Sri Lanka wins Best Tourism Pavilion at Beijing International Travel Fair

Sri Lanka Tourism took the high ground in the key source market of China - Beijing, winning the top award of 'Best Tourism Pavilion' among two hundred stalls with entrenched competition of 58 countries eyeing the 156 million traveller outbound market of China which is worth of 5 billion dollars. Sri Lanka targeting 225,000 travelers this year is currently registering a growth of 79% with the private sector on high gear with the Sri Lankan contingent numbering one hundred from 46 companies taking part at the 2015 edition of Beijing International Travel Fair staged at the China National Conference Centre in the vicinity of the iconic Birds Nest Olympic Stadium and The Cube of Olympic fame.

Source: (Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bereau-"Voice of the Pearl" article)

Top 10 tourist attractions in Sri Lanka

The Sri Lanka is a great tourist destination. The travelers from around the world visit the Sri Lanka.  Most of them are Europeans, Asians and Americans. We can see the high growth of Tourism in Sri Lanka after end of the war in 2009. Each tourist searches following keyword on Google;

“Top ten tourist attractions in sri lanka”

“Places to Visit in Sri Lanka”

The purpose of this article helps to find top ten tourist attractions in Sri Lanka this wonderful Island has many tourist places including 8 world heritage sites therefore selecting the top 10 tourist destinations is little bit difficult.  I selected this top tourist attractions depend of number of arrivals for each place

   

    1. Colombo
    2. Galle
    3. Kandy
    4. Nuwara Eliya
    5. Yalla
    6. Sigiriya
    7. Anuradhapura
    8. Polonnaruwa
    9. Trincomalee
    10.Jaffna

Here are some of the highlights of my first visit to Sri Lanka:

Elephants. More elephants. Elephants everywhere.

Sri Lanka is one of few places in Asia where you can see elephants in the wild, and boy, did Kaudalla National Park deliver. Similar to Addo National Park in South Africa, this is just home to so many elephants.

Sri Lanka is actually a fantastic destination for wildlife — while I didn’t make it there, several of my friends visited Yala National Park in the southeast and saw leopards as well!

Sigiriya is the most-visited attraction in the country — a giant rock in the middle of hill country. It’s home to a World Heritage-listed ancient city, and yes, you can climb to the top! The views up there are sensational.

You know I love my World Heritage Sites — and Sri Lanka’s were really, really good. Usually you get an underwhelming one or two in each country (more like “That’s it?”), but that didn’t happen in Sri Lanka. These sites were some of the best that I’ve seen, anywhere. I visited five of the eight, including the ancient complex of Polonnaruwa.

Beaches? Yeah, they were amazing. This one was near Hikkaduwa.

The waves on most of the beaches I visited were pretty intense. If you like swimming in big waves, it can be a lot of fun. Until you get into a fight with the sea and the sea wins and you lose both your bathing suit top and bottoms and your male friends have no idea what to do as you shriek, “HELP ME! DON’T LOOK! HELP ME! BUT DON’T LOOK!”

Kandy was a place I wish I had more time to explore. I loved the architecture, the hills, and the frenetic energy of the city.

Galle was my favorite place in the country. It’s a fascinating small city with really interesting architecture and a 16th-century Galle Fort. This part of Sri Lanka was hit badly by the 2004 tsunami, but the fort protected much of the city.

Galle was also my 101st UNESCO World Heritage Site, and I couldn’t imagine a better place to celebrate that achievement!

Even Colombo was a lot of fun! Colombo doesn’t get a lot of love, even from seasoned travelers, and plenty of people will tell you to skip it. Well, I had a lot of fun there, especially hanging out on the Galle Face Green along the water, eating delicious street food, taking in the views, and dancing to the occasional musician.

I loved this country so much. And even with three weeks, I know that I barely scraped the surface. There might be more Sri Lanka in my future, and I look forward to delving deeper into this magnificent country.

