|
 Facts at a Glance
Full
country name: Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
Area: 66,000 sq km
Population: 18 million (annual growth 1.5%)
Capital city: Colombo (pop 1.2 million)
People: 74% Sinhalese, 18% Tamils, 7% Muslims
Language: Sinhala, Tamil, English
Religion: 69% Buddhist, 15% Hindu, 8% Muslim, 8% Christian
Government: Democracy
President: Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga
Prime Minister: Ratnasiri Wickremasinghe
Sri Lanka is shaped
like a giant teardrop falling from the southern tip of the vast Indian
subcontinent. It is separated from India by the 50km (31mi) wide Palk Strait,
although there is a series of stepping-stone coral islets known as Adam's
Bridge which almost form a land bridge between the two countries. The island
is just 350km (217mi) long and only 180km (112mi) wide at its widest, and is
about the same size as Ireland, West Virginia or Tasmania.
The southern
half of the island is dominated by beautiful and rugged hill country. The
entire northern half comprises a large plain extending from the edge of the
hill country to the Jaffna peninsula. The highest mountain is the 2524m
(1565mi) Mt Pidurutalagala near Nuwara Eliya and the longest river is the
Mahaweli which courses from the centre and empties into the Indian Ocean at
Trincomalee. The best beaches are on the south-western, southern and
south-eastern coasts.
Ebony, teak,
silkwood and spectacular orchids are found in the dense south-western
tropical rainforests. Hardy grasslands, rhododendrons and stunted forests
predominate in the cool, damp highlands, and shrubs and grasslands survive in
arid zones in the north. Animal life is profuse and includes the ubiquitous
elephant, as well as leopards, deer, monkeys, sloth bears, wild boar, cobras,
crocodiles, dugong and turtles. The island is an important seasonal home to
migrating birds, including flamingoes, who flock to the lagoons, wetlands and
bird sanctuaries for respite from the northern winter. The best time to see
birds is between January and April.
Sri Lanka is a
typically tropical country with distinct dry and wet seasons but the picture
is somewhat complicated by the fact that it is subject to two monsoons: the
Yala season (May to August), when the south-west monsoon brings rain to the
southern, western and central regions; and the Maha season (October to
January), when the north-east monsoon brings rain to the north and east of
the island. Temperatures in the low-lying coastal regions are high year round
but they rapidly fall with altitude and in the hill country, where it feels
like perpetual spring. The highest temperatures are from March through June
while November to January is usually the coolest time of the year. Rainfall
is heaviest in the south, south west and central highlands; the northern and
north-central regions are very dry. The best time to visit the west, south
coast and hill country is between December and March. May to September is
best on the east coast.
Sri Lanka's first settlers were the
Veddahs, a dark, nomadic people of slight, almost pygmy stature. Legend
rather maliciously relates them to the Yakkhas, demons conquered by the
Sinhalese around the 5th or 6th century BC. A number of Sinhalese kingdoms
took root across the island during the 4th century BC with Anuradhapura, in
the northern plains, the strongest. Buddhism was introduced by Mahinda, the
son of the Indian Mauryan emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century BC, and it
quickly became the established religion and the focus of a strong and
positive nationalism. But Anuradhapura was hardly impregnable: repeated
invasions from southern India over the next 1000 years involved Sri Lanka in
a perpetual series of dynastic power struggles. The ongoing threat of
invasion was finally broken in 1070 when King Vijayabahu drove the south
Indian Cholas out and established a new capital at Polonnaruwa. The capital
prospered for over two centuries, especially under King Parakramabahu, who
turned it into one of Asia's most splendid cities. However, Indian incursions
resumed and Polonnaruwa fell in 1215.
The Portuguese arrived in Colombo in 1505
and gained a monopoly on the invaluable spice and cinnamon trade. By 1597,
the cruel and avaricious Portuguese colonisers had taken formal control of
the island. However, they failed to dislodge the powerful Sinhalese kingdom
in Kandy which, in 1658, enlisted Dutch help to expel them. The Dutch were more
interested in trade and profits than religion or land, although they too
unsuccessfully tried to bring the Kandy kingdom under their control. The
Dutch put up only half-hearted resistance when the British arrived in 1796.
