Recently in Sri Lanka Category

Sri Lanka is the country where Ravan from the Hindu Epic Ramayana hid away the abducted Queen, it's where Buddhism was rejuvenated and still lives. The country saw kingdoms and kings and gives homage to all. It has some of the loveliest beaches and people in a not- to- be- scoffed- at cheerful mood. (Certainly must be the effect of zen and the art of beach bumming).

When you visit Sri Lanka, take the time to see all and also the time to be lazy. It's a great feeling to hurtle through history on one day and forget even the present as you burrow in sand on the next.

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A modern European style bunglow built on a coconut plantation with 2 bedrooms leads directly the north west beaches of Sri Lanka. You could rent it for about US $120 per day or buy it for the negotiable price of US $400,000. It's furnished, pet friendly and equipped with appliances.

A 3 bedroom sea view house right on the road and near the calm, swimming friendly beaches in the south of Galle is on sale for US $130,000. With direct access to the road on one side and the beach on the other this is a great home for a vacation.

A 6 bedroom luxury home built as two units with separate entrances and separate electricity and water meters is available for the negotiable rate of US $200,000. The house has a dining room, living room, pantry and kitchen with fitted cupboards, parking space for 2 vehicles and practical conveniences like airconditioners, telephone lines, etc. It's just 5 minutes away from Colombo city.

A gracious Colonial planter's home 15 minutes away from Galle is available for US $576,950. Placed on top of a mountain, it's fully furnished with a lovely yard overlooking a landscaped garden and trees down the hillside. With all wooden furniture, crazy colorful paintings and the lovely garden and isolated view, it makes for an alluring choice.

An 8 bedroom, 3 storied home with office, laundry room, large kitchen and servants quarters is placed in the central location of Negombo. With cable TV and lounges, it's a great buy.

An ocean front home with wrap around verandahs, completely renovated with old cabinets and a tub near a window overlooking the garden, it's certainly a contrary house. High ceilings, lots of light and air... it really is inviting. Like a home.

Find more homes of any description, anywhere in Sri Lanka and book your place in a land filled with ancient myths, monkeys and happy peaceful people!

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Kalpitiya Split are 2 to 14 acres beach front plots available with developers planting coconut,banyan and ehella trees, Placed on a lovely west cost beach, you have the option of getting your own house built by the developers who are also trying to attract boutique hotel managers so that the headache of maintenance is off you.

Two beach front villas for US $450,000 in the South of Galle are up for sale. With one bedroom each and common kitchen, they're perfect for a family setup. Water, electricity and telephone line is available as is a lovely huge garden, view to the ocean, a little courtyard, red floor, wood and cane furniture for a warm, earthy feel to the house.

A stone facade lagoon house in Negombo with 3 bedrooms is up for grabs for US $160,000. With a seating arrangement at the end of the pier leading into the ocean, lovely huge wood and glass windows, tree filled garden and small terrace looking over the back garden, the house is a pleasant nap dream.

A 75 acre beach plot on Kalkudah beach is going for US $19,500 per acre or US $1,462,500 in total. Two of the neighboring properties have been sold to foreign investors as they offer a potentially huge return on investment.

The Purple Sand Beach house is built on 3.5 acres of land. With enough land to build a hotel or spa, I'd rather just renovate the colonial house and enjoy the soft, clean beach, swim, wind surf, snorkel and take the 20 minute drive to the nearest market town when the need strikes! And this peaceful dwelling for US $420,000.

A beachfront old house damaged by the tsunami on a coconut plantation is available for the low price of US $50,000.

For a lot of beach front land and homes, you can make a selection based on which coast of Sri Lanka suits you best - the sandy south or the rocky north, the popular west or the low priced east.

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Apartments named Summer Empire are in the process of being constructed in Sri Lanka. Expected completion is in December 2006 and you can book your place now. Tri-level, 3 bedroom apartments with marble flooring, security, TV, internet, gym, garden and swimming pool, this complex is available for booking both in Colombo and Kandy.