Waterfalls of Sri Lanka

Beautiful waterfalls cascading down the mountain slopes enhance the beauty of the hill country. The geographical formation of the Island with the central highland sloping down to the coastal plains has resulted in several rivers and streams starting from the central region flowing down the hilly slopes in a radial pattern, creating beautiful waterfalls in several places in the hill country.

Bambarakanda Fall

Bambarakanda Falls is the tallest waterfall in Sri Lanka. With a height of 263 m (863 ft), it ranks as the 299th highest waterfall in the world. It is located in Kalupahana in the Badulla District. The waterfall was formed by Kuda Oya, which is a branch of the Walawe River. The Bambarakanda Falls can be found in a forest of pine trees.

Dunhinda Fall

Dunhinda Falls is a waterfall located about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) away from Badulla town. The Dunhinda Falls is one of Sri Lanka's most beautiful waterfalls. The waterfall, which is 210 feet (64 m) high gets its name from the smoky dew drops spray, (Dun in sinhala means mist or smoke) which surrounds the area at the foot of the waterfall. The water fall is created by the river called Badulu Oya which goes through the Badulla town.

Bopath Ella Fall

Bopath Ella is a waterfall situated in the Ratnapura District of Sri Lanka. It has a shape very similar to the leaf of the sacred fig or "Bo" tree, which has earned it this name. The waterfall is a major tourist attraction in the country. Local myths say that it is haunted and that it hides a treasure trove. The name "Bopath Ella" has been given to the waterfall because of its shape. The water flows through a narrow gap in the rocks and then widens, forming the shape of a leaf of a "Bo" tree which is the Sinhalese name for sacred fig. "Path" means leaves of a tree and "Ella" means waterfall. 

St. Clair's Fall

St. Clair's fall is one the widest waterfalls in Sri Lanka. St. Clair's fall is called the "Little Niagara of Sri Lanka” and it is one of the most politically discussed environmental entities in Sri Lanka. It is situated 3 km west of the town of Talawakele on the Hatton-Talawakele Highway in Nuwara Eliya District. The falls derived its name from a nearby tea estate. The fall is 80m high and hence 20th highest waterfall in Sri Lanka. St. Clair's falls comprises two falls called "Maha Ella" (Sinhalese "The Greater Fall") and "Kuda Ella," (Sinhalese "The Lesser Fall") which is 50m high and was created by a tributary of Kotmale Oya.

Laxapana Fall

Laxapana Falls is 126m high and the 8th highest waterfall in Sri Lanka and 625th highest waterfall in the world. It is situated in Hatton area in Nuwara Eliya District. It formed by Maskeliya Oya near the confluence of Kehelgamuwa Oya and Maskeliya Oya which forms Kelani River. The Falls gives its name to twin Hydro electricity Power stations, Laxapana which generates 50MW of electricity and New Laxapana which generates 100MW. Popular folklore says this place where Buddha mended his saffron robe when he was visiting Sri Pada. The name of the Falls derived from Sinhala words of "Laxa" means Hundred thousand and "Pahana" or "Pashana" means rock.

Baker's Fall

Baker's fall is a famous waterfall in Sri Lanka. It is situated in Horton Plains National Park on a tributary of the Belihul Oya. The height of the Baker's waterfalls is 20 metres (66 ft). The falls were named after Sir Samuel Baker, who was a famous explorer. Many Rhododendron and Fern bushes can be seen around the waterfall.

Diyaluma water fall

Diyaluma water fall is 220m high and the second highest waterfall in Sri Lanka and 361st highest waterfall in the world. It is situated 6 km away from Koslanda in Badulla District off on Colombo-Badulla highway. The water fall is formed by Punagala Oya, a tributary of Kuda Oya which in turn, is a tributary of Kirindi Oya. In Sinhalese, Diyaluma or Diya Haluma means "rapid flow of water". According to Dr.R.L. Brohier, the famous historian, Diyaluma is the setting of the folklore about a tragedy involving a young King and a young woman of a low-caste.

