BELIHUL OYA

The waterfall gushed in mists of white spray as it tumbled off rugged rocks and dropped like an immaculate veil to flow gracefully into the surrounding jungles. Belihuloya, a charming hillside village situated in the Ratnapura District, approximately 160 kilometres from Colombo is nature’s marvel, a miracle of creation blessed with an abundance of waterfalls, streams, nature, cycling trails and numerous opportunities for bird watching and camping.

Nuwara Eliya is a city in the tea country hills of central Sri Lanka. The naturally landscaped Hakgala Botanical Gardens displays roses and tree ferns, and shelters monkeys and blue magpies. Nearby Seetha Amman Temple, a colorful Hindu shrine, is decorated with religious figures. Densely forested Galway's Land National Park is a sanctuary for endemic and migratory bird species, including bulbuls and flycatchers.

ELLA

Ella is a small town in the hill country that’s famous among backpackers for hiking. A popular hike in this part of the world is a climb to the summit of ella rock. There are two routes to the base of the Ella mountain – a shorter path that’s some 3.5 Km along the main road, on which you can even travel in a vehicle halfway, and a longer route of around 7 Km on which you walk along the railway track before entering the jungle.

We opted for the longer route. The best time to attempt it is early morning or evening as the area tends to be scorching during the day. We walked along the railway track for about 2.5 Km before taking a left turn into the village and jungle

UDAWALAWE NATIONAL PARK

The park is 323 Km2 area centres on the large Udawalawe reservoir, fed by the Walawe Ganga. The park is renowed for its outstanding scenic  beauty  and wealth of faunal species, particularly mammals and birds. With herbs of elephants – this is one of the best places in sri lanka to see wild elephants – and wild buffalo, sambhur deer and leopard; it is the sri Lankan national park that best rivals the savanna reserves of Africa.

The park lies both in Sabaragamuwa and uva provinces and includes the Udawalawe reservoir, together with much of its catchment area. Udawalawe had been declared the fifth  National Park  in 1972. Vegetation consists of scattered glasslands and thorny – shrubs . Tree species include satin, Halmilla, Ebony, Ehela, Kolon and milla. In the riverine forest , Kumbuk and the endemic Mandorang are dominant. The park is surrounded by cultivated land.

The avifauna includes large numbers of warblers together with the low – country birds in forest areas, and a variety of raptors. Notable endemic species are Sri Lanka spurfowl and jungle fowl.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

UDAWALAWE NATIONAL PARK

The park is 323 Km2 area centres on the large Udawalawe reservoir, fed by the Walawe Ganga. The park is renowed for its outstanding scenic  beauty  and wealth of faunal species, particularly mammals and birds. With herbs of elephants – this is one of the best places in sri lanka to see wild elephants – and wild buffalo, sambhur deer and leopard; it is the sri Lankan national park that best rivals the savanna reserves of Africa.

The park lies both in Sabaragamuwa and uva provinces and includes the Udawalawe reservoir, together with much of its catchment area. Udawalawe had been declared the fifth  National Park  in 1972. Vegetation consists of scattered glasslands and thorny – shrubs . Tree species include satin, Halmilla, Ebony, Ehela, Kolon and milla. In the riverine forest , Kumbuk and the endemic Mandorang are dominant. The park is surrounded by cultivated land.

The avifauna includes large numbers of warblers together with the low – country birds in forest areas, and a variety of raptors. Notable endemic species are Sri Lanka spurfowl and jungle fowl.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

DALADA MALIGAWA

The Temple of Tooth at kandy is the final location of the sacred tooth of the lord Buddha which was brought to srilanka during the reign of king “keerthi sri Megawarna” by prince “Dantha” and Princess “Hemamala” from the kindom of kalingu India. It became the palladium of srilankan kings and was preciously guarded in a special shrine built within precincts of royal palace where the capital was located. The Temple of the Tooth Relic of Lord Buddha, sri dalada Maligawa is in the centre of the city, the highest venerated religious place with steeped in cultural heritage attracting the highest respect of the Buddhists as well as the other religions all over the world. The beautiful magnificent temple was built by late king Vimaladharmasooriya 1st in 1592 AD. The Relic Shrine is approached by a large draw-bridge over the moat and through a beautifully decorated frontispiece. A tunnel” ambarawa”, leads to the main shrine complex, having a central courtyard surrounded by storied structures.

