No holiday is complete without souvenirs to take home as a memento or to buy as gifts. While there are typical tourist souvenirs like local T-shirts printed with elephants, Sri Lanka has some distinctive souvenirs to enjoy and to treasure. 

1. Pure Ceylon Tea

Sri Lanka is the origin of Pure Ceylon Tea, acclaimed as the best in the world. The best Ceylon teas are known as “High Grown” coming from plantations at heights above 1,200m. For the sophisticated tea drinker, Orange Pekoe (OP), a long leaf tea from Uva or Nuwara Eliya, will thrill with its sublime subtlety of flavour when drunk without milk. For tea to drink with milk and sugar, look for Broken Orange Pekoe (BOP) or for a more robust taste, buy Fannings or Dust.

Tea can be bought direct from tea factories such as Labookelie, some170 km from Colombo on the road between Kandy and Nuwara Eliya. There are several specialist shops in Colombo selling brand name teas in a variety of attractive packaging. The Sri Lanka Tea Board has a sales centre of all Ceylon Tea brands at 574 Galle Road, Colombo 3, open from 09.00 to 19.00 except Sundays and Poya Days.

2. Exotic Spices

It was spices that first drew the attention of Western countries to the then Ceylon, with cinnamon being the most prized souvenir, and export. Today cinnamon is grown mostly in the lowland coastal areas from Kalutara to Matara.

Cinnamon quills are rolled from the dried bark of the indigenous tree Cinnamomum zeylanicum, and cinnamon can also be obtained in powder form. A bunch of the quills make a marvellous décor statement in a reed basket in any kitchen, as well as providing a source of flavour for meat and even sweet dishes.

Sri Lanka’s ground fresh black pepper corns add zest to cooking. The country’s cloves can be chewed as a breath freshener as well as used to spice up meat dishes. Nutmeg, mace and pungent cardamom are also part of Sri Lanka’s spicy heritage.

Spices can be bought in Spice Gardens along some of the main tourist routes but the practical shopper can find packets of various spices at much cheaper prices in branches of major supermarkets, like Keells.

3. Fresh Cashew Nuts

Cashew nuts grown here are plump and full of flavour and can be bought at supermarkets and specialists shops in Colombo and at the airport, but the fun place to buy cashews is just after Pasyala, at 44km from Colombo on the A1 highway to Kandy.

There, village belles in colourful blouses with bare midriffs and ankle-length wraparound skirts, offer shelled and roasted cashews at dozens of stalls beside the road. This hamlet is called Cadjugama (cadju is the Sinhala for cashew).

4. Genuine Gems

Sri Lanka has a long history as the source of precious gems and one of the many names for the country was Ratnadipa, island of gems. A great ruby given to the Queen of Sheba by King Solomon came from this island, as did the 400 carat blue sapphire in the British crown.

The most popular gem is the blue sapphire since the ruby has gone out of fashion. Other gems to be found include alexandrite, amethyst, aquamarine garnet, quartz, spinel, topaz, tourmaline, zircon and the attractive cat’s eye. No emeralds or diamonds originate here although imported diamonds are cut and polished for export.

If you have no knowledge of gems, buy from a gem merchant and jeweller in your hotel to make certain of its authenticity. Its genuineness can be checked, free of charge, at the National Gem & Jewellery Authority at 25 Galle Face Terrace, Colombo 3 (www.srilankagemautho.com). Local jewellers can create settings to your design or from patterns to make a souvenir to last for ever.

5. Coconut Cutlery

You will find household items such as spoons, cups and even ashtrays made out of coconut in some of the trendy stores in Colombo, but they will be much cheaper if you look for them in village hardware stores, which is where locals buy them. Hand-made out of sanded coconut shell with painted wooden handles, coconut cutlery makes a wonderful talking-point at the dinner table.

6. Hand-carved Masks

For a provocative interior design statement, take home a hand-carved mask as an unusual souvenir. Mask carving is a traditional craft of the West Coast, at Ambalangoda, 83km south of Colombo. These amazing masks are used in folk dance rituals practised in the low country.

The masks are carved out of wood that is light enough to be worn throughout a nightlong dance performance. Each mask is painted in vibrant colours and shaped with symbols according to what demon it is supposed to frighten away. Hung on a wall at home, they are brightly evocative of the traditions of Sri Lanka.

There’s so much to see and do in Sri Lanka, you’ll need to visit here on holiday several times to enjoy everything. Here’s our list to start you off.

1.         Watch the sunset from Galle Face Green

Galle Face Green is the lung of Colombo, an open stretch of grass beside the sea that links the old Colombo Fort area with the metropolis developed to its south. The Galle Face Green faces west and is the perfect place to watch the sun, as a huge golden orb, setting into the Indian Ocean.

It’s fun (and free) to stroll along the waterfront, as the citizens of Colombo do, enjoying the breeze, the camaraderie, the evening hawker snacks, and even buying a kite and having a go at flying it, as the sun sets.

2. Swim in the Indian Ocean

Head 60km south to the gorgeous beaches in the coves and bays along the west coast at Beruwala & Bentota and Hikkaduwa (98km)from October to April when the sea is invitingly calm.

From April to October, plunge into the Indian Ocean from the beaches along the East Coast, especially at Uppuveli just north of Trincomalee (257km from Colombo) or go south east to sport in the shallow waters at Passikudah (273km from Colombo).

