Lying between the more explored parts of India and Southeast Asia, Sri Lanka's history, culture, and natural beauty make it an undeniably alluring destination. A historians playground, Sri Lanka has a history that dates back 3000 years and is one of a few places offering as many as eight UNESCO World Heritage sites, including the world-renowned Dambulla Royal Cave Temple and Golden Temple. Like its massive neighbour India, Sri Lanka is a diverse country, home to many religions, ethnicities and languages. Its size, however, means that visitors can spend time meditating in a 2000-year-old temple in the morning, touring the sacred home of the world's oldest living human-planted tree in the afternoon and savouring mouth-watering local rice and curry dishes for dinner. It is also still blessed with various wildlife that has survived on this small island for centuries alongside this human civilisation, including the mighty Sri Lankan Elephant. A true gem, Sri Lanka has something for everyone - from the modern city of Colombo with its skyscrapers to national parks teeming with elephants and miles of pristine beaches that offer epic surf.
Denne travle fiskebyen på vestkysten av Sri Lanka (og nær Bandaranaika International Airport), hadde en ganske turbulent kolonihistorie som involverer nederlandsk, portugisisk og britisk på grunn av kanelhandel. Faktisk ble den ville kanel som vokste i regionen beskrevet som «det aller beste i universet, så vel som de mest rikelige'. Restene av denne kolonitiden forblir med den sterke katolske kirke innflytelse i byen. Negombo-lagunen og de mange kanalene tilbyr ypperlig fugletitting, byens gamle kvarter er verdt et besøk, og samfunnet er vennlig og innbydende.
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.
Den andre store byen på Sri Lanka (den andre er Colombo) ligger i sentrum av Kandy-platået, et område med vakre tropiske teplantasjer. En fantastisk må-se funksjon av området er Kandy Lake, nord for som ligger gulltak Temple of The Tooth (en UNESCO World Heritage Site og viktig sted for buddhistisk tilbedelse, som det sies å huse en tann relikvie av Buddha). Andre fascinerende steder å besøke inkluderer Ceylon Tea Museum, Buddhist Publication Society, det ayurvediske sentrum i Amaya Hills i nærheten, Kandyan Art Association og Cultural Centre, hvor håndverkere kan sees på jobb, og Kandy Muslim Hotel, som tilbyr de fineste krydret curries servert med Naan eller Rotis.
Resting on the southern edge of Sri Lanka’s picturesque Hill Country, the small, sleepy village of Ella is known for its exceptional natural scenery, its wonderfully tranquil atmosphere, and its pleasantly moderate climate. This popular backpacker-hub has become a well-established, must-see tourist destination and an ideal base for travellers exploring the idyllic surrounding countryside cloaked in tea plantations and lush forest. With only a handful of essential stores and tourist facilities, Ella has managed to retain its rural charm and visitors will find a single street winding its way down the hillside past a few quaint cafés, guesthouses and cottages enclosed in neat, flower-filled gardens. At the edge of the escarpment, you will find a classic view past the renowned Ella Rock on the right and through a cleft in the hills – the so-called Ella Gap – to the plains far below.
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Udawalawe nasjonalpark ligger ca 165 kilometer fra Colombo, og har blitt et populært turistmål og den tredje mest besøkte spillparken på Sri Lanka. Det ble opprinnelig bygget for å gi en helligdom for de ville dyrene som ble fortrengt ved byggingen av Udawalawe-reservoaret i 1972 ved Walawe-elven. Den dekker nesten 30 000 hektar, og er hjem til flokker av srilankiske elefanter, vannbøffel, overvåke øgler, sambar hjort, leoparder og urfolk vannfugler. Åpne safarier ledet av erfarne guider gjennom landskapet savannetype er den ideelle måten å se dyrelivet på, med de fleste besøkende er sikre på å nyte en spesiell godbit å se unge og voksne elefanter på vannhullene.
Watch the sunset over the Indian Ocean at exquisite Bentota Beach. This stretch of tropical coastline on the west coast of Sri Lanka offers pristine beaches fringed by a string of resorts, well hidden in the tropical foliage bordering the beach. Water sport activities are on offer for adrenalin seekers, otherwise head to the Bentota River to explore the mangrove waterways, where you'll find a plethora of colourful birds and a variety of small reptiles. If you’re looking for the ‘Riviera’ of Sri Lanka, this is it.