My Travel experience in Srilanka

Through my travel experience I have some  information to share with you about Sri Lanka: 

1. The best time to visit Sri Lanka is from October to March. After that, there are less tourists who visit the country according to a local man. 

2. I felt so comfortable while talking with the locals in English. Most people there speak English very well, from a 10 year old kid to a 73 year old man, even beggars, drivers, shop sellers etc. 

3. You will have to remove your shoes or sandals, as well as your hats before entering the temples. It's very hot between 10am and 3pm. Be ready with walking on very hot ground and feel your feet burning. 

4. In Nepal and India, you hear people say "Namaste" as "Hello!", in Sri Lanka they use a different word. Women in Sri Lanka also don't wear Sari so often like the ones in Nepal and India. They wear T-shirts and long skirts, perhaps these make them feel cooler. 

5. Sri Lanka's population is 23 million people. 77% of this are Buddhists. You can find all types of meats on the menu. I often ordered fried rice, fried noodles or pizza.

 6. Tuk tuk is a popular means of transport in Sri Lanka. Some tuk tuks go very fast with loud music and I think that is quite dangerous.

7. I didn't see local soldiers during the trip. There was only one check point before our car entered the airport area, but my driver said "No problem for tourists". A policeman opened the door and asked me where I came from and then we could move on, while other cars were carefully checked. The airport is quite modern. Body check-up was just once and bag opening was not necessary. This is much more simple than Nepal. 

8. Sri Lanka is the largest tea exporter in the world. To visit the tea plantation farms, you must go to the central region of the country.The southernmost region contains the best beaches, as my driver said, they looked like paradise. 


These words are written on the souvenirs I bought in Sri Lanka"The island paradise" and"A land like no other". 

CULTURAL HERITAGE IN SRI LANKA

Sri Lanka’s cultural depth is recognized by UNESCO, which has declared six archaeological World Heritage Sites in the country:

• The sacred city of Anuradhapura
• The ancient city of Polonnaruwa
• The golden temple of Dambulla
• The ancient city of Sigiriya
• The sacred city of Kandy
• The old town of Galle and its fortification
• The seventh World heritage Site in Sri Lanka is an ecological example, The Sinharaja Forest Reserve.

From enormous dagobos (dome-shaped structures) and remains of ancient buildings in the ruined cities of Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa, to the awesome stairways to the temple ar Dambulla and the sensual frescoes of heavenly maidens at the palace at the rock of Sigiriya, visitors can experience these world heritage within a compact area called the cultural triangle.

In the hill country lies the former royal capital of Kandy, home to the Dalada Maligawa or Sacred Temple of the Tooth Relic, which houses the sacred tooth relic of the Buddha. With its distinctive architecture, art and music, Kandy is bastion of traditional culture.

In contrast, experience the colonial heritage of th country by heading south to the mid-17th century. Dutch fort at Galle, the best preserved in Asia. With 14 massive bastions, a grid system of streets, and some original Dutch bungalows, the fort bustles with life just as it did when Galle was the country’s main port. It’s simply one of the most unique attractions in Sri Lanka.

Dambana Vedda village (Indigenous people of Sri Lanka)

Dambana is situated about 300 km away from Colombo it is near the Mahiyanganaya. Dambana is a jungle village. The Sri Lankan Vedda people (indigenous people of Sri Lanka) are still living in this jungle village. vedda of Dambana has own tradition and culture. Many tourists like to discover indigenous people of Sri Lanka. Vedda has original language. It is called as Vedda language it is different from Sinhala language. If you vist Dambana you Can learn about tradition of these people.

According to Vedda language they will call you as kakula (boy) or Kakuli(girl). You can watch vadda traditional dance and listing their traditional songs. kiri koraha is traditional dance of vedda which used to obtain  bless of their gods 

Dambana is famous for bees Horney and Vedda’s Traditional foods.Vedda used bows and arrows to hunt before 1980. But they are not using bows and arrows to hunt now vaddas depend on cultivation. They use chena for cultivation. Sri Lanka has completely  prohibited hunting.