3. Sample Sri Lanka’s rice & curry

Rice and curry is Sri Lankans’ staple and you’ll be offered it for lunch, dinner and even breakfast. It’s amazing what canbe served as a curry; not just meat or fish but vegetables,roots and even flowers too.

A good place to experiment is a hotel’s buffet which will usually have a rice and curry corner where you can sample the items you fancy. Once you have the taste for it, angle for an invitation to lunch at a village homestead where the curries will be rich in flavour and smoky from being cooked over a wood fire.

4. Stroll around the Galle Fort ramparts

Galle Fort (116km by road from Colombo) in the island’s southwest corner is the best preserved colonial sea fortress in the whole of Asia. It’s also a thriving residential community with 470 houses, ranging in style from Dutch colonial mansions with columns and deep stoeps to nifty, art deco town houses.

It’s Number 200 on UNESCO’s World Heritage List and there’s no fee to enter and stroll its cobbled streets, popping into the trendy gift shops and cafés, and mounting the ramparts to walk right around the top of the fort’s walls.

5. Tour a tea factory and drink fresh tea

Sri Lanka is the home of Pure Ceylon Tea and there are tea factories near Kandy and higher in the hill country that welcome visitors to see how tea is processed and to taste a cup near the garden where it was grown. In Colombo, sip serendipity in the tea house run by the Sri Lanka Tea Board in the restored Grand Stand of the old Colombo Race Course.

6. Visit the Temple of the Tooth

Not only is the journey to Kandy, 116km from Colombo by road, train or air taxi, spectacular and the former medieval kingdom city endlessly interesting, the visit to Kandy’s revered Tooth Temple (Sri Dalada Maligawa) becomes a unique spiritual experience.

The tooth, taken from the ashes after the cremation of Gauthama Buddha, is an object of veneration to Buddhists and of curiosity to visitors. You don’t actually see it, but can join locals in paying respects at the shrine.

7. Ride a hill country train from Nanu Oya to Bandarawela

One of the world’s great train trips. From Nanu Oya by train on the single broad gauge track that climbs to the rail summit at Pattipola 1,911m above sea level, and then wends its way through clouds with hill top views of rushing waterfalls and plunging valleys on a unique two hour journey to the hill sanatorium town of Bandarawela., 197km from Colombo.

8. Climb Sigiriya Rock Fortress

Like a mushroom of golden-hued granite protruding 183m into the searing blue sky from a hot, flat wilderness of scrub land (transformed in the rainy season to a water garden) the Lion Rock at Sigiriya (168km from Colombo), is a formidable sight. Seeing the ruins of a palace built in the 5^th century (and awesome views) as well as ancient, voluptuous frescoes are a fitting reward for the climb.

9.  Experience Elephants

Elephants can be seen in National Parks, in the Dehiwela Zoo (10km south of Colombo) and thrillingly in the elephant orphanage at Pinnawela (on the way to Kandy) where visitors can watch elephants bathe and even help feed orphaned baby ones. Elephant riding in a howdah can be arranged at Habarana, 197km from Colombo near Sigiriya.

10.   Look for Leopards at Yala National Park

Leopards come out to play at Yala National Park (283km from Colombo) and, as well as elephants, sloth bears and crocodiles, can be seen during dawn or dusk jeep safaris of a few hours. Lots of chances to photograph wild life in the raw before enjoying a hearty breakfast or sundowner cocktails at your hotel. (The park is closed from 1 September to 16 October every year.)

Sri Lanka’s main attractions are accessible by train. If you consider the journey as an adventure, you’ll have fun enjoying the awesome scenery, and the people you meet.

There have been trains in Sri Lanka for 150 years, and some of the rolling stock is pretty old so don’t expect the efficient luxury of train travel in Europe, North America or Australia.

While steam engines were phased out several decades ago, some of the diesel locomotives and their rickety passenger carriages have been in service for more than 30 years. These run on the same lines as sleek, modern Chinese, Indian or Korean power sets, so you’ll need to do some research to catch the best.

Buying a ticket is simple. Turn up at the station at least 10 minutes before the train is scheduled to depart (or earlier so you can secure a seat if you’re boarding the train at its originating station), join the queue at the ticket office, buy a ticket, then wait patiently for the (often late) train to arrive.

It’s best to board the train at the nearest carriage, and then work your way along the aisle to find a vacant seat. If there is 2^nd class available, buy a ticket for that as it doesn’t cost much more than 3^rd class and the chance of getting a seat is better.

Some trains have seats bookable not more than 10 days in advance through Colombo Fort Railway Station. Privately run luxury, air-conditioned carriages with comfortable seats attached to some trains can be booked on line (www.rajadhani.lk & www.exporail.lk).

There is an efficient on-line railway timetable service run on www.gov.lk which gives train times and fares.

Here is our brief guide to Sri Lanka’s best train trips.

Colombo to Kandy

For a day trip, opt for the Intercity Express (ICE) that leaves Colombo Fort at 07.00 and rattles through lowland plains before climbing to reach the plateau crowning the former Kandyan kingdom at 09.30, a rail journey of 118km. The train leaves for the return trip at 15.00, arriving Colombo at 17.36.

