Ella Sri Lanka Archives - GlenMyu Estate

Crowd Free places in Sri Lanka

Hiking in Sri Lanka, Holiday, Horton Plains National Park, The Pekoe Trail, Things to do on holiday in Sri Lanka, Travel / By Mikeez

Crowd free places in Sri Lanka?

Crowd Free places in Sri Lanka.

Do you want to get away from the crowds?
Do you like Non-Touristy, Off-beat places to visit whilst you are on holiday?

Read on to find out our thoughts, and what we recommend to do when you are on holiday in Sri Lanka.

Everyone is looking for a unique experience.

Social Media outlets like Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and X (formerly Twitter) appear to have driven a desire for people to strive for unique experiences.

It’s important to get that individual ‘Instagram Moment’ shared with the world.

The more unique it is may make you ‘stand out from the crowd’ and get more like.

There are lots of people that want to be pioneers and be the first. What kudos you will receive, how great will you feel when your name is shining in those bright lights!

Gen Z and Millennials

Gen Z and Millennials have aspirations to travel. What better way to grow your social media audience by getting selfies in crowd free places.

According to the Deloitte US article “Gen Z and Millennial Travel: The Wanderlust generations” their love of travel.
This is fuelling new opportunities for technology, media & entertainment, and telecommunications companies.

Is there any such crowd free places in Sri Lanka.

With the population of the planet being 8 billion and rising according to Worldometers there would appear to be very few places on earth that are crowd free (or will be for long).

Beat the crowds - get there early

I’m sorry, but although you are on holiday and probably want a lie-in, we recommend that you get up early and beat the crowds.

Our guests Millie and Matt got up early to visit Lipton’s Seat. Their experience was unforgettable and special to them. You can read about their adventure in the following article “Sri Lanka Most Beautiful Place”.

Here are the reasons why we recommend getting up early “6 Reasons to Get Up Early”.

By giving up your lay-in on holiday you have more of a chance in beating the crowds.

Crowd free places in Sri Lanka.

Two Indian Lawyers stayed with us at GlenMyu Estate in late April 2023 and experienced some crowd free moments.

This is typically when there are low tourist numbers after the main December to March tourist season.

We recommended that they leave early and return for a late breakfast. You can read more about our advice in our article “6 Reasons to Get up Early”.

As India has a population of 1.4 Billion according to Worldometer there must be very few places in that country where you can experience a crowd free place.

We were delighted that our advice provided them with this special experience which will be with them for many years to come.

Avoid the weekends

We would also recommend that you avoid the weekends.

This is because that’s when the local Sri Lankan community are likely to travel.
Going on the weekend amplifies the numbers visiting the sights to the foreign tourists.

Visit in the off season.

The main tourist season has been mid-December until April.
This is a natural time of year to visit the island as it is cold in Northern Europe.
Also the island is hit by two main monsoons: the North West Monsoon (November to March) and the South West Monsoon(April or May to September).

You can read more about the climate in Sri Lanka on the World Bank knowledge-portal website “Sri Lanka -Climatology”.

During the peak holiday season (mid-December to April), the South and West Coasts are free from the monsoon .

If you take a chance and visit during the lower tourist seasons. You will have a change of seeing more crowd free places.

It is a risk but have seen several guests get lucky taking this route.
They also get to benefit from the lower prices in the off season and the additional attention from underworked staff.

Come quick!

Sri Lanka Tourist numbers are increasing.

Monthly and weekly tourist arrivals are published on the website. If you click this link to the website you will see the rise in numbers month by month captured to the previous year.

Although the target number for 2023 was 2 million, in September 2023 it was expected to achieve over 1.5 million.

Also the government are planning to increase tourist numbers from their target of 2 million to 4 million. This will mean you are less likely to be able to experience a crowd free place on the island. You can read the article in Travel Bulletin about the tourist number targets.

You can read more about their plans in the following articles.

Sri Lanka is promoting itself as an all year round destination.

The North and East of the country is being developed for tourism since the Civil was that ended in May, 2009.

April to September are good months to visit that part of the island as it is monsoon free.
There are less hotels in this part of the country and therefore you are more likely to have some places to yourselves and be able to avoid the crowds.

We had some English visitors in July 2023 who had a great time in Jaffna and Trincomalee.
Their recommendation was to visit now before it gets developed!

October

October is the time of the year when Sri Lanka endures the inter-monsoon. The number of visitors to the island dropped from 136,405 in August to 111,938 in September and 109,199 during October 2023.

