Sundowner: Spring/Summer 2019
Lone ranging: solo travel is on the rise but there's no need to always go it alone. Botswana nirvana: a paradise for animal lovers. Places to go: 2019's eight hottest travel destinations.
Lone ranging: solo travel is on the rise but there's no need to always go it alone.
Botswana nirvana: a paradise for animal lovers.
Places to go: 2019's eight hottest travel destinations.
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
SRI LANKA<br />
WORDS: JANET BRICE. ADDITIONAL RESEARCH: ALICIA DEVENEY<br />
U<br />
UNESCO<br />
Few countries are blessed with as many UNESCO World<br />
Heritage Sites as this gem in the Indian Ocean, making<br />
it perfect for a cultural odyssey. Its seven historic marvels are<br />
the sacred city of Anuradhapura, the ancient settlements of<br />
Polonnaruwa and Sigiriya, the Golden Temple of Dambulla, the<br />
old town of Galle, the magnificent temples and palaces of the<br />
royal city of Kandy, and the Sinharaja Forest Reserve.<br />
Y<br />
YALA<br />
This national<br />
park may be<br />
famous for having one of the<br />
highest leopard concentrations<br />
in the world, but you can also view<br />
elephant and sloth bear here. It’s estimated<br />
that more than 40 leopards live within the<br />
130,000 hectares of Yala, the country’s oldest<br />
park, which borders the Indian Ocean. Spotted<br />
deer, wild boar, buffalo, and flocks of migratory<br />
birds also call this slice of Sri Lanka home.<br />
V<br />
VIRGIN RAINFOREST<br />
The virgin rainforest of Sinharaja is the most<br />
biologically unique lowland forest in Sri Lanka,<br />
covering 11,187 hectares from east to west. This UNESCO<br />
World Heritage Site is a great place for birdwatchers. You can<br />
see the Ceylon lorikeet, Layard’s parakeet, Ceylon blue magpie<br />
and the white-throated flowerpecker, among others.<br />
W<br />
WORLD’S END<br />
Early morning is the best<br />
time to visit the<br />
awe-inducing escarpment of World’s End. From your<br />
vantage point within the Horton Plains National Park in<br />
Nuwara Eliya you should see tea plantation villages in the valley<br />
below and views towards the coast. A trek to the sheer cliff, with<br />
a drop of about 1,200 metres, usually takes about three hours.<br />
X<br />
X MARKS THE SPOT<br />
X out of ten to anyone who knew the Romans visited<br />
Sri Lanka by accident. In 45 AD a ship was caught in a<br />
monsoon and landed in a natural harbour of Taprobane (as it<br />
was known to the ancient Greeks). Evidence of the landing can<br />
be seen in Jetavana Museum at Anuradhapura where Roman<br />
coins, found at the nearby monastery, are on display.<br />
Z<br />
ZEBU<br />
A familiar sight grazing in rural parts of Sri Lankan<br />
is the zebu. You can recognise this diminutive breed<br />
of cattle by the distinctive fatty hump on its shoulders. Well<br />
adapted to thrive in the intense heat and drought conditions,<br />
the zebu is the world’s smallest natural breed of cow. When fully<br />
grown, they measure less than one metre and are occasionally<br />
kept as pets by children.<br />
previous page: Sigiriya Lion Rock<br />
From A to Z: The Bodhi tree, Anuradhapura; turtle; Polonnaruwa;<br />
elephant; Galle Fort; Vallipuram Alvar Vishnu Kovil, Jaffna; Esala Perahera<br />
procession in Kandy; Lion Rock; rare orchid; stilt fisherman; view from top<br />
of Sigiriya Rock; Temple of the Tooth; Ceylon blue magpie; leopard<br />
CONTACT ABERCROMBIE & KENT<br />
For more information on visiting this gem of an island, or to<br />
book your very own A to Z of Sri Lanka’s many wonders, call<br />
our Indian Sub-continent travel experts on 01242 547 755.<br />
abercrombiekent.co.uk | 81
Change language