There is also a morning ICE train leaving Kandy at 06.15 reaching Colombo at 08.52 and returning from Colombo at 15.35, reaching Kandy at 18.06. All the ICE trains have an observation saloon as well as a privately maintained, luxury air-conditioned carriage.

Colombo to Badulla

Real rail enthusiasts have a choice of traditional train travel or going to the hill country by the modern Chinese-built power sets that have air-conditioned 1^st class as well as 2^nd & 3^rd class compartments. These smart new trains leave Colombo at 05.55 and 09.45 daily to reach Badulla, a distance by rail of 290km (via Kandy), at 16.06 and 19.23 respectively.

A train with older carriages hauled by a diesel locomotive makes a departure daily from Colombo Fort at 08.30, by-passing Kandy to arrive at Badulla at 17.55. As well as an observation saloon, it also has 2^nd & 3^rd class carriages and air-conditioned luxury, privately maintained carriages. This train leaves Badulla daily at 08.30, reaching Colombo at 18.57.

The hill country rail journey is scenically impressive, with the most dramatic section of plunging valleys and misty mountains viewable as the train climbs to the track’s summit of 1,911m (6,266ft) above sea level at Pattipola (223 rail km from Colombo) on the journey from Nanu Oya to Haputale.

Colombo to Anuradhapura

The Northern Line is being extended to Jaffna and is popular for tourists visiting the ancient city of Anuradhapura. Scenically the journey is not as dramatic as a hill country trip as the train speeds across plains, but it delivers a fascinating insight into rural life.

Fast trains have an air-conditioned observation saloon while the 16.20 departure from Colombo Fort which arrives at Anuradhapura at 20.06 has a privately-operated luxury carriage. That train returns from Anuradhapura at 06.40 arriving Colombo Fort at 10.25.

Colombo to Trincomalee

At present only one train a day (and that’s overnight) runs between Colombo and the prominent East Coast port of Trincomalee, a journey of about 295km by rail. The journey begins as the train follows the Northern Line route to the interior town of Maho and then branches off through forests and plains to the East.

The train has a privately-operated luxury air-conditioned carriage on Thursday, Saturdays and Sundays, with a return from Trinco on Friday, Sunday and Tuesday. It leaves Colombo Fort at 21.00; arrives Trinco at 05.10; and from Trinco at 19.30, reaching Fort at 04.05.

Colombo via Galle to Matara

This is a super trip by rail since the line runs alongside the West Coast beaches from Colombo to Galle, and then along the South Coast to Matara. There are several trains a day but only one (the 06.55 departure from Colombo, arriving Galle at 09.26; returning as the 14.10 departure from Matara and departing 15.30 from Galle) has seats bookable in advance on-line in a private air-conditioned luxury rail car.

Using this train it’s possible to make a day trip of 62km by rail to Bentota (for the beach) or 116km to Galle (for the irresistible charm of the old walled Fort). It’s an easy and enjoyable trip, even though you’ll have to get up early.

In the 1867, the fortunes of British-governed Ceylon, as Sri Lanka was then known, were enhanced by the building of the first railway track to Kandy and the planting near Kandy that same year of the first field of tea.

Tea & Trains

Tea turned out to be the freight that made the railways profitable, while without the availability of rail transport to the Colombo harbour for its shipment overseas, Ceylon tea would never have reached the outside world.

This year, 2014, Sri Lanka Railways celebrates the 150^th anniversary of the country’s first scheduled train journey. This took place on a sunny day in October 1864, when the first train to make a scheduled journey in Sri Lanka steamed into Ambepussa station, 54km from Colombo. Three years later, in 1867, the railway line to Kandy officially opened.

The idea of building a railway was first mooted in 1845. Then a bullock cart averaged 12 days to make the tedious journey of 115km (72 miles) from Colombo to Kandy, climbing from sea level to 488m (1,602ft). Coffee planters wanted a railway to transport their crop but it was not until 1856 that an ordinance was passed for the construction of a railway line between Colombo and Kandy.

A Briton, W F Faviell, who had previously helped construct railways in India, was contracted by the government in 1863 to begin building the line. It was a difficult job and the 3,000 men constructing it were hampered by malaria and cholera, monsoon rains, floods and landslides as well as rocky, hilly and steep terrain.

Yakada Yaka

Once the track was laid, rail travel by train became very popular, with the puffing steam engines becoming known as yakada yakada. Although the words mean Iron Devil in Sinhala, they are also onomatopoeic, capturing the sound made by the engine as it gathered rhythm and rattled over the points: yakada…yakada.

The first engine to steam into Kandy was manufactured in England by R Stephenson & Co and went on to serve the Ceylon Government Railway (CGR) for 60 years. The passenger coaches were uncomfortable four wheeled carriages, the only luxuries being projecting sun shades, bonnet-type side ventilation, glass drop windows and a double roof with coconut oil lamps.

The railway opened 11 years after the first line in India and reached Kandy just 52 years after the once-unconquerable hill kingdom had fallen to the British. The rolling stock at the beginning consisted of 15 goods engines with 65 coaches and 200 goods wagons.

Scenic Journeys

With the opening up of the hill country by planters there was soon a demand for the railway to be extended to keep pace with the spread of tea. As a result, the line from Peradeniya was laid to Gampola by 1873 and, in 1885, to Nanu Oya (205 km from Colombo) for Nuwara Eliya.

