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The azure Indian Ocean , endless beaches, timeless ruins, hospitable people, herds of elephants, low prices, interesting train rides, famous black tea, tempting food... …There are endless things to say about Sri Lanka .
Before the epidemic, Sri Lanka once became one of the most popular overseas destinations among Chinese people.
The unfortunate terrorist attacks in 2019 cast a cloud over its tourism industry, and the subsequent epidemic made it even worse. Since the beginning of this year, national turmoil and conflicts caused by various reasons have continued to escalate, and triggered a serious economic crisis, which has made many travelers who care about and love this country worried.
Today LP will take you on a journey through Sri Lanka in your memory, traveling together to this tropical island country surrounded by beaches, oceans, rainforests, temples, and ruins, and praying that it will soon return to its former tranquility and peace.
Colombo
Colombo
- Charming colonial legacy and wonderful shopping -
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Remnants of the colonial period remain intact Colombo's tree-lined streets. The fortress area is undergoing a large-scale reconstruction and renovation work to restore the colonial architecture, while the Beta district is full of various bustling markets.
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Luxurious hotels are rising one after another, making the traffic-congested Galle Rd appear prosperous. At the same time, new roads accelerated hotel construction, benefiting the Marina District. You can find many fashionable restaurants, galleries and museums here, and feel the cosmopolitan side of Colombo.
Beta District; Dan Lundberg, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
In the old part of this city, you can always encounter surprises. A variety of local delicacies, specialty shops or exquisite and friendly coffee shops are all presented to you one by one. Whether it is the starting point or the end point of your Sri Lanka adventure, it is a good choice.
Galle
Galle
- Wandering through a colonial-era castle -
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Galle (pronounced like "gawl" in English , pronounced "gaar-le" in Sinhala ) is a city in southern Sri Lanka A big city not to be missed. Everywhere here is filled with endless exotic customs, and the town is full of the smell of spices, mixed with the salty sea breeze.
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Nowadays, the historical Galle Fort area is full of small boutiques, coffee shops and hotels run by local or foreign artists, writers, photographers, designers or poets. It is worth mentioning that foreigners buy one-third of the local houses.
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The charm of the Galle Fortress has also been recognized by UNESCO and included in its World Heritage List. However, the main charm of the fortress is that it not only has a beautiful appearance, but also a vibrant heart that makes the city more lively and pleasant.
©Николай Максимович, CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0, WikiCommons
Day trips to the Galle are easy to do from Colombo, and from seaside cities like Heikoduwa and Unawatuna Go by car. If you want to truly appreciate the charm of this fortress, you still have to walk in the atmosphere created by the ancient walls of Galle.The 2004 tsunami devastated the new urban areas of Galle. However, the strong walls of the fortress area have always protected the old city from damage.
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And more importantly, because the Dutch prefer first-class drainage facilities, with the help of canals built in the 18th century and still in use today, people can quickly drain the floods that poured into the fortress area. City Walls At dusk, locals and tourists enjoy strolling along the walls of Galle Fort.
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As the heat wave of the day slowly dissipates, it only takes an hour or two to walk around the walls of the fortress and overlook the scenery of the fortress. As you stroll, you'll meet many locals, see shy couples cuddling together, and see many children playing in the protected waters.
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You can always find surprises inside and outside the fortress, including a hidden beach. Pay attention to distinguish which part of the city wall was built by the Portuguese and which part was built by the Dutch: the latter often designed the walls to be wider and thicker to accommodate cannons.
Kandy
Kandy
- The cultural capital of Sri Lanka -
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The sky in Kandy is tightly covered with dark clouds, making it difficult to see the true face and shrouded in mist The mountains surround the most strikingly beautiful lake in the city. When the unique breeze in the hilly area gently lifts the veil of mist, the colorful houses and hotels of Kandy City reveal their beautiful true colors in the incredible forest halo of the mountain city.
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Kandy was once the last capital of the Kingdom of Kandy. It is 115 kilometers away from the capital Colombo and 500 meters above sea level. The vibe of the city is more soothing and refreshing. Kandy Lake occupies the center of this town. Walking along the lake is a pleasant thing to do. When you are tired, you can sit on the seats by the lake.
