Trekking and Hiking

With multitude of roads winding through expanding mountains, lush green forests, paddy fields, parks and sleepy villages, Sri Lanka offers a plethora of opportunities to the Keen hikers and trekkers. The highlands of Sri Lanka with virgin rain forests, sacred mountains, lush tea gardens and plains filled with rare birds and insects coupled with mild temperatures and welcoming smiles of the villagers provide the ideal setting to an unforgettable walking experience.

Sri Lanka Rising

With the end of the three decade long war Sri Lanka is seeing a sudden burst in infrastructure development and a of a new Sri Lanka rising.

Today post-war Sri Lanka is seeing a rapid and wide spread infrastructure development within rural and urban areas as never seen in the country before.

The island-wide road development program is at the center of this effort.

The improved connectivity enabled by road development, particularly rural roads, generates significant economic and social returns. It is having a transformative impact on the lives of people around the country. The completion of the highway network (commencing with the Southern Highway, Katunayake Expressway and Colombo Ring Road) will bring about significant cost-savings that will boost the competitiveness of the economy.

The rural electrification program has now extended power to 91% of the country’s households. It is bringing considerable benefits, particularly to poor and vulnerable households (not least through the improved environment for children’s studies). The completion of the much delayed Norochcholai coal power station has helped to avoid power cuts or recourse to hiring exceedingly expensive barges for thermal generation.

The rehabilitation of the railway network and rolling stock, combined with the road development, will increase mobility and help to contain transport costs which are an important determinant of an economy’s competitiveness.

Port and airport development is also creating the potential for Sri Lanka to become a key transport and tourist/transit hub for Asia. The completion of the Hambantota Port and the Colombo Southport Expansion will increase the capacity to take advantage of the country’s strategic location on the major international shipping lanes.

Trincomalee is a port city on the east coast of Sri Lanka. The city is located on a peninsula, which divides the inner and outer harbours.Trincomalee is an anglicized version of the Tamil word Tirukonamalai (which means "lord of the sacred hill"); it is a hill situated in the end of a natural land formation that resembles an arc. It is one of the main where Tamil is spoken at large scale. Historically referred to as Gokanna or Gokarna it has been a sea port that has played a major role in maritime and international trading history of Sri Lanka.

The Bay of Trincomalee provides security and is openly accessible to all types of sea crafts in all weathers. The beaches are used for recreational purposes such as surfing, scuba diving, fishing and whale watching. The city is renowned for housing the largest Dutch fort in Sri Lanka. It is home to major Sri Lankan naval bases and a Sri Lankan Air Force base.

Kandy is one of the most scenic cities in Sri Lanka and lies in the midst of hills. It is the Capital of the Central Province. It is both an administrative ad religious city. Kandy is the second largest city in the country and is frequently visited by Buddhists especially of the Theravada School.

Kandy is very famous among tourist for three main reasons: It is home to the sacred tooth relic of the Buddha (Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic ; Dalada Maligawa ), The Botanical Gardens ( Located in Peradeniya) and it always has a special place when it comes to festivities such as the Esala Perahara.

Sri Lanka is one of the leading romantic destinations in the whole world. The land of serendipity brings spiritual tranquility and a chance to rediscover oneself. The beauty of this tiny island is simply breath-taking. Known for its enchanting ancient ruins, endless soft-sanded beaches, imposing mountains, colourful festivals, tempting water sports, dense wild-life, diverse ethnical groups and off the top hospitality from the local residents, Sri Lanka is bound to make you come back again. Sri Lanka Travel and Tourism brings all of this for you right under your fingertips so that you can discover the serene island for yourself. - Srilanka Travel and Tourism -

Driving along from Ahangama, you begin to notice the famous Stilt fishermen perched like curious-looking birds all the way towards Weligama. At one end of the sleepy town, stands a megalith to the memory of Kustaraja- the Leper king- who became miraculously cured of his dreaded disease by consuming copious amounts of King Coconut water. The catamarans are a good way to grab a ride round this picturesque bay, and fishermen are most obliging in between fishing trips. At the prettiest end of the bay, you can wade out at low tide to She-devil Island or Taprobane, which appears like an islet out of a James Bond movie. It was built in the 30’s by Count de Mauny, a French landscape architect who created this legendary folly on a piece of land which was originally a cobra dump. The octaganal white villa has attracted everyone from Noel Coward, Paul Bowles and Robin Maugham and is currently featured in Hip Hotels.

If you head towards Mirissa, a picture-postcard beach for wave surfing and swimming, you won`t need any further entertaining; but if you are trying to keep up with the Indiana Joneses, the Snake Farm (14 kms from Weligama) has 15 different varieties of snake, some of them are extremely large and serious-looking pythons, and Tarantulas which were probably displaced when Count de Mauny sent them packing!

Bandarawela might not be as rich in tea leaves as its Hill Country pals, but it was still the second most important hill station under the Brits who singled out its cool yet dry climate as the perfect place to convalesce. Today, it’s her lush hilly hinterland that draws the cooing crowds. Perched at an altitude of over 1,200m, Bandarawela’s fresh climate is literally made for lumbering outdoors. Discover its delights by hiking up Poonagala Hill to stake out tea estates, paddy fields and wooded jungle glens. Remnants of the British colonialists are fewer in Bandarawela than in neighbouring Nuwara Eliya but the town still manages to evoke a certain nostalgia of its own. The Bandarawela Hotel – a fusty yet atmospheric abode on the edge of town – is its colonial chieftain, since it began life as a cushy clubhouse back in 1893. If you fancy a peek, time it with High Tea so you can snatch a sneaky snoop inside as you sip Ceylon’s finest on the lawn. The Cargill’s building and Post Office opposite the hotel also ooze character since they too date back over 100 years.

Hakgala Botanical Gardens lie just 10km from Nuwara Eliya town. Hakgala is an essential part of any holiday in the hill resort of Nuwara Eliya. According to legend, it was once the pleasure garden of Ravana of the Ramayana epic, and was one of the places where the beautiful Sita was hidden by king Ravana.