Classic Tour of Sri Lanka

Negombo Beach

Negombo is a small beach town located near Bandaranaike International Airport. It is full of decent hotels and restaurants, as well as an OK beach (though a bit polluted). Negombo is frquently where tourists spend their first day or two in Sri Lanka resting up after a long and exhausting plane ride.

Hikkaduwa

Hikkaduwa is a seaside resort town in southwestern Sri Lanka. It’s known for its strong surf and beaches, including palm-dotted Hikkaduwa Beach, lined with restaurants and bars. The shallow waters opposite Hikkaduwa Beach shelter the Hikkaduwa National Park, which is a coral sanctuary and home to marine turtles and exotic fish. Inland, Gangarama Maha Vihara is a Buddhist temple decorated with hand-painted murals.

The Dutch Fortifications at Galle

Galle which is a seaside town on the southwestern coastal belt is considered to be Sri Lanka’s most historically interesting city. Galle Fort is Number 200 on UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites and is free to enter and explore.

Some of the major landmarks within the fort are Old Dutch Hospital, New Orient Hotel, National Maritime Museum and Dutch Reformed Church. The place is now a major hotspot for tourists visiting the south after Ministry of Cultural Affairs launched a project to restore the Fort to its former glory.

Nuwara Eliya

Nuwara Eliya is a city in the tea country hills of central Sri Lanka. The naturally landscaped Hakgala Botanical Gardens displays roses and tree ferns, and shelters monkeys and blue magpies. Nearby Seetha Amman Temple, a colorful Hindu shrine, is decorated with religious figures. Densely forested Galway's Land National Park is a sanctuary for endemic and migratory bird species, including bulbuls and flycatchers.

The Royal city of Kandy

Kandy, Sri Lanka's cultural capital and home to the Temple of the Tooth Relic of Lord Buddha is one of the most beautiful cities of Sri Lanka. If you visit city in July or August, you can experience Kandy Esala Perehera, an annual ritual of the Sacred Tooth Temple.

Set in forested hills and surrounded by tea plantations, the city is famous for its scenic beauty and rich cultural value. The independent kingdom in Sri Lanka had been invaded by the Portuguese, the Dutch (16th, 17th and 18th century) and also by the British in 1803.

To experience the Kandy cultural dance, it is recommended to prefer rail journey from Colombo to Kandy.