Nature Tour

SIGIRIYA Sri Lanka's World Heritage site Sigiriya or Sihigiriya, the 'Mount of Remembrance' and its symbolic significance in the light of the Philosophia Perennis. The Sigiriya Rock Fortress of Sri Lanka is situated in Matale district near to Dambulla. It can be reached along Colombo- Habarana highway and turning towards East from Inamaluwa. Then proceeding about 10 km from Inamaluwa and passing Kimbissa township one arrives at Sigiriya. Before Sigiriya became a Kingdom, the Sigiriya Rock base and the places such as Pidurangala which were endowed with many Caves and a temple had been dwelled by Buddhist monks from around 3rd Century BC. It is also found that these areas had been inhabitant by people prior to King Kassapa's rein. Many Caves also have Brahmi Inscriptions dating back from 3rd Century BC to 1st century AD. POLONNARUWA Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka's splendid medieval capital was established as the first city of the land in the 11th Century, A.D. It replaced Anuradhapura, plundered made desolate, and laid hopelessly bare to the invading armies from South India. Three Kings dominate the annals of the city and the period. The city reached a dazzling but pitifully brief zenith in the 12th century and though ravaged by invasion in the centuries following, much evidence remains of the old grandeur and glory. The ruins of the ancient city stand on the east shore of a large artificial lake, the Topa Wewa Lake, or Parakrama Samudra (the Sea of Parakrama), created by King Parakramabahu I (1153-86), whose reign was Polonnaruwa's golden age. Within a rectangle of city walls stand palace buildings and clusters of dozens of dagobas, temples and various other religious buildings.

KNUCKLES The Knuckles Mountain Range covers parts of Kandy and Matale districts and is separated from the Central Hills by the Mahaveli Valley to the South and East and the Matale Valley to the West. Its name derived from its shape of a clenched fist, which forms a scenic wonderland. What makes the Knuckles Forest/Mountain Range unique is the geographical character of its location. Perpendicular to the mountain range that runs from Laggala to Urugala runs three distinct but lesser ranges while there are other minor ranges running parallel to it. There are a total of 34 clearly identified such ranges with in the 62 square miles that makes up 3000-6500 feet in height.

PINNAWALA ELEPHANT ORPHANAGE Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage is an orphanage, nursery and captive breeding ground for wild Asian elephants located at Pinnawala village, 13 km northwest of Kegalle town in Sabaragamuwa Province of Sri Lanka. The primary purpose of the orphanage has been to provide a lifeline to the orphaned baby elephants and adult elephants lost in the wilderness. In most of the occasions the mother of the orphaned baby elephants had been killed; and then there have been accidents of baby elephants falling into pits and losing out to the herd; and there were instances the mother elephant had fallen into a pit and died leaving the baby elephant lost in the jungle. There are instances of adult elephants being killed by farmers to protect their paddy fields and crops resulting in baby elephants orphaned. The Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage was launched to provide the best possible opportunity to the sad victims of such situations. The orphanage is fully geared to provide an environment of happy and healthy life to the beasts. KANDY Historical records suggest that Kandy was first established by the King Wickramabahu (1357-1374 CE) near the Watapuluwa area, north of the present city, and named Senkadagalapura at the time, although some scholars suggest the name Katubulu Nuwara may also have been used. The origin of the more popular name for the city, Senkadagala, could have been from a number of sources. These include naming after a brahmin named Senkanda who lived in a cave near the city, after a queen of King Wickramabahu named Senkanda or after a colored stone named Senkadagala. In 1592 Kandy became the capital city of the last remaining independent kingdom in Sri Lanka after the coastal regions had been conquered by the Portuguese. Invasions by the Portuguese and the Dutch (16th, 17th and 18th century) and also by the British (most notably in 1803) were repelled. The last ruling dynasty of Kandy were the Nayaks of Kandy. Kandy preserved its independence until it finally fell to the British in 1815. The British deposed the king, Sri Wikrama Rajasingha, and all claimants to the throne, thus ending the last traditional monarchy of Sri Lanka, and replaced it with their monarchy.

PERADENIYA BOTANICAL GARDEN Nature lovers who visit Kandy Sri Lanka are advised to visit the Peradeniya botanical garden which is situated in the hill capital, about 5 km to the west of the city center at Peradeniya. When you visit Sri Lanka you will find that the botanical garden provides spectacles of extraordinary beauty and is sure to absorb the interest of nature lovers as well as casual visitors. When you visit Sri Lanka you will find that the place is a popular attraction for locals as well since the extensive lawns of the garden boasts of a variety of flora from all over the world.