The Brits succeeded in whittling away Kandy's sovereignty and in 1815 became
the first European power to rule the entire island. The work of empire moved
inexorably forward as roads were built, coffee, tea, cinnamon and coconut
plantations (worked by Tamil labourers imported from southern India) sprang
up and English was introduced as the national language.
 Off the record
Sri
Lanka, or Ceylon as it was still known, achieved full independence as a
dominion within the British Commonwealth in 1948. The first government
adopted socialist policies, strengthening social services and maintaining a
strong economy, but also disenfranchising 800,000 Tamil plantation workers in
the hill country. The Sinhalese nationalist Solomon Bandaranaike was elected
in 1956 and pushed a `Sinhala Only' law through parliament, making Sinhalese
the national language and effectively reserving the best jobs and most
powerful positions for the Sinhalese. This was partly instituted to address
the imbalance of power between the majority Sinhalese and the
English-speaking Christian educated elite. However, it enraged and alienated
the Tamil Hindu minority who began pressing for a federal system of
government with greater autonomy in the main Tamil areas in the north and
east.
Sri
Lanka's ethnic and religious difficulties date from this time and they
intensified as the economy slowed and competition for wealth and work
intensified. Bandaranaike was assassinated by a Buddhist monk in 1959 when he
attempted to reconcile the two communities. He was replaced by his widow,
Sirimavo, who became the first woman in the world to serve as prime minister.
She continued her husband's socialist policies but the economy lurched from
bad to worse. A poorly organised revolt by the Sinhalese Maoist JVP in 1971
led to the death of thousands. A year later, the country became a republic
and retrieved Sri Lanka as its official name.
Meanwhile, the economy began to
deteriorate and unrest grew among northern Tamils. The 1972 constitution
formally gave Buddhism primacy as the state's religion, and Tamil places at
university were reduced. When civil unrest resulted in a state of emergency
in Tamil areas, the ill-disciplined, predominantly Sinhalese police and army
came to be seen as an enemy force by younger Tamils, who began to fight for
an independent Tamil homeland. Junius Richard Jayewardene was elected in 1977
and promoted Tamil to the status of a `national language' in Tamil areas. He
also gave Tamils greater local government control, but violence and reprisals
between the security forces and Tamil youths spiralled out of control.
When Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
(LTTE) secessionists massacred an army patrol in 1983, Sinhalese mobs went on
a two-day rampage killing several thousand Tamils and burning and looting
property. This marked the point of no return and many Tamils moved north into
Tamil dominated areas, and Sinhalese began to leave the Jaffna area. Tamil
secessonists claimed the northern third of the country and the eastern coast.
They were clearly in the majority in the north but there were roughly equal
portions of Tamils, Sinhalese and Muslims in the east. Violence escalated
with both sides were guilty of intimidation and massacres as what we now call
`ethnic cleansing' got a serious work out.
By the end of 1985, 50,000 Sri Lankans
were in refugee camps, and 100,000 Tamils were in exile in camps in the
Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The economy nose-dived as tourism dwindled, tea
prices slumped and aid donors threatened to withdraw support because of human
rights violations. When government forces pushed the Tamil Tigers back into
Jaffna city in 1987, Tamil unrest in Southern India and domestic pressure on
the Indian government raised the harrowing prospect of an Indian invasion.
Jayewardene reached a compromise with then Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi
whereby the Sri Lankan Army would return to barracks and an Indian Peace
Keeping Force (IPKF) would maintain order in the north and disarm the Tigers.
What looked liked a sensible option on paper blew up in everyone's faces as
Sinhalese and Muslims in the south rioted over the Indian `occupation' and
the `sell out' of non-Tamils in the east. The Tigers stepped up attacks on
Sinhalese, the IPKF laid into the Tigers and Sri Lanka became a quagmire from
which no-one could escape with respect and honour.
In 1989, just as the IPKF regained a
semblance of control in the north, a Sinhalese rebellion broke out in the
south and centre as the JVP orchestrated a series of strikes and political
murders. The country was at a standstill when the Sri Lankan government, now
led by Ranasinghe Premadasa, tried to cajole the JVP into mainstream
politics. When this ploy failed, Premadasa unleashed death squads which
specialised in killing JVP suspects and dumping their bodies in rivers. A
three-year reign of terror began which resulted in between 30,000 and 60,000
deaths. The IPKF, which at its peak numbered 80,000 men, withdrew from its
thankless task in 1990. The Tigers had agreed to a ceasefire but violence
flared almost immediately when a breakaway Tamil group unilaterally declared
an independent homeland.
