hikes like Sigiriya, Pidurangala and Little Adam’s Peak, but didn’t feel comfortable doing them alone
- I really wanted to experience Sri Lankan culture and learn about their people and their history, and there’s no better way to do this than on a tour with a local guide
- I had two months of independent solo travel coming up in Southeast Asia and honestly I just wanted to not have to make any travel decisions for two weeks
- I was aware of potential safety risks as a solo female traveller. After my experience in Sri Lanka now I would go back solo without a worry, but booking a tour for my first trip around the country gave me peace of mind.
All you need to know about Sri Lanka before booking a tour
Is Sri Lanka safe for solo female travellers?
Safety is constantly a concern as a solo female traveller, and I think Sri Lanka has probably been lumped in with the bad reputation that India has as being a dangerous place for women to visit.
In my experience, I felt safe the entire time I was in Sri Lanka. I wandered around Mirissa, Ella, Kandy and Colombo by myself and had no issues. Tourism is a lifeline for Sri Lanka, and anyone who hurt a tourist would be punished extremely harshly because of the damage it could do to the country’s global reputation.
Note: I don’t think it’s fair that as female tourists we are entitled to more protection or that anyone received stricter punishment for hurting us vs. hurting a local, but that’s an unfortunate reality for many countries who rely on international visitors.
One thing I want to mention though is that if you clearly look like a tourist, you will get stared at, this is normal and 99.9% of the time it’s not malicious, even though it might make you feel uncomfortable.
If this kind of thing makes you nervous then booking a group tour is perfect just to navigate the cultural differences with a guide and travel buddies.
And, of course, if you are ever in any situation where you do feel like you’re unsafe, trust your gut and leave immediately. It’s better to overreact than underreact.
When is the best time to visit Sri Lanka?
If you’re visiting the south and west of Sri Lanka (that’s where this One Life tour goes), November to March will give you the best chance of sunshine, with whale watching season covering those months as well as April.
But good weather brings slightly higher prices and more crowds, so consider whether those are compromises you’re willing to make.
My trip was in late May/early June, in the southwest monsoon season, and there were definite pros and cons.
Pros were that flights were cheap, there were fewer people on our tour (13 vs. the max of 22), far fewer people at the tourist spots, and in the end we barely had any rain (although this was perhaps a lucky escape rather than anything to bet on).
The cons were that it was very humid, Mirissa was very quiet with lots of restaurants closed for the season, and the water was too rough to swim.
How much should I budget for Sri Lanka?
On top of the tour, here’s what you’ll need to budget for:
- Airport transfer if you aren’t arriving on day 1 (if you arrive on day 1 you’ll get a transfer included, if you arrive before you’ll need to book it yourself), expect to pay around $15-$30USD
- Meals (breakfast is included every day + there are two lunches and two dinners included), I spent around $5-10USD for most meals including an alcoholic drink, but if you want to go somewhere fancy or touristy you might spend $15+
- Optional extras like an extra safari, massages, surf lessons, scuba diving, whale watching
- Tipping the guide and driver
Overall I’d say $250-300USD would be an appropriate amount of spending money for most people, less if you’re happy to keep it basic with local food and no extras, or a bit more if you want to indulge in cocktails, beach bars and all the bells and whistles.
Do I need to get cash for Sri Lanka?
You’ll need local cash for lots of restaurants, shops and tuktuks, you can get this from an ATM at the airport and there are multiple ATM stops throughout the trip if you need to top up your wallet.
All about our One Life Adventures Sri Lanka tour
Our 12 day itinerary
Day 1: Arriving in Negombo
Day 2: Negombo to Sigiriya
Day 3: Sigiriya
Day 4: Sigiriya to Kandy
Day 5: Kandy to Ella
Day 6: Ella
Day 7: Ella to Udawalawe
Day 8: Udawalawe to Mirissa
Day 9: Mirissa
Day 10: Galle day trip
Day 11: Mirissa to Colombo
Day 12: Home time!
Highlights from our One Life Adventures Sri Lanka tour
You can see a proper breakdown of our day-by-day adventures if you scroll down, but if you just want a bullet point list of the best bits then I’ve got you! Everything here is included in the tour unless I’ve stated that it was optional/in my free time.
