Understand the pressures you are increasingly facing in your everyday lives and you have less time to plan your business or holiday, be it for a weekend or month.

With this in mind, we work hard to bring a mix of interesting and inspiring destinations with great activity driven by business or holiday ideas and provide you with all the necessary information. We will plan your next trip so that it will be hassle free. We handle Air Tickets to most destinations.

We also provide you with cars driven by gentleman drivers.

Polonnaruwa

Once the site of an important royal capital, this town in northeastern central Sri Lanka blossomed into a medium-sized city due to its location along the most important land transport route between Colombo and Batticaloa, and more famously because of its ancient city site, well preserved as a historical park. The fact that it’s conveniently close to several national parks also draws a number of visitors.

Sigiriya

Rising 200m straight up over the dusty plains of north central Sri Lanka, the flat-topped rock formation of Sigiriya is not only one of the island’s most impressive geological formations but also one of its greatest archaeological legacies. The leafy village that has grown up near its base serves the comings and goings of tourists and pilgrims and is of relatively recent origin.

Adam’s Peak (Sri Pada)

Located in a beautiful and fascinating area of the southern Hill Country, this lofty peak has sparked the imagination for centuries. It is variously known as Adam’s Peak (the place where Adam first set foot on earth after being cast out of heaven), Sri Pada (Sacred Footprint, left by the Buddha as he headed towards paradise) or Samanalakande (Butterfly Mountain, where butterflies go to die). Some believe the huge ‘footprint’ on the top of the 2243m peak to be that of St Thomas, the early apostle of India, or even of Lord Shiva.

Anuradhapura

For over 1000 years, Sinhalese kings – and occasional South Indian interlopers – ruled from the palaces of Anuradhapura. It was the most extensive and important of the Sri Lankan royal capitals, but its size and the length of its history, and the length of time since its downfall make it more difficult to comprehend than younger, shorter-lived Polonnaruwa. Current-day Anuradhapura is a rather pleasant, planned city. Mature trees shade the main guesthouse areas, and the main street is orderly compared to the ugly concrete agglomerations seen in so many other regional centres.

Dambulla

A service-oriented town at the junction of highways A6 and A9, Dambulla is most well known for the impressive cave temples (officially known as the Royal Rock Temple) atop a massive hill on the edge of town. You can visit it as a day trip on public transport from Kandy, or stop by on your way to or from Sigiriya. If you decide to stay the night, there is decent accommodation for all budgets.

Hikkaduwa & Around

Hikkaduwa has long been among the most popular of Sri Lanka’s beach spots. Its proximity to the capital (98km from the Fort) helps – many people come here direct from the airport to start their classic Asian beach holiday. And it’s got a definite fun vibe, especially at its southern end, where there are dozens of affordable guesthouses built along a beautiful stretch of wide beach. At night, backpackers wander the sand from one café to the next, enjoying the sunset and the pleasures beyond.

Horton Plains National Park & World’s End

The Horton Plains is a beautiful, silent, strange world with some excellent hikes in the shadows of Sri Lanka’s second- and third-highest mountains – Kirigalpotta (2395m) and Totapola (2359m), rearing up from the edges of the plateau. The ‘plains’ themselves form an undulating plateau over 2000m high, covered by wild grasslands and interspersed with patches of thick forest, rocky outcrops, filigree waterfalls and misty lakes.

 Kandy

 Some say Kandy is the only other real ‘city’ in Sri Lanka, other than Colombo. The easy-going capital of the Hill Country has a lot to offer – history, culture, forested hills and a touch of urban buzz. Only 115km inland from the capital, climatically it is a world away due to its 500m altitude.

Kandy served as the capital of the last Sinhalese kingdom, which fell to the British in 1815 after defying the Portuguese and Dutch for three centuries. It took the British 11 years to build a road linking Kandy with Colombo, a task they finally completed in 1831.

 The town, and the countryside around it, is lush and green and there are many pleasant walks from the town and further afield. The town centre, close to Kandy’s picturesque lake set in a bowl of hills, is a delightful jumble of old shops, antique and gemstone specialists, a bustling market and a very good selection of hotels, guesthouses and restaurants. As night falls the city becomes eerily quiet.

Kandy is particularly well known for the great Kandy Esala Perahera, held over 10 days leading up to the Nikini poya (full moon) at the end of the month of Esala (July/August), but has enough attractions to justify a visit at any time of year.

Trincomalee

 Trincomalee (Trinco) appeals to tourists primarily as the gateway to the fine Uppuveli and Nilaveli beaches. Possibly the site of historic Gokana in the Mahavamsa (Great Chronicle), the town itself is mildly attractive and is situated around several picturesque bays and rocky peninsulas. Its economic trump card is a superb deep-water port, considered to be one of the world’s finest. However, this has made it the target for all manner of foreign attacks: the Danish preceded the Portuguese, who desecrated the city’s holiest Hindu shrine before losing Trinco to the Dutch. By the British takeover in 1795, the city had changed hands another seven times. It suffered further attacks in WWII, this time from Japanese bombing raids.

 Yala National Park

It’s not Kenya, but Yala National Park (also known as Ruhunu) is a major draw in Sri Lanka for its opportunity to see herds of elephants, leopards and an array of other animals, including reptiles and birds. For many people, a safari here is an essential part of their visit to the island

Arugam Bay

Lovely Arugam Bay (aru-gam-beh) is the east coast’s most traveler-friendly destination. It’s basically a single laid-back strip of beach accommodation, following the Panama road and backed by the Muslim village of Sinna Ulla. From April to October it has the best surfing waves in Sri Lanka, but Arugam Bay is also a great place to unwind, eat seafood and enjoy a mellow party scene. During the low season (November to April) things get very quiet, though NGO types still come for weekend getaways and the sea is better for swimming. At any time of year the surrounding region offers some superb opportunities for viewing birdlife, crocodiles and elephants.

Telephone: 0094 81 2234571, 0094 814474314 Fax: 0094 814479370 Email: chalet@sltnet.lk

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