It wasn’t until 1894 that the line was cut through the hills, rising to its highest point of 1,898m (6,226ft) above sea level just beyond Pattipola station, to Bandarawela (197km from Colombo). This section is still regarded as one of the world’s great scenic railway journeys as well as an amazing engineering achievement.

The railways spread northwards with spurs to Matale from Kandy in 1880 and another from Polgahawela to Kurunegala in 1894, reaching Anuradhapura (206km from Colombo) ten years later. A line was also laid southwards from Colombo 116km along the coast to Galle and on to Matara (160km). By the end of the 1920s, the total network consisted of 1,530km and the railway was making a profit. A decade later, as road transport improved, that profit had turned to a loss.

Steam Memories

A hundred years after its inauguration, the inventory of CGR had expanded to 225 steam engines and 120 diesel-powered locomotives and rail cars. Fifty years later there were only four steam locomotives remaining in operating condition. However, travel in a train hauled by a steam locomotive dating from the 1920s or 1940s is still possible by special charter of the Viceroy Special train on journeys to Galle and Kandy.

Relics of the early days of railways can be seen in the small Railway Museum, just a short walk eastwards along Olcott Mawatha from Colombo Fort railway station. (www.railwaymuseum.lk).The museum consists of a hall with some railway station furniture, including a Tyers Patent Train Tablet Apparatus over 100 years old, and a station platform called Colombo Terminus, and a couple of cute steam locos. Admission is free and the museum is open from 08.00hrs to 16.00hrs every day except public holidays and weekends.

The perfect beach awaits you in Sri Lanka. Whether you like broad strands of sand to jog along at the sea’s edge, soaring waves to surf as they splash on the shore, intimate coves for private sunbathing, or beaches lined with seafood cafés and bars, you’ll find the beach of your desires here.

Negombo (30km from Colombo) has the closest beach to the airport, a mere 5km distance. It is lined by the first hotels to open in Sri Lanka and is a cross between two popular beaches further south, being livelier than Bentota but not as laidback as Hikkaduwa. Tourists share the beach with fishermen where they park boats that later sail off with red sails into the sunset. The after-beach life is sophisticated with vibrant cocktail bars and sleek restaurants.

The closest dedicated beach strip to Colombo is at Mount Lavinia, 12km from the city centre. North of the headland, with its view of Colombo, the beach is the preserve of residents who flock there at weekends and on holidays. There are cabanas for picnics and beachside meals as well as some lively bars. The beach south of the headland is for the more genteel.

The best beaches begin at Beruwala and Bentota, roughly halfway between Colombo and the southern tip of Galle. Beruwala (58km from Colombo) was known to ancient mariners as Barberyn and it has a lighthouse on an island off the shore and a flourishing dawn fish market. The beach stretch is long with shallow waves washing it in the West Coast holiday season months of October to April.

The beach at Bentota (64km from Colombo) is vast; it can take an hour to walk along it from one headland to another. This is pure beach with gloriously golden sand and welcoming seas. There’s not much to do, even in the season from October to April, and that’s how regular visitors like it.

There are palm-fringed coves with sandy strips all the way down the West Coast, one with a natural swimming pool embraced by rock is at Induruwa (68km from Colombo). For convivial beach action, head for Hikkaduwa, 97km from Colombo, with hotels and guesthouses to suit every pocket. The beach, naturally structured in coves, is popular with the young and young at heart and the action often continues into the late evening.

Acclaimed as one of the best beaches in the world many years ago, Unawatuna (125km from Colombo) has changed because of tidal flows reducing the once broad beach to a slim version of its former self. However, it is still the best beach in Sri Lanka for day and night time action where people from around the world congregate in the sun. It’s just a 10 minute ride from Galle, the closest town.

The beach at Mirissa (150km from Colombo)attracts surfers at one end, and tourists eager to head out to sea and watch for whales. There are quieter beaches further along the southern coast, close to Tangalle. Nicknamed Turtle Bay, the beach at Kalametiya, by the 214km post on the Colombo to Hambantota coastal road, awaits discovery with its long rollers, windswept dunes…and turtles.

The best time to visit the beaches on the East Coast is from April to October when the sea is calmer and the beaches broader. But with their swimming pools and gardens for relaxing, and beachside seafood restaurants, the hotels on the East Coast are enjoyable year round.

From Trincomalee (257 km northeast of Colombo) the beach stretches northwards for miles but it’s best at Uppuveli, about 5km further north. On this golden shore, fishermen toil at one end while tourists laze at the other in perfect harmony. The sea, in season, invigorates and the area has preserved its sense of isolation, creating a peaceful ambience for beachcombing.

 Some 80km down the East Coast from Trinco on the way to Batticaloa (303km from Colombo) are the newly developed beaches of Passikudah Bay and its neighbour Kalkudah Bay. They were renowned as potential beach playgrounds before a cyclone in 1978 blew the dreams away and then came 25 years of civil war, keeping the area off limits to tourists. That’s changed now with smart new hotels with glittering facilities opening up along the coast. The sea there, in season, is shallow far off-shore, so it’s delightful for swimming.

