- If curious about the local particularities:
Please don’t go visit the elephant orphanage. First ask yourself how did those baby-elephants become orphans in the first place? Yet, it is a tropical country you get a lot of safari options. If you want to see the elephants, there are several national parks like “Willpatu”; “Angammedilla”; “Wasgamuwa” where you can see numerous animals and birds or swimming with the dolphins or the whales. Check those tea-plantations could also be a good plan. Climb a peak of 10.000 stairs to see the sunrise is also a notorious activity for all those romantic souls… Finally, or firstly ride a train between Colombo and Kandy should be on the bucket-list.
Useful NOTE! about local guides & touristic agencies
Where there are tourists, there are people interested in making money out of them. Unfortunately in Sri Lanka it is the same as everywhere in the world. Touristic guides and touristic agencies offering guiding services do have tendency of asking for a higher commission. They would have partners in restoration and hotels in the touristic areas they are offering visits, so they will bring you there as recommendation and the bill may be higher than what the menu says.
This is how the world works as we know it! To spare yourself of being swindled, simply avoid such services. You still get the best experience out of this exotic destination for a budget of your level.