Emerald Fields, Topaz Skies

Much like its jewel shape and famed natural resources, Sri Lanka is quite a gem.

 By Andrea Booth

With its mixture of outdoor adventure, art galleries and opportunities to unwind at the beach, Sri Lanka, the island country just south of India, offers plenty to keep the traveler entertained for one or two weeks.

A half-hour drive from the airport is Sri Lanka’s capital city, Colombo. Similar to Jakarta in the early 1980s, Colombo is largely underdeveloped but you will love it for its lack of traffic, ample green space and manageable size. With wide streets free of traffic and high rises, and marked by only a few factories and consulates, its city center has something of an industrial feel.

With so much to do and see outside the nation’s capital, it’s best not to spend too much time here – top off a day here with a G&T and barbequed seafood dinner on the balcony of the Galle Face Hotel overlooking the foreshore.

Because of the civil strife between the Tamils and the Sinhalese, as well as the tsunami of 2004, people may be a little hesitant to journey to Sri Lanka, but it has been recovering well. While it is best to play it safe and not venture too far north, the rest of the country, from the center to the south, has nothing but attractions.

Head to central Sri Lanka by car or take the daily train into the natural delight known as the Hill Country. Watch the fields pass you by as the flat landscape transforms into pointed mountains and the muggy climate melts away, leaving your skin with the slap of crisp air.

Rock of Ages

North of the Hill Country stands the awesome Sigiriya Rock, a 200-meter-high vertical rock structure, a solid magma plug of an extinct volcano now recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Legend follows that the flat top became the site of the palace of King Kassapa (477–495 AD) after he overthrew and murdered his father, King Dhatusena.

After climbing the steel stairs wedged into the rock face, you are rewarded with a dramatic view of the Knuckles Ranges – rock-tipped mountains tinted black by the shadows of clouds. Time can pass fast as you wander around the foundations of what once could have been the king’s gem-studded bedroom, his private pool and luscious gardens all those years ago.

Archaeological evidence, however, suggests the rock may have been home to something more modest – a Buddhist monastery before King Kassapa’s time. Whatever it was, though, it is difficult to imagine how people, let alone supplies, reached the top of this vertical beauty without the assistance of modern technology.

You can make Sigiriya a pleasant daytrip, stopping by at one of the many spice gardens surrounding the area. The gardens provide a kind of olfactory orgasm, as they are filled with chilies, paprika, peppercorns, cardamom, vanilla beans, cinnamon and cloves, not to mention the exotic saffron. Aspiring cooks will find it worth hiring an onsite guide to gain comprehensive information about the plants. Some of these gardens also offer massages using renowned Ayurveda herbal oils and ancient techniques.

Taste of Kandy

You cannot visit the Hill Country without stopping at Sri Lanka’s cultural and spiritual core – the ancient city of Kandy. Once a kingdom, it remains highly regarded for its ability to have resisted European colonialization since the Portuguese arrived more than 300 years ago.

Charm oozes through this sacred town’s bustling streets, which are awash with whitewashed buildings, bakeries offering piping hot egg roti and markets crammed with spices and crimson-colored silks. Pack a picnic and head to Peradeniya Botanic Gardens, and don’t forget to visit the Temple of the Tooth Relic, allegedly holding one of the Buddha’s teeth within its mural-covered walls.

Continue on from Kandy to one of Sri Lanka’s highest mountains, Adam’s Peak. Standing at just more than 2,000 meters high, Adam’s Peak is considered the nation’s most sacred mountain by adherents of the country’s main religions. Buddhists (who account for 70 percent of Sri Lanka’s population), Muslims, Hindus and Christians make the pilgrimage to the peak sometime between December and May each year to pay tribute to the holy footprint said to be that of these religions’ respective gods.

There is plenty to take in while you are in this area. Wind around the countryside admiring emerald-leafed tea plantations blanketing steep hills. Stop to take a tour through a tea factory and see how different flavors are produced and what exactly goes into making a good cup, before sipping one yourself, accompanied by a slice of cake and biscuits.

A Lot of Galle

Away from the adventure of the Hill Country, travel south to spend time strolling through historical towns such as Galle. This town, in the southwest of the country, was occupied by the Portuguese in the 15^th century. They built a small fort there, which they later extended during a tiff with the Kingdom of Kandy. When the Dutch settled in Galle in the 17^th century, however, they destroyed much of it, surrounding the town with a fort that still exists today.

While you are here, you might like to drop in to the National Maritime Museum, the National Museum or any of the numerous art galleries. It is also a nice idea to walk the circumference of the fort – it takes about an hour – admiring views over the ocean, town and even the Galle International Cricket Stadium, just outside its walls.

If adventuring begins to take its toll on your energy levels, while you are in Sri Lanka’s south, take the opportunity to relax by its beaches. You can backtrack north about 20 kilometers to Hikkaduwa, a pretty beach equipped with plenty of guesthouses, shops and restaurants. But a closer option, just around the inlet from Galle, is popular Unawatuna Beach.

Again, there are plenty of accommodation choices, shops and restaurants here, and they are all by the water.

In idyllic, almost cheesy, surrounds of palm trees, white sand and an ocean emulating a million undulating sapphires, you can spend a good three or four days sunbathing, swimming, snorkeling, eating fresh seafood and enjoying walks by the water. Surfers can head to Ahangama or Midigama Beaches, known for their powerful left breaks, but should be alert to the craggy shore.

If you want to break up your tropical beach retreat, you can take a daytrip to Yala National Park where you can join a safari or hire a tracker. Here you can see some of the world’s most majestic animals such as leopards – this park has one of the densest leopard populations in the world – sloth bears, spotted deer, elephants, crocodiles and monkeys.

Traveling from place to place in Sri Lanka is relatively easy with trains and buses connecting most major towns. Taxis are available, but there is no official taxi company operating in the country. Cars and drivers are easy to organize, however, and small three-wheeled vehicles are handy forms of transportation for short distances.

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