Places to visit in Sri Lanka

The district city of Hambantota is located towards the extreme south of Sri Lanka. The city was completely destroyed by tsunami in 2004, but now it is growing up to be the 2nd major city in Sri Lanka after Colombo. Hambantota is well-known for its biodiversity. There are approximately 20 wildlife sanctuaries and national parks in the entire Hambantota district. You will encounter a lot of colourful and magnificent birds in the parks and sanctuaries. Not only birds, you will find many other animals which are rare in other sanctuaries. There are some heritage sites too in Hambantota like Buddhist temples and stupas.

Hambantota, being a city, has a happening nightlife. You can enjoy in one of the many nightclubs and bars like Café Chill Out, various hotel bars, etc. The food in Hambantota is just mouth-watering. You will get to choose from a variety of sea foods like crabs, lobsters, etc. Some of the good restaurants are Bojun Hala, Jade Garden Restaurant, and Sera.

You must be thinking where to stay in Hambantota. Well, you have a plenty of choices to choose from. The best sea facing hotels are Shangri-La’s Hambantota Resort and Spa, Peacock Beach Hotel, Hotel Camellia, and a lot more of them. If you are a shopaholic, you will get a lot of junk jewelleries, fancy showpieces, shells, etc. to buy from the road-sides. There you have malls too to hang out.

Jaffna is slowly and steadily re emerging as the citadel of the Hindu art, culture and tradition. Despite all odds, it is once again welcoming the visitors and looking forth to rise again. It is an unimposing, intriguing as well as the most unfrequented destination that can be a roughly rewarding place to invest days when you wish to experience, discover and live the Tamil and Sri Lankan culture.  

Certainly, decades of embargoes, war, emigration as well as loss of life and property have deeply affected the historic Tamil town. More so, for tourists who come here from the south, the impact of all this is very evident given its bombed churches, ruined homes as well as the civic buildings pockmarked by the shrapnel and bullets which are every bit part of the scene.

Around one in five structure of the city has faced the war damage. However, all this has now been left behind and the people see Jaffna for its insights into the Tamil people.  It is also an ideal base for the forays to the idyllic islands just towards the west as well as the trips along the coastline along with the lagoons of the nearby peninsula.   

The remnants of Anuradhapura are unequivocally the most expressive sites of South Asia. This sprawling complex is composed of an opulent collection of architectural and archaeological marvels: gigantic brick towers, crumbling temples, humongous dagobas and archaic pools that were all constructed during the rule of Anuradhapura which went on for several thousand years. At present, most of the sites here remain in use solely as temples and holy places. Incessant ceremonies retain the very ebullience and buoyancy of Anuradhapura which is a stark reverse of the the ambience at Polonaruwa.     

Present day, Anuradhapura is significantly different. It is rather engaging albeit sprawling city. Its main street is orderly in comparison to the the ugly concrete agglomerations found elsewhere. This saintly city was entrenched around a cutting from the 'tree of enlightenment' which is supposedly the Buddha's fig tree. Legends say that in the 3rd century B.C, the tree was brought there by Sanghamitta who was the founder of an order of Buddhist nuns.  

Ceylonese’s religious and political capital, Anuradhapura bloomed for 1300 years but was then eighty-sixed post the invasion in 993. Shrouded in the dense jungles for several years, this magnificent tourist place with its breathtaking places to see, resorts, monuments, palaces and monasteries is accessible all over again.  

Located towards extreme south in Sri Lanka, Unawatuna is a beach city. 108 km south of Colombo, it is one of the major tourist attractions in Sri Lanka. The city is rich in biodiversity. Unawatuna is bird-watchers’ paradise. You can spot more than about fifty species of birds there on the Rumassala Hills. The rare birds seen there are a variety of bulbuls, barbets, sunbirds, swallows, crows etc. There are a number of coral reefs too that you just can’t afford to miss.

If you love scuba diving, or haven’t tried yet, head to Unawatuna to get a lifetime memory. There are a lot of historical places in Unawatuna like museums and temples. A 2300 years old heritage temple is there in the main city of Unawatuna. You must also visit a peace pagoda near the Jungle Beach.  The other adventurous activities that you must try are surfing, water biking, snorkelling, etc.

The local food of Unawatuna is just delicious. You will get the best of sea foods. There are a lot of beach-side restaurants that offers great food and drinks.

The nightlife in Unawatuna is not much famous. Small parties are organised by the resorts on the beaches during weekends. Some happening places for nightlife in Unawatuna are Koha Surf Lounge, 680 Blue, etc.

The other nearby places that you can visit are Dalawla, Thalpe, Weligama, Tangalla, Mirissa and Dondra.

Most of us tend to talk about the African safari but in the process, forget that even the beautiful and one of the largest continents – Asia too consists of a range of unique ecosystems that connects to the country of India by another place called Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka is known for many things especially its range of largest safaris and the beautiful city of Harbarana.

One can simply enjoy a stroll through this city by witnessing the numerous contrasts of green and ethnicity of the whole country. The elephant being one of the most significant animals there – there are numerous other animals that will come to sight too.

Harbarana is actually quite small when we speak about its geographical occupation in Sri Lanka. Situated in the Anuradhapura district, the city is perfect for visitors as not only is there a range of varied activities that they can choose from but also has numerous mid-range and up hotels aimed at package tourists. Avid travelers will know that Harbarana also serves as a departure point for numerous locations of greater interest.

Harbarana is a popular tourist destination especially for safari-lovers. There are special sessions conducted in the Habarana jungle and the Minneriya sanctuary that takes visitors through the beautiful and rich flora and fauna that is singular to the place. Other primary attractions of the place include the ruins of the fortress Sirigiriya, the roads that lie between Colombo and Trincomalee, Polonnaruwa and Batticaloa and its delicious food.

The area has some of the best hotels and the wild life and greenery just adds extra value to the place.