An Anglers Experience

Airport to Colombo

Galle is the major city of the South Coast. The memory of fine old colonial mansions is preserved here. Its oldest landmark is the massive Portuguese and Dutch fort in which the central city is contained but the city may be much older. Some scholars believe it to be the ‘Tarshish’ of the Old Testament to which King Solomon sent his merchant vessels and to which Jonah fled from the Lord. The 90-acre Galle Fort today shows no evidence of its Portuguese founders. Several important churches are within the fort. The Dutch incorporated the Portuguese northern wall in a great rampart in 1663. A walk around the ramparts that surround the modern city, with its breath taking view of Galle on one side and the Indian Ocean on the other, is a pleasant way to spend a morning or an afternoon. • If the time permits, we will take an evening stroll exposing you to little delights and surprises. Sri Lanka has lots to offer and as one of the responsible tour operators Sri Lanka, it is our duty to balance your wellbeing and the beauties of the island.

Morning and Evening Troll

At Weligama the marine drive follows a beautiful sandy beach partly protected by a lush and paradisiacal island a few hundred metres offshore. Curd stands and numerous pottery shops line the road. In the foothills of the Hill Country and on the banks of a picturesque tree lined lake is the city of Kandy. It is the centre of traditional Sri Lankan culture and perhaps more than any other place in the island does this cool city represent the living past. The sacred tooth of the Buddha symbolic of sovereignty over the island is preserved here in its own temple; The Temple of the Tooth Relic. Traditions of Sinhalese music and dance, arts and crafts, flourish in this hill city. Kandy which was the last capital of the Sri Lankan kings is a World Heritage Site. The name "Kandy" conjures visions of splendour and magnificence. Many of the legends, traditions and folklore are still lovingly kept alive. A drive around the beautiful Kandy Lake built by the last Sinhala king, Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe in 1798 is a must when visiting this City. Also, visit the Kandy town and bazaar, the arts and crafts centre, a gem museum and a lapidary. A visit to the Temple of the Tooth Relic, the most important monument in Kandy, will leave visitors with a sense of peace and calm. Peradeniya botanical garden in Kandy was first built as a pleasure garden by a Sinhala king and was expanded by the British. It is 147 acres in extent and provides an amazing variety of trees, plants and flowers. Nuwara Eliya: Nestled in a wooded basin at 6,182 feet, at the foot of Mt. Pidurutalagala (Sri Lanka’s highest peak) is the town of Nuwara Eliya. Visitors will see that this is a slice of the English Lake district; Tudor style and Victorian homes look across a pretty lake while colourful flowers blossom in parks and gardens. The post office with its charming clock tower, the tranquil Anglican church, private residences with gabled roofs and dormer windows, all speak of a time now past. Victoria Park, the Race Course, Golf Course and Lake Gregory are other landmarks of Nuwara Eliya.

Trinco Evening Troll The famous Tirukonesvaram Temple is found on the topmost pinnacle of Swami Rock, the north eastern most tip of Fort Frederick’s promontory. Swami Rock drops about 360 feet directly into the sea. This temple was rebuilt on the site of the fabled ‘Great Pagoda’ of Dakshana Kailayam, the Temple of 1000 pillars that was destroyed by the 17th century Portuguese. One pillar of this original temple still remains on the top of Swami Rock in a place called ‘lovers leap. North of Trinco, a 20-mile strand of beach runs uninterrupted up the coast past Kuchchaveli. One of Sri Lanka’s premier beach resorts, Nilaveli, is the centre of this strip. Sun bathing, deep sea fishing, skin diving and shell collecting are excellent past times to indulge in, in this part of the country.

• Morning Troll in Trinco
• Leave to Anuradhapura After lunch
• Climb Sigiriya
• Stay in Habarana

In its time, Anuradhapura, was the greatest city of all. Its ruins display infinite details of unusual beauty delicately set in great masterpieces of monumental masonry, second only to the Pyramids of Egypt. Excavations reveal that an advanced human settlement in this city was evident in 500 BC. No spot in Anuradhapura is more sacred than the Sri Maha Bodhi and worship at Bo tree has continued for over 23 centuries. This is the oldest historically documented tree on earth and was carried here as a sapling of the ficus religiosa beneath which Gautama Buddha attained enlightenment. Sigiriya: Climb the 5th century Sigiriya rock fortress which is a world heritage site, built by King Kashyapa (477-495 AD). The 'Lion Rock' is a citadel of unusual beauty rising 200 meters from the scrub jungle. The rock was the innermost stronghold of the 70 hectare fortified town. A moat, rampart, and extensive gardens including the renowned water gardens ring the base of the rock. Visit the world-renowned frescoes of the 'Heavenly Maidens' of Sigiriya, which are in a sheltered pocket of the rock approached by a spiral stairway. These frescoes are painted on plaster with the use of earth pigments.

Habarana - Negombo Evening troll or still fishing in Negombo The picturesque town of Negombo, often referred to as Little Rome, has an Old World atmosphere of the 17th Century Churches and Forts. The Negombo lagoon is a good place to watch the fishermen at work, some still use the traditional ‘oruwa’, a dugout outrigger canoe, whose prehistoric evolution can be traced from the Comoro Islands off Mozambique to the South Seas. The canal system is the most evident Dutch relic here, and stretches 80 miles from Colombo to Puttalam.

The journey has come to an end. With an inexpressible history that is majestic, and true natural beauty been introduced, we the Modern Voyages tour operator in Sri Lanka, hopes that “an Anglers expedition at its best” filled you up with joy and lasting memories.