Sri Lanka

Beaches

Sri Lanka is very famous for its beaches and the entire island is surrounded by beautiful ocean. The best of the Southern beaches include Tangalla, Beruwala, Mirissa, Bentota and Unawatuna and on the Western corner of the country to the north of Colombo is the Negombo lagoon. In Sri Lanka beaches are ideal places for families and friends to meet and usually head to the beach on holidays, weekends, if only to gaze out at the sea. This is the best place that you can walk leisurely along the beach at sunset, enjoy a game of cricket on the beach, laze in the sun or cast a rod and fish for night’s dinner.

Negombo

This famous fishing town located 35 km north of Colombo and it is an ideal place to enjoy the traditional fishing methods of Sri Lanka. On the shores of the canal, you will find many homes and churches and many species of birds including spectacular Kingfishers. It is one of the beaches with a long history.

Mirissa

Mirissa is located in the South Coast of Sri Lanka, only about 200km away from the Equator. The sandy beach with its golden sand and undeniably warming atmosphere with chilled breezes, the perfect combination of hot and cold is a travel location that’s the envy of many countries. It’s also one of the best places in the world to enjoy whale-watching.

Hikkaduwa

This is one of the famous beach resorts in the south coast of the Island. For those who are more adventurous can go for diving to the Black Coral Gardens, beyond the Coral Reef in deep waters, only deep divers could see and admire or they could go for wreck diving to several shipwrecks close to Hikkaduwa.

Arugam Bay

Arugam Bay is easily the most multi-cultural beach resort which situated on the east coast of the island. Mainstream tourism developments have been kept largely at bay so it’s a great place to enjoy a beach without the brashness of other more established resorts. Tourism in Arugam Bay is overwhelmed by surf tourism.

Kalpitya

Kalpitya is located in the North Western Province and the city consists of a total of 14 islands. It affords the opportunity to view large pods of Dolphins, often numbers running to hundreds is becoming a celebrated location in Sri Lanka of the lovers of Spinner Dolphins and Whales are regularly seen around the Kalpitiya Peninsula.

Unawatuna

Unawatuna is a coastal town in the Galle district of Sri Lanka. Unawatuna is a major tourist attraction in Sri Lanka and known for its beaches and corals. It is still home to the endangered and endemic purple-faced langur, a usually shy monkey species that can only be found in Sri Lanka’s forests.

wild life

Sri Lanka is one of the finest wildlife watching countries in the world. The island may be small in size, but the variety of habitats and the wildlife found there, would do justice to a country many times its size. Sri Lanka possesses a high degree of biodiversity and It is one of the top hotspots for biodiversity in the world and also boasts one of the highest rates of biological endemism. You’ ll certainly get to see all the wildlife and tropical birds you’ ve never dreamed of seeing, including of course the famous but elusive Leopard, while at the same time taking in our natural brilliance of Sri Lanka, fauna and flora under clear skies.

Yala National Park

Yala National Park, situated in the south-east corner of the island, is home to the greatest variety of Sri Lanka’s wildlife. This is one of the most popular and most visited National Parks in Sri Lanka due to its high Leopard density. Yala National Park is bustling with excitement, inviting wildlife enthusiasts.

Wilpattu National Park

Wilpattu National Park is a park located approximately 180 km north of Colombo. Despite being Sri Lanka’s largest national park, visitor numbers remain low and give the park a true sense of wilderness. There are many types of vegetation to be found in Wilpattu, including littoral vegetation and 31 species of mammals.

Udawalawe National Park

Udawalawe National Park lies on the boundary of Sabaragamuwa and Uva Provinces, in Sri Lanka. It is quite possibly the best place in Sri Lanka to see elephants throughout the year as there are a few hundred elephants within the park, and you can sometimes witness a herd of females moving or bathing together in the wild.

Minneriya National Park

Minneriya National Park is a national park in North Central Province of Sri Lanka. Here, you can see the view of the famous Gathering of the wild elephant herds and that documented as the largest meeting place of Asian Elephants in the world. During the dry season, herds up to 300 elephants are seen within a few square kilometers.

Wasgamuwa National Park

Wasgamuwa National Park is a natural park in Sri Lanka situated in the Matale and Polonnaruwa Districts. Wasgamuwa is one of the protected areas where Sri Lankan Elephants can be seen in large herds. It is also one of the Important Bird Areas in Sri Lanka and the park is situated 225 km away from Colombo.

Sinharaja Forest

Sinharaja Forest Reserve is a national park and a biodiversity hotspot in Sri Lanka. It has been designated a Biosphere Reserve and World Heritage Site by UNESCO. There are about 3 elephants and 15 or so leopards. The most common larger mammal is the endemic purple-faced langur. The reserve’s name translates as the Lion Kingdom.

