Relaxing on the Beach
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A single line of footprints crosses the
golden sand towards the Indian Ocean, which spills softly onto the
beach. Beyond the stretch of calm, indigo-blue sea, a line of breaking
waves marks the coral reef where recreational divers discover vividly
coloured tropical fish and living corals. Sri Lanka offers over 1,300
kilometres
of idyllic sandy beaches. With its year-round summer and two different
weather |
| systems, whatever the time of year, there’s
always
a beach with sunshine and a choice of calm seas or steady surf depending
on what
you feel like. There’s a beach for all tastes, budgets and seasons in
the lovely
island of Sri Lanka.Pasikuda & Kalkuda, Negambo, Wadduwa, Kosgoda,
Beruwela & Bentota, Trincomalee, Tangalle, Dondra Hea, Mirissa,
Weligama, Tangalle Bay, Unawatuna, Hikkaduwa, Arugambay |
Sanctuaries
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According to ancient Buddhist scriptures, the
concepts of wildlife sanctuaries have its origins in Sri Lanka. Long time ago as
247BC, the King of Sri Lanka at the time, Devanampiya Tissa, created the world’s
first wildlife haven in what is today known as the cultural triangle in the
country’s north central province when he decreed, “all human beings should
follow the hallowed Buddhist precept of not harming any form of |
life”. Like all islands, Sri Lanka boasts numerous
unique species. The 65,610 square-kilometer (25,322 square-miles) area houses an
opulent wildlife gene pool, with its wildly diverse habitats, from cool misty
mountains to rain forests, rolling oceans and expansive beaches, and even an
arid zone for all the world like the plains of Africa. More than 14 percent of
Sri Lanka’s land area is dedicated to sanctuaries for fauna and flora and
showcases some 86 species of mammals with the elephant taking pride of place,
Sri Lanka has 4 species of wild cats (The Largest of them is Sri Lankan Leopard
known as Panthera pardus kotiya), exotic birds and many varieties of deer,
monkey, the sloth bear, wild boar, jackals, mongoose, porcupine, shrews and wild
buffalo. The Island is also one of the few places in the world where the largest
mammal on land – the elephant - and the largest mammal at sea – the Blue Whale -
can both be spotted during the course of a day. Sri Lanka is in essence more
like a continent compressed into an island in terms of its biodiversity.
Kumana National Park, Uda Walawe National Park, Wilpattu National park, Horton
Plains National Park, Yala National Park, Wasgamuwa National Park, Minneriya
National Park. |
Whale & Dolphin Watching
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The ever smiling, mischievous dolphins will
put on a show while some of the oldest and the largest sea creatures,
the humpback and the blue whales, will nonchalantly glide past you,
when you embark on a whale/ dolphin watching excursion off the
Southern, Eastern or the West coast of Sri Lanka. The ideal locations
for whale watching would be Dondra
Point (accessible from Galle, |
| Hikkaduwa and Mirissa) and Trincomalee while the sea off Kalpitiya teems with an abundance of dolphins. |
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Golf
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Putt a hole in Asia’s second oldest Royal
Golf Course outside of the British Isles. With a history dating back to
1897, Sri Lanka’s three superb golf courses offer three completely
different experiences for the avid golfer. The Royal Colombo Golf
Course clings to ancient tradition on and off the course; the railway
line running through the middle of the course ups the
colonial quirkiness.
