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Adam's peak

Hill climb of a different type to witness a spectacular sun rise or just for the thrill of the panoramic views of Sri Lanka or for pleasure . Not just a trail but a prilgimage to a summit secred to all of the world's major releigions. The most popular hill trail in Sri Lanka to 2200m above ...

Hill climb of a different type to witness a spectacular sun rise or just for the thrill of the panoramic views of Sri Lanka or for pleasure . Not just a trail but a prilgimage to a summit secred to all of the world's major releigions. The most popular hill trail in Sri Lanka to 2200m above sea level. The season is between December and April when the summit is not misty and relatively dry. There are two popular starting points from the directions of Hatton or Ratnapura.

Easily recognisable from many areas of the western / southern parts of the country because of it's triangle shape summit as well as from the sea to the west. Secret to Christians Muslims as well as Hindus while to Buddhist it is one of the places where Buddha has visited and left a footprint. Today it has been covered by a boulder. The first climbs dates back to 1000AD by then king Vijayabahu I who had built resting places for travellers. Travellers like Ibn Batuta a Arab pilgrim (1304-1377), and Marco Polo (1254-1324) have recorded visiting the summit. 

There are few routes to Sri Pada the most used routes are from Ratnapura side or from Hatton/Maskeliya. Public bus services are available from both towns as well as from Colombo and other major towns during the season.
From Ratnapura Side. The difficult path start from about 30km from via Kuruwita, Gilimale, Ratnapura. The climb is about 4-6 hours.
Busses are From Hatton, Special Bus service to Sri Pada is available from various destinations. Alternatively visitors by bus from Colombo (or else where) may first go to Maskeliya and then to Delhousie where vehicular approaches end. The trail is around 8 kM. And the climb would take 2-3 hours minimum depending on how fit you are.
The forest around the area is a wild life sanctuary famous for its butterflies but also and contains a wealth of flora and fauna. 

Heritage Sri Lanka

Heritage Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka with its nearly 3000 years of history holds some of world’s ancient cities including Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa and Digamadulla. Remnants of these once glorious cities, their palaces, temples, monasteries, hospitals and theaters intricately carved and mo...

Heritage Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka with its nearly 3000 years of history holds some of world’s ancient cities including Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa and Digamadulla. Remnants of these once glorious cities, their palaces, temples, monasteries, hospitals and theaters intricately carved and modeled out of stone lay abandoned amidst the soaring mountains.

Of all the ancient sites the most famed and most exquisite is the Kingdom of Anuradhapura. Sri Lanka’s third and the longest serving capital and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world is also one of the most sacred cities of World Buddhists. It was the capital of Sri Lanka from the Fourth Century BC up to the turn of the eleventh Century and was one of the most stable and durable centers of political power and urban life in South Asia. However the city itself is much older than the Kingdom of Anuradhapura and according to archeological evidence could have originated as far as tenth century BC. Anuradhapura was abandoned due to the due to repeated South Indian Invasions and was eventually forgotten with time until it was rediscovered in the early 19 th century.

Polonnaruwa, the second most ancient kingdom of the country was first made the political center of the country in the ninth century BC. Irrigation systems that are far superior to those of the Anuradhapura Age were constructed in Polonnaruwa kingdom, and still provide irrigation water to the farmers in and around Polonnaruwa. Yet the kingdom’s glory was short-lived and a South Indian invasion pushed the political centre towards the centre of the country by the eleventh century. Today the ancient city of Polonnaruwa remains one of the best planned archaeological relic sites in the country, a testimony to the discipline and greatness of the Kingdom's first rulers.

Digamadulla, the Eastern kingdom of Sri Lanka was the agricultural and spiritual capital of the country during the Anuradhapura kingdom. Ruled by a viceroy of the Anuradhapura king Digamadulla was a prosperous province with grand palace, monasteries and temples at every juncture. Having received lesser attention of archaeologists compared to Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa many a great creations of ancient Digamadulla had been lost to time, war and plunder while many more silently awaits in the midst of the forests covering the lands of Eastern Sri Lanka.

Negombo / Airport

A photographer’s paradise – from gaudy, chaotic festivals erupting on the streets, to the bleached, beached and beautiful Oruva outrigger canoe catamarans. It’s hard to believe these driftwood sculptures have been braving the breakers for centuries but, if you’re up early, you’ll spot them ...

A photographer’s paradise – from gaudy, chaotic festivals erupting on the streets, to the bleached, beached and beautiful Oruva outrigger canoe catamarans. It’s hard to believe these driftwood sculptures have been braving the breakers for centuries but, if you’re up early, you’ll spot them delivering their catch. And this is really what keeps Negombo’s heart beating, the exchange of fish at dawn markets such as Lellama, with its pipe-smoking fisherwomen. Just north of the airport, Negombo is equally cursed and blessed. The proliferation of hotels along the beach strip behind Lewis Place are often only used as an overnight stopping point with complaints that both beach and town are seedier than other parts of this ideal island.

But you don’t have to cast far to reel in delight after sumptuous delight on Sri Lanka’s largely uncharted northwest coast. A cruise inland, through Andalankawa – “moon of Sri Lanka”, takes you through the idyllic rice paddy and coconut plantation landscape chosen by locals as a wedding backdrop. Another handy bit of tackle is a hired bike which allows you to dissolve into the tiny warren of streets along the extensive network of canals. Built by the Dutch to transport spices and gems from the luscious interior, they can lead you back to old-world life and unexpected treasures.
If you were seriously energetic, you could follow the canals 130 kilometers north, past Puttalam, and go kite-surfing to cool off. An old Portuguese port on a long spit of a peninsula, Kalapitiya is fast becoming a destination. Here you can watch dolphins and whales an hour from the coast. Past the prawn farms, the clever kids of Colombo play on perfect, pink sandy beaches, swimming in water, warm as tea, clear as gin. No need to fish here – the compliments come easy.