Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
1
Experiencing the excitement of elephants, drummers and dancers at the
Kandy Esala Perahera
2
Getting away from Sri Lanka's energetic buzz by trekking in the montane
forests of the
Knuckles Range
3
Joining devout pilgrims and following flickering torchlight to ascend the
sacred heights of
Adam's Peak
(Sri Pada)
4
Rattling and rolling with Tamil tea pickers on a slow, slow train journey
from
Haputale to Ella
5
Winding down in
Ella
, combining excellent home-cooked food and spec-
tacular walks
6
Discovering your inner birdwatcher amid the tangled perfection of the
Sin-
7
Rising before dawn for a view from the stunning heights of
World's End
8
Counting elephants by the dozen in the
Uda Walawe National Park
Colombo to Kandy
The
Henerathgoda Botanic Gardens
near Gampaha, off the Colombo-Kandy road about
30km northwest of Colombo, are where the first rubber trees planted in Asia were grown.
Some original plantings dot the 37-acre gardens, together with 400 other plant varieties.
About 50km from Kandy is
Cadjugama
, famous for its cashew nuts. Brightly clad
sellers beckon passing motorists with nuts they've harvested from the surrounding forest.
At the 48km post is
Radawaduwa
, notable for woven cane items.
Kegalle, 77km from Colombo, is the nearest town to the
Pinnewala Elephant Orphan-
age
. Several spice farms that are open to visitors can also be found around here. Nearby is
Utuwankandu
, a rocky hill from where the 19th-century Robin Hood-style highwayman,
Saradiel, preyed on travellers until the British executed him.
At
Kadugannawa
, just after the road and railway make their most scenic climbs - with
views southwest to the large Bible Rock - is a tall pillar erected in memory of Captain
Dawson, the English engineer who built the Colombo-Kandy road in 1826.