The two-storied open pillared hall in front constitutes the area where visitors and devotees gather. The lower hall has its central part set apart for the beating of drums and other forms of traditional music performed during ritual service hours. On either side are the Pallemale Vihara constructed by king Kirti Sri Rajasimha and the Octagon (Pattirippuva) built by the last king, Sri Vikrama Rajasimha on one side and the small “stupa” supposed to contain the Bowl Relic of the Buddha on the other. The storied structures to the right and left of the shrine, constitute the residence quarters of the monks engaged during daily service (Tevava), the conference hall, the Library and the Office of the Diyawadana Nilame.The recognition of the sacred temple it has been declared kandy as a world heritage city by UNESCO. Ven.Monks of the two chapters of Malwattu and Asgiriya conduct daily worships in the inner chamber of the temple. Rituals are performing 3 times daily at dawn, at noon and in the evening. On Wednesdays, there is a symbolic bathing of the sacred relic with an herbal preparation from scented water and fragrant flowers called “Nanumura Mangalya”.

This holy water is believed to contain healing powers and it is distributed among those present.

Peradeniya Royal Botanical Garden

Peradeniya is famous for the Royal Botanical Gardens of Peradeniya, which is considered to be one of the most beautiful botanical gardens in Asia. It is situated in a slope of the Mahaweli river and attracts many visitors from Sri Lanka as well as from abroad.

Royal Botanical Garden, Peradeniya is situated about 5.5 km to the west from the city of Kandy in the Central Province of Sri Lanka and attracts 2 million visitors annually. It is renowned for its collection of a variety of orchids. It includes more than 4000 species of plants, including of orchids, spices, medicinal plants and palm trees. Attached to it is the National Herbarium. The total area of the botanical garden is 147 acres (0.59 km2), at 460 meters above sea level, and with a 200-day annual rainfall. It is managed by the Division of National Botanic Gardens of the Department of Agriculture.

GALLE FORT

Galle Fort or the Dutch Fort is a Portuguese fortress which was built in 1588 at the bay of Galle on the southwestern coast of Sri Lanka. This fortress is completed with 14 bastions which is still the best-preserved and best example for the fortified city in Asia built by Europeans by showing the mix of European architectural styles and South Asian traditions. UNESCO declared Galle Dutch Fort as a World Heritage in 1988 under the name of Old Town of Galle and its Fortifications. It covers an area of 52 hectares inside the walls. A lighthouse installed on the Utrecht bastion, and a tower erected for the jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1883. A Protestant church also built in Baroque Style in 1775. The most prominent buildings in the fort complex were the Commandant's residence, the arsenal and the gun house.

HALF DAY COLOMBO SLGHTSEEING TOUR

tRAVELLING BY COMFORTABLE IN AN AIR CONDITIONED LUXURY CAR, COACH OR VAN, TAKE IN COLOMBO.DURING THIS HALFDAY TOUR, LEARN ABOUT SRI LANKA'S CAPITAL CITY, VISITING ITS MOST POPULAR ATRRACTIONS.

THIS FAMILY FRIENDLY TOUR IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED FOR CRUISE PASSENGERS.

THIS TOUR IS TAILORED TO SHOW CASE DIFFERENT PLACES OF COLOMBO, FROM TRADITIONAL TO UNCONVENTIONAL ATTRACTIONS , TO DISCOVER THE LIFE LIVED BY EVERYDAY SRI LANKANS.