- Seeing wild elephants from the bus on our first drive
- Hiking up to watch sunset from Pidurangala Rock with my new travel buddies
- The views from the top of Sigiriya Rock
- Traditional lunch at a local family’s house
- The optional safari (there’s an included one later in the tour but I suffer from severe FOMO and can’t turn down anything that other people are doing)
- The Spice Garden tour, which was like an intro to Ayurveda (traditional medicine)
- The cooking class at the Spice Garden
- The Kandy hotel, a heritage hotel right next to the Temple of the Tooth
- A tuktuk ride around Kandy
- Seeing one of the TikTok-famous ‘Flower Boys’ who practically scale a hill to run after your bus trying to sell you flowers (we stopped and bought his whole bouquet, we were so impressed!)
- The iconic Ella train journey
- A fun night out in Ella with the crew (in our free time)
- Ravana Pool Club in Ella (also in free time)
- Watching the Ella train go over the Nine Arches Bridge
- The view from Little Adam’s Peak in Ella
- Safari number two in Udawalawe
- Glamping in a safari tent
- Discovering Sri Lanka’s best chocolate milk, Highland Chocolate Milk (in my free time)
- Our surfing lesson in Mirissa (optional extra)
- Visiting Dog Care Clinic, a vet and sanctuary for injured animals (optional extra)
- Delicious dumplings at Dumplings Cafe in Galle (in free time)
- Dinner at Milky Wave in Mirissa (also free time)
- Chilling by the pool at our resort on our last night
- Finding out a the end of the tour that one of our fellow tour-mates was actually the founder and CEO of One Life Adventures 😂😂😂 I’m not kidding, I’ll explain this in the ‘Day 9’ section below!
What was the tour group like?
Our group was amaaaaazing, we are actually already planning our reunion trip because clearly 12 days together wasn’t enough!
One Life Adventures has an average age of 26 on their tours, but the Sri Lanka tour skews slightly higher as it’s probably more of a destination for experienced travellers looking for some culture, rather than gap year travellers on their first solo trip.
I think our youngest was early 20s, I was right in the middle at 32, and the oldest was 40.
What was the guide like?
Our guide, Rihas, is an absolute superstar, the kind of tour guide who genuinely elevates a trip and makes it unforgettable.
He’s a Sri Lankan who is ultra-passionate about sharing his country with visitors, and he’s been working for One Life since they first started their Sri Lanka tours in 2017 (and has been guiding even longer than that). At 36 he’s the perfect age to join us for the hikes and outdoor adventures, but with years of guiding under his belt he’s more than experienced enough to manage tour logistics and group dynamics.
His English was impeccable, he knew Sri Lanka’s history inside and out (believe me, I really tested him with my constant questions), he kept everything running smoothly during our busy days and had great suggestions for our free time. He is clearly proud of his country and is dedicated to making sure his guests enjoy it.
Literally could not fault a single thing, he’s a legend. Aaaand our group will be seeing him in Japan 👀 (scroll down to ‘Day 9’ to find out what I mean)
What was the accommodation like?
The tour accommodation might change depending on availability, but here’s a quick summary on where we stayed:
- Negombo, Beacon Beach Hotel: 4* but very average, my air con spat water out every ten minutes and the room wasn’t super clean. The good news is that it was all uphill from here!
- Sigiriya, Kassapa Lions Rock: 4* rural hotel with a huge pool, very peaceful. Simple but spacious rooms, mine came with a frog friend but that’s the reality of rural Sri Lanka haha.
- Kandy, Queens Hotel: Historic 3* hotel with heritage status, complete with one of those old school elevators with manual doors. Not fancy but comfortable and charming, right across the road from the Temple of the Tooth.
- Ella, Oak Ray Ella Gap: Decent 3* hotel in the perfect location for eateries and nightlife
- Udawalawe, Athgira River Glamping: Epic glamping tents right by the national park, with comfortable beds, mosquito tents, a fan and WiFi in the common areas. A highlight of the tour for sure.