The bold and carefree flock to Arugam Bay (325 from Colombo) for laidback after-beach action following days spent in the sun surfing some tremendous waves. The sand there is not for building castles but suits the do-it-yourself community of surfers, adding to the diversity of Sri Lanka’s incredible beaches.

Sri Lanka is an island approximately 65,525 square kilometres (that’s 25,299 square miles) in area, with a multitude of sights to see. Here we give some tips on how best to travel around Sri Lanka by air, rail and road.

1.Air

Sri Lanka has two international airports, the long-established Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) at Katunayake (32km north of Colombo) and the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport, opened in March 2013, some 263km southeast of Colombo.

This new airport makes access to the central highlands and the attractions of the south much easier than from Colombo, being just 53km by road to Yala National Park and 94km to Nuwara Eliya. So if you are heading south on arrival at Colombo, to save time it makes sense to take a flight to Mattala. Sri Lanka’s national airline, SriLankan, has daily flights linking the two airports. (www.srilankan.aero)

There are also some private companies operating domestic air services with both scheduled and charter flights. Cinnamon Air operates a combined wheel and float plane from BIA and Water’s Edge (13km from the centre of Colombo) that enables landing either on water or land. The company has flights to Kandy, Sigiriya (in the Cultural Triangle near Habarana), Trincomalee and Batticaloa on the east coast, and the southern airport of Koggala (10km east of Galle). It also operates charters to land on the lagoon for the west coast resorts at Bentota (64km south of Colombo).

Two companies, Helitours operated by the Sri Lankan Air Force (http://www.helitours.lk) and FitsAir (http://www.fitsair.com) operate scheduled flights from Colombo’s domestic airport at Ratmalana (12km south from the city centre) to Palaly at Jaffna (396km north of Colombo).

It is also possible to charter helicopters to travel around Sri Lanka and for photo shoots. Helitours and Simplifly (http://www.simplifly.com) provide this service.

2. Rail

Sri Lanka’s rail network is extensive and covers the main areas with a new link to Jaffna (393km by rail from Colombo) and the ancient cities of Anuradhapura (203km) and Polonnaruwa (257km) in the North, Trincomalee (295km) and Batticaloa (347km) in the East, the beaches of Beruwala (56km), Bentota (62km), Hikkaduwa (97km) in the West, Galle (115km) and Matara (158km)in the South and the hill country destinations of Kandy (116km), Nanu Oya (205km) for Nuwara Eliya, Ella (269km) and on to Badulla (290km).

The main station for departures in Colombo is Colombo Fort, although some trains start and finish at Maradana station (2km distant).

For travelling independently by public transport, trains provide the most enjoyable means of getting around. Buying a ticket is simple. You turn up at the station at least ten minutes before the train is scheduled to depart (or earlier so you can secure a seat if you are boarding at its originating station), queue at the correct ticket counter, pay cash and collect a ticket, one-way only. Reserved accommodation, booked no more than ten days in advance, is available on some trains.

The rail system is undergoing gradual modernisation and some trains from Colombo serving Kandy (which also has a twice daily Intercity Express train service linking the two cities), Badulla, Anuradhapura, Galle and Matara, now offer the luxury of air-conditioned travel in privately-owned coaches (www.exporail.com and www.rajadhani.com). Tickets can be bought online using a credit card, but the print-out has to be authorised by a railway agency or at the departing station before travel.

There is an efficient on-line timetable service available on www.gov.lk. This gives train times and days of operation between all stations and the fares. For more details to see Exploring Sri Lanka By Train on this blog.

3. Road 

There is an extensive bus network (both government-run and privately-operated) serving practically every town and village in the country, even those without modern roads.

There are several types of buses (see: the blog on Tips for Travelling Around Sri Lanka). These include the “local” buses that ply from country villages to the main towns, and long distance air-conditioned luxury buses.

If you are thinking of travelling by bus, be warned that the system lacks the comfort and disciplined driving habits of bus services in Western countries.

The main tour operators run dedicated, air-conditioned, modern luxury coaches that are utilised to transfer their guests between airport and hotels. They also operate round the island tours to fixed destinations in the comfortable coaches, and this is a hassle-free way of seeing Sri Lanka.

Independent travel is also possible by arranging a tour by vehicle through the tour operator’s desk at your hotel, or by hiring a chauffeur-driven car or mini-van privately. Self-drive car hire is also possible. For more details see the blog on “Tips For Travelling.”

Although the Sri Lankan staple is Rice & Curry, there’s much more to eat and enjoy during your holiday. Don’t miss any of these exotic delights.

Seafood

Indian Ocean deep sea fish like tuna, swordfish, seer and shark, as well as smaller reef fish, are readily available and can be prepared exactly as you wish at your hotel or at beachside restaurants. Ever popular is lobster, while freshly caught crab served in Trincomalee and Hikkaduwa as well as in various styles in specialist restaurants in Colombo, is famous.

Calamares (squid) are caught locally too and can be enjoyed stuffed or sliced and fried in battered rings or tossed in garlic and lime. Sri Lanka’s succulent prawns, whether served in a creamy curry or the Jaffna way prepared in a thick chilli and tomato-based sauce, or simply with garlic and coriander, are scrumptious.

