Top 10 highlights in Sri Lanka you should not miss!!!
It’s not possible to see everything that Sri Lanka has to offer in one single trip, and I don’t suggest you even try doing this. Sri Lanka is one of the easiest places in which to travel in all of South Asia. A little advance planning and knowledge will help you to make your trip more fruitful and hassled-free.
My No 1 recommended place to visit is Colombo, start off the day while it’s relatively cool and calm in the morning. Enjoy a walk through the aromatic markets in Pettah, drink a King-coconut, eat some fresh fruits brought down from local villages to distribute among the sellers, even buy small electrical items for a cheaper price and walk in to the Dutch Period Museum where you get massive doors and windows which was built using the Dutch Architecture. Tthereafter walk through Malwatte road the busiest lane in Pettah and you will reach once the grandest hotel in Colombo “Grand Oriental Hotel” and have a cup of Tea at the Harbor room with the most picturesque view of the Colombo Harbor. Proceed back to your walk passing the old Cargill’s Red Building towards the business centre in Colombo. You can either enjoy shopping at the new Dutch Hospital Market square or have a Glass of Lion Larger at the courtyard inside the Dutch Hospital.
No 2, will be the Sigiriya Rock Fortress, rising 200m straight up over the dusty plains of north central Sri Lanka, climb this rock which is home to the fascinating remains of one of the island’s best built fortresses during the ancient times. This fortress is complete with ancient graffiti, water gardens, a giant lion statue which is the entrance to the fortress, well preserved frescoes and even the water and the cooling system you get here is amazing. If you are fit enough it will take 3 ½ hours to climb up and come down.
No 3, Polonnaruwa, once this was an important ancient city in Sri Lanka and the second capital in the country. Among the many attractions are the finest collection of art and architecture from Giant Buddha statues of Gal Viharaya to amazing buildings of the palaces and its administrative centers. Drive down the market place of the city in to the main palace of the king who ruled the kingdom. This ancient site consists of many stupas and buildings from the kingdom. Come back to the Polonnaruwa Rest house which has the most authentic view of the “Parakrama Samudrya” a manmade lake built by King Parakrama Bahu. The rest house is situated on the bank of the tank; you have the choice of sitting outside the restaurant for a better view and enjoy your lunch which is made the typical Sri Lankan way.
No 4, Nuwar Eliya, Sri Lanka’s highest town lies at the heart of the southern hill country, set in a cool and misty climate keeps its colonial hill station atmosphere more completely than any place in the subcontinent. The country style houses with large gardens, Gregory’s lake, racecourse, Victoria Park, Golf course and not forgetting the lovely strawberry and vegetable gardens. Why not enjoy a bowl of strawberry and fresh cream with some sugar covered on top, to give you that sweetness to mix with the strawberry flavor. Evenings enjoy a high Tea at one of the colonial hotels in town and let the wind take all your stress away and relax your mind breathing the fresh air coming through the mountains.
No 5, Kandy, This historic city situated amidst the central highlands, with a lovely lake at the centre of the city and the Temple of the Sacred Tooth protecting the whole nation is a blessing for Sri Lanka. You can visit the British Garrison Cemetery which is a short walk from the city, Udawattekelle Sanctuary where you can see lots of gigantic trees, various species of birds and insects, and mainly surrounded by monkeys, it’s always better if you can visit this place with a group rather than going alone. All Golf lovers enjoy a round of Golf at the Victoria not forgetting the 18 hole golf & country resort which is located on to the east side of the Kandy city. Surrounded by the Victoria Reservoir and the Knuckles range, which is claimed to be the best in the sub continent. You get modernized and few colonial hotels as well.
No 6, Food, Eat your way through what Sri Lanka has to offer. Try the rice and curry which includes a variety of small spiced dishes made from vegetables, meat or fish. Seafood, cuttle fish, prawns, crabs are few to name with. Desserts and sweets, we as Sri Lankans love to eat sweets most of it is homemade desserts including jaggery or sugar to make it sweeter. Fruits, being a tropical country we have a wide variety of fruits growing inside the country passion fruit, guava, mango, pineapple, banana and many more. Do not miss to taste these fruits while you are in Sri Lanka.