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The most important thing not to miss is the golden-domed Temple of the Tooth Relic, which is located to the north of Kandy Lake. The temple houses Sri Lanka's most important Buddhist holy relics - the tooth relics of the Buddha.
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The entire temple complex covers a large area. In addition to the main hall, there are many other temples and museum complexes.
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On Sundays (for worship or prayer), the heavily guarded room containing the Buddha's tooth relics will be open to devotees and tourists. Of course, you don’t want to see the true appearance of the relic: the Buddha Tooth is contained in a golden box that looks like a relic stupa. The relic stupa has a total of 6 layers, and the size is reduced layer by layer.
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Kandy is famous for the grand Kandy Tooth Relic Festival, which is the most important festival in Sri Lanka every year. In order to welcome the arrival of Nikini Boye Day (full moon day) at the end of the month of Yesera (July/August), this festival will last for more than ten days. The 10-day fanatical celebration gradually culminates in Kandy’s most important night of the year.
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The parade is led by thousands of Kandyan dancers and drummers, who beat drums and whips and wave colorful banners. What followed was a long procession of more than fifty elephants.
©Ashan96, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
It can be seen from the decreasing number of elephants in the parade year by year that the scale of this event has been shrinking in recent years. (In the early days, more than 100 elephants participated in this parade), but it is still one of the most charming celebrations in Asia.
Sigiriya ( Lion Rock )
Sigiriya
- Stunning garden surrounded by rocks -
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Lion Rock iconic rocks rising from the central plains, this is probably Sri Lanka's most dramatic attraction, United Nations UNESCO announced Lion Rock as a World Heritage Site in 1982.
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Nearly vertical stone walls rise to a flat-topped peak. There are relics of ancient civilizations on the peak. It is believed to be the residence of the short-lived king Kassapa (Kassapa), which can be seen through the smoky forest in the early morning. A mesmerizing landscape.
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The charm of Lion Rock is not easily revealed. You need to climb a series of stairs connected with the steep rock wall to reach the top. On the way, you will see many strange murals and a pair of huge lion claws carved into the rock bed.
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The surrounding landscape, with its lily-shaded moats, water parks and quiet sanctuaries, as well as its remarkable heritage museum, lends Lion Rock its superstar appeal.
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Anuradhapura
Anuradhapura
- A city of stunning cultural and religious heritage -
© The ruins of Lonely Planet
Anuradhapura are one of the most imaginative sights in South Asia. These scattered buildings contain rich archaeological and architectural miracles: a large number of stupas, towering brick towers, ancient ponds, and dilapidated temples. These buildings are all located opposite Anuradhapura. A product of Sri Lanka's millennia of rule.
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Today, some of the buildings here still exist as shrines and temples. You need to spend a few days to get a good tour of Anuradhapura, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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The Great Temple (Mahavihara) is the center of ancient Anuradhapura, and it is also the place where religious celebrations are most often held. The large temple fair attracts a large number of people wearing the most beautiful clothes to come here.
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The Sacred Bodhi Tree in this areaAs a sacred tree, wherever Mentally and geographically, it is in the heart of Anuradhapura.
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This huge tree grew from broken branches brought by Bodhgaya in India, and this sacred tree has been confirmed to be the longest surviving tree in the world. For more than two thousand years, generations of guardians have guarded it without interruption, even when the Indian invading army occupied it. It is most worth watching here at sunset.
©Nicolas Chadeville, CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
And a large part of the 2,000-year-old Abhayakiri Monastery is still shrouded in tropical forest , nowhere else can match the sheer joy of exploring an ancient city.
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This huge stupa dates back to the 1st century BC and was once the focal point for religious ceremonies in a 5,000-person monastery. Originally more than 100 meters high, the tower was one of the largest structures in the ancient world, rivaled only by the Pyramids of Giza (and the nearby Jetavanarama). Today, after several constructions, the Abhayachri Stupa is 75 meters taller than the forest trees.
Temple etiquette
Since the main attractions in Anuradhapura are basically Buddhist holy places, you have to be prepared to take off your shoes, and remember to wear a sarong , or other more decent skirts. Pilgrims in Sri Lanka wear white, which is considered a sacred color (and because it reflects strong sunlight), so you can show your respect by dressing this way.