The Palace Hotel and Spa Apartments are expected to be open in Feb 2007. Situated grandly with a view to the Sigiriya rock fortress, between two plantations, near the elephant orphanage and surrounded by tranquil land, the Palace Hotel and Spaapartments are 80 in number. With no additional maintenance charges, in fact no additional costs at all, it's a great investment opportunity. With choices ranging from moat view, lake view, garden view to royal villa, the apartment is to be a re-creation of the Palace of Sigiriya. Considering that it is only new development allowed in the Sigiriya area, future returns on investment are expected to be high. Besides this it is a tax free investment for 5 years!

The Rustic Spaces sea front apartments are great investments. You can use them as your vaction home when you please and get rent out of them for the rest of the year when they are used as a hotel. Situated in the sandy south coast, the purchase price is $110,000 with full management services and no trouble over maintenance. Check out the investment return scenario.

The Synchro apartments are built over 5 floors with flats on the first 3 floors already sold out. Situated close to a bird sanctuary,lake and grove, the apartments are quiet with 2 bedrooms, living room, lounge and pantry. The rooftop can be used for recreational purposes and basic facilities are available to each apartment with airconditioners and architect designed furniture being optional.

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Sri Lankan villas situated close to the many beaches are aplenty...and lovely to boot.
La Menara is a luxury villa with 6 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms, fully furnished with a swimming pool. If you rather plunge into salty natural waters, jus take a 30 minute walk to sandy palm-fringed beaches.
2 large covered terraces, separate staff quarters, laundry room, fully equipped kitchen and for the environmentally conscious... a solar powered heating system.
The house come attached with a guest bungalow. Both living quarters come with mosquitoe nets and tv/dvd players, stereos, two telephone lines and linen. In addition to a beautifully landscaped garden, you could also use extra land to construct tennis courts or additional bunglows. The villa and its land is priced at 325,000 euros.

This villa near the Hikkaduwa beach is brand new with 3 bedrooms and 2 acres of walled garden. As per your preference a chef, maid and chauffeur can be provided. Far away from tourist noises and commotion, it's an ideal home for a quiet self paced vacation. Close to Hikkaduwa you can indulge in snorkeling, scuba diving, surfing at your leisure.

Villa Kaeferstein, also in Hikkaduwa is a beautiful white coated, red roofed place with 4 bedrooms built in 1911. Fully furnished with an additional office room, it comes equipped with a dishwasher, TV, telephone, private garden and swimming pool. Lovely wood furniture and crystal chandeliers, colored glass windows give it a very colonial appeal. This property is available for 700 euros per week.

An absolutely stunning and humongous villa is situated in a picturesque valley near the Victoria Golf Course. Spread over three floors with 6 double bedroom, a spa terrace, roof garden and a separate two bedroom house on the property... this estate is well worth the US $450,000 of its price. All round views of the mountain ranges, garage space for 5 cars, domestic housing arrangements, larders, scullery, fitted kitchen, a patio from where you can see the sun rise all contrive to make it both beautiful and convenient. You'll need to book it fast!

Villas by Alangkara Resort Group are built on identified beachfront locations best for investment opportunities.
With an eye for comfort, modern conveniences and detail blended with the intrinsic attributes of nature, these villas are masterpieces in a premium lifestyle. Spacious, well lit, with different specifications - from one bedroom rooftop garden houses to ocean front villas priced from US $265,000, they are worth considering for your vacation home.

The Wallawwa residence is a 150 year old structure re built of solid timber. It's about 50 km from Kandy. The house is full of history with a military safe from World War II in the tree filled garden and instruments of punishment from the 18th century also in the house! With 3 bedroom sand 4 other rooms, a split level TV room leading out into a garden and verandahs circling the house, it's a beautifully old fashioned home. An inner garden surrounded by stone benches that could seat 30 people and a dining room with similar seating capacity,makes it a great house to spread out in.
Choose from more listings based on city preferences and find your luxury vacation villa.

