TRAVEL AND LEISURE IN SRI LANKA

Sri Lanka, with more than 1300km of pristine coastline, is one of the best places for holidays in Asia. Travellers venturing on various activities aiming at travel and leisure in Sri Lanka. A leisure and relaxation tour of Sri Lanka is very popular among travellers, especially European travellers. Sri Lanka offers a vast collection of destinations along the coastal belt as well as in the interior of the island to take a break from your routine life and have some leisure and relaxation in Sri Lanka with your family, friends, and colleagues.

Table of Contents

• TRAVEL AND LEISURE ACTIVITIES IN SRI LANKA
• WHAT ARE THE TOP 10 PLACES FOR TRAVEL AND LEISURE IN SRI LANKA?
• WHAT ARE THE TOP 10 LEISURE ACTIVITIES IN SRI LANKA?
• WHAT ARE THE TOP 10 LEISURE & RELAXATION TOURS IN SRI LANKA?
• WHAT ARE THE TOP 10 LEISURE & RELAXATION PLACES IN SRI LANKA?
• EXPLORING COLOMBO
• EXPLORING KANDY, THE CULTURAL HUB OF SRI LANKA
• WHAT IS THERE TO SEE AT DAMBULLA GOLDEN TEMPLE?
• RELIGION AND TRADITION OF SRI LANKA
• DRIVE TO THE EAST COAST AND LEARN HINDUISM
• EXPLORING SRI LANKAN NATURE
• EXPLORING SRI LANKA WILDLIFE
• VISITING SRI LANKA’S UPCOUNTRY
• VISITING SRI LANKA’S WATERFALLS
• BEACHES AND ISLANDS OF SRI LANKA
• SRI LANKA CUISINE
• SRI LANKA TEA COUNTRY
• LEISURE ACTIVITIES IN SRI LANKA: SHOPPING
• POPULAR PLACES FOR LEISURE ACTIVITIES IN SRI LANKA

Even though Sri Lanka is a small island, the country has unique and interesting diversities. The opportunities and places to explore are endless. There are historical monuments, heritage buildings, water-based activities, refreshing hill country, mouth-watering Asian cuisines, and a lot more to explore in Sri Lanka. Travel and leisure in Sri Lanka will never disappoint you because the island is bountiful.

TRAVEL AND LEISURE ACTIVITIES IN SRI LANKA

Sri Lanka has one of the oldest cultures in the world and it is one of the few cultures that did not breach over the last two thousand years. Many other cultures came and gone over the last 2 millennia but Sri Lankan culture managed to survive until today.

Owing to the age-old culture, Sri Lanka is not only popular for beach holidays but also for exploring interesting history, culture and tradition. Sri Lanka travel and leisure will enable you to discover and learn about Sri Lanka’s rich cultural and historical heritage. Numerous historical monuments and fortresses of different ages, ancient engineering feats, historical architecture, museums, etc, are marvels that make many thousands of travellers come to Sri Lanka.    

There are 9 provinces on the island and each of them has its own characteristics and offers something interesting. However, only a few provinces are been used by travellers as they engaged in Travel and Leisure in Sri Lanka. For instance, the North-central province has many ancient cities with historical monuments, dating back to 3td century BC, some the places such as Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, and Sigiriya are UNESCO world heritage sites. Central province, North-central province, western province and southern province are at the forefront of those provinces.

WHAT ARE THE TOP 10 PLACES FOR TRAVEL AND LEISURE IN SRI LANKA?

1. Colombo
2. Kandy
3. Sigiriya
4. Dambulla
5. Polonnaruwa
6. Anuradhapura
7. Nuwara Eliya
8. Bentota
9. Galle
10. Trincomalee

WHAT ARE THE TOP 10 LEISURE ACTIVITIES IN SRI LANKA?

1. Exploring Sri Lanka’s historical monuments
2. Visiting Buddhist temple
3. Sun and sea bath
4. Exploring the Sri Lankan mountains
5. Visiting tea plantations
6. Sri Lanka Wildlife tours
7. Rainforest trekking
8. Engage in adrenaline-pumping activities such as hiking, trekking
9. Shopping
10. tasting delicious Sri Lanka food

WHAT ARE THE TOP 10 LEISURE & RELAXATION TOURS IN SRI LANKA?

Sri Lanka, with more than 1300km of pristine coastline, is one of the best places in Asia for leisure and relaxation. A leisure and relaxation tour of Sri Lanka is very popular among travellers, especially European travellers. Sri Lanka offers a vast collection of destinations along the coastal belt as well as in the interior of the island to take a break from your routine life and have some leisure and relaxation in Sri Lanka with your family, friends, and colleagues.

