The 6 best reasons to wake up early in Sri Lanka
The 6 best reasons to wake up early in Sri Lanka.
There are many reasons to wake up early in Sri Lanka. Here are our 6 best reasons to wake up early whilst on holiday.
Some will be unwanted, however, most of the time it is really worth it.
But it’s my holiday!
I know, I know!
You are on holiday and you were really looking forward to a lie in.
The 6 main reasons why you need to wake up early in Sri Lanka (in no particular order!)
Reason 1 - Seeing the Sunrise
We have spectacular sunrises in Sri Lanka which are worth getting up early for.
This a picture I took at the beach in Arugam Bay. It was a really special moment for my wife and I which we always will remember.
You don’t get a second chance and every sunrise if unique so it really is worth getting up early for.
Reason 2 - Avoid the crowds - especially at the weekend
Okay, maybe I’m just not a sociable animal!
Really though, it’s great to have experiences during your holiday in Sri Lanka where there are less crowds. Spending time, hand in hand with your partner walking on the pristine sand covering the beach is more memorable if you are alone. The image of a crowded beach doesn’t create that that same kind of romantic special moment
If you are fighting to get to the spot to take that selfie that will be a special reminder of your holiday it’s not great when there are lots of people trying to do the same thing.
Most people see a holiday as a time where they can wake up late and go out later in the day to explore. As crowds grow during the day the opportunities just are not as special.
We recently had guests visit Upper Diyaluma Waterfall early in the morning and return to GlenMyu Estate for a late breakfast. They were delighted as initially they had the place to themselves and the crowds staying in Ella arrived as they had finished. It was a really special experience for this young couple.
GlenMyu Estate is on Booking.com and Airbnb.
Reason 3 - Wake up early for the best photographs
Don’t miss “Golden Hour”.
The golden hour period is approximately between one half hour before sunrise, and one hour after sunrise. Golden hour is so named because early morning light is soft, and of course, golden!
The sun is low in the sky, shadows are softer, and the angles and length are more flattering.
According to website improvephotography the best time to take a portrait is with a couple of hours after sunrise and within a couple of hours before sunset.
Light changes quickly during this period and therefore it is important to get to the spot you want to photograph early to capture a range of photos. This will enable you to pick the ones where you like the light the best.
Reason 4 - It may get quite hot later on
One of the main reasons as a tourist in Sri Lanka to get up early is to avoid the heat later in the day.
It’s much more of a pleasure visiting tourist sites before it gets uncomfortably hot. Most visitors are not used to the temperatures (and sometimes humidity) and it can really sap you energy and enjoyment of the experience.
There is a song and a saying about “Mad Dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun”.
It’s a comical song but has a very salient point.
If you are not from a tropical country then seeing the wonderful sights in Sri Lanka such as climbing Sigiria Rock Fortress, Hiking Horton Plains National Park, visiting the temples in ancient Polunaruwa or seeing the view at Lipton’s Seat it can be quite exhausting. You will also need to carry plenty of water to keep yourself hydrated.
Reason 5 - Wake up early and you can relax in the afternoon
“The early bird catches the worm”
Get an advantage on your day so that you can fully relax after seeing a fabulous site or having an experience early.
By expending energy in the morning after, say, a hike around Horton Plains National Park or climbing the Lion Rock then your body will be ready for a relaxing afternoon.
The temperature is more likely to be warmer and the world is telling you to slow down and take it easy. Your body will tell you that it is ready to slow down and recover from the rigorous morning experience it has been through.
There are some fabulous, hotels, guest houses, homestays and beach huts around Sri Lanka and I would recommend that you allocate some time to enjoy them.
At GlenMyu Estate, Ru will usually do a garden tour showing the spices, fruits and vegetables that we grow on the estate. Sometimes this will incorporate picking some of the fresh ingredients required for the evening meal such as salad leaves, vegetables and fruits.
We always suggest that guests build in a little bit of downtime during their holiday in Sri Lanka. After all, you are on holiday! If you end up missing visiting a sight there is no guilt as you can always come back to Sri Lanka again.
Reason 6 - You are more likely to see the animals on a safari
Getting up early means that you will be more likely to see a wider range of animals on Safari. In Sri Lanka there are morning and afternoon safaris. If you do a morning safari you always have the opportunity to also do an afternoon safari to compare how many and what types of animal you see.
Some animals are mostly active during sunrise and therefore you have the best chance to see them in the morning. They prefer the cooler parts of the day: early morning or early evening.
Getting up early at GlenMyu Estate
What we find at GlenMyu Estate is that by time our guests have arrived here they need some downtime.
Most travellers arrive after topping up the tan or surfing at the coast on on the 6 hour train ride from Kandy.
There are lots to see within reach of GlenMyu Estate which are best or essential to see early in the morning. So there will be times where you will need to wake up early here as well.
From GlenMyu Estate you can reach some fabulous spots that worth getting up early for:
Horton Plains National Park – a UNESCO Heritage Site
We normally send our guests off at 6.30 am so that they reach the park shortly after it opens.
Ru gets up early and provides a sumptuous breakfast so that our guests have a great start to an early day.
The main reason for reaching Horton Plains National Park early is to have a chance to see the awesome views at Lesser World’s End and Greater World’s End.
If you leave it too late the clouds in the Montane Cloud forest may already be obscuring the view meaning you won’t get that Instagram picture or video!
The 11 kilometre hike takes between 3 – 4 hours depending on how often you stop.
Getting there early means that there will be less crowds for you to share this wonderful natural landscape with. Many of our guests have commented on the number of local Sri Lankans who arrive when they are finishing. I doubt that many see the World’s End views.
Read about our experience of our hike at Horton Plains National Park at our BlogPost.
It will also mean that you will get back to GlenMyu Estate in plenty of time to enjoy a swim in the refreshing Natural Spring Fed Infinity Swimming Pool.
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Upper Diyaluma Waterfall
The second highest Waterfall in Sri Lanka is a favourite spot for us and many of our guests and worth getting up early to experience.
Upper Diyaluma Waterfall is around 1,400 metres high so you really need to get there early so that you don’t experience the full force of the sun. We do recommend our guests to put sun tan lotion on in order to avoid getting sunburn. As the elevation of this and many other tourist sights in the area are quite high it is worth taking the precaution.
A guest who left GlenMyu Estate to get to Upper Diyaluma Waterfall for sunrise at 5.30 am suggested that it was still 30 minutes too late and she should have left at 5 am.
She had a wonderful time and was able to make it back to GlenMyu to have a late breakfast.
Read more about or trip to Upper Diyaluma Waterfall in our BlogPost.
Lipton’s Seat and Dambetenne Tea Factory
This is the viewpoint from where Scottish tea baron, Sir Thomas Lipton, used to survey his vast tea empire.
Lipton’s Seat is at an elevation of 1,970 metres.
It has a panoramic view over the hills and you can see Uda Walawe Tank (reservoir), Handapanagala Lake, the Wedihitikanda Mountains, Chandrika Lake and Hambanthota Port which is located on the southern coast.
You can see five provinces from the viewpoint including Uva, Sabaragamuwa, Central and Eastern Provinces.
Here as some beautiful photos taken by our guests at Lipton’s Seat in April 2023.
It had rained quite heavily on the previous evening which led to the clear skies in the morning. They left GlenMyu Estate at 5 a.m. however they said that they could have left 15 minutes earlier to capture the sunrise fully.
Find out more about GlenMyu Estate by visiting our website or contact us by WhatsApp.
Contact GlenMyu Estate to book your stay by visiting our website.
We are also listed in Airbnb & Booking.com.