Where to visit in Sri Lanka?
If you are planning to for a Sri Lanka holiday you might be wondering where to visit in Sri Lanka. I thought of making this note on “where to travel in Sri Lanka” because I receive a lot of inquiries from my readers about the places that they must see in ton island.
Sri Lanka is a tropical island and offers so much more than the high octane travel destinations it has become famous for. By exploring little more than what offered in a package tour, you will encounter isolated coastline, evidence of a great ancient civilization, peaceful wildlife reserves, and primaeval rain forests. Where the most beautiful place in Sri Lanka is located is highly subjective, the following are 6 beautiful palaces on the island to visit during your next holiday.
What are the 11 Places to visit Sri Lanka?
- Negombo
- Mirissa
- Anuradhapura
- Kandy
- Ella
- Jetawanarama
- Diyaluma fall
- Pigeon island
- Bentota beach
- Sinharaja rainforest
- Blowhole
Where to visit in Sri Lanka: Negombo
Negombo is a cosmopolitan beach holiday resort on Sri Lanka’s west coast. Negombo is a dream destination for the picky vacationers. Negombo has a gorgeous stretch of sand along the Indian Ocean is the most important reason for its popularity in the travel world so is the pretty old fishing village Negombo that shows colonial influence with colonial buildings, such as the fort, churches, and big houses.
It also offers stylish restaurants and plenty of opportunities for shopping. Negombo is conveniently located near the international airport of Colombo and the journey between two locations takes only 15 minutes. Therefore it is the perfect spot for Sri Lanka one day tour when you have limited time.
So need to taste the Sri Lankan life in a short period of time then Negombo!
Where to visit in Sri Lanka: Mirissa
Mirissa sits near the southern tip of Sri Lanka. Mirissa is an unpopular and calm beach holiday resort to visit. Mirissa is known for surfing, natural beauty, pristine beaches, affordable accommodation and tasty seafood. Mirissa is the set-off point for whale watching tours on the island and provides easy access to whale colonies in the ocean near the southern border of the country.
Where to visit in Sri Lanka: Anuradhapura
Covering a part of Sri Lanka’s dry-zone, Anuradhapura is a world heritage site on the island. It offers a large number of natural and man-made historical attractions. Anuradhapura is famous for ancient Sinhalese culture, engineering feats of ancient engineers and arts and crafts scene – Anuradhapura is a top-notch travel destination.
Where to visit in Sri Lanka: Kandy
Kandy is a tropical paradise characterize by rain forest cover and ancient Sinhalese as well as colonial-style buildings. Kandy is certainly one of the most picturesque cities on the island. Highlights include the temple of the tooth, Udawattakele sanctuary, Peradeniya botanical garden and many historical Buddhist temples.
Where to visit in Sri Lanka: Ella
This entire region south of Nuwara Eliya is a beautiful environment made of mountain, escapements, rocks and caves. Ella gap which lies between two gigantic mountains is the deepest and longest gap in the country. It is about 1000 meters deep and 10 kilometres long. Here you can have a stunning panoramic vista and adventurous trek through the isolated patches of forests.
Where to visit in Sri Lanka: Jetawanarama
Jetawanarama is a UNESCO world heritage site and located North-West of Sri Lanka. Anuradhapura stands as a testament to the great Sinhalese civilization. The archaeological site of Anuradhapura is dominated by hundreds of ancient construction such as Buddhist temples, palaces, parks, schools etc. Most of these historical constructions are more than 2000 years old and regarded as structures with extreme archaeological interest.
Jetawanarama is a stunning historical building in Anuradhapura, which dates back to 1st century BC. It was built of brick and contains millions of bricks. This massive dagoba was as big as the second pyramid in Giza. And it was the largest Buddhist building in the old. When planning a Sri Lanka holiday make sure have time to visit this historical place.
Diyaluma waterfall
Diyaluma waterfall in Badulla draws a massive number of nature lovers. This massive waterfall has a great sheet of water and massive power. It creates a huge smoke-like mist when the water touches the ground.
Diyaluma is one of the most photogenic waterfalls in the mountains and it is surrounded by beautiful mountains, escapements, tea plantations and rock formations. Therefore surrounding area s also highly praised by the nature lovers and adventure enthusiasts. Badulla is the nearest city to the waterfall and provides plenty of opportunities for a comfortable overnight stay. Book a hotel in Badulla and choose from trekking, hiking, walking, mountain climbing, rock climbing.
Pigeon Island
This natural jewel is located in eastern Sri Lanka about 200 kilometres from Colombo. The short boat ride from the beach resort Nilaveli brings you to the pigeon island. This small island has interesting rock formations and sand dunes. It is surrounded by coral reefs and rock that inhabited by thousands of exotic sea creatures. Swimming, snorkelling, diving and beach hopping are the favourite activities here.
Bentota Beach
Perhaps Bentota beach is the most popular tourist hot spot on the island and travellers love its sandy, palm-fringed beaches. It has the best atmosphere for beach holidays and water sports. The highlight of Bentota is the wide sandy beaches and a beautiful river that flows along the eastern border of the beach resort.
The southern border of the resort sits at the meeting point of the Bentota river and the sea. Don’t forget to take a boat ride on the Bentota River and experience the fascinating riverine environment of Bentota River.
Sinharaja Rainforest
Sinharaja rain forest is a heaven for the nature lovers and located in the wet zone of the country. It is undoubtedly the most precious natural asset of the people of Sri Lanka.
This verging rain forest is a UNESCO world heritage site. It is the oldest patch of rainforest in the country and it is millions of years old. Sinharaja is a valuable rain forest with one of the highest Bio-diversities in the world and accommodates hundreds of thousands of species of fauna and flora and it has the largest concentration of endemic Fauna and Flora of the island.
Where to travel in Sri Lanka: Blowhole
This is the second-largest natural fountain in the world. It is created by a sea cave on the beaches of the southern coast. It is an attraction not to miss when visiting Sri Lanka. This natural cave lies at the same level as the sea; the tidal surge creates a massive fountain that rises up to 30 meters from the ground. The massive spouting accompanies the sound”Hooo hooo”, which heard miles away from the beach.