Since then, the Sri Lankan government has
oscillated between political solutions and miltary offensives, neither of
which have stopped the massacres and terrorism. Rajiv Gandhi was blown up by
a Tamil suicide bomber in 1991 and Premadasa suffered the same fate in 1993.
A truce agreed to in early 1995 was unilaterally broken by the Tamil Tigers.
The government responded in late 1995 with a massive military operation which
retook the Jaffna peninsula and dislodged both the Tigers and the Tamil
population of the city. With government initiatives aimed at appeasing the
Tamil population relatively well-received and the Tigers apparently quashed,
it seemed that Sri Lanka was on the path to lasting peace. But the Tigers
regrouped and, by mid-1996, were able to launch damaging attacks on
government troops stationed in northern Sri Lanka and terrorist strikes in
Colombo. The renewed violence consolidated pockets of Sinhalese opposition to
making peace with the Tamil population, laming another rickety leg of the
peace sloth and disillusioning the Sri Lankan majority desperate for an end
to violence.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka's economy is
suffering from high inflation, high unemployment, poor infrastructure and
corruption. Spending on defence saps almost 20% of government expenditure,
and the domestic economy is propped up by the US$1.5 billion sent home every
year by Sri Lankans working abroad, mainly in the Gulf States. A resolution
to the conflict and renewed economic growth remain inextricably linked.
GDP: US$8.6 billion
GDP per head: US$500
Annual growth: 6%
Inflation: 18%
Major industries: Garments, tea, textiles, gems, rubber & tourism
Major trading partners: US, UK, Japan, South Korea, China & India
 Culture
The tragedy of Sri Lanka stems from its
ethnic intolerance and militant readings of religious philosophy. The
Sinhalese are predominantly Buddhist, the Tamils mainly Hindus, and there are
sizeable Muslim and Christian Burgher (descendants of Dutch colonists)
minorities. The Sinhalese speak Sinhalese, the Tamils and most Muslims speak
Tamil and the Burghers often speak English. The Muslims are scattered all
over the island and are thought to be descendants of early Arab or Indian
traders. They have largely steered clear of the civil conflict, though there
have been clashes between Muslims and Tamils in the east. The Tamils in the
hill country are recent low caste arrivals brought in by the British to work
on the plantations. They share little in common with the Tamils of the north
who have been in Sri Lanka for over 1000 years. The hill country Tamils have
generally managed to avoid being drawn into the current ethnic conflict.
Sri Lanka's classical architecture,
sculpture and painting is predominantly Buddhist. Stupas sprinkle the
countryside, and there are several extravagantly large Buddhas sculptures,
notably at Aukana and Buduruvagala. Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa have the
most impressive archaelogical legacy, but Kandy is the most thriving cultural
centre today. Colonial remnants include Dutch forts, canal and churches and
British residences, clubs and courthouses. Galle is the finest colonial city
on the island.
Sinhalese dancing is similar to Indian
dance but relies on acrobatics, nimbleness and symbolism to unfold its
narratives. Kandy is a good place to see `up-country dancing', but Colombo or
Ambalangoda are the places to witness the ritualistic exorcism of `devil
dancing'. Folk theatre combines dance, masked drama, drumming and exorcism
rituals to vividly recreate Sri Lankan folklore. Woodcarving, weaving,
pottery and metalwork are all highly developed crafts, and Sri Lanka is
especially renowned for its gems. Ambalangoda is the best place to see Sri
Lankan masks; Ratnapura is the centre of Sri Lanka's gem trade.
Rice and curry - often fiery hot -
dominate meal times and usually include small side dishes of vegetables, meat
and fish. Indian curries such as vegetarian thali, delicately
flavoured biriyani and kool, a boiled, fried and
dried-in-the-sun vegetable combo, are also available. Hoppers are a unique
Sri Lankan snack, similar to a pancake, served with egg or honey and yoghurt.
