Sri Lanka is preparing for a huge influx of European holidaymakers looking for a safe place in the sun as they shun traditional Mediterranean holidays because of the threat of rising terrorist violence. The collapse in traditional holiday destinations has been quite startling. And to make matters worse The Times newspaper has reported that… Read More »
Finally, the world is realising something that Red Dot Tours has known all along: Sri Lanka is one of the most beautiful, intriguing and addictive travel destinations in the world. In Conde Nast’s first post of the New Year, Sri Lanka was dubbed as one of the hottest places to visit in 2016. This… Read More »
Butterflies Galore Sri Lanka’s wildlife is a bonus for visitors who visit the island on holiday. It’s not just the mainstream attractions like the Yala National Park, renowned for its elephants and leopards, or the bird sanctuaries to give twitchers palpitations, there are also less publicised creatures to amaze the causal watcher. Particularly the country’s… Read More »
Christmas presents Even though it’s hot and sunny in Sri Lanka at Christmas, unlike in Europe, the season is properly commemorated. Midnight mass is celebrated in the country’s churches (some seven per cent of the population is Christian) and, Christmas day being a public holiday, people of all faiths enjoy camaraderie, on the beach or… Read More »
Mining For Gems The mining of precious stones in Sri Lanka seems to be as old as the country itself. The tales of ancient mariners about their visits to the island frequently mention the “jewels of Serendib” telling of “the sapphires, topazes, amethysts, garnets and other costly stones of Ceylon.” One of the many… Read More »
Collecting Ceylon Ceylon ceased to exist in 1972 when the island’s name became Sri Lanka, 24 years after obtaining Independence from Britain in 1948. This year marks the 200th anniversary of the country officially becoming part of the British Empire in 1815, but there are no commemorations of that. However, there are many collectable items… Read More »
Sri Lanka’s rare martial art. An item in a local newspaper has set me on a discovery of a unique Sri Lankan martial art. The report reads: “A presentation and display on Angampora was conducted by the Sri Lankan Air Force Angampora team in Colombo last month, marking yet another significant milestone in history of… Read More »
Perahera Season Next month, August, the world famous Perahera takes place in Kandy. It’s a 14-day event open to the public as spectators, beginning on 17 August culminating in the glorious evening Perahera on the night of the Full Moon, Saturday 29 August and followed by a less elaborate day Perahera on Sunday 30 August.… Read More »
New Rail Museum Passengers on trains heading from Colombo to the hill country are astonished to see smart, but ancient, classic locomotives alongside the platforms at Kadugannawa Station, 16km before Kandy. Hill country trains stop at that station but expresses to Kandy rumble through so passengers only get a glimpse of Kadagannawa’s link with trains… Read More »
The beach is back “The beach is back!” As soon as the pumping and gushing of sand over the exposed rocks at Unawatuna was finished, these words buzzed around Sri Lanka, and Unawatuna in the island’s south was back in business. Once acclaimed as one of the 10 best beaches in the world… Read More »