- Mirissa, Randiya Sea View Hotel: 3* hotel right across the road from the beach with spacious rooms, a big pool, and easy access to food and drink nearby.
- Colombo, Pegasus Reef Hotel: 4* beachfront resort that was a great spot for our final night, with a pool, gym, and even a piano player in the foyer. Faaaancy.
What was the bus like?
Our bus was great, more than enough space for 13 of us + the driver, guide and guide’s assistant, decent air con, a fridge to keep our drinks cold, no complaints.
This tour is right for you if…
- You want to explore Sri Lanka’s highlights without having to spend hours planning out your logistics
- You only have two weeks to spend in Sri Lanka and you want to maximise your time
- You’re keen to meet like-minded travellers
- You’re looking for a mix of nature, culture and bucket list experiences
- You don’t mind a fast-paced trip with 1-2 days in each place
- You want a good value tour without any hidden costs that’ll catch you off guard
This tour isn’t right for you if…
- You have longer than two weeks and you prefer to travel at a slower pace
- You want to visit northern or eastern Sri Lanka
- You’re looking for a wild party trip, some of us had a couple of big nights and we indulged in cheap cocktails most evenings, but it definitely wasn’t an out-til-3am-every-night kind of tour. Apart from our night in Ella 🙃
- You want luxury accommodation and transportation
- You’re working on the road and need access to WiFi (all hotels technically had WiFi but speeds were hit or miss)
Can I plan this itinerary by myself?
You could plan this itinerary by yourself if you were happy to spend some time figuring out the transport logistics, but you’d either have to take public transport and skip lots of the good stuff (like the tea plantation, spice garden, village bike tour etc.) or you’d have to pay a lot for a private driver on top of organising those local experiences yourself.
Sri Lanka infrastructure is decent when you know what you’re doing, if you’re short on time (either for planning or for exploring) I do think a tour is absolutely the most time-effective option.
One Life Adventures Sri Lanka detailed itinerary
If you’ve made it this far then clearly you want to know allllll the details about the trip, so here’s an unfiltered travel diary from my One Life Sri Lanka tour.
Day 1: Arrival in Negombo
I flew from the Maldives to Sri Lanka on day one of the tour, which meant I had an arrival transfer included.
Our guide, Rihas, was waiting for me at the airport and helped me sort out getting cash out and setting up an eSIM, before directing me to the transfer driver who was taking me to the hotel.
Our first hotel, Beacon Beach Hotel in Negombo, was nothing special but it was okay. The hotel was right on the beach (though monsoon season doesn’t make for great beach views haha), the room was spacious, and the beds were comfortable enough. In my room there was loads of dust over by the balcony door, so perhaps it had been empty for a while and just hadn’t been freshly serviced, not the end of the world but also not a fantastic first impression of the tour.
BUT the good news is that every other hotel was better than this one!
Our first group meeting was in the hotel restaurant upstairs at 6pm, where we met our fellow travellers and Rihas, our tour guide. The welcome dinner was included, a buffet of local food with explanations of the different dishes so we could start building our Sri Lankan curry knowledge.
Day 2: Sigiriya – Dambulla Cave Temple + sunset hike
After breakfast at the hotel we set off from Negombo to head to our first official tour stop, via a supermarket to stock up on water and snacks.
Dambulla Cave Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the best-preserved cave monastery in the country, was our first foray into Sri Lanka’s varied religious history. With five sanctuaries, more than 2000m2 of mural paintings, and 157 statues, the complex has been a Buddhist pilgrimage site for 22 centuries.
The walk up to the caves is about 400 steps, but there are monkeys along the way to keep you entertained, and the view isn’t bad either.
On our way from the caves to our hotel we ticked something huge off our Sri Lankan bucket list, seeing a wild elephant walking along the roadside! Cue maximum excitement from a bus of tourists.
We arrived at Kassapa Lions Rock, a beautiful and serene hotel in the countryside, with a pool, a wall of bird photos to help you with bird-spotting, and big rooms with semi-open-air bathrooms.
We had a little bit of downtime to rest and refresh before we set off on our next adventure, a hike up to the top of Pidurangala Rock for sunset. This is where you can get the best view of the iconic Sigiriya Rock.