Most foreign tourist of Sri Lanka opts for beach holidays when it comes to leisure and relaxation tours in Sri Lanka. The West coast and south coast of Sri Lanka with many dozens of coves, bays, and lagoons offer top-notch places for leisure and relaxation in Sri Lanka. Beaches such as Bentota, Hikkaduwa, and Unawatuna are some of the noteworthy places for your relaxing holiday in Sri Lanka.

• Insight into Sri Lanka – this is an 11 days tour, which includes the main tourist attractions on Sri Lanak such as historical sites, cultural tourist places, wildlife parks, gardens, Sri Lanak tea country and the beaches for leisure activities. Click here for more information.
• Sri Lanka 7 days tour – this 7 days tour starts from Colombo and includes leisure and relaxation towards the end of the trip while at the beginning it covers tourist attractions in teh cultural triangle, hill country and south coast. Click here to read more on this 7 days tour.
• Southern Sri Lanka mini tour – As the name suggests this is a short tour and lasts only 3 days. The tour covers major tourist attractions on the south and west coasts such as Galle fort, Sea turtle conservation project, Yala national park, and Mirissa and overnight stay in beach hotels with plenty of opportunities for leisure activities. Click here to read more on this relaxing toru in Sri Lanka.
• Feel Sri Lanka – Another popular 7 days tour in Sri Lanka. The tour starts from Colombo and covers important places in the cultural triangle, hill country and south coast. The tour winds up with leisure and relaxing time on the western coast of Sri Lanka. For more information on this trip please click here.
• Sri Lanka beach tour – The 14 days tour is predominantly a leisure and relaxing tour in Sri Lanka. The tour includes a beach stay at a resort on the west coast. The tour also includes interesting activities such as a wildlife tour and visiting ancient, historical sites as optional activities. Click here for more information.
• Sri Lanka grand tour – A very popular tour package in Sri Lanka and includes many interesting activities such as wildlife tours, visitng parks, hill country tours, and leisure and relaxation on the west coast beach. Click here for more information.
• Sri Lanka cocktail tour – the 7 days tour includes activities like wildlife tours, leisure and relaxation in Sri Lanka. Click here for more information.
• One-day Bentota tour – This one-day tour allows you to have leisure and relax on teh west coast beach, however, the time spent on the beach is short as this tour includes many activities such as boating, visitng turtle sanctuaries, museum, and herbal gardens. Click here for more information.
• Insight into Sri Lanka – This is an 11 days tour with leisure and relaxation towards the latter part of the trip. The tour includes many exciting activities like visitng temples, historical monuments, visiting waterfalls, and wildlife parks at the beginning of teh trip. Click here for more information.
• Sri Lanka majestic – this is an 8-day Sri Lanka trip to cover important tourist attractions on teh island and leisure and relations at teh end of the trip. Click here for more information on this 8 days tour.

WHAT ARE THE TOP 10 LEISURE & RELAXATION PLACES IN SRI LANKA?

1. Bentota beach
2. Hikkaduwa beach
3. Negombo beach
4. Unawatuna beach
5. Mirissa beach
6. Ella
7. Kandy
8. Sigiriya
9. Aru gam bay
10. Nilaveli

EXPLORING COLOMBO

Colombo is the biggest city and fast-developing 21st-century metropolis that offers many interesting activities for city lovers, casinos, cinemas, museums, fine dining, nightclubs, parks, and shopping as well as historical monuments and temples are among the leading attractions in Colombo. In Colombo, you can visit the national historical museum, where historical artefacts of ancient culture are displayed.  

EXPLORING KANDY, THE CULTURAL HUB OF SRI LANKA

Kandy, the hub of Sri Lankan culture, is one of the most visited cities on the island, you will find the world’s Buddhist museum and the tooth relic temple here, the most sacred Buddhist temple on the island. Kandy, located at the heart of the island, is deemed to be a sacred city as it hosts the tooth relic temple, which provides shelter to the sacred left eye tooth of Buddha. Galle Fort, the best preserved Dutch fort in Asia that dates back to the 16th century in the southern province is an exquisitely built structure.  TRAVEL TO SIGIRIYA ROCK

The Sigiriya rock fortress, located in the cultural triangle of Sri Lanka, in the north-central province is an enduring historical monument that takes every visitor by surprise. This 5th-century built complex structure shows the knowledge of advanced trigonometry and usage of hydraulic principles of the ancient engineers. It is a marvellous engineering feat comprised of landscaped gardens, swimming pools, ponds, and palaces. 