We had an Australian visitor in October who was our only guest for the night she stayed at GlenMyu Estate.
She mentioned that she was also the only guest at two other hotels she had visited.

If you can risk the rains, then there are normally good bargains to be had during the inter-monsoon period.
If you really want to go home with a tan, you probably want to avoid the inter-monsoon.

However, some of our French guests has visited the East Coast in October and they advised the the weather was quite pleasant.

So, perhaps look east if you want to visit during October and avoid the crowds.

In summary - our recommendations for a Crowd Free Sri Lanka.

Do some research
Get up early to avoid the crowds
Avoid the weekends
Consider visiting during the off-season.

Stay at GlenMyu Estate to explore the Sri Lankan Hill Country

A stay at GlenMyu Estate as you explore the Sri Lankan Hill Country and see sights like Horton Plains National Park is a unique experience.

We only have three bedrooms and you will need to book early during the peak holiday season.

The estate is usually within an hours drive of the major sightseeing locations such as Nine Arch Bridge, Ella Town, World’s End, Upper Diyaluma Waterfall, Lipton’s Seat, Bambarakanda Waterfall and many more,

GlenMyu Estate is listed on Booking.com and Airbnb.
Contact us by the WhatsApp button on our website for direct booking rates.

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Pekoe Trail Stage 17 Demodara to Hali-Ela

Accommodation, Hiking in Sri Lanka, The Pekoe Trail, Travel / By Mikeez

The Pekoe Trail Stage 17

The Pekoe Trail Stage 17.

The 17th Stage of the 300 kilometre newly opened (2023) Pekoe Trail in Sri Lanka is a 13 kilometres section between Demodara to Hali-Ela.
The Pekoe Trail Stage 17 is accessible from Ella.
A highlight of this stage is Demodara Railway Station which is considered a colonial era feat of engineering.

This is a video by Marc Ramsey which covers stage 17 of the Pekoe Trail.

The Pekoe Trail is a newly developed 300 kilometre hike in the Sri Lankan Hill Country opened in 2023.

It was designed as a 22–day walk from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya via Ella, Haputale, and Horton Plains

To find out more about the Pekoe please visit the official Pekoe Trail Website.

Why was the new trail created?

The Pekoe Trail is part of the European Union’s 5.7 million Euro (LKR 2.2 billion) support for Sri Lanka’s national tourism strategy.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) also provided approximately $787,000 (approximately LKR 283 million) to support the trail.

Hiking Apps to help you navigate stage 17 of the Pekoe Trail

The following Apps will help you with this and other sections of the Pekoe Trail.

Outdooractive
AllTrails
Wikiloc

What's so fascinating aboutDemodara Railway Station?

Demodara Railway station is most notable the ‘Demodara Loop” which is named after its spiral rail line at this location.

The railway line passes under itself, going around the loop.
It emerging from a tunnel which runs directly beneath the Demodara railway station.

The rail loop is approximately 900 metres (3,000 ft) long and the tunnel is 320 m (1,050 ft) in length.

It is considered the only loop in the world with a railway station situated exactly over a tunnel at spiral loop.

The ‘Loop’ was created by engineers as they discovered that, during the construction of the rail extension to Badulla, the elevation between the hills at Demodara was too much for the track to negotiate.
At the time the maximum inclination allowed by the Government Railway was 1 foot per 44 feet (1/44)
Engineers had to come up with an innovative track design.

Why should I hike the Pekoe Trail?

For lots of reasons!

Be one of the first to experience the trail – it was only opened in 2023.

Track you hike on one of the Hiking Apps to help other walkers navigate the trail.

To experience the real Sri Lanka and meet local people on the way.

Support Sri Lanka to help it escape from the enconomic crisis.

An Ultra Marathon on the Pekoe Trail!

Sorry, if this was your plan, it’s aleady been done!
Maybe you can be the second!

Ultra Marathon Runner Hyun Chang Chung ran the 300 kilometre Pekoe Trail in 59 hours in January 2023.

You can read more at the FT Article and watch the video which will give you a flavour of what you will experience.

Are there recommended places to stay in between stages of the Pekoe Trail?

As the Pekoe Trail is a newly created hike opened in 2023 we, at GlenMyu Estate, understand that there are no official recommendations for Hotels, Guest Houses, B & B’s, Camping and Homestay stay on the trail as of yet.

We will update this information as soon as we hear that a recommended list has been published.

Update

Here is the list of places recommended by the official website.

GlenMyu Estate - Stages 10 - 17 of the Pekoe Trail.

