There’s a special kind of madness in setting an alarm for 4 AM on purpose. But there we were, me and my childhood friend, the one I’ve been travelling with for as long as I can remember, pulling out of a dark, sleepy Colombo at 4:30 in the morning. Half asleep. Fully excited. Girls’ trip, officially on.
Breakfast first (and a small spice warning)
If you ask me, the first real milestone of any road trip is breakfast. Ours came just after we turned off the highway, at a cozy place in Kurunegala called Cafe Amakie. We walked in without big expectations and walked out completely stuffed. The buffet had options for days, proper local, proper authentic and yes, a little on the spicy side (okay… maybe more than a little; consider this your warning). But for the price? Worth every rupee. We climbed back into the car full, happy, and very gently on fire, in the best possible way.
Arrival at Gunner’s Club Minneriya
We rolled into Gunner’s Club Minneriya around 9 AM A friend of ours, a Major stationed at the camp was there to meet us, and his warmth honestly set the tone for the whole trip. There’s something lovely about arriving somewhere new and being looked after like an old friend.
He gave us a proper tour of the camp, starting with the artillery museum. Now, I’ll be honest, “museum” wasn’t exactly the word that had me buzzing on a girls’ trip. But it completely won me over. So much history packed into one place, and our friend told the stories behind it all in a way that made everything come alive. One of those unexpected highlights you don’t see coming.
The lake with a mind of its own
After lunch, we made our way out to Minneriya lake. The wind that afternoon had a personality of its own, strong, relentless, the kind that throws your hair straight across your face and makes you laugh out loud. We stayed for the sunset, and it turned into one of those quiet, golden, stop-talking-for-a-minute skies. The sort you can never quite photograph well enough, so eventually you give up and just watch.
Bridges, lotus ponds, and an ancient sea
The next morning we let ourselves have a late, lazy breakfast (earned, obviously). Then the real exploring began.
First, Ginipetti Palama, a thrilling little bridge that gets your heart going in exactly the right way. Then a Nelum Pokuna sitting quietly in the middle of the jungle: a lotus pond, right where you’d least expect to find one. There’s a certain magic in stumbling onto something that peaceful in the middle of nowhere.
From there we drove to Polonnaruwa for the ruins, and this is where I got a little emotional. Parakrama Samudraya, the Sea of Parakrama stopped me in my tracks. They call it a “tank,” but that word does it no justice at all. It stretched out in front of us like a genuine sea: ancient, enormous, and unbelievably proud. Standing there, knowing it was built centuries ago by human hands, I felt very small in the best way possible.
We refueled afterwards with a local lunch, and the lake fish, I’m still thinking about it. “Mouth-watering” doesn’t quite cover it.
The lake welcomed us back with waves
Then we went back to Minneriya lake, this time to swim. And here’s the part I still can’t get over: the lake welcomed us with waves. Actual waves! We floated and splashed and laughed like kids, completely forgetting we were two grown women supposedly on a schedule.
That night we threw a karaoke party outside, singing our hearts out into the cold night wind. No stage, no audience, just us, the dark, and a few gloriously questionable high notes. Perfect.
“Let’s just stay one more day”
Somewhere in the middle of all that singing, my friend floated the idea of staying an extra day. And honestly? Not a bad idea at all. I agreed on one condition: we had to do a Minneriya National Park safari.
After two full days of go-go-go, though, I was ready to slow down. So our bonus day started gently. I’d packed three books (wildly ambitious, I know), got a little work done, read a few chapters, and just let myself be still for a while. There’s a real luxury in doing nothing somewhere beautiful.
And then, in the evening, the safari. Minneriya is famous for its elephants, it’s one of the best places in the country to see them and bumping along in a jeep as the light turned gold, scanning the grassland for the slightest movement, was exactly the kind of thrill I’d been hoping to end on. The perfect last adventure.
Heading home
On our fourth morning, after one last breakfast, we said our farewells and pointed the car back toward Colombo, sun-kissed, well-fed, a little tired, and full in the way only a good trip can leave you.
Why I’d send you to Gunner’s Club Minneriya
I don’t recommend places lightly, but Gunner’s Club Minneriya has my whole heart. It sits right between Minneriya and Polonnaruwa, which makes it such an easy spot to stop for a meal, take a dip in the pool, or rest for the night. The accommodation was clean, comfortable, and I still can’t quite believe it, surprisingly affordable.
What makes it really special is how much it puts within reach. From there you can easily get to Minneriya, Kaudulla, and Habarana national parks, the Somawathiya temple, the Polonnaruwa ruins, and even Sigiriya. You could base yourself here for days and never run out of places to go.
If you haven’t explored this corner of our island yet, take this as your sign. Pack a bag (maybe one fewer book than I did), set that ridiculous early alarm, and just go. Some lakes, it turns out, welcome you back with waves.