Ancient

Sri Lanka was famously described as one of the finest islands in the world, and it has a history that dates back thousands of years. Anuradhapura, Dambulla and Kandy, the eight ancient kingdoms, impressive colonial architecture, numerous UNESCO world heritage sites and the ancient rock fortress at Sigiriya, to name but a few. You’re sure to be impressed when you see some of the jaw-dropping feats accomplished by ancient civilizations.

Kandy

Kandy in Sinhala, pronounced is the English name for the city of Maha Nuvara in the center of Sri Lanka. It’s set on a plateau surrounded by mountains, which are home to tea plantations and biodiverse rainforest. Kandy is famed for sacred Buddhist sites, including the Temple of the Tooth shrine, celebrated with the grand Esala Perahera annual procession.

Dambulla

Dambulla is situated 148 km north-east of Colombo and 72 km (45 mi) north of Kandy. Major attractions of the area include the largest and best-preserved cave temple complex of Sri Lanka, and the area also boasts the largest rose quartz mountain range in South Asia. Despite its slightly commercial air, this remains an important holy place and should not be missed.

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Polonnaruwa

The second most ancient of Sri Lanka’s kingdoms, The Ancient City of Polonnaruwa has been declared a World Heritage Site. Polonnaruwa was the thriving commercial and religious center of Sri Lanka some 800 years ago. It consists of a lot of temples and religious buildings. For three centuries it was the royal capital, of both the Chola and Sinhalese kingdoms.

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Anuradhapura

Anuradhapura is one of the ancient capitals of Sri Lanka, famous for its well-preserved ruins of ancient Lankan civilization. The city, now a World Heritage site, was the center of Theravada Buddhism for many centuries. Anuradhapura is also significant in Hindu legend as the fabled capital of the Asura King Ravana in the Ramayana.

Sigiriya

Sigiriya also known as the Lion’s Rock is a rock fortress and the best-preserved city center in Asia. The name refers to a site of historical and archaeological significance that is dominated by a massive column of rock nearly 200 meters high and surrounded by gardens, ponds and other structures.

Kataragama

Kataragama is a pilgrimage town sacred to Buddhist, Hindu and indigenous Vedda people of Sri Lanka. The town has the Kataragama temple, a shrine dedicated to Skanda Kumara. Although Kataragama was a small village in medieval times, today it is a fast-developing township surrounded by jungle in the southeastern region of Sri Lanka.

Nature

Sri Lanka has plenty to offer the nature lover. You’ll find a wide range of ecosystems here, too. There are foggy hills and mountain ranges. The area holds many natural beauties, like waterfalls, hills, tea plantations, and the towering Pidurutalagala, the tallest mountain in Sri Lanka. There are lakes big and small, and also tons of tea plantations. The rolling hills spread for miles and miles and the weather is cooler than the coast. The best way to visit the hill country is by train since the tracks cross the mountains inside forests and through the fog.

Ella

Ella is a small town in the Badulla District of Uva Province, Sri Lanka. The area has a rich biodiversity, dense with numerous varieties of flora and fauna. Ella is surrounded by hills covered with cloud forests and tea plantations. This small village is filled with tea estates, mountains, waterfalls and of course with some good air to breath .

Adam’s Peak

Little Adam’s Peak is 1141 m in height and it attracts many travelers who come to Sri Lanka. Gradually with an easy hike up to the mountain of Little Adam’s Peak, you can consummation a worth panoramic view. You have to walk through green tea plantations, waterfalls and paddy fields while enjoying the sceneries.

Kitulgala

Kitulgala is a small town in the west of Sri Lanka. Surrounded by low wooded hills, Kitulgala is a village of lush vegetation. Inside the jungles of Kitulgala, there are plenty of camping opportunities which can be coupled with White Water Rafting, Bird Watching, Jungle Walks, River bathing and many adventure activities.

Nuwara Eliya

Nuwara Eliya is a city in the tea country hills of central Sri Lanka. Dubbed “Little England” due to its cool climate and colonial-era bungalows, it boasts a landscape far more dramatic than Britain’s. Nearby Seetha Amman Temple, a colorful Hindu shrine, is decorated with religious figures. Densely forested Galway’s Land National Park is a sanctuary for endemic and migratory bird species.

Haputale

Haputale is surrounded by hills covered with cloud forests and tea plantations. You will be standing on a Mountain top being able to see Landscapes of North, South West and East. The area has a rich bio-diversity dense with numerous varieties of flora and fauna. The train trip to or from Haputale is one of best experiences you will make in Sri Lanka.

Horton Plains National Park

Horton Plains National Park is a protected area in the central highlands of Sri Lanka and is covered by montane grassland and cloud forest. This plateau at an altitude of 2,100–2,300 metres is rich in biodiversity and many species found here. The Horton Plains are the headwaters of three major Sri Lankan rivers.