The hike takes about 30 minutes but some parts are steep with uneven steps, and the final 5 minutes involves some scrambling across boulders, totally safe if you’re steady on your feet but probably not an option for people with mobility concerns.
But when you reach the top, the view is pure magic.
We spent some time taking each others photos with Sigiriya in the background before continuing around the corner to sit down for the day’s final show, a dreamy sunset.
It was getting dark by the time we started to head down, but we had Rihas at the front of the group and Suresh (Rihas’ assistant) at the back to make sure we were all safe.
Dinner tonight wasn’t included but we all decided to go with what Rihas suggested, which was a small restaurant owned by a local woman. One Life has been taking tour groups there for years now, and that support has allowed her to build her business to be financially sustainable. The food was fantastic, and the story behind it was a bonus.
I did have an unwanted visitor in my room that night, a frog who gave me the fright of my life when it jumped in front of me as I was getting changed, but after Googling “are frogs in Sri Lanka dangerous”, I slept soundly knowing I wasn’t going to die.
Day 3: Sigiriya – Rock hike + free time (optional safari)
Breakfast at our Sigiriya Hotel was excellent, with loads of breads/pastries, a mix of Western and local food, fresh fruit and a hot station for eggs. We got onto the bus to be surprised with balloons, it was one of our tour-mates’ birthdays!
Today’s adventure was the short but steep walk up Sigiriya Rock, the iconic ancient rock fortress that once housed a king’s palace in the 5th century. We soaked up the view, enjoyed the refreshingly brutal wind, and marveled at 1600-year-old frescoes (no photos allowed).
After all those steps we had worked up an appetite, and our included lunch was one of my highlights of the tour, partly because of the food and partly because of how we got there!
Our bus drove us seemingly into the middle of nowhere, we hopped out and started walking along a lakeside dirt road until we came to a sheltered area with a few rowboats and a man waiting to welcome us.
We jumped onto the boat, rowed one minute to the other side of the water, and we were at our lunch spot.
This was an authentic, local food experience with delicious curries, dahl and other dishes to try, in a traditional village house. This is the type of experience that would be very difficult to plan if you were travelling independently, and these are always one of my favourite parts of a tour.
After lunch it was a free afternoon, with an optional safari, massage, or both.
As a chronic FOMO sufferer, I have a rule to help me decide whether I want to do an optional activity (if I am undecided). If more than half of the group are doing it then I’m in, and if less than half are doing it then I can tap out knowing that I’m not going to be the only one missing out. Yes, FOMO is that bad for me.
Our two optional activities today were a safari (15,000LKR which is about $50USD) and a massage, the majority said yes to safari so I went along with them, and only a few went for the massage so I used that time to work instead.
There’s an included safari later in the tour in Udawalawe, but my life rule is that when I’m in a country with wild elephants, I take every opportunity to see those wild elephants.
The safari was a success, we spotted loads of elephants (babies included!), peacocks, water buffalo and various birds.
One thing I want to note is that these are driver-only safaris, not guided safaris, so there’s no ranger with binoculars sitting in the truck with you pointing out the animals like you might have seen on an African safari or a fancier safari trip in Sri Lanka. We still saw animals, but I just want to manage expectations!
Dinner tonight wasn’t included, we all ate at the hotel buffet for $10USD (again a good mix of Western + local), but if you wanted to book a taxi to head somewhere else you could do that too.
Day 4: Sigiriya to Kandy – Spice Garden, cooking class, tuktuk tour
After breakfast we checked out of our lush country oasis and made our way to Kandy, with a fun stop en route at the Spice Garden to learn about Ayurveda and traditional medicine.
We wandered through the lush greenery seeing and smelling vanilla, cinnamon, ginger and more exotic plants that I don’t know how to spell, before getting a demonstration all about the different creams, balms and capsules they make from the various spices.
Avuyvedic medicine has been practiced in India and Sri Lanka for centuries, with treatments spanning cosmetic concerns like hair loss and weight gain, pain management, and even treatment of things like diabetes, arthritis and asthma. Obviously you need to take all of this with a grain of salt (we had two doctors in our group who were probably trying not to let their eyes roll back into their head 😂) but it was fascinating to hear about anyway.