Presently sri lanka has about 2500 veddas and chief of the veddas is  Uruwarige Wannila Aththo . you can meet him at the Dambana .

The Pinnawala elephant orphanage

The Pinnawala elephant orphanage is situated kegalla, Sri Lanka. Rabukkana Railway station is away from 2 km from elephant orphanage.  

It was commenced 1975 under wildlife department .Presently Pinnawala elephant orphanage is managed by National Zoological Gardens The elephant orphanage is major tourist attraction  of Sri Lanka. You should buy a ticket for visit the Pinnawala elephant orphanage. Local tourists can buy ticket for 50 LKR and foreign visitors can buy a ticket for 20$ .The income of tickets is used to maintain the orphanage.  

Purposes of Pinnawala elephant orphanage is to provide protection to orphaned elephants who are found from Sri Lankan jungles such as Yala, Wilpaththu etc.

Kelaniya Temple

The Kelaniya temple is Situated about 7 seven miles from Colombo. It is one of the most sacred worshipping places of the Buddhists of Sri Lanka. This beautiful temple stands beside river of Kalaniya. The Load Buddha has visited Kalaniya in past

Kawatayamuna Temple

Kawatayamuna Temple is situated about 8 km away from Matale near the Matale –Galewela Road. Kawatayamuna Temple was built by Sirisewun during the reign of King Gajabahu. 

Kavatayamuna Temple has sculpture and paintings exhibiting the hell

   

  

Colombo-The capital of Sri Lanka

Colombo is the commercial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo has a population of 5.6 million metropolitan area, and 752,993 in the City proper. It is the financial center of the island and a popular tourist destination. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, the legislative capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital since Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte is within the urban area of, and a satellite city of, Colombo. It is also the administrative capital of Western Province, Sri Lanka and the district capital of Colombo District. Colombo is a busy and vibrant place with a mixture of modern life and colonial buildings and ruins. It was the legislative capital of Sri Lanka until 1982.

BEAUTIFUL KANDY

KANDY LAKE

Built by the last king of Sri Lanka and Kandy, Wikrama Rajasinhe, in order to add beauty to the Temple of Tooth, Kandy lake is an artificial construction marking a remnant of the last ever Sri Lankan kingdom.Originally called Kiri Muhuda or the Milky Ocean, the lake has an unfinished wall called the Valakulu Bamma or clouds wall. Its incompletion is due to the arrest and imprisonment of King Wikrama Rajasinhe in 1815 when the British invaded and took Kandy. At 2060 feet, the cloud wall remains standing today in its unfinished state; the triangular holes in it are used to light oil lamps. The lake has an island at the centre which is also an artificial creation of the king. It was initially part of a dam, which King Ramasinghe had built across the lake, but it was soon destroyed from both ends, leaving just the island in the middle. 

Legend has it that this island was actually used by the King's helm for bathing, and was connected to the palace through a secret tunnel. On one side of the lake, there is also the bathing house for the queen, called the Dalada Maligawa.

There are also many protections put in place for Kandy Lake, one of them being the prohibition of fishing. The lake has reduced considerably over the years, to having a perimeter of just less than 3.5 kilometres, although when initially built, it was much bigger than that.

Having been built on excavated paddy fields, this lake is highly protected as it's considered extremely important in maintaining the decor of Kandy along with many auspicious stories related to it. 

Adam’s Peak

Adam’s Peak or the Sri Pada is an important pilgrim site. Buddhist believe the impression on the summit is the footprint of lord Buddha himself. Though it takes around 5 hours to reach the peak by foot, devotees of many religions climb the mountain daily to invoke blessings. The mountain is also named as Samanala Kanda or Butterfly Mountain.

