Bentota, Aluthgama & Induruwa
You'll find the Brief Garden 10 kilometres inland from Bentota. A barely controlled riot of a garden out of The Jungle Book, the grounds are a lovely…
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The West
You don’t have to be on Sri Lanka’s west coast for long to realize that the coastline has something of a multiple personality. North of the capital is Negombo, a cheerful beach town crowned with church spires that is, thanks to its proximity to the airport, a staple of almost every visitor’s Sri Lankan journey. Head further north, though, and you enter a wild and little-visited region that seems to consist of nothing but coconut plantations and lagoons, sparkling in the sun and filled with dolphins.
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Must-see attractions
Bentota, Aluthgama & Induruwa
About 3km inland from Bentota, on the south bank of the Bentota Ganga, this unexpected 12th-century temple has some lovely murals and a 2500-year-old…
Negombo
Each day, fishers take their oruvas (outrigger canoes) and go out in search of the fish for which Negombo is famous. They’re a fine sight as they sweep…
Negombo
Even though it could never compete in a beauty contest against many Sri Lankan beaches, Negombo's beach, which stretches north from the town right along…
North of Colombo
Muthurajawela Marsh, which evocatively translates as ‘Supreme Field of Pearls’, is a little-known gem of a wetland at the southern end of Negombo’s lagoon…
Hikkaduwa & Around
About 2km north of Hikkaduwa is the Seenigama Vihara, perched on its own island. It’s one of only two temples in the country where victims of theft can…
Wilpattu National Park
At 1317 sq km, Wilpattu is Sri Lanka’s largest national park. Hidden in the dense, dry woodland, you'll (hopefully) find an array of wildlife that…
Hikkaduwa & Around
This ramshackle, private museum 3.5km north of Hikkaduwa tells the story through photographs and newspaper features of that dreadful day in 2004 when the…
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