Weligama
Stilt fisherman – Weligama (meaning ‘Sandy Village’) is located about 30km east of Galle and is an interesting and lively blend of international beach resort and raucous Asian fishing town. You can spend a happy day wandering around, getting a feel for local life, dipping your toes in the ocean and marvelling at the denizens of the deep, who end their days being hacked up and sold from roadside fish stalls.
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Matara
Matara is a busy, booming and sprawling commercial town that owes almost nothing to tourism – which makes it a fascinating window on modern Sri Lankan life. Matara’s main attractions are its ramparts, a well-preserved Dutch fort and, most of all, its street life.
Ratnapura Gem City
Sitting in well-irrigated valleys between Adam’s Peak and Sinharaja Forest Reserve, busy Ratnapura (‘City of Gems’ in Sanskrit) is a famous trading centre for the area’s ancient wealth of gem stones. The region’s wet and humid climate encourages the formation of riverbeds, which are the perfect environment for gem stones to develop.
Polonnaruwa
Sri Lanka’s royal medieval capital for nearly a century from 1073, Polonnaruwa had been a military base for invading Chola tribes, from southern India, until they were overthrown by the Sinhalese king, Vijayabahu I in 1070. The next king, Parakramabahu I, was the main driving force behind the development of Polonnuruwa. It remained Sri Lanka’s […]
Habarana
Spend a morning in the remote village of Hiruwadunna and experience Sri Lanka’s unhurried rural village life. This is a beautiful setting where the villagers go about their daily lives with the greatest respect to nature. Take a bumpy, cattle-drawn bullock cart ride pass paddy fields and the village temple. Join a fisherman in his […]