One of the advantages of visiting a small country is that, you can get to different places of the Country within a short space of time. From the Coast of Srilanka you can get to the Hill station called Nuwara- Eliya within four Hours. The Temperature would drop from nearly 30 Degrees to 15, which is probably a nice summer day for you. The Hill country offers stunning, breath taking scenery covered by thousands of Acers of Tea which looks like a green carpet on the Hills. You will get to see the Tea pickers moving around in their bright and colorful cloths with the sack of tea leaves on their backs. Some Guide books describe Nuwara- Eliya as a misplaced English Village because of the Gregory’s Lake with Trout, The 18 hole Golf course, the race course and the old Colonial Buildings that showcases the ancient Glory of the Colonial era. One place that you cannot miss is the Hill Club which is an amazing Hotel locked in time. You can visit a Tea factory to experience the Journey from Leaf to Cup and have a Cup of Ceylon Tea; you could do various excursions from Nuwara- Eliya such as visiting the Horton Plains National Park, Climbing the Single Tree Mountain, Climbing Kirigalpottha .the second tallest Mountain, and Thotupola Kanda the third tallest Mountain in SriLanka. The Haggala Botanical Garden is a great place, if you are in to Trees and Plants. You can easily spend a whole day here in peace and quiet. Ella is one of the best places to visit in the Hill country. It is very popular among the younger generation as it offers cheap accommodation and food. There are some good hikes here and the most popular are Little Adam`s peak and the Ella rock. The nine Arches Bridge that was built by the British is also a Highlight in Ella.
The life of the Srilankans had been based around Water and the History reveals the value of Water. The whole mark of our civilization had been Agriculture. Even today, we are nearly self-sufficient in Food. Huge man made reservoirs [We call them Tanks] were built to store water. When you travel to the dry Zone which is about two thirds of the Country, you will get to see massive ancient reservoirs. These Reservoirs are fed by the rain water from the Wet Zone. Water is been diverted along long Canals from the Wet Zone to the Dry Zone. Some of these projects are seen as Hydro- Engineering wanders as they are still functioning and the most impressive project being Parakrama Samudraya in Polonnaruwa which was the second indigenous Capital of the Country. This particular Tank is in an area of over six thousand Acers and is the largest man made Reservoir in the Country. Had it not been for these irrigation schemes, growing crops in Srilanka would have been restricted
Just outside of Kandy is the stunning Peradeniya Botanical Garden, which once was reserved exclusively for Kandyan royalty. Today the Garden has become a major Tourist attraction and is the largest Botanical Garden in the Country which is in an area of 60 hectares.
It is an escape from the busy city where you could easily spend a day as the Botanical Garden offers so much Varity. The Café in the Garden in well located where you can have a Coffee or Lunch watching the massive trees swaying in the Wind
The orchid House, Cannon-ball trees, Cocodo- mere Trees, Spice garden, giant bamboo, rubber trees and a magnificent avenue of royal palms planted in 1950s are the highlights of the Botanical Garden . More than 2 million visitors visit the Botanical Garden annually. This is also a great place for research and Study for Botanists.
Kandy Lake nestles in the heart of the City that adds so much to the city of Kandy. The Bird life around the lake is fascinating and big Water Monitor Lizards swimming around , Terrapins sitting on Rocks is a common site here. The lake was built by the last Srilankan King in 1807. Since then several expansions have been done to get it to where it is today.
The small island in the middle of the Lake has been used by the King as his personal harem. It was later used by the British to store Weapons. The British built the Fortress type wall in the Island. The Temple of the Tooth is bordering the Lake on one side adding the much needed peace and quiet to the area. Most of the lake is bordered by the busy road with heavy Traffic that dents the serenity a bit.
The North of Srilanka was in isolation for over three decades due to the Civil War. Though the War ended over Ten years ago the North and East is not visited by many Tourists. The Golden, Wide, sandy Beaches are yet to be explored. After the War ended, some very good Hotels were built in the North and the East with a lot of expectations which had not been full filled due to the lack of Tourists. Trincomali, Nilaweli and Uppuveli , Pasikudah are probably the best beaches for Swimming and Pigeon Island being the best place for Snorkeling. Arugambay is very well known among Surfers as one of the best places in Asia. Going on a Whale and Dolphin watching trip in Kalpitiya, Visiting the Isolated Delft Island and visiting the Nagadeepa Temple are the most popular activities in the North.
The North of Sri Lanka is very much like South India with a lot of Hindu Temples and shrines. Some of these Temples are massive Towers with colorful sculpture and paintings.
Most tourists do not visit the North and a East due to long travel time. But if you carefully design an itinerary, you can break up Journey by including The largest National Park in Srilanka, named Wilpatthu. You could visit the first ancient Capital of Srilanka which was flourishing, about thousand years ago. Anurathepura, the ancient City is an amazing Unesco World Heritage Site.
Kandy was the last indigenous capital, the second-largest city and the most visited city by Tourists of the island. It is a three-hour drive from the Airport to Kandy. The ancient Hill Capital has so much to offer to the Tourists. It`s old Colonial Buildings that are well blended with the modern City showcases the ancient glory and the most noticeable is, the Queens The hotel is in the Heart of the City. Kandy is up in the Central hills with amazing views and is a couple of Degrees cooler than Colombo and the Low Country. The Highlight in Kandy is the Temple of the Tooth which houses a Tooth of Buddha. This active Temple is at its best during the ceremony which happens three times a day. The best time to visit the Temple is 9.30 am, as you get to see the colorful Ceremony with Monks and Drummers.
During the time of the Ceremony, you get to see the Casket of the Tooth, The Buddha Statue carved out of a Cristal, The Library with old Palm Books, etc
The Kandy Market is a place that`s not been missed by Tourists. The verity of Fruits is a highlight to the Tourists as they get to try some of the Fruits that they have never tasted before. The vegetable market is so colorful and vibrant with so many different types of Vegetables that have brought over from all four corners of the Country. Walking around the Kandy Lake, Visiting a Hindu Temple, Trek in Udawattha Kelee Nature reserve, Visiting the Garrison War Cemetery and Visiting the Botanical Garden are popular activities in Kandy.
The Botanical Garden is a place where you can easily spend a day with peace and Quiet. The Highlights are the Orchid House, Royal Palm avenue, and the Ficus Benjameena tree. The less-visited hidden Gem in Kandy is the Hantana Mountain range that offers amazing views of the area.
