Places to Visit in Sri Lanka

Sabaragamuwa is a province in Sri Lanka, the island country and is one of the first level administrative places of the country. Apart from being a destination of civil importance, this place is a pure retreat for tourists, mainly because of its indigenous yet important culture which it has to showcase.

A home to various natural cascading waterfalls, elephant orphanages and sites of religious importance like temples and shrines, Sabaragamuwa is a place where you will have one of the most unique experiences. It is indeed not like most of the tourist places which are over-crowded and expensive, but is full of purity and calmness, with everything authentic.

This place will show you a perfect blend of culture, respect and perseverance of wildlife, adventure and everything else you wish to see on an off-beat destination tour. This place is suitable for tourists of all age group and preferences because what it has to offer cannot be a disappointment for any one. Right from nature’s serenity to adventures to man-made tourist pleasures, this place is a retreat for all who seek to have a vacation where they can successfully unwind their souls by taking a break from the hustle and bustle of city life which everyone is fed up of.

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia is the second largest municipality of Sri Lanka after the capital city Colombo. With a decent population, this suburb of Colombo lies immediately south of the Colombo Municipality. The colourful suburb is an amalgam of certain principal urban communities and suburbs that are combined for the administrative purposes. Home to the National Zoological Gardens of Sri Lanka which still happens to be the largest of the kind in Asia, the Mount Lavinia and Dehiwala are both located along the Galle Road Artery which runs along the coast leading you to the South of the country.

This Municipality of Sri Lanka comprises of 7 key areas including Mount-Lavinia, Ratmalana, Kalubowila, Nedimala, Attidiya, Kohuwala and Dehiwala. All of these destinations have a number of places to see to keep you engaged and interested. Not too far away from the Colombo city, you definitely must come here for a day trip or even stay here overnight in one of the prominent resorts, guesthouses or hotels located here.

Point Pedro is a beautiful town that lies in the Jaffna District of Sri Lanka. It lies in the northern most point of the island. In the year 2004, this area was badly devastated by the Tsunami. Locals say that fishing boat were located 1 km inland. Here the shore line is magnificent given its coral reef offshore and misty white sandy beach. The sea here is shallow and not a very good spot for swimming. From here, you’ll pass through the succession of the tiny hamlets where you can even spot few sharks.   

The crumbling Point Pedro is the second town in the Jaffna peninsula. It has a few evidences of an ingrained colonial style. The settlements are poor and irregular here. However, you may struggle to find a place to eat.  The town has a bus station that is located 100 meter southwards. Eastern coast of the town is 3 mile wide with a 20 mile long beach that is brimming with sand dunes that may go up to a height of 100 feet often sprawling to Thalayady. The soil here is porous and has a water table deep underground which has an estimated one billion litres of fresh water. Given its geography, Point Pedro is a great tourist attraction of Sri Lanka.

Often ensconced within tags to the effect of being “the future of Sri Lanka tourism”, Kalpitya has of late ascended unprecedentedly in the global tourism radar. The town which is located in the North Western province of the country, is essentially a remote peninsula consisting of a total of fourteen islets. The Kalpitiya beach is the indisputable highlight of the quaint town, and is reached by a lagoon that is connected to the aforementioned islets that comprise it.

The beach, a slice of paradise in Sri Lanka dotted with coastal palm trees and blanketed by a spotlessly blue sky that is so characteristic of it, is still relatively not as popular as you would guess, albeit its popularity like the town itself is on a trajectory of steady and steep ascent. As far as activities are concerned, one would never tire of the immense range of possibilities that the beach offers.

There is of course the run of the mill list of activities one would check off at any coastal destination, but the beach is especially famous for its aquatic biodiversity, and is home to an immense number of marine species that abound in its waters. Visitors can go on casual swims and even take it to snorkeling to view the underwater life up close, and jeep excursions covering a massive terrestrial range of the peninsula are famous too.

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.   