After the demonstration we had the chance to purchase any of the supplements, if you have any luggage space to take some alternative treatments back home. A few of our tour-mates stocked up on pineapple tablets that promised weight loss after 30 days, so I’ll report back to you when they’ve given me their feedback.
Next up was a cooking class in an open-air kitchen at the spice garden, we split the group into veggie peelers and cutters, coconut graters, herb grinders and fryers, and got to work making our own lunch. And by ‘making our own lunch’, I mean everyone else cooked while I was on photo duty 📸
On arrival in Kandy we checked into our hotel, a charming heritage hotel and former Governor’s residence with more than 160 years of history. The colonial design will make you forget what year it is, it’s not necessarily modern and luxurious but it was comfortable, very clean and super spacious.
After a bit of downtime we met back downstairs with the crew to set off on our included Kandy city tour, by tuktuk! We split into pairs and jumped into our chariots to be zoomed around the lake and up to an epic lookout.
Our tuktuks took (say that three times fast) us back to the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, a Buddhist religious site that holds the relic of the tooth of Buddha, for us to witness the evening ceremony. This is one of the most significant Buddhist sites in Sri Lanka, really fascinating if you love learning about different religions and spiritual paths.
After Rihas took us around the temple and gave us a lesson on Buddhism 101, we had free time for dinner. Most of the group headed out together but I had a tonne of work to do so I ordered a pesto pizza and chocolate milkshake from UberEats and worked from bed. Not very cultural of me, I know!
Day 5: Kandy to Ella – Tea plantation + famous Ella train
We had our hotel breakfast and hit the road for a very busy day that we were all looking forward to.
First up we visited a tea plantation for some tea picking, a factory tour and then a tasting.
Lunch was at a restaurant with magical panoramic views, with a choice of an impressive buffet or a la carte dishes. I wasn’t hungry enough to make the buffet worth it so I ordered spaghetti carbonara and let’s just say I’ve never been served a pasta dish with a slice of plastic cheese (unmelted) on top, but I’m here for it.
The next part of the drive was up a winding mountain road, where we were fortunate enough to come across one of Sri Lanka’s viral sensations, a Flower Boy. The Flower Boys hang out on this road with a bouquet of flowers, waving at your bus as you drive past, before running up the hill to catch you on the next stretch of road. And repeat, and repeat, and repeat.
Our guy scrambled up the hill four times, which would have been incredibly tiring in the heat and humidity, so we pulled over and bought the whole bouquet to make his effort worth it.
We left our flowers and bags in the bus for the next leg of the journey, the Instagram-famous train to Ella, best known for the photos of people precariously hanging out the doorway.
We caught the 2.5 hour segment of the journey from Nanuoya to Ella, and the train was included in our tour (unlike many other Sri Lanka tours where it’s an optional extra or is bypassed completely).
Our tickets were third class unreserved, meaning we could sit wherever we wanted in the third class carriages. Second and first class tickets require reservations in busy periods, and it would be impossible for One Life to do this when so many travellers book their tours last minute, so third class is the only option.
For us, it was fab. Travelling in low season meant fewer tourists to contend with at all popular spots, including the train, and we managed to get our whole group sitting near each other in one carriage.
We all took turns with the hanging-out-the-doorway poses, I put my new camera to damn good use, we had access to a few different windows for different photo angles, and while I was shooting each our tour-mates the others were playing a tense game of cards.
There is a bit of an art to getting the shot, here are some top tips:
- The best spots are when the train is going around a corner in front of you, and the person can stand out again the train (rather than when the train is straight)
- Use a high shutter speed if shooting with a camera
- Focus on the person before shooting, otherwise you’ll end up with a blurry mess
- Use burst mode (available on most phones by just holding down the button)
- The best views are on the right side when travelling from Nanouya to Ella, but there are good photo opportunities on both sides
- Be safe! Everyone hangs out the door for these photos, and the train does move slowly, but it’s still dangerous if you’re careless. Only do what you’re comfortable with, choose the right spot to do it (not when it’s too close to trees or tunnels), and hold on tight.
