Sri Lanka, The prettiest island throughout the world has got it's own characteristic beauty of nature, culture and corterie. If you haven't heared or seen about pretty Sri Lanka this might be the time to know it's interesting tourism trade and aesthetic values. Enjoy the journey!

Wild Life	Adventure	Sceneries
Beaches	Surfing	Camping
Bird Watching	Water Falls	Mountains
Rural Living

Hikkaduwa – A stunning surface for surfing.

Summary

• Surfing at Hikkaduwa Beach.
• Scuba-diving and studying various coral gardens and sea creatures.
• Have a sunbath under the hot sun on pure whitened beach.

Sri Lanka is inherited to have prettiest coastal areas and seascapes all around the county since it is a small unaffected island. Among those locations Hikkaduwa is the prettiest beach I have ever met. Hikkaduwa beach resort attracts thousands of both natural lovers and Surfers because of its abundance of sea corals and tropical fish species and perfect sea waves for surfing. If you are looking for a stunning place to surf or charming place which is full of pretty seascapes that cool down your mind, I don’t hesitate to recommend the Hikkaduwa.

Hikkaduwa is located to the south of the island in Galle district very close to Galle town and about 98km from Colombo, the capital city of Sri Lanka. You can find a lot of little restaurants and small houses along the Hikkaduwa beach. Almost all the coastal areas of Sri Lanka provide a well worm and clean niche for sea lovers. But nothing can overthrow Hikkaduwa. What makes Sri Lankan coast so important. Well there is a lot of things to say about that. Simply the wideness of cost, the hot sun, the crystal clear water, coral gardens and pure whitened sand are main attractions. Hikkaduwa is abundance from sea creatures just like numerous coral species and tropical fish species. So it has become the most bio diversified sea area in Sri Lanka. Hikkaduwa is so important that it is the one and only marine sanctuary in Sri Lanka. The huge population of palm and coconut trees increases the attractiveness of Hikkaduwa.

When talking about the recreations in Hikkaduwa, priority goes to Surfing. Thousands of visitors come towards surfing from Australia, United Kingdom, Japan, United States of America, Germany, Switzerland and many more countries daily. According to many surfers who have visited Hikkaduwa the free attribute of the beach, low risk but unabated joy and proximity of both economy and luxury hotels are the main points of attracting tourists. In Hikkaduwa, surfing is free for all and if you wish to learn surfing, this is the perfect place because surfing in Hikkaduwa isn’t any risky. There are numerous services for surfers in Hikkaduwa. Surf information services, surfing for beginner programs and surfboard renting services are few of them. In Hikkaduwa there are many surfing points which give us deferent experiences. Waves are normally 4 to 10 feet high and “A” shaped which can be ridden in both directions. There are few other surfing points close to Hikkaduwa. Mirissa, Midigama, Kabalana are few of them.

If you are not interested in surfing there are few other options for you. As I mentioned before Hikkaduwa is the one and only marine sanctuary which has a well biodiversity. So you can do scuba-diving and observe pretty coral gardens and tropical fish species in clear blue sea. Otherwise you can have some sunbath under the hot sun on pure whitened beach.

Dunhinda Ella (Bridal Falls) of Sri Lanka.

Dunhinda Falls which is among the highest water falls in Sri Lanka is considered as the prettiest water fall in Sri Lanka. It’s located in Badulla district, soundly in Soranathota which is on Badulla – Mahiyanganaya route in the distance of 5km from Badulla town. To reach the Dunhinda Falls you have to walk 1km from the main route on a walkway. Dunhinda Falls which has a falling gap of 63m is generated by Badulu Oya. It shows characteristics of both Plunge and Punchbowl type water falls. When water drops losing contact with the bedrock, it’s called a Plunge type water fall and in Punchbowl type water falls water stream widens from top to bottom. Dunhinda Falls got its name because of the dew it makes. The name Dunhinda can be divided in to two parts as “dun” and “hinda”. In Sinhalese the word dun means gas and the word hinda means evaporate.

There are two main folklores around the formation of the Dunhinda Falls. One is that there were two lovers who deeply loved each other in a village called Kosgalla near by Dunhinda long time ago. The two lovers were demanded either to be separated or to be produced before the court by the rest. It wasn’t possible for both lovers to be separated. So they decided to hurl themselves downward the cliff which the Dunhinda Falls pours down now. They went to the top and committed suicide. That night amazing thing happened. A massive storm arrived to the village destroying all the villages and animals. There after the river flew hotly and the Dunhinda formed. It’s believed that the mournful crying voice of Menik Bandara (The Boy) still can be heard through the wind.

