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The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known as the Pearl of the Indian Ocean, is situated in the South Asian Region. Sri Lanka, also known as the Pearl of the Indian Ocean, has countless travel destinations around the country. Among those destinations, there are the top 10 places that you should visit during your visit.
Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, Kandy
Kandy, the most historic and romantic hill capital of Sri Lanka, is situated about 115 kilometres inland from Colombo. The city of Kandy lies in the triangular valley surrounded by mountains, tea plantations, waterfalls and the river Mahaweli, the longest river in the country. Margaret Mordecai, the author of the book ‘Indian Dreamlands,’ described Kandy as ‘The Most Beautiful Spot in the British Empire.’ The city’s greatest attraction is the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic or Dalada Maligawa. This temple is recognized as one of the most sacred places for Buddhists all over the world.
The building was made out of stones, mud and timber. All surfaces on walls, columns, beams, brackets, doors and ceilings are decorated with mural paintings representing the episodes of Buddha’s life and traditional decorative Sinhalese art. The central feature of this building is the Pattirippuwa, where the King addressed the public on important occasions. There are still cultural rituals and ceremonies started in the 4th century, such as beating drums early in the morning and evening. A colourful Esela Perahera is conducted annually in July to venerate the Sacred Tooth Relic. As the pageantry of the Esela Perehera unfolds through ten nights each year, the city takes on the air of a torch-lit dreamland, complete with hundred or more colourfully dressed elephants, drum players and performers and chieftains of the old kingdom. This annual pageant vibrates the cultural, social and economic life of the hill country peasants and the Kandyan people’s traditional arts. Undoubtedly, it is one of the most colourful pageants in the world.
Sri Padaya
Sri Padaya is also known as Adam’s Peak; all four major religions, Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam, claim Adam’s Peak as a holy mountain. Buddhists call the mountain Sri Pada (the Sacred Footprint) and believe the Lord Buddha has visited this mountain and set the sacred footprint, Hindus say it is the Lord Shiva’s, and Muslims believe that it is the place where Adam first set foot on the earth. Catholics say it is of St. Thomas, the Christian promoter who spoke in South India. However, the pilgrimage season is from December to April. Most pilgrimages climb Sri Padaya in the evening to see the sunrise from the top of the mountain early in the morning. The Sri Padaya mountain is situated in the southern reaches of the Central Highlands in the Rathnapura District and Nuwara Eliya district of the Sabaragamuwa Province and Central Province, lying about 40 km from the city of Rathnapura and 32 km from the town of Hatton.
When heading to Sri Padaya, it is not like climbing other mountains. There are some specific rituals that all pilgrims should obey and follow. If you visit Sri Padaya for the first time, you are known as a ‘Kodu Karaya.’ So as a ‘Kodu karaya’ after reaching Seetha Gangula, an elderly or the ‘Kapu Mahaththaya’ from the Saman Dewasslaya will apply a piece of lime on your head. Then it would help if you took a dip in the cool waters. This is to ‘cleanse’ you mentally, physically and spiritually.
Once you reach the summit, at dawn can observe the famous shadow of the rock in contradiction to the Western scenery. The shadow gradually shifts to the mountain’s base when the sun rises before disappearing. Remember not to miss this unique and magical scene of your trip!
Sinharaja Rainforest
Sinharaja is considered the most beautiful and biggest rainforest in Sri Lanka, located close to Rathnapura, Deniyaya and Mtugama. Sinharaja is the country’s last viable area of primary tropical rainforest. It has a variety of indigenous plants and animals; flowing rivers and silent streamlets cover nearly 9800 hectares. Of 830 indigenous flowering plants in the island Sinharaja forest, about 500 plants, and 21 native bird species in the country, 17 species have made Sinharaja their home.
Sinharaja has two main types, Dipterocarpus Forest and Secondary Forest. In the Dipterocarpus Forest there are Hora (Dipterocarpus Zeylanicus) and Bu Hora (Dipterocarpus Hispidus). Sinharaja forest receives between 3000-6000 mm of rain during the year and has a minimum rainfall of over 200 mm in non-monsoon periods. The temperature is between 18-27 degrees Celsius with a humidity of 75%-90%. Only a little sunshine reaches the ground layer of the forest. The land coverage of the forest is 21 km lengthwise, with a minimum width of 3 km and a maximum width of 7 km throughout the land extent. Gin Ganga and Kalu Ganga nourished the water flow from this forest land. The uppermost mountain top found at Sinharaja is 1170 metres and has eight points over 600 metres. Twenty-two villages with around 5000 people surround Sinharaja.
It is infinite what you can be revealed during a rainforest exploration in Sri Lanka. This experience cannot be described in words; you must experience it!