Coastal towns have excellent fish and most travellers are happy to live on
the delicious local tuna. There's plenty of tropical fruits to choose from,
the tea is terrific and the beer acceptable.
 Events
Sri Lanka has an enormous range of
Buddhist, Hindu, Christian and Muslim festivals. The Kandy Esala Perahera
(July/August) is the country's most important and spectacular pageant, with
10 days of torch-bearers, whip-crackers, dancers, drummers and elephants lit
up like giant birthday cakes. It climaxes in great procession honouring the
Sacred Tooth Relic of Kandy. Second in importance is the Duruthu Perahera
(January), held in Colombo, which celebrates a visit by Buddha to Sri Lanka.
Other celebrations include National Day
(February), which is celebrated with parades, dances and national games; New
Year (March/April), celebrated with elephant races, coconut games and
pillow fights; Vesak (May), a sacred full moon festival commemorating
the birth, death and enlightenment of Buddha; the Hindu Vel festival
(July/August) in Colombo, where the ceremonial chariot of Skanda, the God of
War, is hauled between two temples; and the predominantly Hindu Kataragama
festival (July/August) in Kataragama, where devotees put themselves through
the whole gamut of ritual masochism.
Visas: Visitors from the
USA, most western European countries, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Israel,
Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong do not require visas. Automatic entry for
between 30 and 90 days is given on arrival.
Health risks: Cholera, hepatitis & malaria
Time: GMT/UTC plus five hours 30
minutes
Electricity: 230-40V, 50 Hz
Weights & measures: metric (see the
conversion table.)
Tourism: 400,000 visitors in 1994
 Warning
The
northern third of Sri Lanka and the eastern coast are off-limits and highly
dangerous. The south and south-western portion of the island and the hill
country have generally been calm, but since government troops flushed Tamil
Tigers from the Jaffna peninsula in November 1995, several terrorist attacks
have occurred in Colombo, including a suicide bomb attack in January 1996 on
Sri Lanka's Central Bank which killed more than 80 people and injured over
1000, and a train carriage bombing in July 1996 which killed over 70 people
and injured about 600.
Random
acts of terrorism are expected to continue as the Tigers seek to prove that
they are still a force to be reckoned with; most Western governments are
warning visitors to defer non-essential travel. Foreign nationals have so far
not specifically been targets of terrorist attacks, but the Tigers have made
it clear that they consider tourism an economic target. A little known Tamil
splinter group has also threatened to target foreigners and called for
tourists to boycott Colombo airport.
Currency: Sri Lankan rupee
Relative costs:
· Budget meal: US$0.50
· Moderate restaurant meal: US$3
· Top-end restaurant meal: US$6-15
· Budget room: US$4
· Moderate hotel: US$15
· Top-end hotel: US$30 and up
Sri Lanka
is still a pleasantly economical country to travel around. Shoestring
travellers can exist comfortably on less than US$20 a day by staying in basic
share or double rooms, getting around by bus and not lashing out at flash
restaurants. Up the scale a bit, add US$5 or $10 for kipping down in
delightful rest houses, or plan on around US$100 a day if you want the full
five star treatment.
You'll have no problem changing
travellers' cheques at most major banks. Banks will give you a slightly
better rate for travellers' cheques, but it's convenient to have some cash
for times when you can't get to a bank (there are plenty of money changers in
Colombo and Hikkaduwa). US dollars are best. ATMs are becoming a common
sight, especially in major cities, but other than in Colombo and Kandy,
they're unlikely to accept international cards. Credit cards are widely
accepted; Visa and MasterCard cash withdrawals are possible at major banks.
A 10% service charge is added to nearly
every accommodation or eating bill in the middle and top ranges, so there's
no need to tip, even though those serving you are unlikely to see much of it.
Nor is there any need to top up taxi or three-wheeler fares. Hotel porters
normally get Rs 10-20 per heavy bag. On the whole, prices are very negotiable
in Sri Lanka but bargaining shouldn't be seen as a battle to the death. Find
out what the approximate cost is and then come to a mutually acceptable
compromise. Losing your temper or shouting won't get you anywhere.
Climatically
the driest and best seasons are from December to March on the west and south
coasts and in the hill country, and from May to September on the east coast.
December to March is also the time when most foreign tourists come, the
majority of them escaping the European winter.