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If you missed the August Kandy Perhara, don't fret... devil dancing and the famous kandyan shows are regularly performed at several venues. Just check your local newspapers for a listing.
Local theatres stage traditional plays and dance performances in addition to western productions.
Most hotels have nightclubs and you can catch the latest Hollywood release at the cinema halls.

Shopaholics will have a field or bazaar day in Sri Lanka. ( I have no clue why I said something so stupid).
Anyway... handicrafts at reasonable rates and famous Sri Lankan gems are musts. Blue sapphires, cats eyes, moostones, rubies as well as lovely silverware are available all over the island.
Handicrafts like batik wall hangings and saris, dolls, silver filigree work, art work in wood and clay with traditional figures like peacocks and deers carved and soft handlooms, silks and lacework in exuberant colors.
Ceremonial masks made of a light wood shaped like mythical beasts and swans and devils, coir and tea are the Sri Lanka specific buys.
Don't worry about finding shops... they're all over. Just polish your bargaining skills.

Food in Sri Lanka is traditionally rice and curry. But if you prefer to steer clear of the spicy food, then most hotels offer a mixed menu.
Sea food is delicious with varied fish and prawn dishes.
If you're English, you'll be visting tea heaven. Some of the world's best teas, well packaged and in numerous flavors. Tea estates in Kandy and Nuwara Eleiya will provide you with some fresh air and fresher tea!
Other drinks are the local toddy - a cider like drink from palm and coconut trees, and Arrack which is a more refined form of  toddy.
Traditional south indian food is also widely available. You could also try Hoppers, a thin and crispy pancake eaten with onion and chilly paste.
Restaurants like Wunderschoen and Aida in the Bentota area come highly recommended for authentic Sri Lankan and absoluetly smashing sea food.
Hotel Neptune in Beruwela is another good food spot. Local restaurants are also rather affordable and multi-cuisine.
Strangely enough, Chinese stalls are littered all over.

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If you can, try and attend the Kandy Perhara in August, this annual festival since the 15th century is one of the most colorful events in the Sri Lankan calendar.
For two weeks the city is steeped in traditional rituals, torch bearers, whip crackers, elephants lit up like temples and sihala music. A nightlong ceremony held to honor the God Kohomba has great attraction for a visitor with men and women dressed in silver belts, beaded breastplates, jangling anklets dancing to the beat of drummers. The festival culminates in a procession to the Tooth relic.

Another important festival, the Duruthu Perhara, held in Colombo in January marks Buddha's visit.
The National Day is celebrated with parades, dances and national games.
The Sri Lankan New Year  in March/April sees elephant races, coconut games and pillow fights(!!)
Vesak in May, is a sacred full-moon festival commemorating the birth, death and enlightenment of Buddha.
The Hindu Vel festival (July/August) in Colombo, where the ceremonial chariot of Skanda, the God of War, is hauled between two temples; and the predominantly Hindu Kataragama festival (July/August) in Kataragama, where devotees put themselves through the whole gamut of ritual masochism.

The museums in Lanka are not really the greatest. They might be worth seeing but maybe not worth going to see. Lack of funds might be the reason with admission charges being rather cheap!
From the varied assortment of maritime museums in Galle, dutch period museums, the Ratnapura museum detailing the process of gem-mining, a museum dedicated to the life of past prime minister Bandaranaike, etc, worth dropping into are the National museums in Colombo, Kandy and the archeological museum in Anuradhapura.
The Colombo museum houses artefacts from all over the island and its culturalheritage. There is Puppetry and Children's section as well as a library with 5 lac books and ancient palm leaf manuscripts.
The Kandy museum building itself is of archeological significance. The collection within is from the Kandyan period.
Also of interest is the Martin Wickramasinghe Folk Art Museum, which is built around the author's former residence and includes an extensive exhibition of all things folk that is very well interpreted.

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Be it ancient cities or wildlife preserves, beaches or fortresses, Sri Lanka has them all.