DAMBULLA ROCK CAVE TEMPLE

Sri Lanka is a country with one of the oldest and uninterrupted cultures in the world. The island offers loads of history for travellers. Dambulla is a part of the cultural triangle of Sri Lanka in the central province, which is also a UNESCO world heritage site on the island. The Golden Temple of Dambulla is to be found on the main road from Sigiriya to Kandy, about 19 km from Sigiriya. The rocky outcrop of the Dambulla golden temple is comprised of more than eighty natural caves and some of them had been converted to meditation quarters by the monks who lived in the jungle hermitage.

WHAT IS THERE TO SEE AT DAMBULLA GOLDEN TEMPLE?

This temple of immense historical and cultural importance is part of most Sri Lanka tour packages. The Dambulla temple consists mainly of five caves. All of them accommodate Buddha statues and Buddhist murals. The history of the Dambulla golden temple goes back to the 1st century BC, and it is one of the oldest cave temples in the world.  King Walagambahu, who ruled Sri Lanka from its original capital of Anuradhapura, founded the temple. However, according to the historical notes, the temple had been renovated on various occasions in the past. Some of the Hindu statues that are present at the temple are believed to have been added in the 12th century AD, while the latest paintings in the temple were drawn in the 18th century AD. The temple showcases paintings belonging to different eras of Sri Lankan history; therefore, it is one of the best places to see the evolution of ancient Sri Lankan arts. The amalgamation of materials across many eras makes the temple a unique and important Buddhist religious site.

RELIGION AND TRADITION OF SRI LANKA

Sri Lanka is a cultural melting pot with many ethnic groups and religions. The religions and traditions and customs of each religion make an integral part of the island. The presence of monuments, temples, mosques, and churches of ancient times and modern periods shows the importance of the religious sentiments of the island. Every monument is a reminder of the deep connection of the people with their creator.

Adam’s Peak, better known as Sri Pada is the 3^rd highest mountain on the islands rising up to 2300 meters above sea level and is a popular pilgrimage site. The footprint of Buddha, which is located at the top of the mountain, is an important object worshipped by thousands of devotees. This religious site is popular among all religious groups and attracts people from all around the country.

The Wahakotte church, Madu church, and Wolvendaal church are some of the immaculate and beautifully preserved ancient structures where devotees still gather to pray. The temple of Kataragama is located at the southern tip of Sri Lanka, the exquisite religious site revered by the Hindu community as well as Buddhists.

DRIVE TO THE EAST COAST AND LEARN HINDUISM

The North and east coast of Sri Lanka has the highest number of Hindu shrines and temples dedicated to Hindu Gods such as Vishnu, Shiva and Ganesh. There are few other popular Hindu shrines in the tea-grown areas of Sri Lanka (in the mountains), where there is a large number of Hindu people of south Indian origin.    

EXPLORING SRI LANKAN NATURE

Sri Lanka is home to many dozens of national parks, wildlife reserves, rainforests and sanctuaries and they have a large stock of Fauna and Flora. Some of the rainforests such as the Sinharaja rainforest have very high endemism and are considered to be global-level biodiversity hotspots. The presence of national parks, lakes, rivers, waterfalls, parks, and patches of forests is one reason for Sri Lanka’s popularity as an Eco-holiday destination, these natural resources attract a large number of nature lovers.     

EXPLORING SRI LANKA WILDLIFE

You will be amazed by the vividness of the animal world of Sri Lanka which is comprised of animals such as leopards, elephants, crocodiles, many bird species, vertebrates and a large number of sea-based animal species.  Some of the famous wildlife reserves found on the island include Yala national park, Wilpattu national park, Udawalawe national park, and Minneriya national park.

VISITING SRI LANKA’S UPCOUNTRY

Discovering the upcountry of Sri Lanka is undoubtedly an interesting affair, it has a large number of mountain peaks that rises up to 1000 meters from sea level. Adam’s peak is the most popular of all Sri Lankan mountains, which is a popular pilgrimage site and full of devotees from November to April. Adam’s peak is also very popular among travellers, who love hiking and trekking because hiking at Adam’s peak is a thrilling adventure that lasts about 8 hours. Adam’s peak is a catchment area, where a large number of rivers start such as the Mahaweli, Kelani and Kalu Rivers.      

