DESTINATIONS - SRI LANKA

Sigiriya the world famous ‘Lion rock’ depicting the amazing architectural skills of the locals was the fortress of King Kashyapa. The entrance to this citadel has a huge carving of a lion’s head and paws within which the climb to the rock starts. The Sigiriya Frescoes, another enchanting marvel of the ancient artists, on the western face of the rock, constitute of paintings of glamorous women, their bodies unveiled beautifully from the strokes of a brush. The mirror wall once a well-polished wall where one could see his own reflection has now been a monumental wall with scribbles of people of heyday.

Yala national park stands along the southern coast of Sri Lanka bordered by Southern and Uva provinces in the landward side. Amidst the hustle and bustle, the city life offers you, experience the untamed episodes of wildlife your heart desires. 30 minutes travel from Kataragama another historic city of the country, you can have access to this piece of nature embedded with all the wilderness of its residents, herds of elephants, leopards, sloth bears, jackals, sambars, spotted deer, peacocks crocodiles and several lagoons associated birds.

Set in the heart of the cultural triangle, Dambulla is a city blessed with cultural glamour and natural beauty that unfolds the essence of Sri Lanka at its core. Known worldwide for the Golden cave temple, Dambulla owns a grand history that dates back to thousands of years. The cave temple is the main highlight of the city situated on a rock with magnificent views around, which is also a UNESCO world heritage site and offers you an incredible experience. 

Located in the hill country, Nuwara Eliya boasts of its natural beauty, scenery and the cold climate imitating an old English country village offers you ideal opportunities to relax and rejuvenate. Known as Little England, the city is one of the most panoramic destinations in Sri Lanka that charms travellers with mind-blowing scenery at every corner. Tea plantations, waterfalls, rose gardens, flower gardens, pine trees and rolling hills are common sights in this part of the world and leave travellers in awe at every turn.

Situated 125km away from Colombo, Galle is the capital of southern Sri Lanka and attracts thousands of travellers every year with its enchanting colonial ambience saturated with vibrant and unique southern culture. The coastal town with a colonial charm and luxury resorts and fancy cafes and unique attractions make it one of the most popular beaches in Sri Lanka. Being a port city during the colonial era Galle was one of the busiest ports in the region at the time. The Galle fort which was built by the Dutch is one of the grand landmarks of the city and stand still in pride to this day.

Poḷonnaruwa is the main town of polonnaruwa district in north central province, sri lanka. kaduruwela area is the polonnaruwa new town and the other part of polonnaruwa remains as the royal ancient city of the kingdom of polonnaruwa. the second most ancient of sri lanka’s kingdoms, polonnaruwa was first declared the capital city by king vijayabahu i, who defeated chola invaders in 1070 to reunite the country once more under a local leader. the ancient city of polonnaruwa has been declared a world heritage site.

Habarana is a popular tourist destination for safari lovers as it is the starting point for safaris in the nearby Habarana jungle and the Minneriya sanctuary which is heavily populated by elephants.[1] Elephant back riding is also an attraction in this small city. Habarana is situated nearby to the ancient rock fortress and castle/palace ruin of Sigiriya and is situated on the main road from Colombo to Trincomalee, Polonnaruwa and Batticaloa. The population of the city is expected to be in the area of 5000-10,000.

Kandy pronounced [ˈkaɳɖi]) is a major city in Sri Lanka located in the Central Province. It was the last capital of the ancient kings’ era of Sri Lanka. The city lies in the midst of hills in the Kandy plateau, which crosses an area of tropical plantations, mainly tea. Kandy is both an administrative and religious city and is also the capital of the Central Province. Kandy is the home of The Temple of the Tooth Relic (Sri Dalada Maligawa), one of the most sacred places of worship in the Buddhist world. It was declared a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1988.

Horton Plains National Park is a protected area in the central highlands of Sri Lanka and is covered by montane grassland and cloud forest. This plateau at an altitude of 2,100–2,300 metres (6,900–7,500 ft) is rich in biodiversity and many species found here are endemic to the region. This region was designated a national park in 1988. It is also a popular tourist destination and is situated 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) from Ohiya, 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) from the world famous Ohiya Gap/Dondra Watch and 32 kilometres (20 mi) from Nuwara Eliya.

Ella is a small town in the Badulla District of Uva Province, Sri Lanka governed by an Urban Council. It is approximately 200 kilometres (120 mi) east of Colombo and is situated at an elevation of 1,041 metres (3,415 ft) above sea level.[2] The area has a rich bio-diversity, dense with numerous varieties of flora and fauna. Ella is surrounded by hills covered with cloud forests and tea plantations. The town has a cooler climate than surrounding lowlands, due to its elevation. The Ella Gap allows views across the southern plains of Sri Lanka.

Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage is an orphanage, nursery and captive breeding ground for wild Asian elephants located at Pinnawalavillage, 13 km (8.1 mi) northeast of Kegalle town in Sabaragamuwa Province of Sri Lanka. Pinnawala has the largest herd of captive elephants in the world. In 2011, there were 96 elephants, including 43 males and 68 females from 3 generations, living in Pinnawala.[1]
The orphanage was founded to care and protect the many orphaned unweaned wild elephants found wandering in and near the forests of Sri Lanka. It was established in 1975 by the Sri Lanka Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC).

Kalpitiya is located in Puttalam district, North Western province of Sri Lanka. It is known for its natural environment.[citation needed] It consists of 14 islands. It has a total area of 16.73 km2. The people of Kalpitiya are mostly fishermen. It is now developing as a tourist destination.

Wilpattu National Park (Willu-pattu; Land of Lakes) is a park located on the island of Sri Lanka. The unique feature of this park is the existence of “Willus” (Natural lakes) – Natural, sand-rimmed water basins or depressions that fill with rainwater. Located in the Northwest coast lowland dry zone of Sri Lanka. The park is located 30 km west Anuradhapura and located 26 km north of Puttalam(approximately 180 km north of Colombo).

Kitulgala is a small town in the west of Sri Lanka. It is in the wet zone rain forest, which gets two monsoons each year, and is one of the wettest places in the country.[citation needed] Nevertheless, it comes alive in the first three months of the year, especially in February, the driest month. The Academy Award-winning The Bridge on the River Kwai was filmed on the Kelani River near Kitulgala, although nothing remains now except the concrete foundations for the bridge (and, supposedly, the submerged train cars that plunged into the river in the climactic scene). Kitulgala is also a base for white-water rafting which starts a few kilometres upstream and also popular as a location for adventure-based training programs.

Sinharaja Forest Reserve is a national park and a biodiversity hotspot in Sri Lanka. It is of international significance and has been designated a Biosphere Reserve and World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Sinharaja is the country’s last viable area of primary tropical rainforest. More than 60% of the trees are endemic and many of them are considered rare.

Udawalawe National Park lies on the boundary of Sabaragamuwa and Uva Provinces, in Sri Lanka. The national park was created to provide a sanctuary for wild animals displaced by the construction of the Udawalawe Reservoir on the Walawe River, as well as to protect the catchment of the reservoir. The reserve covers 30,821 hectares (119.00 sq mi) of land area and was established on 30 June 1972.