Curry

You’ll be amazed at the varieties of curry available depending on whether you’re having curry from a tourist hotel’s buffet, in a village home or country resthouse, and whether it’s prepared southern style (saucy and subtle) or northern style (dryer and more pungent). Curry tastes more distinctive when it’s cooked in a clay pot over a wood fire.

Chicken, meat or fish curry make up part of the traditional Sri Lankan breakfast, accompanied by items like Seeni Sambol, (a relish of fried sliced onions, sun-dried fish chips, spices and sugar) or Katta Sambol (a condiment of grated coconut mixed with chillies and lime).

This kind of breakfast is enjoyed with hoppers, a kind of crepe, often with an egg baked in the centre, or with string hoppers, a kind of vermicelli nest. The curries are also eaten with rice and, on special occasions like the first day of the month, with chunks of creamy milk rice livened up with garlic slices.

Short Eats

This is the Sri Lanka term for small snacks and can include hoppers as mentioned above as well as snacks such as fish or vegetable stuffed samosas, and cutlets (deep fried balls of potato and minced meat, chicken or fish). Wadai, a deep fried lentil and chilli cookie is another favourite short eat.

A more substantial snack is called Kottu Roti and consists of roti (flat baked soft dough) chopped on a hot plate with flair and lots of noise while mixing the cut pieces with raw or cooked vegetables and meat and sometimes an egg.

Fruit

Some of Sri Lanka’s fruits are familiar in appearance but their taste will be more enticing than you’re used to, not only because of the freshness but they seem sweeter too. You won’t need sugar if you try them juiced.

An example are pineapples, which are so sweet, Sri Lankans like to eat them in slices dusted with chilli, as sold by vendors in pineapple country some 16km from Colombo on the A1 highway to Kandy. From Jaffna in the north come juicy mangoes while unripe green mangoes can be served as a curry. Papayas, too, seem to taste sweeter in Sri Lanka, especially when eaten with a squeeze of lime juice.

Sri Lanka is reputed to have some 29 varieties of bananas and these are offered to visitors at every homestead. Some are tiny, some fat and pink in appearance, some exquisitely sweet. Coconuts, of course, abound. A popular drink is thambili, the liquid obtained from a golden-hued coconut whose soft flesh looks like the white of a poached egg and tastes heavenly.

Unfamiliar fruits include rambutan whose bristly skin peels back to reveal sweet colourless flesh around a seed, and mangosteen. This has a hard, dark skin that when split open yields sweet, juicy white segments of flesh. Both can be bought from wayside vendors from June to August, especially at Kalutara, 43km from Colombo.

If you’re an adventurous foodie, then be sure to try durian. Protected by its green, spiky skin and rampant pong, its flesh is ambrosia to addicts, and nauseating to others. It’s to be seen, and smelled, on sale from May to August beside the highway to Kandy, particularly at Hingula, some 95km from Colombo.

Buffalo Curd

Taste genuine buffalo curd, and afterwards yogurt will forever seem insipid. It’s made from curdled buffalo milk in the clay pot it’s sold in. The best place to buy it is in the deep south of the country, especially on the road to Yala, 260km from Colombo. It’s also available in plastic containers but that doesn’t have the same consistency (it should be thick) or smoky taste.

Buffalo curd trickled with sugar palm treacle is a classic Sri Lankan dessert. Jaggery, a fudge-like confection made from boiled and stirred palm treacle, is often nibbled as a sweetener with plain tea, instead of sugar.

It’s part of holiday fun to try every dish and dessert that Sri Lankans enjoy. You’ll be surprised to discover that Sri Lankan cuisine is not all chilli and curry.

Whether you are planning to visit Sri Lanka independently, travelling around as you fancy, or to holiday as a part of a package with hotel and touring included, there are a few simple points to bear in mind regarding your personal safety.

Be cautious

Muggings are not part of local culture although petty theft sometimes occurs. This can be avoided by removing temptation: don’t leave anything unattended on the beach, or put your mobile phone on a bus seat, or have your Kindle sticking out of a satchel.

In hotel rooms, where there is a safe, use it. If you have a hard shell suitcase that can be locked securely, keep valuables in that. Otherwise don’t leave things you treasure on view. Housekeeping staff are honest but some people will take advantage if you are careless.

It is better to carry your passport with you all the time, in case curious policemen request it for inspection, although that rarely happens. Keep credit cards and cash in different pockets about your person or in a hidden money belt. Handbags or purses with a strap can be sliced off in you’re in a crowded place, or snatched.

It’s a sensible plan to have photocopies of all your documents with details of the reference numbers, and keep them in a separate place to the originals. Don’t load yourself up with unnecessary documents, keepsakes, etc., that you won’t need in Sri Lanka.

Travel Light

If you must wear jewellery, don’t be ostentatious as chain snatchings by youths roaring past on motorbikes can happen. Dress modestly in public; Sri Lanka is a conservative country and scantily clad men and women away from the beach invite harassment, and worse. Topless or nude sunbathing’s a No No.

Sri Lanka’s climate is hot (and wet sometimes too) so having to haul around a lot of luggage in the heat or rain will leave you exhausted, annoyed and less alert than you should be. Half the stuff you might think of bringing is totally unnecessary. Lightweight cottons are the best clothing and everything – except your prescription medicines – can be bought in Sri Lanka.

