Sri Lanka, also known as “Wonder of Asia”, continues to attract tourists every year who come to experience its interesting mix of offerings like its cultural heritage, festivals, great outdoors, Wild Safaris and highlight attractions. The explorer Marco Polo of the 12th century wrote that Sri Lanka is the finest island in the whole world
It has a mix of crowded streets bustling with activity, Sri Lanka as centuries it had been a great tourism destination mostly for European Travellers. It a known fact that post office worldwide holiday costs barometer named Sri Lanka as the best valued destination for holidays.
Sri Lanka’s minimalism of interactive the diversity the tourism authorities started locating the country around 8 different products namely; beaches, heritage, wildlife, scenic beauty, mind and body wellness, festivals, sports and adventure and Essence. The Essence of Sri Lanka include what is unique to the country such as its people, art and culture, spices, tea, gems, handy crafts etc.
Being an island Sri Lanka is surrounded by sea and a perfect destination for a beach holiday. When the seas are rough on one side of the island it is calm waters on the other side. So it is a year round beach destination
There are heritage sites within the country which include;
- The hill capital kandy
- The sacred city of Anuradapura
- The Dutch fort of Galle
- The ancient city of Polonnaruwa
- The rock fortress of Sigiriya
- The golden rock temple of Dambulla
- The beautiful Horton plains
- The Singharaja rain forest
Apart from these famous sites there are hundreds of heritage sites in the island which are frequented by tourists.
For a small island the biodiversity of the country is most impressive. Sri Lanka is home for a wide variety of mammals, birds, fish, butterflies and snakes. Three big five of Sri Lankan wildlife are the elephant, the leopard, the sloth bear, the blue whale and the sperm whale Some of the wildlife parks in Sri Lanka.
Jungle Chalet Cinnamon Wild,Yala
Only a 5-minute drive from the famous Yala National Park is Cinnamon Wild Yala. It boasts chalets with private balconies and free Wi-Fi. It features an outdoor pool and a restaurant.
SIGHTSEEINGS – Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage Kandy
Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage is located at the village Pinnawala in the district of Kegalla at a distant of 90km from Colombo. It was established in 1975 by the Sri Lanka wildlife department in a 25 acre coconut property near the Maha Oya river, the orphanage was originally founded in order to afford care and protection to the many orphaned Elephants found in the jungle.
Spice Garden,Mawanella
spice gardens offers tourists memorable visits to various spice plantations in Sri Lanka. During early historical times Sri Lanka known as Taprobane, was world renowed for its Quality Spices. During ancient times the Greeks, Romans and the Arabic maintained their links with Sri Lanka through the spice trade. Spice Gardens in the hill capital Kandy and at Matale and Mawanella give interesting insights into spice production in Sri Lanka. The importance of spices in the minor export crops of Sri Lanka consist of Fragrant clove, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, mace and pepper, for which Sri Lanka has been farmed since ancient times, thrive in the hills.
Cultural Dance Show Kandy
Sri Lanka, a country rich with culture & tradition offers a very vibrant and unique show of Sri Lankan traditional dances, in the form of Kandy cultural show. 12 different folk and traditional dances are performed by Kandy lake club dance troop within the span of one hour. Kandy cultural show leaflet describes the fire walking as having its roots in the Valmiki epic of “Ramayana”, where the king of Sri Lanka Ravana abducts “Sita” the wife of Indian prince Rama and after regaining her in an epic battle with Ravana, she is made to prove her chastity by walking through fire barefoot, though the current devotees who perform fire walking in Sri Lanka seek the divine blessings of the Lord Karthekeyan & goddess Pathini.Kandy cultural show is a great way to spend the evening in Kandy.
Tooth Relic Temple
Tooth relic temple is a Buddhist temple in the city of Kandy, Sri Lanka. It is located in the royal palace complex of the former Kingdom of Kandy, The temple is based on the Tang dynasty architectural style and built to house the tooth relic of the historical Buddha.
Peradeniya Botanical Garden kandy
It is situated about 5.5 km to the west from the city of Kandy and attracts 1.2 million visitors annually, It is renowned for its collection of a variety of orchids. It includes more than 300 varieties of orchids, spices, medicinal plants and palm trees. Attached to it is the National Herbarium. The total area of the botanical garden is 147 acres (0.59 km2), at 460 meters above sea level, and with a 200-day annual rainfall. It is managed by the Division of National Botanic Gardens of the Department of Agriculture.
Gem Museum
Sri Lanka was affectionately known as Ratna-Dweepa which means Gem Island. The name is a reflection of its natural wealth.Throughout history, Sri Lanka has been known as a land of gems. King Solomon was said to have procured a great ruby for the Queen of Sheba from Ceylon. Besides rubies and shapphire, the illama soil also bears cats eyes, alexandrites, aquamarines, tourmalines, spinels, topaz, garnets, amethyst, zircons and variety of other stones.The Blue Sapphire is king of Sri Lankan gems. Sri Lanka is home to 40 varieties of Gems out of 85 varieties available in the whole world.
KANDY TO NUWARAELIYA (TRAIN JOURNEY)
Nuwara Eliya south east of Kandy became a tourist destination before the phrase was coined, due to the expansion of the rail line. The journey from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya remains one of the worlds most stunning rail journeys. By the 1960s the Sri Lankan rail system was being used more by commuters than by freight traffic.
Yala National Park
Experience the wild side of Sri Lanka. If it’s an adventure you crave you can camp outside the national park or take a game safari within the untouched wilderness and spot elephants, deer, the elusive leopard or sloth bear, among other rare animals and bird species.
Balapitiya
A boat excursion is the best way to navigate and enjoy wha’s on offer at Madu ganaga, a stretch of lake with almost placid water dotted with many islets. The famed temple where the higher ordination was carried out on a barge in 1803 of the Buddhist Amarapura nikaya sect can be seen, along the famous Kothduwa monastery.
Kosgoda, Turtle Hatchery
Here you will find lots of information about Sri Lanka’s pioneering sea turtle conservation project – why Sri Lanka (and the village of Kosgoda in particular) is a prime turtle nesting site, why the conservation project is needed and how the project is operated by local people with the help of international volunteers.
Colombo City Tour
As the commercial capital, Colombo is a potpourri of colonial architecture, vast cultures, beaches, fine dining and shopping precincts. Take a stroll along the GalleFace Green or hop aboard a tuk-tuk and journey around the city, get your last minute shopping done, visit the floating market, party till dawn at one of many night clubs and try the quintessential Sri Lankan snack called Kothu Rotti.