HORTON PLAINS The most famous place of foreigners in Sri Lanka is Horton plains. Horton plains are at Nuwara eliya, Badulla and Rathnapura districts. There are two main entrances to this plain. Those are Pattipola entrance via Nuwaraeliya and Ambewela or Ohiya entrance via Welimada or Bandarawela. Large Savannah plains, Waterfalls, High pure water, Forests and several natural and high eco diversity areas are available to visit at Horton Plains. Horton Plains is controlled by Wild life department of Sri Lanka. Hoton plains are invented by Mr. Horton who was animal hunter in British governing period. Earlier this place is identified as ‘Maha Eliya’. Eliya means Plains and Maha means Big. In this case real meaning of this name is a Large Plain. This area is high more than 2300m above from sea level. Visitors can’t access every area of the Plain. Visitors haven't permission to travel every place of Horton plains because some damages to endemic plants, some burns the grass grounds, some troubles to animals or some gets liquor on the plain. These items are prohibited at Horton Plains. NUWARA ELIYA Nuwara Eliya can be reached from Colombo via Kandy, the gateway to Central Highlands of Sri Lanka. Colombo-Kandy-Nuwara Eliya is the most scenic highland motor road of Sri Lanka. Though the city of Nuwara Eliya has no Railway station, the highland railway line of dramatic scenery that winds past the city of Nanu Oya makes the journey by train possible. The journey to Nuwara Eliya from Kandy by train as well as by car is equally spectacular.The alternative route to Nuwara Eliya from Colombo is via Hatton located in the southern area of the Central Highlands.

ELLA Eading for a wild holiday that will keep your adrenalin pumping? Ella Adventure Park offers you the ideal holiday filled with fun activities in harmony with nature. Situated about 30 minutes away from the beautiful and scenic town of Bandarawela, the hotel consists of eco friendly accommodation units that are well equipped and comfortable. Not disturbing the natural beauty of the surroundings, this property includes dining facilities that offers a range of delicious meals while the activities in store include camping, rock climbing, nature treks as well as canoeing. LITTLE ADAM'S PEAK One of the best ways to spend a morning in Ella is to tackle the beautiful short walk up to the top of Little Adam's Peak, a pyramid-shaped rock which stands opposite the far larger Ella Rock and offers marvelous views out over the hills The walk makes a very pleasant morning's excursion, and is fairly gentle and largely flat, apart from a small amount of climbing near the end. Count on around two hours return and go as early as possible before the clouds set in. To begin the walk, head down the Passara Road for 1km, passing pine woods to your left. Just past the 1km marker the road turns sharp left by a garden centre; take the path that goes off the right-hand side of the road, straight ahead through beautiful tea plantations. Follow this path for 500m, ignoring the branch on your right which descends to a ramshackle tea pickers' village below Keep left, following the path, with increasingly fine views to Ella Rock opposite and the Newbourg Tea Factory in the other direction. After another 500m you reach a point where two tracks go off on the right close to one another. Take the second track (past the green gate), and follow it for the final kilometre up to the top of Little Adam's Peak - the path weaves around the back of the peak and zigzags up to the summit, from where there are marvelous views of Ella Rock, Ella Gap and the very top of the Rawana Ella Falls. RAVANA CAVE TEMPLE These tunnels prove beyond doubt the architectural brilliance of King Ravana. These tunnels served as a quick means of transport through the hills and also as a secret passage and networked all the important cities, airports and dairy farms. A close look at these tunnels indicates that they are man-made and not natural formations. This Buddhist shrine at Kalutara was where once King Ravana's palace and a tunnel existed. Existing tunnel mouths are situated - Isthripur at Welimada, Ravana cave at Bandarawela, Senapitiya at Halagala, Ramboda, Labookelle, Wariyapola/Matale, and Sitakotuwa/Hasalaka. In addition there are many more tunnels.

YALA Yala National Park is the most visited and second largest national park in Sri Lanka. Actually it consists of five blocks, two of which are now open to the public; and also adjoining parks. The blocks have individual names also, like Ruhuna National Park for the (best known) block 1 and Kumana National Park or 'Yala East' for the adjoining area. It is situated in the southeast region of the country, and lies in Southern Province and Uva Province. The park covers 979 square kilometres (378 sq mi) and is located about 300 kilometres (190 mi) from Colombo. Yala was designated as a wildlife sanctuary in 1900, and, along with Wilpattu it was one of the first two national parks in Sri Lanka, having been designated in 1938. The park is best known for its variety of wild animals. It is important for the conservation of Sri Lankan Elephants and aquatic birds.

COLOMBO Colombo, Sri Lanka's bustling capital, is located on the country's west coast and with a population of between 800,000 and one million (estimates vary) is by far the country's biggest city, as well as its window on the world. Its natural harbour at the mouth of the Kelani River was a magnet for successive traders and conquerors - first Arab merchants, then Portuguese, Dutch and British imperialists. Colombo, Sri Lanka's bustling capital, is located on the country's west coast and with a population of between 800,000 and one million (estimates vary) is by far the country's biggest city, as well as its window on the world. Its natural harbour at the mouth of the Kelani River was a magnet for successive traders and conquerors - first Arab merchants, then Portuguese, Dutch and British imperialists.