Colombo

The Sri Lankan capital is a large, sprawling city with a metro population of over 5 million people. I stayed in a nice central suburb and had the privilege of a tour through this energetic and colourful city. I saw amazing arcades, Independence Square, Harbour Petta, Mount Lavinia, lavish markets as well as the beautiful Gangaramaya Buddhist Temple.

Dambulla

I visited the Dambulla Museum of Wall Paintings with my dear friend. Amazing Sri Lankan wall art going back to the cave painting days and all the way up to the 18th century frescoes. Fascinating and beautiful!

Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage

This is a must visit! Not only will you see more than 80 elephants but you will get to personally bottle feed a young elephant (and be amazed at how many seconds they take to drink a litre of milk). Your entrance fee also pays for the keep of all these amazing creatures. Then afterwards, go down the street, haggle with the lovely young ladies selling clothes (I got 3 pairs of ‘elephant pants’ for a few dollars), visit the Elephant Poo recycling shop and buy some recycled cards for your loved ones haha. Then watch as all the elephants you previously saw walk down past those shops and to the river, where they get washed and pampered by their keepers. Great photo opportunities there.

I rode an elephant!

Right beside the Elephant Orphanage is a privately owned, 35 year old, 3 ton elephant called Raj, who will quite happily, with his minder and a for a few rupees, take you on his back and walk you down to the river, then into the river, then splash you silly with the water in his trunk. It is one of the most fun and exhilarating experiences I have ever had in my life! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT!!

Kandy

Kandy is such a beautiful city. It was designed to be so. There is a lake in the middle of it and the lake has a little garden island in the middle of it – just gorgeous. We stayed at a really lovely bed and breakfast, a private home. First, we went to a local dancing viewing, which was just delightful. 5 drummers, 5 male and 5 female dancers gave a breath-taking performance of local dancing.

Next, was a visit to the famous “Temple of the Tooth”, a most important and revered Temple and the keepsake of one of Buddha’s teeth. It is filled with wonders of beauty. After that, we enjoyed a few beers at a local international pub, with any kind of food you wanted. The following day was the Dambulla Cave Temple, which is the most amazing temple you will ever see, carved out literally in the side of a mountain. There are hundreds of Buddha’s inside this incredible temple. It is a little bit of a climb but so well worth it.

Sigiriya

Sigiriya is the most beautiful fortress with ancient Sri Lankan art, architecture and landscaping. Built over 1,600 years ago, the now sinister-looking 600 ft high black rock once appeared like a huge dazzling white cloud floating above the surrounding forests. If you are planning to visit Sigiriya I recommend staying for two days here. Be prepared to climb 1200 steps! its an amazing experience.