No7, Galle, Galle Fort named as a UNESCO world heritage site, Sri Lanka’s most historically interesting town is Galle. It was a major port until about 100 years, but today still handles shipping and sailing boats in the natural harbor. Stroll around the lighthouse and harbor or visit the old town where you can see the traditional lace makers and wood carvers and purchase some of the finest souvenirs.
No 8. The Dutch Fort, The South Coast’s major city is Galle, whose oldest landmark is the massive Portuguese and Dutch Fort which is a “World Heritage Site” in which the central city is contained. But the city may be much older. Some scholars believe it to be the “Tarshish” of the Old Testament, to which King Solomon sent his merchant vessels, and to which Jonah fled from the Lord. Today, the 90-acre Galle Fort shows no evidence of the Portuguese founders. The Dutch incorporated the Portuguese northern wall in a great rampart in 1663. Between the two walls, a covered passage connected the central bastion with the Fort’s two half bastions overlooking the sea. The Dutch also installed a sophisticated drainage system, complete with brick-lined underground sewers that were flushed twice a day by the high and low tides. The original gate to the fort was by the harbor. It is still there, marked by the British Coat-of-arms on the front and the Dutch V.O.C. (Vereenigde Oost Indische Compagnie) with the Coat-of-arms with a rooster crest, on the inner side of the Fort.
No 9, Jaffna is approximately 400 K.M from Colombo and can reach by Air or Road (A-9 route). The Jaffna peninsula has an area of 380 square miles. Jaffna was important for both Portuguese and Dutch. Jaffna Fort was completed in 1632 and it covers 55 acres in extent. The Dutch Church inside the Fort dates to 1706. There are ruins of Portuguese Churches at Myliddi and Chankanai and a ruined Dutch Church at Atchuveli. The Dutch Fort Hammenhiel is at the entrance to the Kayts Harbour and is located in an island of the sea. Jaffna is full of Hindu Kovils. The Nallur Kandasamy Kovil and Vallipuram Kovil at Point Pedro are two of the important Kovils. The Buddhist Vihara at Nagadeepa (Nainativu) Island is a place sanctified by the visit of the Buddha on his 2nd visit to the country. The large number of dagobas in the Kantharodai site dates from 2nd to 10th Centuries A.D. At Keeramalai is a freshwater bathing pond on the beach and is said to possess healing properties.
No 10, last but not least, Horton Plains National Park, from approximately 1 hour from the city of Nuwara Eliya via Ambewela and Pattipola, is 3160 hectares in extent. Known to Sri Lankans as Mahaeliya, it became Horton Plains after Sir Robert Horton, British Governor from 1831- 1837. Horton Plains became a Nature Reserve in 1969 and upgraded as a National Park in 1988 due to its unique watershed and bio-diversity values. Its flora has high level of endemism. The hills are covered with diverse wet low evergreen forest with even large trees grown flattened to the ground on the higher windswept slopes. Horton Plains gives shelter to 52 species of resident birds and 11 species of migrant birds. More than 2,000 to 3,000 Sambhur, Bear Monkey, Barking Deer, Giant Squirrel, Fishing Cat, Wild Boar and Hares roam in the forests and grasslands but only seldom they could be seen other than the Sambhur in the evening and morning. “World’s End” and “Little World’s End” falling from the Horton Plains 1000 feet and 3000 feet respectively, to the land below and the Baker’s Falls are places you should visit. This is the only National Park where visitors could walk on their own in the designated tracks.
Plenty of more places to visit, even though I have only highlighted 10 top things to do in Sri Lanka. Why not visit our amazing miracle of the Indian Ocean and discover 10 more new places or things to do and share with your family and friends just the way I did now!!!
By Shiroma Rodrigo