VISITING SRI LANKA’S WATERFALLS

The mountains of Sri Lanka are the home to many dozens of cascading waterfalls, these breathtaking waterfalls expand their area, especially during the monsoon seasons, during which they are fed by the torrential rain. Sr.clairs waterfall, Ramboda waterfall and Devon fall are two popular waterfalls that most travellers encounter on their upcountry Sri Lanka trip; all of them are conveniently located within easy reach of the main travel route of Sri Lanka tour itineraries.     

BEACHES AND ISLANDS OF SRI LANKA

Sri Lanka is home to a large number of mesmerizing beaches. The coast of Sri Lanka spreads all around the island, which spread over 1300km. Beaches such as Hikkaduwa, Bentota, Unawatuna, and Mirissa are popular beach resorts on the west coast while beaches such as Arugam Bay, Kalkudah, and Pasikudah are popular for beach tour packages on the east coast. There are some other emerging beaches such as Kalpitiya in northwest Sri Lanka, Hambantota, Weligama, and Tangalle on the south coast that have also been able to contribute heavily to the island’s tourism industry.  

There are few islands around the country; even though they are not big enough to develop as tourist resorts, those islands attract a large number of travellers due to their large stock of marine creatures, such as pigeon island in eastern Sri Lanka.  

SRI LANKA CUISINE

Travel and leisure in Sri Lanka are essentially involved with sampling mouthwatering Asian cuisine. If you are a foodie traveller and like to delight your taste buds in a foreign country, Sri Lanka is the place to be, the island offers a wide range of sumptuous flavours and tastes. Traditional Sri Lankan dishes include curries, rice, seafood varieties and many other sweetmeats. Most Sri Lankan cuisines come with a rich and spicy taste that ensures a flavoursome experience.

SRI LANKA TEA COUNTRY

Naturally, Tea is the most popular drink on the island and it is widely grown throughout the country. The world-renowned Ceylon Tea is a proud product of Sri Lanka and is exported all around the world. Sri Lanka is home to many dozens of different varieties of tropical fruits and most of them can be easily juiced into a glass.

Water is the best and most popular thirst quencher on the island and coconut water comes immediately behind. Coconut water comes mainly in two flavours King-coconut and regular coconut is rich in minerals and vitamins. Usually, coconut contains a lot of fluid about 500ml, most importantly they are natural no added flavours, sugar or preservatives, so open coconut and drink, impressed by the taste.     

For those who love street food, you will find many interesting places to appease your taste buds. Apart from sampling delicious Sri Lankan food specialities, you will find many other international dishes coming under Indian food, Chinese food, Italian food, Thai food, Chinese and many more.  

LEISURE ACTIVITIES IN SRI LANKA: SHOPPING

Sri Lanka is a perfect spot for travellers, who enjoy shopping on foreign soil. Travellers find a diverse marketplace on the island such as open markets, flea markets, boutiques, wholesale traders and folk fairs, and shopping malls,s, etc and they offer plenty of opportunities to buy various goods at varying qualities and prices.

You will love to see the variety available on the island in gems and jewellery, clothing, leather products, accessories, handicraft and gadgets. Shops are open at 10.00 am daily except on Sunday and open to shoppers until 7.00 pm. Note that the opening hours of shops can be slightly varied depending on the region E.g. the opening hours of many shops in Colombo are from 10.00 am to 08.00 pm. Every full moon day is a public holiday in Sri Lanka and shops are closed.

The nightlife on the island is not developed much however there are some opportunities in Colombo with a number of nightclubs, casinos, bars, restaurants, coffee shops, cinemas, and concert halls and most of them are open throughout the night.  So in Colombo, you can expect some quality time if you are eying on evening relaxation.

POPULAR PLACES FOR LEISURE ACTIVITIES IN SRI LANKA

If you love adventure activities such as whitewater rafting, waterfall abseiling, and mountain climbing there are many places to await you. By far, Kitulgala is the most popular locality for land tour packages with land-based adrenaline-pumping activities while places such as Weligama, Arugam Bay and west coast beaches are the best places for salt water-based sports.

Some of the popular land-based sports are whitewater rafting, mountain climbing, hiking, trekking, waterfall abseiling, river kayaking, caving, and bungee jumping. Activities such as snorkelling, diving, swimming, boating, and surfing are among the most popular saltwater activities on the island.

Yoga and meditation centres are very popular among travellers in Sri Lanka. These are age-old proven methods to create inner peace and calm your mind and body. Yoga and meditation can be practised at selected resorts on the island and most of them combine traditional Ayurveda healing systems, Yoga and mediations in order to give you the much-needed escape from the busy humdrum of life.