Looking for someplace closer to Colombo to travel to, I stumbled upon The Ark in Matugama. The journey along the Southern Expressway was less than an hour and yet the steep climb in the latter part of the trip makes it seem as if I am in the central province. The narrow winding road climbs…
Back to Nature. Sinharaja Rainforest Deniyaya Sri Lanka
So it’s back to the Rainforest Eco Lodge for a birthday celebration. This time, the Southern Expressway cuts down my travel time considerably although the last hour of the road condition leading up to the Lodge is pretty messed up. Once I pass the Park Office gates and enter the protected forest area, the scenery…
Weekend at Tillicoultry. Lindula Sri Lanka
The Tillicoultry bungalow is located in Lindula, in the Nuwara Eliya district. This colonial-styled estate bungalow has five large rooms, with a large garden that overlooks the Horana Plantation tea fields.
The Hanging Bridge of Kunchukulam. Mannar Sri Lanka
It has not been easy staying indoors and being deprived of travel. Lockdowns, locked in, quarantine, and safety protocols have taken a toll on most travel during 2020, though I’ve had the good fortune of racking up the miles, locally. One of my last trips in 2020 is to Mannar. Ideally it should have been…
Tracing the Tooth Relic at Lanka Patuna Sri Lanka
The CeyCat 53 has arrived at the coastline of Lanka Patuna, south of Trincomalee. It took us almost six hours of sailing having seen the amazing whale shark and thousands of dolphins along the way. It is time to take a short ride in the dinghy and disembark on the sea shore because I have…
I Am Sailing. East Coast Sri Lanka
The catamaran bobs gently in the sea. The sky is overcast, the wind is dying down and the evening is pleasantly cooling. We are anchored out at sea, at the foot of the Koneshwaran temple in Trincomalee. I am onboard the Emerald CeyCat 53, a custom built, six-cabin catamaran belonging to Sail Lanka. This is…
Ten Brothers of Bovattagala. Kumana Sri Lanka
Within the boundaries of the Kumana National Park are many ancient archeological sites that date back to the 1st and 2nd centuries BC. In fact, the Kumana area has been the site of an ancient civilisation dating back to the 3rd century BC. During my recent camping trip with Xtreme Nature Tours, we visit Bovattagala,…
Camping at Kumana Sri Lanka
It’s not authentic camping and neither does it have the trimmings of glamping. But it has got all the coolness of tented accommodation, the buzzing of insects, the sounds of guttural sawing of a lurking leopard, the caressing of warm breezes that waft across the riverbed and the thrill of burying my toes in the…
Trek to Pahanthuduwa Waterfall. Belihuloya Sri Lanka
A short drive up the road right next to the Belihuloya Rest House is a waterfall and natural pool that has been a must-see attraction on my bucket list for too long. I have managed to coax the rest to visit this site and we are finally en route. We park the vehicles at a…
Mountain Views and Hidden Waterfalls. Gammaduwa Sri Lanka
Gammaduwa is a village located about 1h20m from the Matale town in the central province of Sri Lanka. The temperature today is a cool 24c probably because of the elevation of 930m above sea level. Off the beaten track that even Google Maps could not quite navigate, we finally reach our destination, the Kudaoya Villa. Originally…