Out of season travel has its advantages -
not only do the crowds go away but many airfares and accommodation prices go
right down. Nor does it rain all the time. Reefs may protect a beach area and
make swimming quite feasible at places like Hikkaduwa, which during the
monsoon can be quite pleasant.
Colombo,
the island's largest city, is noisy, frenetic - and just a little crazy.
Thankfully, the breakdowns, snarled traffic and power cuts are received with
a shrug and a smile. `No problem' might be the national motto; it's certainly
the one phrase everyone knows and can say. While the city holds less obvious
interest than many other parts of the island, it's still a colourful enough place
and worth a visit to see what makes Sri Lanka tick.
Colombo is a relatively easy city to find
your way around. To the north is the Fort district, the country's business
centre, which has department stores, book shops, airline offices and is the
site of the Central Bank which the Tamil Tigers blew up in January 1996.
There are also ample sights such as the clock tower, a former lighthouse, the
president's residence (known by incorrigible traditionalists as Queen's
House), and a cluster of colonial buildings which lend the district an aura
of bygone Empire.
Immediately south of here is Galle Face
Green, a seafront expanse of occasional green graced by cricket games, kite
flyers and trysting lovers. Cinammon Gardens, further south, is Colombo's
most fashionable neighbourhood, with elegant mansions, tree-lined streets and
the city's largest park. East of the fort is the pungent Pettah bazaar
district. Walk through and marvel at the riot of goods - fruit, vegetables,
meat, gems, gold, silver, brass and tin junk.
Culture buffs shouldn't miss the National
Museum, which has a good collection of historical works, the Art Gallery,
which focuses on portraiture and temporary exhibits by local artists, and the
city's many mosques, Buddhist and Hindu temples. After familiarising yourself
with Sri Lankan culture, check out the island's fauna at the Dehiwala Zoo.
The highlight here is an afternoon elephant show. The closest real beach is
at Mt Lavinia, a faded resort 10km south of the city.
Budget accommodation, cheap food and the
best shopping can be found in the Fort and Pettah districts. Nightlife is
moribund, though a visit to the cinema in the Fort district is an experience.
Kandy
The
laidback `capital' of the hill country and the historical bastion of Buddhist
power is built around a peaceful lake and set in a picturesque bowl of hills.
It has a distinctive architectural character thanks to its gently sloping
tiled roofs and the town centre is a delightful compendium of old shops,
noise, buses, markets and hotels. Its standout attraction is the octagonal
Dalada Maligawa (Temple of the Tooth), a temple which houses Sri Lanka's most
important religious relic - the sacred tooth of Buddha. There are daily
ceremonies of homage to the Tooth Relic, each attracting white-clad pilgrims
carrying lotus blossoms and frangipani.
During the frenetic Kandy Esala Perahera
celebrations, a replica of the shrine is carried through the city on an
elephant. Other sights include the small but excellent National Museum, the
Peradeniya Botanic Gardens, and the Udawattakelle Sanctuary, a peaceful haven
for birdlife. There are plenty of lovely scenic walks around Kandy, one of
which leads to the Mahaweli, where you may see elephants being bathed. The
Kandyan Art Association & Cultural Centre beside the lake has good
displays of local crafts and an auditorium for popular dance performances.
Kandy is
just on 100km (62mi) north east of Colombo and although the town lacks an
airport there are any number of buses and trains running between the two
destinations.
Anuradhapura is Sri
Lanka's first capital, a potent symbol of Sinhalese power, and the most
extensive and important of Sri Lanka's ancient cities. It became a capital in
380 BC and for over 1000 years Sinhalese kings ruled from this great city.
Its impressive remains were `discovered' in the early 19th century and have
been in the process of restoration ever since. They lie to the west and north
of the modern town of Anuradhapura.
The Sacred Bo-Tree is the city's holiest
site, and was grown from the tree under which Buddha achieved enlightenment.
The Thuparama Dagoba, the oldest of many temples in Anuradhapura, is believed
to contain the right collar-bone of Buddha. The Jetavanarama Dagoba is the
largest remaining structure and may once have been over 100m (328ft) in
height and housed an estimated 3000 monks. There are also museums that invite
exploration, marvellously restored twin ponds which were used by monks as
ritual baths, and immense tanks built to provide irrigation water for the
growing of rice. The best way to explore the area is by bicycle.