Keep Your Wits About You

“Don’t talk to strange men” is something your mother might have told you. It applies in Sri Lanka too, especially in tourist areas where beguiling young – and old too – men lurk to lure the unwary into scams, such as visiting a craft or jewellery factory (they’ll get a commission on anything you buy), seeing crocodiles (usually water monitors) or a lobster dinner (commission again). Don’t be shy at saying “No” and walking off.

However, Sri Lankans are naturally friendly, hospitable and helpful people and, if you keep your wits about you, you could make loyal and concerned friends. Take local advice, especially about where to swim, as the seas are treacherous, and which roads to take and how to travel.

Travel Comfortably

Even if you want to travel at the lowest price they way locals do, don’t. You, who can afford it, will be adding to the lack of space in packed local buses and crowded 3^rd class carriages on trains. Public transport is cheap, so choose luxury train carriages or book a seat on an air-conditioned bus.

Travelling by road, though, is pretty terrifying as the standard of driving relies on faith rather than a highway code. When you are travelling in a tourist van or car, always buckle up. Three-wheeler taxis (tuk-tuks) are fun but insist on the driver keeping within the speed limit. Leave negotiating the traffic to him.

Stay Healthy

Sri Lanka is not a destination for sex tourism but encounters are possible. Be aware that AIDs exists although its prevalence is unknown. Less serious health issues could involve the consequence of being bitten by a mosquito. Local repellent oils, sprays, mosquito coils and electric operated mats and vaporising liquids can be bought locally.

While food make take some time for your stomach to get used to it, (it will either be bland hotel pap or fiery local dishes), anti-diarrhoea pills are available from ubiquitous pharmacies. Don’t be afraid to try new dishes but do avoid water and ice of unknown provenance.

Enjoy

Do not be shy about backing down. As a guest in Sri Lanka, you are not expected to intervene in disputes, or to explain how something is done your way or “at home.” Avoid public demonstrations or political meetings. Whenever trouble looks like brewing, leave.

For your own sake, don’t forget that you are in a foreign country with different customs and cuisine to what you are used to. However, if you feel frightened that something might happen to you, it really might. So relax and enjoy everything Sri Lanka has to offer, safely.

Sri Lanka is famous for its beaches, its tea growing hill country scenery, its ruins of ancient cities and its garden city of Colombo. It also has many little known attractions that are delightful to visit. Here are four of the best.

 1. Henarathgoda Botanical Gardens

You’ll hardly ever see a tourist at the Henarathgoda Botanical Gardens, yet it is not only easy to reach, being the closest Botanical Gardens to Colombo (32km), but also a wonderful representation of the flora of the tropics. While the better known gardens at Peradeniya near Kandy, and Hakgala near Nuwara Eiya, are on the typical tourist trail, the Henarathgoda Gardens are just as attractive and, because so little known, offer a more pleasant discovery of exotic plants and trees.

The Gardens opened in 1876 and now consist of 15ha of well-cared-for indigenous and imported trees including descendants of the first rubber trees to be brought to Sri Lanka (from Brazil via Kew Gardens). There is also a fine fernery and an extensive plant nursery.

The Gardens can be reached from Gampaha railway station by bus (take one headed to Minuwangoda) or three wheeler taxi. A verdant contrast to the paddy fields of the area, the Gardens are located at Asgiriya, down a signposted road to the left of the bus stop (tell the conductor where you want to be dropped so you don’t miss it). While cars and pedal bikes are allowed, the Gardens are perfect for an afternoon’s leisurely stroll. They are open from 08.00 to 18.00 daily; there is an admission fee.

2. Dawson’s Column, Kadugannawa

Looming over the A1 road to Kandy at 100km from Colombo, is a slim obelisk, rather like a lighthouse stranded inland, that stretches 38m into the sky from a bluff where the railway line runs alongside the road at Kadugannawa. It was built in 1832 and a plaque at its base records that his friends and admirers erected it as a tribute to Captain W F Dawson “whose science and skill planned and executed this road and other works of public utility.”

Captain Dawson was a member of the Royal Engineers who was instructed by Governor Barnes to design and build the original road to Kandy from Colombo. He began it in 1820 and it took 11 years to build because entire hillsides had to be navigated or penetrated. Today’s A1 highway follows much of the trace of Dawson’s road.

The caretaker of the tower is happy to let tourists climb it and will unlock the padlock that secures the heavy wooden door at its base, and lend you a torch. The wooden stairs are narrow and worn and supported by a tall central column and the tower’s wall. There are 112 steps to the top where there is a narrow ledge with a railing to stop people toppling off. Going down is tougher than climbing up as it means clinging to the central pole and hobbling down one step at a time.

3. Pilimatalawa Highway Museum

Just 5km further along towards Kandy, there is a unique collection of green-and-red painted steamrollers, ancient road building equipment and old road signs in an open air museum by the railway crossing at Pilimatalawa. Entrance is free to this museum which was opened in 1986 as a monument to public utilities. A few metres down the road from it, is the original Kandy road where a grand brick bridge, now closed to traffic, bears the date 1826.

4. Lipton’s Seat, Dambatenne

Sir Thomas Lipton was the pioneer in the marketing of Ceylon tea in Britain when he bought several tea estates in the hill country in 1890 so he could export his own brand of Ceylon tea to the shops he owned in Britain. He bought Dambatenne Estate near the hill town of Haputale (1,429m above sea level) on the A4 at 184km from Colombo, and stayed in the estate bungalow whenever he visited the then Ceylon.