Gampola is a small town that is located in the Kandy District. Nestled in the Central Province of Sri Lanka, the town is governed by the Urban Council. In the mid 14th century, the King Buwanekabahu IV made Gampola the capital of the island. This island was ruled for four years by the King. The last king of the region was the King Buwanekabahu V. He was in charge of the island for some 3 decades. A separate city was built in Kotte during the same time by a noble referred to as the Alagakkonara. In the Saliyalapura Temple of Gampola the longest sleeping Buddha statue is located which attracts a number of Buddha followers.

Gampola is a very small town of Kandy so there are barely few attractions found in this region. However, the little attractions that it does have can capture your eye. So, why not visit the place and decide for yourself? You can be assured to find some phenomenal tourist attractions located here. So, do go ahead and plan a visit.

Moratuwa is the biggest suburb of the Colombo city. Located on the South Western Coast of Sri Lanka, Moratuwa lies in close proximity to the Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia. Lying 18 km South of the Colombo City Centre on the Galle Road or the Galle Colombo main highway. Surrounded by water on three sides, except towards the northern end of the city, Moratuwa is enveloped by Moratu river on the south, Bolgoda lake on the east and Indian Ocean on the west. Sparsely populated, the suburb has a number of places to see and things to do to keep the visitors engaged for long, making it one of the most attractive tourist destination of Sri Lanka.   

The birth place of a hero, Veera Puran Appu who rose against oppression against the British in Kandy, Moratuwa comprises of 24 key areas – Puwakaramba, Thelawala, Angulana, Indibedda, Kaduwamulla, Moratuwella, Willorawatta, Moratumulla, Katubedda, Idama, Dahampura, Kaldemulla, Lakshapathiya, Soys Puwakaramba apura, Uswatta, Katukurunda, Borupana, Koralawella, Rawathawatta, Uyana, Kadalana, Egoda Uyana, Molpe and Lunawa. All of these areas have an array of attractions that keep the visitors engaged.

Moratuwa is also a prominent trading and fishing center. Sea food here is a hit so you must try the mouth watering sea food at one of the top rated restaurants of the suburb.

Nawalapitiya is a small town located in the Central Province of Sri Lanka. Located in the Kandy District, the town is governed by the Urban Council. Situated at a distance of 38 km from Kandy and 112 km from Colombo, the town lies about 589 meters above the sea level.  

Since, it lies in proximity to Mahaweli Ganga, Nawalapitiya can also be identified as the Peace Town. Here the population is multi cultural mix which has about 14% Muslims, 38% Tamil and 47% Sinhalese. All these people are peacefully coexisting with each other which makes it an exemplary in front of the whole world.

The town holds a pivotal place in locomotive transportation in Sri Lanka as this is one of the three transport division headquarter of the railway. The Nawalapitiya Railway station happens to be the second longest station of Sri Lanka the first one being the Rambukkana. Given the fact, the railway network of the city is huge, it passes through several towns and cities of Sri Lanka. So, if you are on a holiday in any one of the town or city that lies in this network, you must take a train and visit Nawalapitiya. Though the places to see here are less but you must still take a stopover and visit it at least once.  

Kadugannawa is a small town situated in the Kandy District in the Central Province of Sri Lanka. It is governed by the Urban Council. Situated along the A1 road that lies west of Peradeniya, the town does not have too many places to see and things to do however, visitors can still undertake a day trip to explore this lesser known city of Sri Lanka. Very well connected to the other parts of the country, you can easily reach the Kadugannawa via the Kadugannawa Railway Station that makes the town easily accessible for the tourists coming here.     

On the direction of William Francis Dawson, the first modern highway on the Colombo Kandy road was built in the year 1820. This highway has also worked well to facilitate ease of transportation within the city. Sadly, before the completion of the highway, William Francis Dawson passed away. In his memory, the Dawson Tower was constructed in the Kadugannawa.

Kadugannawa is a town that most visitors tend to drive through without stopping by. However, if you take our advice, this city is worth taking a break as it has some unsual tourist attractions that can catch your attention. So, while you are out exploring Colombo, do take a stop over and visit this beautiful town.