I do have to emphasise that this was our experience in low season. In busier periods I have heard that the train can be extremely busy, making it very difficult to get photos at all, let alone finding seats for the whole group. This is an authentic experience of course, jostling for a spot on the train is a Sri Lankan national pastime, but just be aware that visiting in the better weather periods will likely result in a less chill train experience than I had.
And if the train ride (and let’s be honest, the train photos) is one of your top priorities during your trip, you could potentially try booking your own second class tickets for the journey at your own cost. The second class carriage is slightly nicer (image below) but still has open doorways for photos, whereas first class doesn’t have open doors.
We walked from the Ella train station to our hotel, which was on the corner of Ella’s main road with loads of restaurants, cafes, bars and shops within a few minutes’ walk.
This evening was free time, but we were all on a high from the epic train ride so continued our group fun with a hearty dinner at Cafe Chill (9/10 for food, 15/10 for the resident golden retriever who hangs out at the bar while the DJ is playing) before some of us moved on to Cafe One Love for cheap cocktails and deep-and-meaningful chats. This is what I loooove about group tours ❤️
Day 6: Ella – free day!
Today was a full free day, Ella has lots to see and do so you can really choose your own adventure here. Ella reminds me a lot of Ubud in Bali, if you’ve been there then you know the kind of vibes I mean.
If you want to spend your time outside you could do the Ella Rock Hike or the trek to Diyaluma Falls, there are yoga classes and massages galore if you need to rest your body and mind, there’s a bunch of good food, there’s an adventure park with a mega zipline and abseiling, and more.
I spent the morning working (boring, I know) with a cafe break at Kiri Kōpi for a brilliant breakfast, and then I gave into FOMO and joined a few of my travel buddies who were parked up at Ravana Pool Club.
Ravana has clearly been inspired by Bali’s iconic beach clubs, with an infinity pool overlooking the mountains, a VIP area with another pool and hot tub, an indoor restaurant, sunbeds and more, but at a fraction of what you’d pay in Seminyak or Canggu.
Entry starts from about $10-12USD per person and then you can order off the food and drinks menu, or there are packages that include sun beds with food and drink credit. 10/10 would recommend, the perfect place for a chill afternoon.
We had a late lunch, stayed for sunset, and headed back to the hotel, and by the time I realised I was hungry again it was almost 10pm so I just grabbed some two minute noodles from the supermarket next to the hotel and made them in my hotel room haha.
Day 7: Ella to Udawalawe – Train bridge, hike + safari
It was an early wake up today, we had a 6am departure time to do a short walk through the forest to reach a viewpoint for the Nine Arches Bridge, where we watched the first morning train chug by.
From here we walked down to the track itself for more photos, doing the usual routine of finding the best framing and then patiently taking turns as the subject. So efficient!
But the morning views didn’t stop there, we were heading up to Little Adam’s Peak for uninterrupted landscapes of Ella’s lush mountains. The first 15 minutes were up a dirt road, buuuuut three of us wanted to conserve our energy for the next part of the hike, and we cheated with a tuktuk to the final point it could drive.
I am unapologetic about the fact that I prefer low effort views, if there’s a faster and less tiring way of getting somewhere then I will happily take it 🙃
From here it was a short walk along the flat and then about 300 steep steps to the top, but the views are worth it.
After the morning’s outdoor excursions we had some time at the hotel for breakfast, a shower and to repack, before saying goodbye to Ella and starting the drive to Udawalawe,
We had a buffet lunch stop at a small restaurant (highly recommend their chocolate milkshake) before we switched transportation mode and settled into epic jeeps for our included safari.
Another day, another family of elephants! And crocs, and water buffalos, and birds, and more.
Having a safari included in the tour is a big deal, most other budget tours have it as an optional extra or don’t have time for it at all. As an example, Intrepid’s Simply Sri Lanka charges $45USD for the national park fee and then $45USD per person for jeep hire, with a minimum of 6 people per jeep, so if only a few of you want to do it you’ll pay more. So be sure to check the inclusions when you’re comparing other tours.
