Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka offers its visitors an amazing mix of experiences including untouched beaches, rugged mountains and fertile soil that’s grows tea, spices and coconuts. You can even arrange a Tea Plantation tour from Kandy and also Ella. This is a country where you will find art, culture and history.

Colombo, Capital of Sri Lanka is the country’s culturally diverse hub. This is a city alive with tuk-tuks, cars and buses rushing through busy lanes. Colombo is renowned for its landmark buildings around the cosmopolitan Fort district, including the terracotta roofed Dutch Hospital. One of the best tourist attractions is also one of the newest and tallest. The Colombo Lotus Tower opened in 2019 as South Asia's tallest, free standing structure. The 368 metre lotus bulb inspired tower, overlooks the entire city and the Indian Ocean, and is a great place to snap some amazing views.

Kandy is situated in central Sri Lanka on a plateau surrounded by mountains, which are home to Tea plantations and a biodiverse rainforest. In the heart of Kandy is the scenic Bogambara Lake, popular with walkers. Located next to the National Museum of Kandy is the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, this Temple and the relic it houses are one of the most sacred places on earth for those of the Buddhist faith. The Temple of the Tooth is part of the Royal Palace Complex.

Yala National Park is where you can enjoy a Sri Lankan style safari experience. This enormous National Park borders the Indian Ocean and has a wide range of different ecosystems. From the marine environment of the coastline to grasslands to tropical rainforests inland. Visitors come to see the park's Elephants, Leopards and Crocodiles. There are also over 200 Bird species that make their home within the park.

Galle Dutch Fort is a Dutch Fortress and Walled Town. Originally built by the Portuguese in the 16th Century, most of the structures date back to the Dutch Colonial period of the 17th Century. This small fortified village includes homes, Churches, a Mosque and plenty of shops within the Fortress walls.

Sigiriya, the Ancient Rock Fortress was once the mountain top Palace of the Island's King. Constructed during the 4th and 5th Centuries CE, the Palace ruins are at the top of a 220 metre rock formation. The sides of the mountain had giant frescoes painted on them and halfway up the mountain, there is a giant gateway carved in the shape of a lion. The structure's name means lion rock in ancient Sanskrit.

Dambulla is an important part of the country’s pilgrim trail, set within a quiet jungle that is home to the native Toque Macaque. Rangiri Cave Temple in Dambulla is the most visited place in Sri Lanka. Expect groups of Monkeys to accompany you on the walk up to the Temple. Inside you will find a series of five caves containing 150 well preserved statues of Buddha alongside religious art, sculpted and painted into the rock. The Dambulla Cave Temple is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Adam's Peak is a sacred mountain capped with a rock formation that has significance to many religions. At the summit, there is a large boulder with an imprint that looks like a footprint. To Buddhists, it's the footprint of Buddha, to Muslims and Christians, it's the footprint of Adam and to Hindus, it was created by the deity Shiva. Whatever your belief, Adam's Peak is a beautiful natural site. The pilgrimage path is mainly steps and stairs and it takes at least a few hours each way to the top.

Located between Ella and Demodara Stations on the main train line you will find the Nine Arches Bridge, an iconic image of Sri Lanka, this relic of the British Colonial era. Built by local workers in consultation with British engineers, the viaduct bridge has nine arches over its 300 foot span. It rises 80 feet above the river and is still in use today, over 100 years after its construction.

Come to Minneriya National Park, one of the best places to see herds of Elephants in Sri Lanka. It has the largest gathering of Asian Elephants in the world with approximately 300 in number that graze on 9000 hectares of Minneriya National Park. Here you can come and watch these majestic animals as their long trunks draw water and their calves roll around on the banks in wet mud.

Mirissa has some really lovely beaches to the east of Weligama, spilling out onto the sands in a montage of bamboo built bars and ginger scented curry houses. In the evening, Mirissa come alive with party people, a little touch of Koh Phangan in Sri Lanka. Weligama is sandwiched right in the heart of the southwestern surf zone. You have Mirissa to the southeast and Midigama to the north, so there’s no shortage of breaks for those willing to hop in a tuk-tuk and do some exploring. Some of the other surfing spots in Sri Lanka include Hiriketiya, Ahangama spread across 2.5 miles of shoreline between Midigama and Koggala, Hikkaduwa, Kabalana and Arugam Bay.