The tropical ambience |
| of the Royal Colombo Golf Course is
complemented by the fir-lined, misty fairways of the Nuwera Eliya Golf
Course set in the heart of the tea country. The Victoria International
Golf and Country Resort set in Kandy, is a modern challenging course
along eight kilometers of the scenic Victoria Reservoir, with undulating
hills of Kandy in the background. |
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Deep- Sea Fishing
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As the waves plummet the sides of the boat
and the sea birds call above your head, the ocean’s scent and the
thrill of the chase is exhilarating.Shark, Marlin, Tuna, the big names
in deep-water game fishing roam Sri Lanka’s deep seas. Closer to shore
the calmer waters teem with a variety of species, and the hospitable
local fishermen are only too willing to .
invite visitors to join them on their daily or nightly excursions off
the
coastline |
| With wrecks as dated as the 18th Century
dotting the seas, deep reefs and reef walls provide enthralling
explorations for scuba divers. For the less adventurous on-shore coral
reefs are ideal for snorkelling. The abundant marine life found around
the island is surpassed only at Hikkaduwa in the southern coast where
the reef is thought to contain more species of fish than the Great
Barrier Reef. |
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Diving
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The ocean around Sri Lanka whispers of
tales bygone, ones of regal maritime visits, of bandits and pirates and
journeys of explorers and spice merchants. As you plunge into the warm
waters and dive below, these stories come to life. The crystal clear
waters of the Indian Ocean with a visibility of 20 meters (65ft)
provide perfect conditions for diving. |
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Surfing
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Surf’s up in Sri Lanka! The east coast’s
Arugam Bay is the best –kept secret among serious surfers, through
gaining popularity worldwide not only for its waves but also for the
pristine and beautiful beaches that surround it. Sri Lanka is a
surfer’s paradise anytime of the year. Once the season ends at Arugam
Bay, at another surfing hotspot especially for recreational surfers the
season begins, along the southern coast in Hikkaduwa, Wewala and
Narigama. |
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White Water Rafting
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After navigating the Virgin’s Breast, you
move through another couple of rapids before hitting the Killer Fall,
where a sudden 90-degree drop and plenty of churning water really gets
the adrenalin going. As the rapids dwindle to a patch of calm waters,
the rafters are encouraged to jump in and body raft, just going with
the flow past the riverine scenery of towering stands of bamboo, fruit
trees and palms. And at the end of it all a lavish Sri Lankan |
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Hot Air Ballooning
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As the multi-coloured hot-air balloon
drifts silently above the forest, adventure takes on a whole new
meaning. Startled by the noise of a sudden burst of gas keeping the
balloon aloft, a couple of peacocks take flight directly below the
balloon’s basket, their outrageously long iridescent blue and emerald
tail feathers streaming behind like a
psychedelic jet stream. Several deer dart nervously across a clearing
below, but
the |
| small herd of elephants continues feeding,
utterly unfazed by this aerial intruder. Balloons that travel with the
wind, make for one of the most surreal and tranquil sensations of
flight. Following the initial adrenaline rush of the take off, one
could settle down to absorb the wonder of the colorful earth below. |
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Hiking & Trekking
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Take a demanding trek high in the mountain
rainforest of the Knuckles Range, and see the valuable spice –
cardamom - growing in the forest, catch sight of rare orchids and birds,
and enjoy the exhilaration of exploring spots where few have been
before. Traverse virtually unexplored country in the southeast, past
the renowned Yala National Park where
leopards prowl and elephants roam, past the |
| bird-rich Kumana wetlands and into a
region where literally hundreds of ruined temples and maybe even cities
lie awaiting discovery in the forests. |
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Waterfalls
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Laced curtains of water cascade down steep
precipices, throwing a fine mist of water to the surrounding, the
incessant crash of water on the rock below is a symphony that is
repeated from time immemorial. The central highlands of Sri Lanka are
home to 350 waterfalls with Bambarakanda Falls plummeting a height of
263 meters (83 feet) to rank
as Sri Lanka’s tallest fall. The mist shrouded |
| beauty and grandeur of Sri Lankan waterfalls also has interesting legends and folklore attached to it. |
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Botanical Gardens
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It was a pleasure garden created for the king of
Kandy.
