Sri Lanka holiday tours top pick ?Sri Lank wildlife safaris and vacation tours … an amazing destination that we will focus in this post. Yala National Park is the most visited park in Sri Lanka and also one of the biggest in terms of size. It was the first national park created in Sri Lanka in 1938 along with Wilpattu. It covers an area of 979 square km (378 square miles) and is divided in 5 blocks. Only blocks 1 and 5 are open to tourists, with number 1 being the most popular for sightings (and the most crowded by jeeps). The other blocks cannot be accessed by the public because they are used for research and documentaries.
Mannar Island is like one large nature reserve. Together with the complex of estuaries and other coastal wetlands on the adjoining mainland, it is an internationally important migratory stop over for wading birds. There is a high density of the nocturnal grey slender loris on the island. The Knuckles wilderness is an area of rolling grasslands and cloud forests home to some species of plants and animals found nowhere else in the world. The area is also rich in legend with battles from the epic Ramayana having been played out here.
The Randoli Perahera commences following five nights of the Kumbal Perahera. It is more spectacular than Kumbal Perehara (procession). In the past, the queen also paraded in the palanquin. It has stopped because the participating of the queen is not appropriate with sacred tooth relic. But the palanquins still appear at the Randoli procession. That is the reason to called Randoli to this procession. Pinnacle of The Entire Perahera procession falls on the last day of Randoli procession on full moon Poya day with full blast creating the cultural miracle of south Asia. At the auspicious time, the young jack fruit tree which doesn’t bear fruits is cut by the priest at the shrine of god Vishnu. The sandalwood scented water sprinkles to the jack fruit tree and offers the nine kinds of flowers and oil lamps. Cannonballs are fired to mark the beginning of ceremony which can be heard all across Kandy The priest of the shrine of the god Vishnu does his prayers to all gods requesting protection. Discover additional details Kandy Perahera.
Hiking in Riverston Sri Lanka was an unexpected highlight of my journey throughout the island. Riverston is a region best defined by the popular term, ‘off the beaten path’. We drove for several hours, parked in the middle of nowhere and then embarked on a hike. We headed across the river and through the rice fields and farmland. There is minimal signage but luckily we had our guide Lukobanda to guide us up. The hike doesn’t have a specific name according to the locals other than the Riverston Hike. The hike looks out over the Knuckles mountain range and the surrounding highlands. It’s one of the short day trip hikes in the area. The end of the hike ends with a sharp 300m drop, which made for some pretty epic photos. From here you can chill and take in the views of the Thelgamuwa Valley, the terraced rice fields, and the Knuckles mountain range. This spot is called ‘The Worlds End’.The hike is 5km long but not incredibly difficult.
It is easy to get lost in the cobblestoned alleyways and streets within Galle Fort. Today the area is full of modern restaurants, hotels, clothing, and souvenir shops. Meanwhile, snake charmers and buskers line the seawall. However, the fort was not always such a cosmopolitan spot. A basic fort was constructed by the Portuguese when they made their first landing to the island in 1505. When the Dutch eventually seized control of Galle, they made a number of improvements; including the enormous sea wall that still lines the fort. Galle Fort is an excellent example of what the synthesis between European and Asian architecture looks like. Yala National Park is made up of spellbinding vistas and a true abundance of Sri Lankan wildlife. It has the highest density of leopards in the world, so chances of seeing them are very high. Although leopards are the main attraction here, they are followed closely by elephants, sloth bears and crocodiles. The park is divided into five blocks; some of which were zoned to hunters until Yala became a national park in 1938. Ensure you make time to visit the very informative visitor center at the entrance of the park for insightful displays about the area.