The other story is that; A long time ago when king Rajasinghe was ruling the country a giant tree fern which was at the top of the water fall, between two mountains confined flow of river. So it causes a flood in Badulla town. The king saw the egregiousness of this matter and he ordered a person called “Ranhavadidaraya” to remove the tree fern. After straining 3 months he could terminate his task and recover the Badulla town and the Water fall as well.

If you suppose to visit Dunhinda the following map will help you. It’s opened from 9 am to 6pm and an entrance fee will be charged at Rs 25/= from foreigners and Rs 5/= from Sri Lankans. Remember that it isn’t advisable to bath in this venue.

Meemure – The remainder of unsullied bucolic lifestyle.

Meemure is one of the remotest villages in Sri Lanka that isn’t influenced by the human whom we call modern other than the villagers of Meemure who have a well correlation with the nature. In here you will find out the value of simplicity. Do you believe that the simplicity causes the beauty? Well I strongly believe that. The villagers in here have no dreams or hopes to sky high and they have nothing to loose. So they are not suffered. That’s what the great Buddha said. Perhaps you may be thinking, what a sorrow they are passing through. But what a sorrow in the city. Seemingly it’s the Zion but really it’s just like a peace of shit rapped with a colorful rapping paper. There is nothing much than surrounding toxic gasses and rubbishes.

Meemure located on the border of Kandy and Matale districts is a hilly place which belongs to the Knuckles Mountain Range. It’s a remote village far away about 175km from Colombo. Agriculture is the main livelihood of the villagers. They have a good sense of cultivating without withstanding the natural environment. Some times I feel like they are enhancing the natural beauty with the patterns of their agricultural lands. Paddy, pepper, cardamom and ginger are main crops cultivated in this area.

This village is so remote that there is no direct mail delivery to the village. A villager comes to the thapal junction daily and interchanges incoming and outgoing letters with a postman. This points out the underdeveloped communication in this area. Unsatisfactory cellular phone service is the only way to communicate.

If you suppose to visit Meemure It’s advisable to find an off road vehicle for the journey. But if you haven’t any don’t be disappointed because the route has been developed to some extent now. First of all you have to reach Kandy town, if you start the journey from western or southern regions of Sri Lanka. Then you must take the Mahiyanganaya (A 26) Road and reach Hunnasgiriya which is 35km away from Kandy. At Hunnasgiriya junction you have to take the Loolowatta Road which is some what narrow and leftmost. You will attain the Loolowatta after 15km of traveling. There after you have only 14km to Meemure. Don’t forget to visit other sceneries that are on your way Meemure. Dothalugala Forest and Botanical Garden, Mini Worlds End (Don’t get confused with the World’s End in Horton Plains), Coberts Gap which is a natural rift that blows wind at a high pressure and Lakegala Mountain

Do Rafting on cold frothy water in Kelani River at Kitulgala.

White-water Rafting, What an attractive and adventurous sport indeed. So if you are looking for some adventures for your milk and water life, you are about to find the real place which will conflate some adventurous experiences to your life. You can meet this experience at Kitulgala, a calm and quiet small town situated in the wet zone rainforest to the west of Sri Lanka about 100km from Colombo on the Colombo-Nuwaraeliya main route.

Kitulgala has got its name due to the huge Caryota urens (Sri Lankans call it kitul) population which is used to produce Kitul honey (a delicious syrup made by concentrating the sap of kitul flower by heating), jaggery (crystallized sap), kitul toddy (a liqueur made by fermenting the sap) and kitul flour made by milling the pith of the log. If you come here don’t forget to sip some kitul toddy (“Raa” in Sinhalese) and enjoy some “kitul talapa” (a delicious Sinhalese food made with kitul flour).

Do you remember the academy award winning movie “The Bridge over the River Kwai” produced on 1950s? If it’s so you might commemorate these sceneries. Concrete bases of the bridge which was built for the film set on Kelani River at Kitulgala still remain with the attraction of thousands of fans. Rafting is not the only thing you can experience in here because the Keleni Forest Reserve that has a highly diversified bird progeny is a plumy place for bird watching. Kitulgala is very famous for wild bananas, both yellow and red. These are pretty tastier than agrarian ones. You can see a lot of rubber trees but they are foreign.