The remains of the ancient lakeside city
of Polonnaruwa, 75km (46mi) south-east of Anuradhapura, date mostly from the
reign of the Indian Chola dynasty in the 11th and 12th century, but they
cover a more compact site and are in an excellent state of repair.
Anuradhapura
is 250km (155mi) north of Colombo. There are plenty of Colombo-Anuradhapura
buses each day; you can either catch an older style bus for around US$0.60 or
lash out and spend an extra US$0.70 for a ride in an inter-city
airconditioned bus. Trains also go to Anuradhapura but are dependant on the
security situation in the north.
Sigiriya
The
spectacular rock fortress of Sigiriya is an impregnable fortress, a monastic
retreat, and a rock art gallery. Built in the 5th century AD to fend of a
feared invasion, it is situated atop a 200m (656ft) high rock, and at the
height of its glory must have been akin to a European chateau plonked on top
of Ayers Rock. There are water gardens, 5th century rock paintings of well
endowed damsels, a 1000-year-old graffiti wall recording visitors impressions
of the pin-ups, a couple of enormous stone lion paws and tremendous views.
To get to
Sigiriya from Colomba, hop on a bus that stops at Dambulla, and from there
catch any of the hourly buses going going to the rock fortress, a total of
191km (118mi).
Hikkaduwa
Hikkaduwa
is the island's most developed beach resort, though it's looking rather
forlorn these days. It has a range of accommodation, good restaurants and
pleasant cafe-lined beaches. There's good snorkelling at an attractive and
easily accessible coral sanctuary, scuba diving at a number of wrecks in the
bay, tours by glass-bottomed boats and pretty good surfing. It's a relaxed
place, similar to many Asian beach resorts popular with Western travellers.
There are also plenty of handicraft shops catering to tourist whims, a
Buddhist temple, a nearby lake with abundant birdlife and some pretty
dangerous traffic hurtling down the main road.
Frequent
buses run the 87km (54mi) down the coast from Colombo, or there are four
daily express trains that are worth considering. There are a few slow trains
as well but these can take up to three or fours hours.
Galle
The port
of Galle, thought by some to be the Biblical city of Tarshish, splendidly
illustrates the solidity of the Dutch presence in Sri Lanka. The 36-hectare
(89 acre) Dutch Fort, built in 1663, has withstood the ravages of time. Its
massive ramparts surround the promontory that forms the older part of Galle,
and shelters within its walls sturdy Dutch houses, museums and churches. This
area has a quiet, relaxed atmosphere that seems almost detached from the flow
of history. The New Oriental Hotel, built for Dutch governors in 1684, is a
colonial gem with a wonderfully atmospheric bar. Nearby is a tiny sliver of a
beach suitable for a dip, though most travellers prefer to head along the
coast to the fine beaches at Unuwatuna, Weligama and Tangalla.
Plenty of
public and private buses run up and down the 107km (66mi) stretch between
Colombo and Galle, as well as any number of daily express trains.
Adam's
Peak
From December to April, pilgrims converge to climb the
2224m (7295ft) Adam's Peak. At the top is a huge `footprint', claimed by
Buddhists to be the mark of Buddha or that Hindus hold the print to have been
made by Lord Shiva, the fact remains that it is has been a place of
pilgrimage for over 1000 years. The view from the peak at dawn is enough to
shock the most cynical agnostic into a state of reverie. It takes about four
hours to climb to the top from the town of Dalhousie.
Reaching the base of Adam's Peak is simple
and if you're making a night ascent you've got all day to arrive. Buses run
to Dalhousie from Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, and Colombo in the pilgrimage season.
Otherwise you need to get first to Hatton or Maskeliya. If you're really
running late taxis will take you to Hatton or Dalhousie. You'll need to cover
220km (136mi) to get there from Colombo.
Nuwara
Eliya
Once the favourite hill station of the
British, Nuwara Eliya still retains the vestiges of Empire: a blend of Tudor
and Georgian architecture, gabled roofs, immaculate lawns with rose bushes
and moss-covered gravestones. Soak up the quaint atmosphere by visiting the
Hill Club - by jove, there's a golf course, tennis courts, even copies of Country
Life here - or visit the botanic gardens and tea plantations in the
surrounding hills.
