Welcome to Sri Lanka
... Endless beaches, timeless ruins, welcoming people, oodles of elephants, rolling surf, cheap prices, fun trains, famous tea and flavourful food make Sri Lanka irresistible. READ MORE Introducing Sri Lanka Play Video Start exploring Sri Lanka with Lonely Planet’s video guide to getting around, when to go and the top things to do while you're there. Top experiences in Sri Lanka 1 Tangalla & Around STUNNING BEACHES 2 Ella TRAVELLING BY TRAIN 3 Uda Walawe National Park UDA WALAWE NATIONAL PARK 4 Anuradhapura ANCIENT ANURADHAPURA Top sights in Sri Lanka 1 Gal Vihara POLONNARUWA 2 Abhayagiri Dagoba ANURADHAPURA 3 Quadrangle POLONNARUWA 4 World’s End HORTON PLAINS NATIONAL PARK & WORLD'S END 5 Buduruwagala WELLAWAYA 6 Mulkirigala Rock Temples TANGALLA & AROUND 7 Kandasamy Kovil TRINCOMALEE 8 Uda Walawe National Park UDA WALAWE NATIONAL PARK VIEW ALL SIGHTS LAUNCH MAP VIEW ©
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 Mapbox © OpenStreetMap Improve this map Survival guide Visas Dull but essential passport paperwork and entry info Best time to go Hit the ground at the right time Money and costs Budgets, currency rates and on-the-ground costs Health Keep safe and well on the open road SEE MORE Recent articles Hiking Sri Lanka's Hill Country While soft-sand beaches and lowland jungles may be the first images that leap to mind when you imagine Sri Lanka, this tropical isle is endowed with a mountainous interior that is e... Hiking Sri Lanka's Hill Country Ten great ways to explore Colombo for free Many people rush through Colombo and make straight for the beaches, but linger and you'll find a city full of history, where stately British colonial buildings jostle for space with... Ten great ways to explore Colombo for free Buddha tattoos: avoiding offence on your travels to Sri Lanka Even celebrities are not exempt from the perils of causing offence while travelling. RnB star Akon was forced to cancel a live show in Sri Lanka in 2010, after producing a video wit... Buddha tattoos: avoiding offence on your travels to Sri Lanka Discover the many flavours of Sri Lanka One of the joys of travel in Sri Lanka is the delicious, spice-rich food. But in a world awash with popular Southeast Asian and Indian dishes, why is so little known about the count... Discover the many flavours of Sri Lanka READ MORE ARTICLES Travel guides Starting at $24.99 Image for Ready to go? Get to the heart of Sri Lanka with one of Lonely Planet's in-depth, award-winning guidebooks. GO TO STORE Sri Lanka activities $37.50 TOURS & SIGHTSEEING Colombo City Day Tour You will be picked up from your hotel in Colombo at 9am and then proceed to Kalaniya Temple. Later, you will visit Gall Face Green and Gangarama Temple, one of the most important Buddhist temples in Sri Lanka. After the Gangarama Temple you will visit the harbor and fort areas of Colombo and also the Independence Square located just a few minutes away from the Old Parliament building. Next you will have lunch (your expense), and then it is time to go shopping. Being a country where the economy relies heavily on the garment industry, Sri Lanka is known for manufacturing high quality clothes at affordable prices. Before the tour ends, you will be taken back to you hotel. $105 CULTURAL & THEME TOURS Sigiriya Rock Fortress and Cave Temples Private Day Trip Early morning leave for Sigiriya (approx. 4 hours drive) and climb the 5th-century Sigiriya rock fortress. Sigiriya is famous for its toadstool of golden-hued granite, protruding into the searing blue sky from a hot, flat wilderness of scrub-land, which is transformed in the rainy season to a water garden. Afterwards visiting this beautiful area, have lunch at New Sigiri Restaurant. After lunch, visit Dambulla rock temple that was built by King Walagambahu in the 1st century B.C. and it is a World Heritage Site. It is the most impressive of Sri Lanka's cave temples. The complex of five caves with over 2000 sq. meters of painted walls and ceilings, is the largest area of paintings found in the world. It contains over 150 images of the Buddha and the largest is the colossal figure of the Buddha carved out of rock and spanning 14 meters.On completion of this visit, you will be driven back to your hotel (approx. 