Kitulgala is a wet evergreen forest. But it is hard to see all the attributes of a wet evergreen forest like Sinharaja due to human influence. Expected rainfall is too high that Kitulgala is one of the wettest places in Sri Lanka. A dry weather is expected at the beginning of the year especially in February.

Like I said before, Keleni Forest Reserve is a good place for bird watching. It’s possible to find most of the bird species live in wet zone rainforests but incomparable with the huge bird population in Sinharaja. Endemic birds like Spurfowl, Green-billed Coucal and Spot-winged Thrush are plentiful. The recently found endemic bird spacies called Serendib Scops Owl can be seen rarely in Kitulgala.

A Trip to World's End

Sri Lanka, one of the little countries in the world is full of sites imbued with natural beauty. Some times you may be confused that it isn’t possible to believe there are such charming places in Sri Lanka. But if you go through this site we will ravel it out.
Today we present The World’s End, one of the most colorful sceneries in Sri Lanka for your pleasure. It’s hard to capture the real beauty of this place because it’s misty most of the time. If you can visit here in the morning you will be able to grasp the maximum amenity.



What is “World’s End”?
World’s End situated on the borders of Nuwaraeliya, Badulla and Rathnapura Districts is a massive cliff at the end of Horton plains, which is the highest plateau in Sri Lanka. If you come to visit here you will find out two World’s Ends about 0.8km apart from each other, a small one and the real one. From these two the real one is 1312m high and the other one is 328m high. You need not to visit these two separately because the little World’s End is on your way the World’s End.

If you could come and view the depression in the morning before it gets misty you can behold the natural beauty of surrounding hills which are sunk in clouds, tea estates and the canopy. When it’s very clear without any mist even the Indian Ocean which is 81km to the south from the site can be seen. When the morning ablates the true meaning of World’s End becomes a reality. The depression fills with the mist and then nothing could be seen except the plateau. If you are able to imagine this scene correctly you will feel like you are at the World’s End because there is nothing beyond where you exist.

How to Visit World’s End
With following peace of map you can get an idea about the position of the World’s End.
If you suppose to visit the World’s End you must reach the Horton plains by a vehicle. You can get the assistance from the map given below. There after you have no other options than traveling by feet because the way is some what tough. You have to move by feet about 5km. On the way you will confront a junction with two by-ways, one to World’s End and other to Baker's falls. Then you must remember to take the way lain along the plain. We suggest you to visit the little World’s End too on your way the World’s End because it isn’t bad as it seems. Hope you will enjoy the journey.
Please visit these sceneries only if you really like the nature. Always be mindful and patient not to pollute these treasures of nature. Don’t even leave your foot-marks. Leave it as your first sight.

The Knuckles Range of Sri Lanka

When I Stepped in to the Knuckles I understood we are some what lucky enough to feel the touch of the nature at least for a moment. This ever so unaffected wild creation points out the reason, why the human suffer with various diseases and tensions by withstanding the nature. But I’m not negative regarding the improvement of modern technology. Technology is extremely essential but what I’m thinking is that isn’t it possible to succeed preserving the nature because it’s the real success.

The Knuckles Range bordered by the Mahaveli Valley to the south and east and the Matale Valley to the West is outspread in Kandy and Matale districts. Since it’s on the border of the rough pasture and the wet alpine zone downy nature is denoted to the west. Its highest position is elevated 1864m from the sea level. The Knuckles lain from Laggala to Urugala is not alone since there are 32 mountain ranges in the acreage of 62 square miles. Among them there are three sub mountain ranges which are parallel to each other and perpendicular to the Knuckles furthermore there are lesser mountain ranges that are perpendicular to the three sub ranges.

Since the both sides of Knuckles Range face Southwest and Northwest Monsoons periodically a massive rainfall is expected all over the year. So it has become an important catchment area of Sri Lanka. Expected annual precipitation is between 3000ml 5000ml. Three major rivers named Kalu River, Hulu River and Heen River are generated in the Knuckles. Numerous water falls and minor streams are plentiful. The Mahaweli River which pours down on the borders to the south and east is nourished by various tributaries conflating to it via Knuckles Range.

