{"id":118347,"date":"2021-09-20T16:04:06","date_gmt":"2021-09-20T23:04:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=118347"},"modified":"2021-09-20T16:04:31","modified_gmt":"2021-09-20T23:04:31","slug":"12-of-the-best-things-to-do-in-sri-lanka","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2021\/09\/20\/12-of-the-best-things-to-do-in-sri-lanka\/","title":{"rendered":"12 of the best things to do in Sri Lanka"},"content":{"rendered":"

https:\/\/www.wanderlust.co.uk\/<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n

Climb a sacred mountain. Lounge on a deserted beach. And enjoy a cuppa on a picture-perfect plantation. All this and more awaits in Sri Lanka, the most serendipitous of islands…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Traditional<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

1. Climb Sigiriya<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Lion<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Lion Rock Fortress, Sigiriya (Shutterstock)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of Sri Lanka’s seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites, this rock-top fortress dates back to the fifth century AD. The atmosphere is more spiritual than militant: in its time, it has acted as a royal palace and<\/em> a Buddhist monastery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sigiriya is also regarded as one of the most important urban planning projects of the first millennium, and is home to some of the oldest landscaped gardens in the world. Look out too for the mirror wall, a masonry wall that was so well-polished that the king could see his reflection in it. Top tip: go early, so avoiding the heat of the day and the crowds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Get up close to wild elephants in a National Park<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Elephant<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Elephant in the wilds of Sri Lanka (Shutterstock)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ll see elephants everywhere you go in Sri Lanka: working on a tea plantation, running wild in national parks, and leading the Esala Perahera parade in Kandy<\/strong> in all their bejewelled and sequined glory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Udawalawe National Park offers you one of your best chances of seeing elephants roaming free. Created to protect the watershed of the enormous Udawalawe Reservoir, this park is home to around 400 pachyderms and has extensive stretches of grassland as well as scrub jungle and riverine forest. It is one of the best places to go birdwatching in Sri Lanka too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gal Oya National Park receives fewer visitors than many of the other parks and also offers a unique experience. Here, the elephants commonly swim across Senanayake Samudra lake – Sri Lanka’s largest body of water – and you can take a boat safari to see them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And to see the world’s largest congregation of Asian elephants visit Kadulla or Minneriya NP in the dry season (June\/July to September) when what is known as “the Gathering” takes place as hundreds of the pachyderms cluster around water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are 7 other Sri Lankan wildlife adventures that will change your life<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

3. Visit a tea empire in Nuwara Eliya<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Picking<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Picking tea leaves in Sri Lanka (Shutterstock)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the heart of Sri Lanka’s tea industry, this charming throwback to the country’s colonial years is rich with the heritage of home-county England. Tour neatly-terraced tea estates, watch pickers at work, and buy your own samples to take home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tea lovers will want to visit the Hill Country\u2019s Haputale Mountains, where Sir Thomas Lipton launched his tea empire. To see where it all began, organise transport to Lipton\u2019s Seat \u2013 Mr Lipton\u2019s favourite spot to sit and watch over his enormous estate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is possible (and maybe a bit more comfortable) to take a car up, but an open air tuk-tuk ride is much more fun. Head out early before the afternoon fog cloaks the surrounding mountains, clouding the awe-inspiring views.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Discover more things to do in Sri Lanka\u2019s Hill Country<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

4. Relax on the beaches of Arugam Bay<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Sunrise<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sunrise in Arugam Bay (Shutterstock)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The beach at Arugam Bay, on Sri Lanka’s dry south-east coast, is the stuff of Bounty<\/em> ads are made of: sugar-soft sands, coconut palms and utter solitude but for the whoops and whooshes of the surfers riding the point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami, the bay was rapidly becoming one of the world\u2019s top surf destinations. For the time being, you\u2019ll have the double curve of beach and its coconut palm-covered point more or less to yourself, bar a few savvy sun-seekers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Spot leopards in Yala National Park<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Lounging<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Lounging leopard in Sri Lanka (Shutterstock)<\/p>\n\n\n\n