Sri Lanka receives approximately 1.5-2 million tourists every year. They are attracted by local traditions and amazing nature, azure beaches and unusual architecture. Not sure what to see in Sri Lanka? Take a closer look at the sights of Trincomalee, Colombo, Wadduwa, Galle.
Holiday season in Sri Lanka
In the southwest of Sri Lanka, it is recommended to take a vacation in December-March, and in the north and east of the country, in May-September. In the high season, which falls on December-March, you should be prepared for a price increase of 1.5-2 times, but early booking can affect the purchase of pleasant-priced tours.
Rest in the low season (May-October) is not only a low cost of vouchers, but also the likelihood of face-to-face encounter with a raging natural disaster (in the south of the country it is better to have a rest in June-September).
For swimming in Sri Lanka, it is advisable to go in December-April, and for windsurfing - in November-April (south-west coast of the island) and May-October (east and north-east coast of Sri Lanka).
Weather forecast for the resorts of Sri Lanka by month
Top 15 places of interest in Sri Lanka
Adam's Peak
Adam's Peak
Adam's Peak is a sacred 2243-meter high mountain with a Buddhist temple at the top, and under it on the rock you can see the “Sacred Footprint” (Buddha's footprint: its length is 1.5 m, and its width is 76 cm). They say that the water that accumulates in this depression is healing.
It's so easy to climb the mountain, but this does not stop tourists (they are interested not only in the trail, but also in the many colorful insects fluttering here, it's not for nothing that Adam's Peak is called the mountain of butterflies) and pilgrims. Those who want to meet the sunrise at the top of Adam's Peak should hit the road at about 3 a.m. as the climb takes 2.5 hours (a staircase with 5200 steps leads to the top, and there will be water and food vendors along the route).
Dambulla
The Buddhist temple in the city of Dambulla (located 150 km from the city of Colombo; a 4-hour ride on an air-conditioned bus will cost $ 0.99) is carved into the rock and houses 153 Buddha statues, many of which are more than 2,000 years old. The temple complex consists of caves (main grottoes - 5, and fragments of rock cells - 25) at a height of 350 meters, and numerous niches (their surface is painted with Buddhist wall paintings).
The following caves deserve special attention:
- Maha Alut Viharaya: of the 56 statues of Buddhas located here, 13 "took" the lotus position, and one Buddha (his height is 9 m) is asleep;
- Devarajalena: there is a statue of Vishnu and a Reclining Buddha (the height of the statue is 14 m);
- Maharajalena: famous for a stupa surrounded by 11 Buddha sculptures (he meditates).
The entrance to the caves for tourists will cost $ 9.90.
Sigiriya
Sigiriya
Sigiriya is a rocky plateau: the cave Buddhist monastery used to be entered through the Lion's Gate. There was a Hall of Mirrors, in the facing of which porcelain was used (the hall was famous for the Sigirian murals depicting naked concubines). The fortress could be entered through the lion's mouth (entrance), which was carved into the rock. Today, only lion's paws have come down to us.
To get to Sigiriya means to make a difficult climb and walk along the suspension bridge thrown over the abyss. Above, there will be gardens, fountains, fabulous staircases, a gallery of frescoes (of the 500 frescoes, only 17 remained intact).
Kumana National Park
Glory to the Kumana National Park was brought by the plains, lagoons, Lake Kumana Villu (May-June is the time of hatching chicks in the mangrove backwaters of the lake), various birds living here in the form of herons, ibises, colorful storks, cormorants … In Kumana Park you can meet with turtles (Indian and armored), Indian crocodiles and even leopards. There are a couple of other attractions here - the pond and the Kiri Pokuna Helas rock with a cave, inside of which you can see the inscriptions left by Buddhist monks millennia ago.
To services of tourists - bungalows and campings, where they can stay for a maximum of 3 days.
Jami Ul Alfar Mosque
Jami Ul Alfar Mosque (standard South Indian style) is one of the oldest mosques in Colombo. Outwardly, it resembles a red and white pie due to its "striping".
Anyone can enter Jami Ul Alfar (it is allowed to photograph both the external appearance of the mosque and its interior), having removed their shoes first (you should not visit it during prayers and on Fridays in order to avoid offending the religious feelings of Muslims).
Bambarakanda waterfall
Bambarakanda waterfall
Bambarakanda carries its waters from a height of 263 meters. The location of the waterfall is a pine forest in the Badulla region, and it is recommended to admire it in March-May (due to the dry period, the trails leading to Bambarakanda will not be too slippery). The place where the waterfall streams fall is surrounded by a valley, dark green forests and sheer cliffs. And at the base of the waterfall, a pool was formed, in the cool waters of which tourists who were freaked out by the heat prefer to swim.