If you want to study the biodiversity and the differentiation of climatic zones and Vegetation Types in Sri Lanka at one single place, The Knuckles is the best. You can feel numerous climates from bottom to top here. There are few causes for this diversified climate. The effects from Southwest and Northwest Monsoons which occurs periodically and the situation of the Range (the Range is situated on the border of the rough pasture and the wet alpine zone) are few of them. Semi Evergreen Forests, Sub Montane Forests, Montane Forests, Patana and Savanna Grasslands, Riverine Forests are particularly identified Vegetation types in Knuckles Range. The temperature is in between 5.5 oC and 35oC due to the altitude.

Flora of Knuckles.
Due to differentiation of climate the Knuckles has become a swatch of Sri Lankan biological population. In this case every one especially Sri Lankans has the responsibility to protect this precious heritage of the nature. In accordance with the records, there are about 1033 flowering plants of 141 families discovered within the acreage of 62 square miles. Among them 255 species are trees and others are small herbs and bushes. 160 species of whole flora considered as endemic species and more than 330 species are locally imperiled.
More than 25 orchid species are recorded in the Knuckles.

Fauna of Knuckles.
Just like Flora, the Knuckles plays an important character on Sri Lankan Fauna. In accordance with the records 247 vertebrate species have been discovered and 26% of them considered as endemic species including 14 bird species and 9 fish species. 5 of the endemic species are confined to Knuckles Range. Among the large mammals Leopard, Sambur, Elephant, giant squirrel, spotted deer, barking deer, wild boar and mouse deer are well known.




















These animals can only be seen in the Knuckles Range.
Three fish (phillipis gara-garra phillipsi, martenstyne’s puntius srilankensis) one amphibian (marbled cliff frog-nannophrys mamorata) and one lizard (ceretophora tennenti)

Horton Plains - The heritage of the nature.

Horton Plains, one of highly bio diversified and ever so unaffected places in Sri Lanka which is bordered by the second and third highest mountains, respectively Kirigalpotta and Thotupola can be called the Queen of Sri Lankan sceneries. Horton Plains was named as a National Park since 1988 by reason of its biological value. Thousands of Foreign and Local visitors come and explore the Horton Plains daily because here is very popular among the tourist around the world.

Horton Plains which is 2130m elevated from the sea level is the highest plateau in Sri Lanka. It belongs 3160 hectares of acreage in Central Province. Horton Plains inserted in the wet alpine zone in Sri Lanka receives a high rainfall all over the year from both northeast monsoons (From November to February) & southwest monsoons (From May to September) as well as inter-monsoonal rains. We can expect some what dry weather from January to March. As it fosters three of the four major rivers in Sri Lanka named Mahaweli (335 km, the longest river in Sri Lanka), Kelani (145 km) and Walawe (138 km) with about 5000mm of annual precipitation it has become the most important catchment area of Sri Lanka. You can feel the caress of Sri Lanka’s coldest and purest water in here. Most of the time a cold weather around 150C is expected due to the altitude of Horton Plains. It’s 2130m above from the Sea level. When the coldest season arrives the temperature goes furthermore down, then it is so cold that the ground frost is originates.

As I mentioned before Horton Plains is a heritage of the nature because of its wealthy bio diversity. The park is full of various endemic creatures and plants. Most of them inhabits only in the Horton Plains.

Endemic plants of Horton Plains.
Since Horton Plains is a wet alpine forest most of the plants are stunted due to its altitude. When considering about endemic plants mainly you will find Calophyllum sp. & Syzygium sp. Giant tree ferns and “Maha rath mal” rhododendron.
















Some valuable endemic flowers can be seen.

Orchid species of Horton Plains.




Endemic dwarf Bamboo (Arundinaria densifolia) along the river banks.
Endemic creatures of Horton Plains
Among the large mammals in Horton Plains Leopard and Sambur & wild boar are well known.












Rusty Spotted cat, Black napped hare, Giant Squirrel, Otter and Endemic Bear Monkey are other mammals.


















There is a diversified population of reptiles and amphibians too.

Endemic Birds in Horton Plains
Yellow-eared Bulbul. (Pycnonotus penicillatus), Junglefowl. (Gallus lafayettii), Dull-blue Flycatcher. (Eumyias sordida), Blue Magpie. (Urocissa ornata), Orange-billed Babbler (Turdoides rufescens), Wood pigeon (Columba torringtonii), Whistling-thrush (Myophonus blighi), Bush-warbler. (Bradypterus palliseri) are well-known Endemic Birds in Horton Plains.

Please visit these sceneries only if you really like the nature. Always be mindful and patient not to pollute these treasures of nature. Don’t even leave your foot-marks. Leave it as your first sight.