Our overnight stay this evening was a dreamy glamping spot, with spacious tents, a mosquito net over the bed, a fan to keep you cool, a bathroom with hot water and a flushing toilet, a swimming pool, and a restaurant on-site for dinner. WiFi was spotty here, but that’s to be expected when you’re literally in the jungle.
Dinner here was great, with BBQ meats as well as the usual curries and Western food too. I was judged immensely by a few of my travel friends *cough* Sean *cough* for having chocolate mousse as my first course of dinner, but I stand by the fact that when you see a chocolate mousse that is clearly the perfect consistency, it is worth trying before you eat anything else, so you know how much room to leave. And I am happy to report that the mousse was absolutely the perfect consistency.
It was a shame that we got here late in the day, because it would have been the perfect place for a relaxing afternoon hanging out by the pool.
Day 8: Udawalawe to Mirissa – Free afternoon
Our night out of cellphone reception came to an end and we enjoyed the buffet breakfast (no chocolate mousse, much to my dismay), and drove to the seaside, for our three nights in Mirissa.
Our Mirissa hotel was lovely, with a massive pool (with food and drinks served to the poolside) and the ocean just across the road.
In the dry season I think Mirissa is probably one of the tour highlights, with three days to soak up the sunshine, hit the waves, add on some optional whale watching, scuba diving or snorkelling in your free time, or eat fresh seafood at beachfront restaurants with your feet in the sand.
In the low season (when I went) it’s a little different.
The beach in front of our hotel was still beautiful but very rough, not great for swimming unless you’re confident in the water, and the water was muddy as there had been loads of rain and flooding inland. Many restaurants and bars shut up shop completely or run limited opening hours (i.e. open and close when they feel like it each day), there’s no scuba diving or snorkelling as the water conditions don’t allow it, and there’s not much of a vibe.
But the other side of that coin is that it’s peaceful and quiet, the cafes and restaurants that are open will be stoked to see you, you’ll never have to wait long for food and drink, and if you love slower paced travel then this will be a nice change for you vs. the previous busy and bustling days.
I used our free afternoon for, you guessed it, work 🤓 Rihas recommended O Mirissa, a restaurant a few minutes away from our hotel, so I headed there to grab some takeaway lunch and went back to the hotel for a heavy photo editing session of our train pics.
Our group met up just before sunset to head to Coconut Tree Hill, probably the most famous photo spot in Mirissa.
Another benefit of the low season is that we were able to get photos here without waiting half an hour for our turn!
Some of the crew went straight to dinner from here, I spent another few hours in laptop mode before joining them at Petti Petti, a beach club and restaurant, for some drinks.
Day 9: Mirissa – Free time (whale watching in season) aaaand finding out the CEO was actually on our tour
Day 9 is a full free day, but if you’re visiting in between November and April this will be your day for whale watching, which generally takes about four hours.
I embraced having no set plans by sleeping in, and then took a friend’s recommendation to head to Lolami Cafe for a work-friendly brunch spot. They don’t have WiFi but I had full strength 4G to hot spot my laptop, and got loooads done during my four hour stint here.
In the afternoon a group of us signed up to do the optional surf lesson in nearby Weligama, which was loads of fun. I had actually had a private surf lesson during my solo trip to the Gold Coast a few weeks prior, so it was the perfect opportunity for me to really drum the technique into my brain.
And the best bit is that some of our non-surfing friends came along to take photos, so this time I have proof that I can stand up!
Post-surf I used my free time to get a body scrub and a massage before we had a group dinner (not included but everyone was keen). And it was here that an absolute bombshell was dropped, one of the guys on our tour was actually the founder and CEO of One Life Adventures!
This was a bit of a rollercoaster that involves us being Undercover Bossed, our legendary guide getting a once-in-a-lifetime travel opportunity as a reward for his dedication to his work, and a lot of of us crying happy tears at the dinner table. You can read all about it right here >>
And this might pale in comparison to that bombshell, but another highlight of the day was finding Sri Lanka’s best chocolate milk at the shop next to our hotel, it’s in a glass bottle hidden behind the counter but if you ask the shopkeeper he’ll know what you’re talking about. The best chocolate milk I’ve had in Asia (and I’ve had a lot).