Uda Walawe National Park
Uda Walawe National Park
- Buffalo, crocodiles and elephants -
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Here is Herds of elephants, wild buffalo, sambar and Ceylon leopards, here It is a natural park comparable to the African savannah. In fact, Udawalawe even surpasses many well-known East African national parks in terms of elephant viewing angles.
©all images copyright of Jamie Lamb - elusive-images.co.uk/GettyImages
According to 2011 statistics, there were 600 elephants in more than 50 herds in the park. In the park, the elephant habitats are protected by fences. The best times to observe elephant herds are from 6:30 to 10:00 and from 16:00 to 18:30.
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The central area of the park is the Udawalawe Reservoir with an area of 308.2 square kilometers ( Uda Walawe Reservoir). The vegetation in this national park is not lush, instead it has a desolate beauty, and the lack of vegetation makes it easier to watch the hunting scenes. This is indeed a national park you shouldn’t miss in Sri Lanka.
Mirissa
Mirissa
- Boat trip to discover blue whales-
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Pry open a coconut and slide in A hammock sways gently in the breeze. An hour, a day, or even a week, time passes slowly and peacefully. Welcome to Mirissa , a crescent-shaped beach located 4 kilometers southeast of Weligama that is also developing rapidly.
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Only in recent years did marine biologists realize that the blue whale, the largest living mammal on earth, bears a striking resemblance to many holidaymakers: they love the coast of Sri Lanka. In fact, the waters around Mirissa and Donga Point to the east have the largest concentration of blue whales in the world (Trincomalee on the east coast is another great place to see blue whales).
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The statistics about the blue whale are as surprising as its size: 30 meters long and weighing 170 tons (much heavier than any known dinosaur). It is said that blue whales can live up to more than 80 years, but because there is little research on them, this is not fully understood. The main reason for the lack of research is that after the whaling industry was banned in the 1970s, there were very few blue whales left (at that time, there were only about 5,000 blue whales in the entire world ocean, which was 1% of the number of blue whales 200 years ago) .
©Patrick Meier/GettyImages
Taking a boat to watch the blue whales in Mirissa is the main reason for tourists to travel here. There are many tourism companies here and competition is fierce. In addition to blue whales, smaller sperm whales (20 meters long and 57 tons in weight) and various dolphins often appear here.
©Dhammika Heenpella / Images of Sri Lanka/GettyImages
Whale Watching Tips
- Although blue whales appear year-round, their peak season is from December to April.
- Avoid the monsoon season from May to June, when the waters are rough and the waves are strong.
- Tours generally depart at 6:30 and the voyage lasts 2 to 7 hours, depending on how long it takes to find the whale . If the sea is rough, it can take all day.
- The recognized tourist boat has at least two floors used for sightseeing and is equipped with relatively decent toilets.
- Don't look for surly tour operators, and don't hire private fishing boats, as there are many boats that can disturb whales.
- Please inquire if food and drink are available on board and also find out if there are binoculars available for passengers.
Arugam Bay
Arugam Bay
- The heart of an emerging surf destination -
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Lovely Arugam Bay is a crescent-shaped soft beach. The point break here is full of rocks or rocks at the bottom. Coral's wave area) is considered to be the best place for surfing in Sri Lanka. It's a small place, with a population of just a few hundred people, all spread out along a single-lane road that runs parallel to the coast.
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The long breaking point in the southern section of Arugan Bay is very famous. The waves continue to appear from April to September. In November, when the weather is better (and there are fewer people), you can also surf (some other surfing It is not suitable for surfing until May or June).
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Locals and some tourists who come just for surfing may tell you that Arugan Bay is a world-class surfing spot, and this may be a bit exaggerated. However, the long, slow waves that consistently produce here are ideal for intermediate surfers. The average height of the waves is 1 to 1.5 meters, and sometimes it can reach 2 meters.
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There are many wave areas of similar quality here, most of which are very good. To the north, there's Pottuvil Point, which has slow right-hand waves perfect for beginners (conditions are better later in the season). In addition, there are Whiskey Point and Lighthouse Point, both of which are suitable for beginners.
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Several surf shops rent surfboards, give lessons and organize camping trips to further surf spots. Surf camping allows you to go surfing early in the morning without worrying about food or transportation.
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