Rich biodiversity

Adam’s Peak is surrounded, largely by the forested hills, with no mountain of comparable size anywhere near the vicinity. The region of Peak Wilderness Sanctuary that encompass the Adam’s Peak together with Horton Plains National Park and Knuckles Range, all in the Central Highlands of Sri Lanka is recognized as a World Heritage Site in the year 2011.

Begin from the Base

The city of Hatton can be reached by Highland Railway line as well as by the main motor roads, the cities of Ratnapura and Kuruwita can be reached only by main motor roads.

Access to the Adam’s Peak is possible by 6 trails: Hatton-Nallathanni; Ratnapura-Palabaddala; Kuruwita-Erathna; Murraywatte; Mookuwatte; Malimboda.

The most popular routes are the Hatton-Nallathanni & Ratnapura-Palabaddala due to the picturesque views and postcard worthy scenery that can be encountered along them.

Reaching the Peak

Once you reach a final node (Nallanthanni or Palabaddala or Erathna) there begins the difficult journey through the jungle on foot. Most of the pilgrims use the Hatton route as the journey can be reduced by more than five kilometers even though the slope of this route is much greater than the others.

The Season and Timing

The pilgrims season to Sri Pada traditionally starts on the full moon of December and ends on the full moon of April. During the first half of the season the night ascent isn’t crowded. However during the latter half of the season, more people attempt the climb with each passing day..

Tourism Record in September arrivals jump3 5.9% to cross1.3 million

In the backdrop of Sri Lanka's informal tourism sector consuming almost half of the tourist arrivals, the September tourism numbers jumped to an all-time record growth of 35.9% to cross 1.3 million. The European tourists registered a growth of 11.2% whilst the Asian travelers accounting for 45.2% grew by a commanding 27.9% to reach 595,583 visitors. This indicate the changing products range that Sri Lanka will be challenged with in the future said Sri Lanka Tourism Promotions Bureau Chairman Dr.Rohana Athukorala.
(Source: Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau- Voice of the pearl article)

Adventure Sports in Sri Lanka   

(Source: http://www.srilanka.travel/)

Trekking and Hiking

With multitude of roads winding through expanding mountains, lush green forests, paddy fields, parks and sleepy villages, Sri Lanka offers a plethora of opportunities to the Keen hikers and trekkers. The highlands of Sri Lanka with virgin rain forests, sacred mountains, lush tea gardens and plains filled with rare birds and insects coupled with mild temperatures and welcoming smiles of the villagers provide the ideal setting to an unforgettable walking experience.

Diving

Surrounded by the Indian Ocean with its coral gardens, multitudeof exotic fishes and ancient wrecks Sri Lanka offers one of the best diving experiences in the world. The colorful coral gardens along southern coasts and old and new ship wrecks around the Galle harbor and little and great basses are the favourite Sri Lankan dive sites yet Kalpitiya, Ampara and Trincomalee in Eastern and Western coasts offering rare chances of wreck diving, skin diving and diving with dolphins.

Deep Sea Fishing

Surrounded by the Indian Ocean and filled with fresh water reservoir inland, Sri Lanka is the hidden paradise for extreme anglers. With a shoreline of 1,140 miles and a continental shelf of 10,000 square miles, the seas around Sri Lanka is one of the most challenging marine game fishing locations while The outfalls of 103 major river basins and hundreds of estuaries, lagoons and coastal lakes all around the country are yet to be fully explored by sporting anglers.

Rock Climbing

Experience the thrills of crumbling rocks beneath the feet, head spinning heights and the earth expanding beneath conquering the mountains of Sri Lanka. The ranges of mountains standing guard around the highlands of Sri Lanka including the Knuckles range, Ella range, Habarana, Sigiriya, Polonnaruwa, Horton Plains and Buttala provide challenging climbs to armature as well as experienced climbers. The newest experience in mountaineering in waterfall climbing with exciting climbs like the rock face of Bambarakanda waterfall, the tallest in the country.