Day 10: Galle day trip + dog sanctuary + bike tour
After a couple of chill days and then the excitement last night, we were all geared up for another active adventure, this time in the form of a bike ride through the paddy fields (included in the tour).
It was 12km all up and flat most of the way, with a few uphill sections but nothing too intense, and we stopped halfway for fresh coconut water straight from the source.
Our cycle tour ended around the corner from Dog Care Clinic, which was optional to visit but most of us were keen to say hello to the doggos.
This place is absolutely incredible, they’ve built a huge complex with various sections for puppies, teenagers, dogs with physical disabilities, and dogs at different stages of rehab after sickness or injury. They have a fully-equipped vet centre to care for both street dogs and local pets, they perform sterilisation to reduce the wild dog population, and they are the forever home for loads of ex-street dogs or abused or neglected pets. Well worth a visit if you’re an animal lover.
From the dog sanctuary we continued on the day’s itinerary, heading to the fortified town of Galle for lunch and a bit of exploring.
I really, really loved Galle, we only had a short amount of time here but it reminded me of Essaouira which is my favourite city in Morocco. Charming colonial architecture, a thriving food and drink scene, boutique clothing and giftshops, and plenty of history to uncover. Next time I’m in Sri Lanka I’ll stay here for longer for sure.
We had lunch at Dumplings Cafe (10/10), grabbed some ice cream, did a spot of souvenir shopping and then returned to the bus.
The rest of the afternoon and evening was free time to do as we please, some went to get massages, some enjoyed the hotel pool, some worked, and then a group of us went to dinner at Milky Wave which was excellent, also recommend.
Day 11: Mirissa to Colombo – Tsunami memorial + turtle sanctuary
Our last full day of our One Life Sri Lanka tour, and a bit of an emotional rollercoaster.
Our first stop this morning was heartbreaking but so important for visitors to Sri Lanka, it was a tsunami memorial and museum that shares facts, stories, photos and articles from the devastating Boxing Day 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that killed more than 270,000 people.
I’ve always thought of the Boxing Day Tsunami as the Thailand tsunami, because the Western media (understandably) reported on Brits, Aussies and Americans who were killed in Phuket, Khao Lak and other Thai beach towns, so I was completely shocked to see that more than 40,000 people were killed in Sri Lanka and almost 230,000 died in Indonesia (mostly on the island of Sumatra, far from Bali and other popular holiday spots).
A really sombre and moving place that gives you insight into a defining moment of Sri Lanka’s recent history, as well as offering some grounding perspective of how lucky we are.
The bus was quiet for a while as we processed what we’d seen, but our next stop brought smiles and laughter as we watched baby turtles zoom around their pool at a turtle sanctuary who protects the eggs and releases the babies into the ocean when they’re ready. The sanctuary is also home to some injured turtles who wouldn’t make it in the wild, like one who has an air pocket in his shell and can’t go underwater. That one’s called Bob, do you get it?! Brilliant.
We made our way up the coast to reach our beachfront resort in Colombo for our final night. This place was pretty fancy, complete with a piano player in the foyer, a massive swimming pool and beach access just a minute’s walk from our rooms.
We met up at the hotel restaurant for our last dinner as a crew, we made a decent dent in the cocktail menu, made a rough plan for our Japan reunion, and said our goodbyes to the tourmates that were leaving overnight or early in the morning.
Day 12: Home time 🙁
Hotel breakfast was included on the final day and we had until 11am to check out. And that’s a wrap on our One Life Adventures 12 day tour!
Wowwww if you’ve read all the way to the end then you clearly are committed to making an informed decision about your upcoming Sri Lanka trip, so I hope this One Life Adventures tour review has helped you make your choice!
I’ll remind you again that you can get 15% off the Sri Lanka trip or any other One Life Adventures tour with the promocode FINDINGALEXX 🙂
If you have any questions that I haven’t answered then please let me know in the comments, and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. Happy travels!
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