Buses going to Nuwara Eliya leave Colombo
almost hourly, and from Kandy with regular frequency. You can catch a train
although you'll need to get off at Nanu Oya and catch a connecting bus, or
taxi, to Nuwara Eliya itself as it does not have a train station of its own.
Yala West
Yala West is one of the few Sri Lankan
national parks still open to travellers. It covers almost 1000 sq km of
scrub, lagoons and rocky outcrops in the country's south-east and is a
particularly good place to see elephants. There are also leopards, bears,
deer, crocodiles, wild boar, monkeys, buffalo and wild peacocks. It's best to
hire a jeep and driver in Tissamaharama and be in place near a waterhole at
dawn or dusk. Nearby Bundala National Park is Sri Lanka's best spot for
birdwatching.
Yala West is closed in September and
usually part of August and October too. But when it's open the best way to
get there is to catch a bus to the coastal town of Tissamaharama, 241km
(149mi) from Colombo, and then hire a jeep and a driver. If you have your own
four wheel drive you can just drive up to the front gate and pay the
entrance, insurance and tracker fees.
There's
good swimming at any number of beaches along the south-western coast.
Excellent scuba diving, snorkelling and surfing are found at Hikkaduwa,
there's pleasant snorkelling at Unawatuna, and sailing, windsurfing and water
skiing on the Bentota River. For trekking, try climbing Adam's Peak or
walking across the strange silent plateau of Horton Plains near Nuwara Eliya
to see the 700m (2296ft) drop at World's End.
 Getting There & Away
The
only way to enter Sri Lanka is by flying. Colombo is the international
gateway for direct flights from Europe, Asia, Australia and the Middle East.
There are cheap flights available between Colombo and Madras, Trichy,
Trivandrum and Bombay. Departure tax is US$10.
 Getting Around
There
are no domestic passenger flights in Sri Lanka, which leaves buses and trains
as the dominant modes of transport. Buses, ranging from smoke-spewing
monsters to modern private coaches, are cheap, plentiful and always
overcrowded. Train travel, while slower, is infinitely more comfortable.
Motorbike and self-drive car hire are becoming increasingly popular though
motorists often run an obstacle race around cows and dogs - many of the
latter significantly three-legged. It's common to rent a car with a driver
for a day-trip or a few days' tour of the island; prices are reasonable if
you're with a few friends. Local transport consists of buses, taxis and
auto-rickshaws. Use your nonce and agree a fare beforehand.
 Recommended Reading
- An idiosyncratic
insight into the country can be found in the touching and disarming Running
in the Family by Michael Ondaatje. The Canadian writer returned to
explore his Sri Lankan roots in 1978.
-
- William
McGowan's Only Man is Vile: The Tragedy of Sri Lanka is a
brilliant and indeed tragic account of the country's recent ethnic
troubles, mixing travelogue, history and reportage. Dr K M De Silva's
exhaustive A History of Sri Lanka provides the comprehensive
overview.
-
- Leonard Woolf's A
Village in the Jungle, written in 1913, is a sombre and deeply
observant account of village life in the early part of this century.
-
- Young Sri Lankan
writer Romesh Gunesekera has achieved modest international literary success
with Monkfish Moon and Reef. The conflict in Sri Lanka
hangs like a menacing black cloud over most of his stories.
-
- Sri Lanka has
some fascinating literary connections. Robert Knox, who was held captive
by a Kandyan king for 20 years in the 17th century wrote a memoir called
An Historical Relation of Ceylon. This was one of the sources
used by Defoe for Robinsoe Crusoe. Pablo Neruda lived in Colombo in the
1930s and many of the poems in Residence on Earth were written in
Ceylon. Paul Bowles owned the island off Weligama for a short time and
wrote much of The Spider's House there. Arthur C Clarke has spent
many years on the island, and wrote The Fountains of Paradise, a
futuristic fable with a setting that bears an uncanny resemblance to Sri
Lanka.
 Travellers' Reports
|
Environment
History
Economic Profile
Facts for the Traveller
Money
& Costs
When
to Go
Attractions
Off the Beaten Track
Activities
Lonely Planet Guides
On-line Info