4 hours drive) $130 DAY TRIPS & EXCURSIONS Galle Full-Day Tour Meet your guide at your Colombo or Negombo hotel at 7am for a 12-hour day tour of Galle, Sri Lanka. Begin at the Kosgoda Turtle Hatchery, home to seven species of marine turtles and other wild sea life. Continue to Weligama and gaze at the stilt fisherman hauling their catch in the middle of the clear blue water. Visit Galle Fort, a Portuguese-built and Dutch-fortified 16th-century fort with a complex history. Learn how the city’s strategic location made it a hub for sea trade and a landing point for the island’s colonial rulers. Stop by the Tsunami Photo Museum in Talwatte, which documents the devastating 2004 tsunami that struck Sri Lanka. Enjoy a local lunch before proceeding to wildlife-rich Madhu River and the pristine Bentota Beach. At the conclusion of the tour, you will return to Colombo. $72 CULTURAL & THEME TOURS The Last Kingdom Private Day Tour in Kandy You will be picked up around 6am from your hotel in Colombo, Mount Lavinia or Negombo and then proceed to Kandy, en route visit Spice Garden in Mawanella and a Tea Factory in Giragama. For centuries, spices have been one of Sri Lanka’s most celebrated exports and are used for medicines and cosmetics as well as to flavor foods. You will sample scents and flavors such as cinnamon, ginger, pepper, vanilla and cardamom. Batik is the ancient art of mixing colors using wax as the main component and Sri Lanka is one of the world’s leading exponents. Examples range from simple, single-colored designs to multi-colored masterpieces.On arrival at Giragama, you will visit a tea plantation 1,673 feet (510 meters) above sea level. Tea was first planted in Sri Lanka in 1824 at the Botanical Gardens at Peradeniya, when a few plants were brought from China. Your will spend an hour exploring the the plantation and factory before leaving for Kandy which is approximately 30 minutes away. Kandy, the hill capital, is another World Heritage Site. It was the last stronghold of the Sinhalese Kings during the Portuguese, Dutch and British rule and finally ceded to the British in 1815 after an agreement. To the Buddhists of Sri Lanka and the World, Kandy is one of the most sacred sites as it is the home of the “Dalada Maligawa” - Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic of Lord Buddha. Close by are the remains of the Royal Palace (“Maha Wasala”), “Palle Wasala”- where the Queens stayed-now used for the National Museum, “Meda Wasala” where other close relatives lived, Audience Hall, Natha Devala and Vishnu Devala are situated close by. The Bathing Pavilion (“Ulpenge”) is by the Lake and in the Center of the lake is the Island called “Kiri Samudraya” (Milk white ocean) used by the kings as the summerhouse. Today it is the center of Buddhism, Arts, Crafts, Dancing, Music and Culture. Do the city tour of Kandy including a visit to the temple of the sacred Tooth Relic, upper lake drive and market square, Gem Lapidary and Wood Carving center. During the city tour you will enjoy your lunch at Oakray Restaurant. After this visit, you will proceed to your hotel where you will be dropped off. $20 TRANSFERS & GROUND TRANSPORT Private Arrival Transfer : Colombo International Airport (CMB) to Colombo Hotels Meet your driver at Bandaranaike International Airport, also known as Colombo International Airport. Your driver will be waiting for you in the waiting lounge near the exit with a name board and will assist you with your luggage and transfer you directly to your hotel in Colombo in a climate-controlled car. Listen to an introduction about Colombo’s attractions, best places to eat, bargain shopping, souvenir shops, and any other information that captures your interest. On the way to your Colombo hotel, learn about Sri Lanka's customs, traditions, and travel tips from your friendly driver. Bottled water is provided. This vehicle can fit a booking of maximum 5 people. $70 CRUISES, SAILING & WATER TOURS Southern Sri Lanka Sightseeing Private Day Trip You will be picked up from your hotel in Negombo, Colombo, or Mount Lavinia and then transfer to Galle and visit Dutch Fort. The fort is a historical, archaeological and architectural heritage monument, which even after more than 423 years maintains a polished appearance, thanks to extensive reconstruction work done by Archaeological Department of Sri Lanka.Next stop is Ambalangoda, known for its exquisite collection of native masks, carved throughout the generations of professional carvers from the region. Don's miss the variety of masks available for sale, as the current productions are more garish and vibrant in colour.Later on you will visit Balapitiya and have lunch at Gangabada Asiriya Restaurant. After lunch, you can discover the unique beauty of Maduganga River on a boat trip. A relatively unspoiled lagoon, the Maduganga estuary is a 915-hectare complex coastal wetland ecosystem that opens to the Indian Ocean. Late afternoon, you will visit a Turtle Hatchery in Kosgoda. Here, these almost-extinct turtles are breed and cared for. extinct form Sri Lanka. Visitors can see the new born turtles and even be a part of the process of releasing them in the sea. You will be taken back to your hotel at the end of the tour. SEE MORE ACTIVITIES SRI LANKA PHOTO CREDITS NEWSLETTER SIGN UP Subscribe now and receive a 20% discount on your next guidebook purchase. Email address your@email.com Country Tick to opt-in. Opt out at any time via the 'unsubscribe' link in the footer of the emails. 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