Sri Lanka has a recorded history that spans back 3000 years. Like its massive neighbour India, Sri Lanka is a diverse country, home to many religions, ethnicities and languages. It is also still blessed with a variety of wildlife that has survived alongside this human civilization, on this small island for centuries. Today it offers tourists a diverse experience - from the modern city of Colombo with its sky scrapers to national parks teeming with elephants and religious and cultural buildings of multiple origins.
This bustling, fishing town on the west coast of Sri Lanka (and close to the Bandaranaika International Airport), had a rather turbulent colonial history involving the Dutch, Portuguese and British due to the cinnamon trade. In fact, the wild cinnamon that grew in the region was described as ‘the very best in the universe as well as the most abundant’. The remnants of this colonial period remain with the strong Catholic Church influence in the town. The Negombo Lagoon and the many canals offer superb birdwatching, the town’s Old Quarter is worth a visit, and the community is friendly and welcoming.
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.
As previously described
Sitting pretty in the centre of pearl-shaped Sri Lanka is Kandalama Reservoir. The light tropical forest, caves and reservoir provide a natural habitat for a variety of fauna and flora including butterflies, deer, wild boar, porcupine and three species of monkeys. In addition, there are over 170 species of resident and migrant birds such as babblers, barbets, bulbuls, parakeets, woodpeckers and sunbirds. Not far off is the historic Aligala (Elephant Rock) jungle caves that date back to the third century BC and Sigiriya Rock, an ancient palace perched on top of a 200m rocky outcrop.
Resting about 35 kilometres northwest of Batticaloa in Sri Lanka, Pasikudah is a small seaside resort town known for its expansive golden bay which features one of the longest stretches of shallow coastline in the world where you can wade for 50m out to sea. This wonderful coastal setting provides an ideal environment for a range of watersports including snorkelling around the coral reef which is teeming with exotic marine life, scuba diving around the wreck of the HMS Hermes, a WW2 British naval ship, water skiing or whizzing around on a bouncy banana boat ride, or setting out on an exhilarating deep-sea fishing adventure. Sailing trips are also available and include sunset cruises, whale watching excursions and overnight charters. Inland activities include adventurous safaris where you can trek through nature reserves where elephants and other wildlife can be spotted.
Colombo, a commercial and tourist hub on the west coast of Sri Lanka. The vibrant canal city boasts golden beaches and a photogenic promenade, gorgeous temples, and chic restaurants among impressive skyscrapers. Must-see attractions include the grand and atmospheric Asokaramaya Buddhist Temple, and Hindu Sri Ponnambalam Vanesar Kovil, known for its exquisite interiors. A historic Dutch quarter beckons to be explored - the Dutch Hospital and Dutch Period museum are quite fascinating, and the artisan colonnaded craft stores lend a special air to the area. Nature lovers will enjoy walking through the beautiful Talangama Wetland which fringes the city or taking a short break from the city bustle in the Viharamahadevi Park, known for its delightful flowering trees and local snake charmers.
