The travel guide to Sri Lanka contains a number of informative pages for travelers, who desires to visit the country for a leisure vacation. And its quite impossible to explore all with a single tour. Therefore, I have come up with most popular five places, which are worth the visit.
Colombo
The capital city Colombo is a popular tourist destination in Asia. The Singal or Tamil crowd in the place represents the flavor of modern origin and ancient culture. The old fort in Colombo is the key landmark. It was built by the Portuguese in 1517 and was later beautified by the Dutch. Victorian Lighthouse Clock Tower within the fort complex is a major area to visit. From the north side of the tower, tourist can enjoy an overview shot of the President’s House and other landmarks like the Gordon Gardens and the old General Post Office.
Other places of attraction in Colombo are Gordon Gardens, Jami-ul-Alfar, the New and Old Kathiresan Kovils, St. Anthony Catholic Church and the Pettah’s bazaar.
Kandy
The charming town of Kandy presents the royal history of Sri Lanka. The Temple of the Tooth is a major destination for Buddhist pilgrims. As per legend, the temple was the royal home of the Kings of Kandy. Evidences can be found with a visit to the nearby Royal Palace, which has a two storey Bathhouse, a central courtyard and the Queen’s Palace.
Besides, other tourist places of note are Henarathgoda Botanical Garden, Cadjugama, Elephant Orphanage at Pinnewala and Kandy Lake.
Dambulla
Dambulla is the most important place in the cultural tour circuit of Sri Lanka. With an imposing 160-meter height, the rocky place treasures five impressive cave temples. All the temples are dedicated to Lord Buddha and hence tourist can see His statues inside the caves. The first cave or Devaraja Viharaya is dedicated to Lord Vishnu; the second cave or the Temple of Great Kings is the largest one and is treasured with good number of sculptures; the third cave is the Great New Temple or the Maha Alut Viharaya.
Galle
Located in the South Coast of Srilanka, Galle attracts tourist from all over the world. The imposing Galle Fort is the key attraction for tourist in the city. Visitors can feed themselves at the Amangalla, the oldest hotel in Sri Lanka. The nearby Groote Kerk, an old Protestant Church is also worth-visiting. Other places of visit are the National Maritime Museum, Unawatuna Bay, Koggala and Weligama.
Nuwara Eliya
The salubrious climate of Nuwara Eliya is worth-experiencing. This charming place was discovered by Sir Edward Barnes in the year 1828. It is situated at an height of 1, 400 feet and tourist gets a chance to explore the place on foot. Besides, the Labookellie Tea Factory, Victoria Park and Hill Club are worth-appreciating places.