If you are tacking Stages 10,11,12,13,14,15,16,or 17 of the Pekoe Trail then perhaps you should consider staying a few days at GlenMyu Estate.

Where can I find out more about GlenMyu Estate?

You can contact us by WhastApp be pressing the button on our Website. Alternatively you can send Michael an email.

GlenMyu Estate is listed on Booking.com and Airbnb.

At GlenMyu Estate we have:

3 Kingsize Double Bedrooms with Spectacular Views
2 Spacious Lounges with views over the hills below the house
A Natural Spring-Fed Infinity Swimming Pool
5 Acres of land to explore

Delicious bespoke meals freshly prepared by the host
A selection of places to dine

A place to relax and be closer to nature

Within reach of the following tourist sites

Diyaluma Waterfall and Upper Diyaluma Pools
Horton Plains National Park – Mini Worlds End, Worlds End and Bakers Falls
Adisham Bungalow
Lipton Seat
Dambetenna Tea Factory
Bambarakanda Waterfall
Thangamale Bird Sanctuary
Ella Town: 9 Arch Bridge, Little Adams Peak & Ravanna Waterfall.

We are listed on Booking.com & Airbnb.

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Luxury Hotel Awards – 98 Acres Resort & Spa

Holiday, Sri Lanka, Travel / By Mikeez

Congratulations to 98 Acres Resort & Spa

We, at GlenMyu Estate, were delighted to and congratulate, one of our ‘neighbours’, 98 Acres Resort & Spas be awarded World Luxury Mountain Resort 2022 in the Luxury Hotel Awards.

It was great waking up this morning and seeing the article on Newswire.lk about this prestigious award.

If you want to read the article please follow this link Newswire Article.

The Luxury Hotel Awards - 98 acres resort & spa

The World Luxury Hotel Awards were established in 2006.

They are known as thei pinnacle of achievement in the luxury hotel industry and offer international recognition. Voting is from guests, travelers and industry players alike.

There are over 300,000 votes amassed from international travellers each year.

There is a 4 week period running up to the selection of the winners.

Hotels have the opportunity to participate in the World Luxury Hotel Awards by entering hotel categories, such as Mountain Resort, which showcase the unique selling points for their establishment.

A much needed boost for the Travel Industry

Sri Lanka tourism has suffered over the past 3-4 years from the Easter Attacks, the Covid 19 Pandemic and then the financial crisis.

As 98 Acres Resort & Spa has won this award, it will be a much needed boost for the travel and tourism industry in Sri Lanka. It will put that renowned Sri Lankan smile back on the faces of the people in the country.

98 Acres Resort & Spa has been a successful and popular hotel in the Ella area in the Hill Country of Sri Lanka.

If you visit their website you can see why they are worthy winners of the award.

It is an elegant, unique hotel set in a scenic 98 acre tea estate and surrounded by a stunning landscape.

There are stunning individual chalets which have stunning views and are surrounded by spectacular scenery.

We love the fact that they are very eco friendly and have been kind to the environment in the material that they have used to construct this beautiful venue.

Located in reach of the buzz of Ella Town

The hotel has enough facilities and offerings to spend your time enjoying the hotel and grounds.

However, it is also located near to Ella Town and the interesting tourist sites there.

There are coffee shops, restaurants and bars in Ella Town that provide a different experience for tourist, especially if you are after a bit of a buzz and atmosphere.

Venues, such as Chill Cafe are popular and sometimes provide live music.

Excursions - places to visit from 98 acres resort & spa

The hotel at 98 Acres Resort & Spa is located in reach of great places to visit.

Highlights are:

Hiking up Little Adam’s Peak.

Upper Diyaluma Waterfall

Ravanna Waterfall

Nine Arch Bridge, Demodora

Lipton Seat

Dambetenne Tea Factory

GlenMyu Estate - an alternative choice

GlenMyu Estate is also located in the Sri Lankan Hill Country and within reach of these wonderful tourist sites.

We consider ourselves as an alternative option to the other hotels in the area.

The Estate is in 5 acres of an abandoned tea estate and has spectacular views towards Udawalawe Reservoir and the Southern coast.

There are only 3 guest bedrooms and therefore an option for those that want a more unique and bespoke experience.

Please visit our website for more information and contact details.

A hearty congratulations to 98 Acres Resort & Spa

So,, again, we congratulate and send our best wishes to 98 Acres Resort & Spa who are worthy recipients of the World Luxury Mountain Resort Award for 2022.

We love what they have created and the awareness of this beautiful part of this paradise Island.

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