Consider renting a bicycle for the day to move around the enormous, flat archaeological area, or go with a tuk-tuk driver for a guided and shaded tour. Start your day at 7:00 AM exactly, to dodge the suffocating North Central Province heat and to keep away from big afternoon pilgrim crowds. Keep these tips in…
Use only your right hand to gently combine a small portion of rice with the curries, using your fingertips to make a unified, bite-sized ball, pressing it slightly together. Push the food into your mouth with your thumb. Take care so that no food passes your second knuckle, and keep it steady. Your left hand…
Book a vehicle online with reputable wildlife tour operators, or arrange it directly through your Tissamaharama accommodation a few weeks before you arrive. Make sure you say clearly that you want a private vehicle, not a crowded, shared group tour. Also, confirm in your message whether the costly national park entrance fees are included in…
You can show real, deep gratitude by using “Bohoma Istuti” (බොහොම ස්තූතියි), which basically means “thank you very much.” When you place your palms together, in that prayer-like gesture, and say it, there is this extra respectful feeling that comes through, even if you do it quickly and maybe with a calm tone. This phrase…
Genuine Ceylon cinnamon quills have a light brown tone, thin texture, brittle feel, and are made from several paper-like layers that are rolled together like a cigar. Cheap Cassia cinnamon tends to be a dark reddish-brown colour, thicker in body, harder to crack, and it usually forms one hollow tube that curls inward. Also, authentic…
Approach the drivers waiting at the designated three-wheeler stops along Ella’s main street, or ask your guesthouse owner to ring a reliable local contact. Always haggle over the full-day rate, or the point-to-point fare, clearly before you step inside the vehicle. If you want to see several places like the Nine Arches Bridge, Little Adam’s…
Take a bus or train to Kalupahana junction on the A4 highway, then you can walk or hire a tuk-tuk for the 5-kilometre paved road that goes towards the ticketing office. From the entrance, a nicely signposted 15-minute trail through pine forest leads straight to the main viewing platform. If you are more adventurous, there…
You can hire a private vehicle from Dambulla or Habarana to get to the remote Ritigala Strict Nature Reserve, which sits about an hour off the main A9 highway. There isn’t any public bus that goes straight to the archaeological site’s lesser-known entrance. The last bit of the route is unpaved, and you will do…
Go into the Polonnaruwa Ancient City archaeological park and travel about 3 kilometres north from the main entrance by bicycle, rented tuk-tuk, or car. The famous rock-carved statues sit at the very northern stretch of the area, right after the huge Rankoth Vehera stupa. You need to buy your full entrance ticket at the main…
Travel to the town of Gampola, not far from Kandy, then hire a heavy-duty tuk-tuk to get you up the dangerously steep and winding mountain road towards the tower complex. You can walk starting from the base gate, but it turns into a gruelling two-hour uphill climb with no real shade, just you and the…
