Sri Lanka – Highlights

Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage is home to the world’s largest troupe of captive pachyderms. The animals here range from newborns to elderly matriarchs, and include abandoned elephants, as well as those injured in the wild. Twice daily, the elephants are driven to the Ma Oya river for a leisurely bath but its best to coincide your visit with feeding time – watching the orphaned youngsters guzzle enormous quantities of milk from oversized baby bottles is one of the cutest sights you will ever see. Feeding times are 09:15 am, 13:15 pm and 17:15 pm.

The shortest lived but the most extraordinary of all Sri Lanka’s medieval capitals, declared a world heritage site, this ancient ruin was once the Capital of Kind Kasapa1. A lover of beauty, he ruled Sigiriya for 18 years, transforming the surroundings of his historical palace into a thing of beauty. Only 19 of the original 500 immortal frescoes, representing celestial maidens remain today. Its extensive network of beautifully laid out gardens; reservoirs and other structures including its unique plumbing system stand witness to the grandeur of its architecture, during its day. It can be a hard 200m climb to the top, but once there, the view is magnificent.

Matale is a major town in a region famous for its spices. Spices pervade the air of this broad fertile valley at an elevation of 300 m.Tea and rubber plantations of the mid and low grown variety, thrive here and interspersed are dozens of spice plantations. Cinnamon, pepper, vanilla, cinchona, cocoa and cardamom are found growing in profusion in the area. It is easy to recognize the sturdy jackfruit tree, a staple in the cuisine of country folk with its large fruit hanging among the large leaves and branches of these trees.

Kandy (UNESCO World Heritage site) is the Hill Capital of Sri Lanka, locally referred to as “Nuwara” meaning The Great City, the most scenic ancient city in the country and the only city that borders a natural reserve – the Udawatte Kele famous for its avifauna.

Sri Dalada Maligawa as its known locally or The Temple of the Tooth is one of the most sacred & famous Buddhist sites, not just in Sri Lanka but also in the religion worldwide.
The spectacular 17th century temple took nearly a hundred years to construct from 1687 to 1782 and houses the sacred tooth relic of Lord Buddha. Rituals are performed daily at 04:30, 10:30 and 6:30 p.m. The sacred square and old city centre within the temple complex contain the four shrines of the Gods Vishnu, Natha, Kataragama and the Goddess Pattini and many historical buildings and museums. The temple is host to one of Asia’s most celebrated festivals, The "Esala" procession, held during the month of July/August around the Full Moon. The casket of the tooth relic is paraded through the streets on the back of a tusked elephant in a grand procession followed by several traditional dancers, drummers and torch bearers accompanied by over a hundred beautifully costumed elephants.

Perched high up in the hills, nearly a mile above sea level, Nuwara Eliya at 1869 meters, sits like a sentinel overlooking tea country on all sides. Piduruthalagala, Sri Lanka's tallest peak is only a short way away. A replica of English country towns with their lush greenery and profusion of gorgeous flora, Nuwara Eliya is touted as "Little England" with its Victorian houses, a colourful park, golf course, Lake Gregory, a racecourse and Hakkgala Gardens. A number of hotels including colonial structures like the Hill Club and the Grand Hotel which lives up to its name to this day, a uniquely converted tea factory hotel, with amazing attention to detail built among tea gardens only hours away from the town, and several holiday homes make this a popular holiday resort.

The climate is cool throughout the year with an annual average temperature of a chilly 15.9C and nearly 2,000 mm of rain, alternated by days of bright sunshine. The British established Nuwra Eliya in the 19th Century, to cater to the Europeans settled in Sri Lanka, to whom it came to be home away from home if only for short spells. However, it grew to be Sri Lanka's foremost holiday resort with the town coming alive in April. A weeklong calendar of events, including horse and motor races, are its biggest attraction. Holidaymakers in droves converge on Nuwara Eliya in season. Hindu pilgrims from around the world visit the Hanuman and Seetha Amman Temples based on the Ramayana epic of Rama & Seetha.

With an area covering 1260 square kilometers, of which only one-fifth of the area is open to visitors, Yala not surprisingly, is still the most visited reserve located in the deep south. The rest of the Park is a strict natural reserve, and you are only allowed entry into the park in a vehicle. Its charm lies in its unspoilt dry zone landscape, dotted by low scrub; rocky outcrops, lush green trees and its serene lakes are particularly magical. The views from Sithulpahuwa are special!

The main attraction and thrill in Yala is to spot leopard and perhaps the cubs too, the largest population of leopard in a natural environment – approximately 40 in Block 1. The park is home to 44 species of mammals including elephants and the sloth bear, and an incredible 215 bird species; Huddles of colorful painted storks among many a species of waders found feeding on the edge of the water holes, the sight of dozing crocodiles, elephants cooling off in the water or quenching their thirst, or a glimpse of the elusive sloth bear, leave an indelible mark on any nature lover.

Bentota is a favourite for those seeking the ultimate beach experience. With the sea and its beaches, the river and a lagoon fusing into each other at this location, Bentota attracts thrill seekers for a variety of water sports and boating excursions.

At the North end of Bentota facing Aluthgama, lies 'Paradise Island' as it is popularly known; a narrow sliver of land between the choppy breakers of the Indian Ocean and the calm waters of a lagoon. At its rear, is the Bentota Ganga (Sinhala for river)) which provides the setting for some of Sri Lanka's biggest water sports events. Visitors have the option of taking boat trips through mangroves where time stands still. Ambling along the attractive beaches on the southern side lined by dense thickets of corkscrew palms, are some of the most amazing vistas along the island's coast.

Visits to Sri Lanka’s most famous architect Geoffrey Bawa's estate home 'Lunuganga' whose creations are a marvelous blend of nature and modern artifice and his architect brother Bevis Bawa's estate “Brief" are not to be missed.

A dynamic capital that can vie with many a city around the world, it has evolved to be the commercial hub of the island connecting with several towns linked by a fine system of roads and railways connecting both the North, the South, the East and the hill country. A new expressway, one of many coming up, connects the international airport at Katunayake, with the capital - a 20-minute drive avoiding the busy sprawling towns on the old route. Crowded streets and peak hour traffic are the results of a long and formless urban straggle overflowing from Colombo.

Nevertheless, the city’s impressive commercial and cultural life grows apace. A heady mixture of Asian anarchy, colonial charm and modern progress defines its character. Showily opulent and shiny office blocks rub shoulders with tumbledown local cafes and shops while serene Buddhist shrines and colonial churches stand cheek-by--jowl with ornate, colourful Hindu temples - all evidence of a rich mix of races and religions, that has blossomed into this cosmopolitan city.

A rebuilt and revitalized Pettah, the more colonial styled Fort area, the renovated Dutch Hospital, the Independence Square, the Nelum Pokuna theatre hall, the Victoria Park, now ablaze with lights are all elegant architectural landmarks, that the city can justly be proud of.

Not always the bustling metropolis today with its crowded bazars and tuk-tuks weaving among the kamikaze traffic of a vibrant city, Colombo developed from small beginnings as a garden city with its tranquil suburbs, when it took precedence over the ancient Kotte Kingdom. The Beira Lake in Colombo and a network of canals around the city extending to Negombo, is yet another unused Dutch legacy.

With the construction of a new harbour, Colombo pridess itself as one of the vital entrepots of Asia, acquiring the sobriquet the ' Charing Cross of the East ' thanks to its location at the crossroads of Indian Ocean trade.