Colombo is the start and finsish of every trip to Sri lanka since it houses the only international airport. So spend some time getting to know the city. It's easy to find to find you way around it. There's a clock tower, a lighthouse, fort district, colonial buildings, Queen's House, a seafront expanse called the Galle Face Green, the Pettah bazaar filled with fruits, gems, scents and the Dehiwala zoo and national museum.

While the capital is charming, the rest of Sri Lanka has far more on offer. The ancient cities are well worth a day each of your time, so they've been covered in the Day Trips section.

The Sinharaja Rain Forest is a nature lover's delight. With tall trees joining together, there are still winding paths that you can walk through. There's a strong and happily twittering bird life - coucals, parakeets, spurfowls, junglefowls, barbets, hornbills, babblers, drongos - thrown in with squirrels and torque macaques, purple faced leaf monkeys and leopards!
Nature lovers can further venture into the Yala or Ruhuna National Park, Wilpattu National Park, Gal Oya National Park, Maduru Oya National Park, Uda Walawe National Park, Wasgamuwa National Park, Horton Plains National Park, and Bundala National Park. For ornithologists, the sanctuaries at Kumana, Wirawila, Bundala, and Kalametiya are all worth a visit. These are all lagoon locations in Sri Lanka's extreme southeastern coast.

The Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage is a must. A home for rescued, injured and abused elephants, Pinnawala now even has some babies. You can walk around the orphanage looking at the 70 odd elephants and even help in washing them as they play in the river in the afternoon.

At Rekawa on the south coast, you can be a part of a conservation program for marine turtles. Under the aegis of the rangers you can even watch the turtles lay eggs at nights.

Adams Peak is the destination of many a pilgrim, with legends abounding of a footprint belonging to Adam, Lord Budhha, Lord Shiva. Whichever footprint inspires you, if you're fit make the trek up for an awesome view of the rising sun. And to view a place where Sri Lankans believe butterflies go to die.

Walk across the eerie, silent Horton plains near Nuwara Eliya to see World's End - a 700 meter drop. Nuwara Eliya is a one-time hill sation that still etians its air of peace and elegance.

On the West Coast of Sri Lanka are the beaches of Negombo, Mount Lavinia, Beruwela, Bentota, Ambalangoda, Hikkaduwa, Galle and Weligama that are worth spending some time on.
Negombo is the beach closest to the airport and often the last stop tourists make on their way out. It's a narrow and long beach with many restaurants, reasonable prices and Sri Lanka's first beach resort.
Mt. Lavinia is one of the softest and calmest beaches alongside a windswept headland jutting into the Indian ocean. This beach has a slightly colonial feel.
Bentota is an ideal beach for water sports.
Ambalangoda has an ecological mangrove enironment and is home to devil dancing and mask making with various shops offering antique masks and souvenirs.
The Unawatuna Beach to the southeast of Galle is well protected and boasts a strong surfing, scuba diving and snorkeling scene. Similarly, Hikkaduwa is also an underwater delight... whether you rent a glass bottomed boator goggles and slippers, make sure you catch a glimpse of the famed coral gardens.

Along the north coast, one can visit Jaffna.

In the east coast, the prominent ones are Trincomalee, Batticaloa, Kalkudah, Nilaveli, and Arugam Bay.
Trincomalee is for the beach addict with its natural harbor and many fine beaches.
Arugam Bay is good for water sports and underwater photography. Its many ship wrecks are a lure for divers.
Batticola is famous for its 'singing' fish and picturesque lagoon.
Kalkudah on the way to Batticola is one the clearest and calmest beaches - perfect for bathing.

So with beaches and wildlife, history and lazy hillstations, make the most of your Sri Lankan vacation.

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If you're visting the cities of Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Dambulla or Sigiriya, you could make day trips out of these.
Anuradhapura is a world heritage site and is the largest monsatic city in the world. Ruled over in its time by no less than 113 Kings, you must take a look at the Shri Maha Bodhi tree - the tree underw hich Buddha apparently got enlightenment in India. The Brazen Palace, the temples of Buddha, pleasure gardens, twin ponds, more palaces are all right here in Anuradhapura.

