Situated in the northern Matale District of Sri Lanka, the small village of Sigiriya is best known for its proximity to the magnificent Sigiriya ‘Lion Rock’. The village offers some comfortable accommodations and a variety of restaurants for visitors to enjoy when stopping over to view the famous rock. This ancient rock fortress rises abruptly from the lush landscape and reaches over 200 metres in height. Crowning this massive outcrop are the ruins of an ancient civilisation, which are considered one of the best-preserved examples of ancient urban planning and have been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Visitors can walk through the lily-dotted moats, lush gardens and cave shrines, through the grand lion-paw entrance, and climb the series of steep staircases passing beautiful murals painted on the sheer rock walls, and enjoy exploring the ruins and soaking up spectacular views of the surrounds.
The second major city in Sri Lanka (the other being Colombo) lies at the centre of the Kandy Plateau, an area of beautiful tropical tea plantations. A magnificent must-see feature of the area is Kandy Lake, to the north of which lies the golden-roofed Temple of The Tooth (a UNESCO World Heritage Site and important place for Buddhist worship, as it is said to house a tooth relic of Buddha). Other fascinating places to visit include the Ceylon Tea Museum, the Buddhist Publication Society, the Ayurvedic centre in the Amaya Hills nearby, the Kandyan Art Association and Cultural Centre, where craftspeople can be seen at work, and the Kandy Muslim Hotel, which offers the finest spiced curries served with naan or Rotis.
Nuwara Eliya is a beautiful mountain station town in the Central Province of Sri Lanka. Sometimes referred to as ‘Little England’, the city is well-kept and features British-style red-brick walls, mock-Tudor half-timbering, and a very English country club. The surrounding areas offer breathtaking views of valleys, meadows, mountains, and greenery, and most importantly a wonderful break from the heat and humidity of the coast. Tea Estates, waterfalls, and mountains complete the picture. Visitors can take guided tours of the tea plantations, meander through the roses, take the picturesque path to the ‘Lovers’ Leap’ waterfall, and walk through orchids and giant cypresses at the Hakgala Gardens. Other highlights include the Seetha Amman and Nuwara Eliya Buddhist Temples, and the Galway's Land National Park.
Tissamaharama, also known as Tissa, is a major starting point for wildlife safaris in Sri Lanka’s most famous national park, Yala, officially known as Ruhuna National Park. Surrounded by rice paddies and ancient temples, Tissamaharama is known for its rich cultural heritage and beautiful natural surrounds. Aside from its plentiful cultural and religious offerings, it is also a nature lover’s paradise. The Tissa Lake attracts flocks of roosting egrets, and a safari in the Yala National Park is a must. It covers an area of 1 260 square kilometres, but only one fifth is open to visitors. The remainder is designated as a natural reserve home to various wildlife, including elephants, leopards, sloth bears, water buffalos, wild boars, golden jackals, and spotted deer.
Resting on the southwest coast of Sri Lanka, Galle (Pronounced ‘gawl’ in English) is the best example of a walled city built by the Portuguese in South Asia in the 16th Century. It was extensively fortified by the Dutch in the 17th century. When you enter the old city gates of this World Heritage Site you can’t help but notice the grand colonial houses and boutique shops and of course the beautiful beaches on the fringes of town. Attracting many luxury travellers from around the world, the town is also a favourite with cricket fans who rate the Galle International Stadium to be one of the most picturesque cricket grounds in the world.
Located in the northern Maldives, the Male Atoll consists of two separate coral atolls, North Male Atoll and South Male Atoll. South Male Atoll offers spectacular diving on its abundant coral reefs, while sun-worshippers will be in their element on its exquisite white sand beaches. It is situated conveniently close to the international airport on Male Island. Owing to the strong currents, the marine life in South Male Atoll is mostly of the larger variety, so visitors may spot eagle rays, turtles, grey sharks, reef sharks, mantas, whale sharks, schools of fusiliers, barracuda, trevally, and even hammerhead sharks (from May to November). Smaller marine life includes anemones, shrimp, lionfish, squirrelfish, soldierfish, unicornfish, morays, and batfish.
