Sri Lanka holidays

Things to do

Explore your destination

The Culture of Kandy
This is an unforgettable tour to Sri Lanka’s cultural capital, land of kings, queens and elephants. You’ll travel through paddy fields and palm forests, climb aboard an elephant at Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage and follow the pilgrims’ route to the sacred Temple of the Tooth.

from approx. £27pp (adult/full day)

Rolling Down the River
Whitewater rafting on the Kelani River, film site of Bridge on the River Kwai, this is an adventurous day out. Travelling with instructors on a mainly relaxing trip, you’ll tackle rapids like Butter Crunch and Killer Fall before cruising Ladies Stretch on a fun-packed 6km journey to Rafter’s Retreat.

from approx. £25pp (adult/full day)

The Elephants’ Call
Tracking elephant, boar and crocodile by speeding jeep, this is an exciting wildlife safari into Uda Walawe National Park. On this overnight adventure, you’ll also tour historic Galle, pop into a turtle hatchery and see Ratnapura’s miners searching for glittering gemstones.

from approx. £75pp (adult/overnight)

Teas and Trumpets
A taste of colonial Sri Lanka, this three day tour takes you high into the tea plantations of Nuwara Eliya. A fascinating glimpse of Europe’s colonial past, you’ll see flourishing tea estates, uncover the highlights of Kandy and enjoy elephant adventures.

from approx. £115pp (adult/3 days/2 nights)

Please note: Child prices may be available on each of the excursions, for further details, please speak to your Representative in resort. This is an example guide only and excursions and prices will be subject to change according to season, availability and demand.

Highlights

• Seeing Sri Lanka’s most important Buddhist relic, a tooth belonging to the Buddha, protected in shiny gold caskets, at Temple of the Tooth in Kandy
• Climbing to the top of Sigiriya Rock, aka Lion’s Rock, to the ruins of an ancient palace dating back over 1,500 years, with beautiful paintings, gardens and views
• Watching elephants being fed and rolling around in the muddy river at Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage
• Heading high into Sri Lanka’s hill country to see the tea plantations, cascading waterfalls and Georgian-style houses in Nuwara Eliya
• Windsurfing and waterskiing at the mouth of the Bentota Ganga river or sailing upstream through the mangroves
• Wandering around the beautiful cave temples of Dambulla and the Dutch fortress at Galle, both unforgettable World Heritage sites
• Spotting the colourful birds, crocodiles and deer at Yala National Park on holiday in Sri Lanka

Food and drink

Colourful and spicy, Sri Lankan curries are guaranteed to tingle your taste buds; you can choose meat, fish or vegetables, all with a bit of a kick.

Mallung is the ideal side dish for Sri Lanka’s hot curries, a cooling mix of shredded leaves, grated coconut, red onions and lime juice. You’ll see stalls selling orange coconuts, which make a really refreshing drink.

Seafood is also popular, including pickled and dried varieties, which are tastier than they sound. For dessert try Kavun, a deep-fried cake made with rice flour and treacle.

Evening Flavour

One of the best ways to spend an evening on your Sri Lanka holiday, grab a spot by the beach and watch the sunset as you enjoy leisurely drinks.

Just as relaxing, Bentota has some lovely riverside eateries, where you can tuck into juicy grilled prawns and a crisp white wine; or you can head to its open-air theatre to watch traditional dancing.

If you want to show off your moves on the dance floor, there are a few hotel discos in the bigger resorts, like Negombo.

Shopping

You’ll find crafts for sale everywhere, with something literally for every taste: soft linen, cotton, batik, leather and beautiful silk clothing; carved masks; coconut shell art; jewellery and sparkly gems; traditional tea and spices; and Ayurvedic potions are all great buys.

If you’re looking for a special holiday souvenir to take home from Sri Lanka, go to Kalutara for baskets and Kandy for jewellery. If you’re heading to Colombo, sneak in a trip to Galle Road’s shopping malls.

Dates for the Diary

4th February: National Day, celebrates the island’s independence from Britain, with parades, dances and national games across Sri Lanka.

For the Family

• The whole family can feed baby elephants with a bottle and take a ride on the bigger ones at Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage
• For a real safari experience, go leopard spotting together at Ude Walawe National Park, where lucky families may also see elephant herds, wild buffalo and sambar deer
• Learning the story of Lion’s Rock, where a king is murdered by his illegitimate son who tries to steal the throne from his brother, the rightful king. When his brother declares war, he builds a fortress and eventually his armies desert him and he takes his life
• Rambling through the rock cave temples and posing by the huge 14 metre wide Buddha at Dambulla on a Discover Sri Lanka tour

Information

Language: Sinhalese, Tamil and English. Currency: Sri Lanka Rupee. Standard GMT: + 5.5 hrs. Sri Lanka (Ceylon) Tourist Board: Clareville House, 26-27 Oxendon Street, London SW1Y 4EL. Tel: 020 7930 2627. www.srilankatourism.org

For essential information on visas, departure taxes, vaccinations and other issues please {read page xxx} click on 'info' at the top of the page.

Travel money

Rupee

You can get commission-free foreign exchange on currency notes and travellers cheques at most First Choice Travel Shops and Holiday Hypermarkets.

Travel foundation

Planting trees in Sri Lanka

With your support of the World Care Fund, we’ve helped a newly established Tree Nursery in the Hiyare Rainforest plant 100,000 trees. The goal is to restore the forest and re-vegetate coastal conservation areas and the trees also provide tsunami-affected families with food and medicine. You can even visit the nursery and plant your own tree.

That’s not all. The LINC Project in Beruwela has trained more than 70 beach vendors on how to talk and act with tourists. Since their training they’re now sharing the day’s takings and investing profits into a community fund that supports disadvantaged families.