Polonnaruwa, a medieval city, was important even in the times of Anuradhpura since it strategically commanded all crossings over the Mahaveli River and was the first buffer against invading armies. The Parakrama Samudra is an irrigation tank covering an area of 5,940 acres justifying its name - Parakrama Sea. The summer and royal palaces of the Kings, a library museum with great acoustics, the baths where the ladies of the court washed, an unusual stepped pyramid form stupa, and lots more to spend a busy day.

Dambulla has the famous cave temple dating back to 1st century BC. The caves carved with a dripline to keep the interiors dry and painted with intricate designs of gods and goddesses and Lord Budhha and his disciples.

The Sigiriya rock fortress is an impressive 600 feet rock, almost inaccessible looming over jungles. In its day it was a courtly setting for pavillions and gardens and pools. The natural defences were further augmented with by moats and stone perimeter walls. Bricks were used to fashion the rock into the semblance of a lion of which only the paws remain. Sigiriya has lovely water gardens with pools and baths, boulder gardens, terrace gardens, an awesome mirror wall with nearly 1500 prose and poetry scribbled over it by ancient visitors, a palace on the summit and frescoes of "the cloud damsels" which are the highlight of Sigiriya.

Kandy is the last kingdom city of Sri Lanka which withstood European invaders for over 2 centuries. The Kandy lake is the focal point of a city brimming with people, narrow streets, old buildings, colorful markets and character. The high altitude makes Kandy a pleasant city to discover while walking. It houses the famous Buddhist relic - the tooth of Lord Buddha. There are botanical gardens and a wooden structure carved with mythical figures, temples with elaborate stone and woodwork.

Unpredictable storms are behind the founding of the Galle Fort. A Portuguese ship blown off course resulted in a small fort being built in Galle. This bit of history was completely destroyed by the Dutch in 1640 and we can only forgive them since they went on to build the 36-hectare fort in 1663 which is now a world heritage site. The You can also wander into the Dutch church which has a floor paved with gravestones and an organ from 1760 still on display.

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The only way to get to Sri Lanka is by air. Since there are no domestic passenger flights in Sri Lanka, their land transport system is what you'll have to get used to.
The bus system in Sri Lanka is prolific with Central Transport Board buses as well as private buses. You won't have to wait around long for one but getting a seat is not guaranteed... people often hang out of bus doors!! Forlong journeys, get a private airconditioned bus.
For travelling within a city, there are also auto-rickshaws. Fix a rate before you get in to avoid hassles. It's a convenient way to travel.
Trains in sri Lanka are slow, late and unpredictable - an adventure in itself! Having said that, they're a pretty way to explore the country. You can book a sleeper berth in the over night ones. The third class seats are dirt cheap but rather overcrowded. Second class is a good option though you won't get a sleeper berth here.
If you can ride, rent a motorbike, either in Hikkaduwa or Kandy. It's a great way to roam the island.
And if you're in a group, renting a car and driver is surprisingly cheap. You can arrange a flat fee inclusive of the driver's food and accomodation or you could always just rent a car to drive yourself. But that's rather expensive - as much as Rs.3500 to Rs.5500 a day including insurance, tax and the first 100km.

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The Sri Lankan island as a whole is a year round destination... but if you are visting a specific area you need to be prepared for the 2 monsoons and the contrary weather.
The Yala monsoon hits the south west and hilly parts of the country from May to August and November to April are the dry months. Some of the best beaches and tourist spots are on this part of the island and hence the dry months here are peak tourist season.
The north and east coast of Sri Lanka sees the Maha monsoon which pours down from October to January and keeps away from May to September.
october-Novemeber might also see thunderstorms all over the island.
It's best to plan your holiday according to when you want to be - where you want to be, though average temperatures are 27 degrees in Colombo and higher elevations going down to 16 degrees.

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