A famous botanist once declared that Sri Lanka is simply one big botanical
garden, nurtured by Nature itself. Yet when the British colonials arrived in Sri
Lanka in the 19th century, they were determined to establish more gardens within
this garden – man-made botanical gardens cloned from the mother Royal Botanic
Gardens at
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| Kew in England. It was a pleasure garden created
for the king in Kandy.The British established the gracious Royal Botanic Gardens
of Peradeniya. Another garden was set up in the hill country, established in
1861 at Hakgala south of Nuwara Eliya. And in 1876, yet another garden was
established, this time in the lowlands at Henarathgoda, the Gampaha Botanic
Gardens, designated for the trial planting of the country’s first Rubber trees.
Other private gardens such as the famous Lunuganga and “Brief”, designed by
world-renowned architect Geoffrey Bawa and his brother landscape artist Bevis
Bawa, bring to life the paradisiacal charm that is refreshingly Sri Lanka’s. |
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Tea Country
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While the winds of change blow softly but
surely through the legendary rolling hills of Sri Lanka’s tea estates,
the beautiful scenery that captivated Sir Thomas Lipton - who fell in
love with the spectacular scenery around Dambatenne – still remains.
From the highest spot in the region — a point known today as Lipton’s
Seat — he would gaze over one of the most dramatic
regions of the country, the seemingly |
| endless hills and tumbling waterfalls
giving way almost abruptly to the southern plains, which stretch as far
as the eye can see, all the way to the coast. Centuries later, the
enchantment of the tea country, its mystique and romance lives on.
Hundreds of miles of green velvet smothers the mountainside, the soft
mist settles to cloak the surroundings in romance and mystery and the
quaint, little cottages beckon you with the tantalizing aromas of
freshly brewed Ceylon tea. |
Adams Peak
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From all corners of this enchanted isle they come,
clouds of small yellow butterflies, drawn as if by magnet to the hill country of
southwestern Sri Lanka. Drifting above thousands of pilgrims as they toil up the
mountain, the butterflies eventually reach the summit where a sacred footprint
is embedded in a rock. Here, the butterflies die. Or, as Buddhists believe, have
been reincarnated |
into another form. Their final flight of pilgrimage
is to awe-inspiring Adam’s Peak, a shared icon of four great faiths. More about
Adam’s Peak
Known in English as Adam’s Peak, this 2,234-metre (7,329-feet) mountain has the
remarkable distinction of being sacred to all of the major faiths in Sri Lanka.
“Sri Pada is the only mountain in the world receiving veneration of devotes
belonging to different faiths". To the Buddhists, this is Sri Pada, where Lord
Buddha left his footprint on the summit during his third and final visit to the
island. Hindus call the peak Shivan Adi Patham. In clear weather, the
distinctive shape of Adam’s Peak is visible far out to sea, and was used as a
navigational aid for vessels sailing the Indian Ocean. Arab traders, seeing the
mountain from afar, believed that its summit was where Adam first set foot on
earth after being cast out from Paradise. To make his expulsion less of a shock,
God chose the place on earth that most |
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A world of attractions presents itself to guests who choose to visit
Sri Lanka. Whether it’s the fun life on the beach or the various marine
activities that are on offer Sri Lanka has everything you could ever
possibly seek. Historic sights that are strong representations of the
country’s culture and history are also on offer to be explored.
Examples include the World Heritage Sites of Sigiriya, the Rock Cave
Temples at Dambulla, Anuradhpura and Polonnaruwa Ancient Cities. As a
country boasting of an ancient civilization Sri Lanka has many cultural
events and activates. One such prominent cultural event in Sri Lanka
is the Perahara. This festival or parade features everything from
elephants to an array of performers who impress the crowd with various
feats and attire. This signifies the strong Buddhist heritage of the
country as the parade actually has a strong religious basis. For those
who are interested in Nightlife, Sri Lanka provides many night
activities to indulge in. The capital Colombo comprises many post dusk
activities, as the city boasts of various different clubs that cater to
a wide ranging audience. Whatever you are choosing you are sure to
find a night venue that is to your liking when in Sri Lanka.
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