His favourite pastime was to ride his horse or hike to a viewpoint about 10km from Haputale and now known as Lipton’s Seat. He used to sit there and survey his tea plantations from the 360 degree view. At the top, on a rare clear day, you can see across the hills and plains of five provinces of Sri Lanka.

There is a thatched pavilion to sit and picnic, as well as a shop selling snacks and a newly built gazebo on the summit of a hill behind the viewpoint. Lipton’s Seat is a favourite of local tourists as well as foreigners, and is literally a “cool” place to meet and talk to fellow travellers.

The best way to get there is to leave your vehicle at the entrance and hike 1.3km uphill to the look out. A sign requests an admission fee of “Rs50 per soul; Rs100 per vehicle.”

What are the attractions that are most popular with visitors to Sri Lanka, apart from the beaches? We conducted an informal survey among tourists and tourist drivers and discovered these are the top five attractions visitors love. We think you will too.

 1. The Temple of the Tooth

Probably the most popular attraction for visitors is the Temple of the Tooth (known as Sri Dalada Maligawa) in the old hill kingdom city of Kandy (116km form Colombo). This houses the Sacred Tooth of Lord Buddha, an object of veneration to Buddhists, and of respectful curiosity to tourists.

A notice at the entrance to the garden in which the Temple stands, requests visitors to “refrain from wearing head dresses, mini-skirts, short trousers, sleeveless jackets, so to maintain the sanctity of the holy place.” There is an admission fee and all visitors must remove their footwear.

Tradition states that the tooth was taken from the ashes after the cremation of Gauthama Buddha at Kusinara in India in 543BC. It was eventually smuggled to Sri Lanka in the 4^th century AD. It was lodged in many places as a symbol of nationhood until coming to rest in Kandy in 1592.

The main shrine of the temple is on the first floor and its doors are opened during puja (offering) times (06.30; 10.00 & 18.30 daily) providing a glimpse of the sacred casket. You don’t actually see the tooth but a visit to the shrine is a soul-stirring experience whatever your faith.

2. Peradeniya Botanical Gardens

No visit to Kandy is complete without seeing the Royal Botanical Gardens, some 6km south of the town on the Colombo Road. Its origins go back to the 18^th century when it was a royal residence and park. It became a formal botanical garden under a British governor in 1821 and the first tea seedlings grown in the then Ceylon were planted there in 1824, fifty years before tea became a viable commercial crop.

The gardens consist of nearly 61ha (150 acres) dedicated to the flora of Sri Lanka with an arboretum and herbarium and, especially popular with tourists, an Orchid House with an amazing collection of rare orchids. The entire area of the gardens is embraced by the Maheweli River, adding to its stunning beauty. It is open daily (08.00-18.00) to stroll around at leisure or take a buggy; an admission fee is charged.

3. Elephant Orphanage

At Pinnawela (85km from Colombo via Kegalle), easily reached on the drive to or from Kandy, this orphanage remains unique since it was set up in 1975 to provide shelter and care for young elephants that had been abandoned or orphaned. There are now over 60 elephants, some of them being founder members who act as family for the newly arrived orphans.

Hugely popular with visitors, the best time to drop in is at feeding time (09.15, 13.15 & 17.00) or for the ritual bathing (10.00-12.00; 14.00-16.00) when the elephants troop off in an eager herd down a lane opposite the park to the Maha Oya (river). An admission fee is charged.

4. Round Trip Tour

Book it in advance of your visit or arrange a tour yourself with a licensed guide and a taxi or mini-van from your hotel for what is known locally as the “round trip tour.” This takes you on a tour to destinations of your choice (or leave it to your guide to advise) on a trip around the island.

As well as visiting the three attractions listed above, the typical tour would take in the ancient ruins of Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa and include “the eighth wonder of the world,” the Sigiriya Lion Rock. Once a royal citadel, this gigantic mushroom-shaped rock protrudes 183m into the sky and rewards anyone who climbs it with paintings of beauties as frescoes on the rock wall and a breathtaking view from the top. If you base yourself at Habarana you’ll be able to see elephants and wildlife at Minneriya, one of the island’s 16 National Parks.

For contrast let the tour take you southwards to the hill country around Nuwara Eliya to see the magnificent forest scenery patch-worked with vegetable plantations and hills clad with crew-cropped tea bushes. You can see gem mining too, at Ratnapura, or take the tour to the East Coast to visit Fort Frederick and the beaches north and south of Trincomalee.

5. Galle Fort

Galle Fort (116km south of Colombo) is fascinating even if you’re not interested in the country’s colonial occupation by the Portuguese, the Dutch and the British, all of whom had a hand in the Fort’s construction. Its massive ramparts loom over the southern harbour town of Galle and it is remarkable as, even though it is Number 200 on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites, it is a thriving residential area… and entrance is free.

Its attraction for tourists looking beyond the history in its colonial and art deco houses (numbering 470 in all) is its boutique stores selling souvenirs for the sophisticated, and its charming little cafés. Galle Fort has been gentrified in recent years but this has rescued it from decay, preserving its buildings and ambience, adapted to pleasing the modern tourist.