Arugam Bay
Arugam Bay is located at the “end of the road” on the East Coast of Sri Lanka. Arugam Bay is one of the world’s top ten surf beaches. It is a top-rated surfing Centre ranked 3rdd among the best 20 beaches in the world by British Surfers Association. It is close to Lahugala National Park, Pottuvil Lagoon and Kumana Bird Sanctuary.
Annually, Arugam Bay features many international surfing competitions. This is the only place beginners and professionals can take up this sport with different wave spots. Pottuvil pint, Whiskey point, and lighthouse point suit beginner surfing. Crocodile Rock, Peanut Farm and Elephant Rock for the intermediate or advanced surfers. In the middle of the year, Arugam Bay receives Antarctic winter swells that hit Indonesia. The best time of the year for surf is between May and November when the crocodile rock, peanut Farm, and Elephant Rock predominant wind is offshore for at least the first half of the day.
If you’re not a surfer, there are plenty of other attractions like beachfront guesthouses, oceanside restaurants and a mellow, swing-another-day-in-a-hammock vibe that’s removed from the brash west-coast beach resorts. Arugam Bay makes a countless base for several ventures in the surrounding neighbourhood. From November to April, things get extremely quiet, and many places close altogether. Coconut palms partially shade this beach, which is an excellent reason to visit Arugam Bay. In the season, it appeals to surfers, but in other months, it is a lovely place to kick back and unwind. The southern half of the beach supports the fishing community.
Once you visit Arugam Bay, you can experience 05 types of tourism as there are so many beautiful places to enjoy. They are as follows;
- Beach Tourism – Arugam Bay Beach
- Sports and Adventure Tourism – Surfing Points at Arugam Bay Beach
- Cultural and Heritage Tourism – Muhudu Maha Viharaya / Magul viharaya / Luhungala National Park / The Kudumbigala
- Wildlife and Nature Tourism – Yala National Park / Kumana Birds Park
- Eco-Tourism – Lagoon Eco Tour
And when you visit Arugam Bay, do not forget to have a Lagoon Safari. This will definitely be an activity you will remember for a long time.
Hortain Plains and Moon Plains
Hortain Plains
Hortain Plains is one of the world’s best nature reserves and eco-tourism venues. It is characterized by a beautiful landscape of rolling hills covered in upper montane forest and wet patina grassland. In general, the woods are seen on the hilltop or upper slopes of the grasslands in the valleys and lower hills, eventually giving away to wetland habitats. Hortain plains are homes to many rare animals like sambar deer, bear monkeys, and wild boar. There are five endemic mammals, 21 bird species and 15 types of Amphibians, and also 06 types of endemic reptiles. And also, there is a collection of Flora and Fauna that is unique to this area. All of the Montane endemics of Sri Lanka are found here, such as Bush Warbler, Dull-Blue Flycatcher, Sri Lanka Wood Pigeon, Black Bird and Mountain Hawk Eagle and many more. Mammals in the park are Strip-necked Mongoose, Long-tailed Giant Squirrel, Barking Deer, Fishing cat, Otter etc.
Hortain plain also features fascinating destinations like Bakers Falls and the famous World’s End. One of the most attractive places is World’s End. There are two of them The Small World’s End and The Big World’s End. They are about 0.8 km apart from each other. From the prominent one, visitors can see the fall to the Tea States below and have a fantastic view of surrounding hills wreathed in the mists and clouds on clear days. The Small or the Mini World’s End is not less than 1250 feet in depth. It seems lime younger brother of the Big World’s End. It is evident as soon as you enter the place that it is heaven. But travellers have been advised not to look down into the abyss because sudden wind gusts will push you to the abyss!
Moon Plains
Moon Plains, also known as Sandatenna, is situated in the corner of the beautiful city of Nuwara Eliya, opened to travellers in 2014. It also gained the name ‘Second World’s End,’ surrounded by cloud forests and unique diversity of flora and fauna. The recently popularized Sandatenna has similar characteristics to Horton Plains. Just 2 km to the outskirts of Nuwara Eliya, the Sandatenna reserve is situated in the Bomburu Ella Seetha Eliya upper reserve. Once you reach the Moon Plains office, you are supposed to reserve a safari jeep to ascend moon plains. The best period to travel to the moon plains is from February to April.
From this viewpoint, you can see the peak point of the nine Sri Lankan mountains. Nestles 6200 feet above sea level, Sandatenna offers people an astonishing 360-degree picturesque view of their surroundings. Among the mountains are Pidurutalagala mountain, Single Tree mountain, Kikiliyama mountain, Great Western mountain, Kiknihil mountain, Kirigalpoththa mountain, Thotupola mountain, Hakgala mountain and Namunukula mountain. Therefore, Mornings and evening excursions are ideal places to visit.
Featured Image Credit: saiko3p
