EXCURSIONS

Colombo Excursions

Anuradhapura

The remains of the ancient sacred city of Anuradhapura are sited about 130 miles (205km) north of Colombo, standing majestically in the jungle that for generations hid away the palaces, monasteries and monuments, which have been there since the third century BC. The ancient city was capital of the island for more than 10 centuries, until an invasion in 993, having initially been founded around a fig tree grown from a cutting of Buddha's 'tree of enlightenment'. The remains visible today consist of several magnificent dagobas (domes built to enshrine sacred relics), sculptures, carvings, ruined palaces and monasteries, bathing ponds and irrigation tanks. Tourist facilities and hotels are available in the nearby 'new town' of Anuradhapura. A recommended way to view the many scattered archaeological treasures is to hire a bicycle, or travel between sights on a 'Tuk-tuk'.

Opening time: Daily 8am to 5pm; Admission: US$20

Colombo Excursions

Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage

Among the green hills of Kegalle, about 50 miles (85km) from Colombo on the road to Kandy in the hill country, a herd of about 60 elephants roam free in the Pinnewela Elephant Orphanage. This popular attraction, established as a sanctuary covering 25 acres of lush forest by the Sri Lankan Government in 1975, is unique. Its purpose is to feed, nurse and house young elephants lost or abandoned by their mothers. Recently the sanctuary has also started a breeding programme. Visitors are invited to observe and assist the baby elephants as they are fed from giant feeding bottles, before the pachyderms are lead down to the river for their daily baths at 10am and 2pm.

Address: Rambukkana Road, Kegalla; Website: www.elephant.se/pinnawela_elephant_orphanage_Sri_Lanka.php; Telephone: 035 65804; Transport: The orphanage is accessible from Colombo by car, bus or train; Opening time: Daily 8.30am to 5.45pm; feeding at 8am daily, and bathing times are 10am and 2pm; Admission: Rs. 150

Colombo Excursions

Adam�s Peak

The legendary mountain peak towering 7,297ft (2,224m) over the island of Sri Lanka is known as Sri Pada or Adam’s Peak, and has been venerated as a place of pilgrimage and worship for all major faiths for many generations. The holy mountain bears the imprint of a foot on a rock on its summit. Depending on their faith pilgrims believe the print was left there by Buddha, the God Shiva, St Thomas, or Adam after he was expelled from Eden. Whether you believe the footprint to be holy or not the climb to view it, protected in an enclosure at the pinnacle of the peak, is well worth it for the panoramic views of tropical forest afforded from the top. The stairway up the mountainside is believed to be the longest in the world and climbers are entitled to ring the bell sited at the top once they have made the journey.

Website: sripada.org

Colombo Excursions

Kandy

The relaxed and peaceful atmosphere of the town of Kandy in the heart of Sri Lanka's hill country, about 75 miles (120km) from Colombo, is probably the result of being beautifully situated around a tranquil lake in a bowl of hills. The town is also the bastion of the island's pervasive Buddhist faith, and plays host to the country's most venerated religious relic, the sacred tooth of Buddha. The octagonal Dalada Maligawa, or Temple of the Tooth, attracts hundreds of pilgrims to daily ceremonies honouring the relic, and each year in July and August the tooth is carried in procession on an elephant during the ancient Esala Perahera parade. According to legend, the tooth was taken from Buddha as he lay on his funeral pyre and was smuggled to Sri Lanka hidden in the hair of a princess in the 4th century. Visitors can't actually see the tooth as it's in a casket, but the temple is an interesting place all the same. The ancient city also sports a good museum, the lovely Peradeniya Botanical Gardens, a bird sanctuary and an auditorium where folk dances are performed and local crafts are on display.

Website: www.kandycity.org

Colombo Excursions

Trincomalee

The ancient port of Trincomalee on the northeast coast of Sri Lanka has a perfect natural harbour, which has made the town a prize to be fought over by foreign powers for generations. The Danes first took the trophy in 1617 on behalf of the Dutch, but the Portuguese put up a fort and staked their claim a few years later. By the mid-17th century the port was Dutch again, until the British and French both had a turn at occupation in the late 18th century. During the Second World War the harbour was a strategic British naval base, and now is home to the Sri Lankan Navy. The beaches in the area, especially those north of Trincomalee at Nilaveli and Uppuveli, are broad, soft and white, lapped by warm gentle waters. Among the sights to visit is Fort Frederick, built by the Portuguese, and Wellington House, once home to the Duke of Wellington. The Tirukoneswaram Temple is an important modern Hindu shrine at Swami Rock.

Colombo Excursions

Sigiriya

Sigiriya is an important Buddhist site in central Sri Lanka, about 100 miles (161km) northeast of Colombo. The remains of an ancient royal fortress and city dating from 477 AD stand on a vast rock, which rises 600ft (180m) above the surrounding plain. King Kasyapa built it to safeguard against attack from his brother, Mogallana from whom he had stolen the throne after having killed their father. The only way into the city is through the massive carved jaws of a lion - the name Sigiriya is taken from 'giriya', meaning 'jaws and throat' and 'sinha' meaning 'lion'. The site is one of the best-preserved first-millennium city centres in Asia and is also renowned for its 5th-century rock paintings and its magnificent, symmetrical water gardens.

Transport: Two or three hours from Colombo by rail, bus or car; Opening time: Daily 8.30am to 6pm; Admission: US$12 (adults), US$6 (children)