Temple of the Tooth of Buddha
The Temple of the Tooth Relic in Kandy keeps one of the 4 teeth that were pulled out of the fire during the cremation of the deceased Buddha. It is “guarded” by caskets (7), nested one inside the other (the caskets are in a mortar adorned with precious stones and gold). The tooth is rarely shown to the public, but when it does (the August festival of Esala Perahera), it is carried out in a golden loop in the center of the golden lotus.
The entrance ticket is $ 10.
Nuwara Eliya tea plantations
Nuwara Eliya tea plantations
Nuwara Eliya tea has excellent strength and expressive aroma, and the tea plantations of Nuwara Eliya have found their refuge at 1400-2400 meters altitude. A tour of the plantations involves taking walks among the tea bushes and breathing in the magnificent fresh air with tea scent.
Those who go to the Mackwoods Labookellie tea plantation will also take a free tour of the factory (it has a museum, a cafe and a shop selling different types of tea), in which they will be able to follow the process of making tea step by step.
Fort Galle
Fort Galle is 113 km away from Colombo. It was built by the Portuguese in 1588 and reinforced by the Dutch in the 17th century. After the tsunami that damaged the coastal area of Galle, the fort was rebuilt, and subsequently the 5-star resort Amangalla was placed within its walls. In addition, the Galle Fort complex is equipped with several museums, a lighthouse, a church, a mosque, a bell tower, and antique shops. Well, the walls of the fort play the role of an observation platform - those who climb them will be able to admire the beautiful sunsets and surroundings.
Negombo Beach
Negombo Beach is covered with sand and is 40 km away from Colombo (the journey by bus will take 15 hours, and the fare will be $ 0.90). Here you can spend time in peace, renting a sunbed and an umbrella, or go windsurfing, sea fishing, diving (divers will be interested in a ship that sank over 50 years ago) … The cleanest section of the beach will be found by tourists along Lewis Place. The beach areas near the fish market are not very clean, as there are fishing boats with tackle.
Anuradhapura
Anuradhapura
The city of Anuradhapura is located on the Aruvi River: there is the Old (equipped with temples and archaeological zone) and New (has residential quarters and a tourist area with shops, hotels and restaurants) city. Tourists should pay attention to the Isurumuniya rock monastery, the statue of Buddha Aukana, the stupas of Thuparam and Ruanveli, a tree (sitting under it, the Buddha managed to achieve enlightenment) and the Mahabodhi temple, an archaeological museum with a collection of valuable sculptures.
Royal Botanic Garden of Peradeniya
In the Royal Botanic Garden of Peradeniya (6.5 km from Kandy), on an area of 59 hectares, 4000 species of plants grow in the form of indoor flowers, decorative orchids, palms, Benjamin ficuses, Brazilian rubber trees, gymnosperms and trees that were once planted by historical figures (there is a Bo tree planted by King Edward VII, as well as a Ceylon iron tree planted by Nicholas II). In the garden, divided into 30 sections, you can relax on an artificial lake with a white rotunda located on its shore.
A visit to the garden should be scheduled between 07: 30-17: 30 (ticket price - $ 9, 85).
Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage
The Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage is located near the town of Kegal. There, elephants bathe twice a day, and all elephants under 3 years old eat from bottles. As for adults, they eat grass (76 kg), bran and corn (2 kg each) daily. Tourists are invited to take part in the feeding and bathing of elephants (a special area is designed to observe these processes).
Entrance to the nursery costs $ 16, 30 / adults and $ 8, 20 / children. Those who want to feed the elephants will have to pay another $ 2, 30.
Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara Temple
Temple of Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara is located 5 km from Colombo. In the temple complex (includes a large stupa, residences of monks, old and new temples) there are paintings and sculptures of the 18-20 centuries, but the reclining Buddha depicted on canvas and paintings with scenes from his life, from the history of Buddhism and from Jatak (ancient Indian parables about the reincarnations of the Buddha).
It is worth coming here in January for the Duruthu Maxa Perehera procession (at the event they play folk music, move to rhythmic dances, demonstrate traditional folklore, play drums).
Temples of Quadrangla
Temples of Quadrangla are located in Polonnaruwa. Tourists should pay attention to the ruins of ancient structures, the bodhi tree, the house of images (inside the Tuparam Gedige there are images of Buddha), the Bodhisattva temple, the round house of relics (watadagi with 2 terraces), the stone image of the book "ola" (Gal Pota is 1, 5 m, and in length - 9 m), a storage for relics (it is surrounded by stone pillars, the shape of which resembles lotuses). You can only walk in these places barefoot.
