Madagama is the name of a small village just east to Horowupotana, which is the most important town between Mihintale and Trincomalee. Kanda means hill and Viharaya is the name of Buddhist monasteries. The temple called Madagama Kanda Viharaya is situated at a typical steep monadnock in the plains of northern Sri Lanka, a smaller version of Sigiriya, so to speak. The place is almost unknown to travellers. Those who find their way to the Madagama Kanda Viharaya are amazed. Some of the caves at the northern foot of the hill are still inhabited by reclusive monks. The ancient rock shelters at the steep southern escarpment can be reached only by climbing a little bit. The beauty of this site in particular is overwhelming. Madagama Kanda Viharaya is the perfect off-the-beaten-path destination for heritage travellers.  

Habarana is a small city situated in the centre of Sri Lanka’s Cultural Triangle. Due to its location just halfway between Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa and between Kandy and Trincomalee, Habarana is a convenient location for package tourists who want to discover the cultural and natural attraction of the Cultural Triangle on day trips, instead of changing the hotel every second day. Habarana has a choice of mid-range hotels in particular. Besides being not far from World Heritage Site Sigiriya, Habarana is also situated in the immediate surroundings of elephant national parks and ecoparks and also offers traditional village life excursions with oxcart and elephant back ridings.

The Munneswaram Kovil, also spelt Munneshvaram Koil, is situated close to Halavata, formerly known under its English name Chilaw. This Hindu shrine of Munneswaram is one of the so-called Pancha Ishwarams, five ancient Tamil temples dedicated to Shiva. According to legends, the Munnesvaram Kovil is associated with the famous Indian epic Ramayana. It’s said to be the place where king Rama prayed to Shiva after committing the crime of Brahmahasti, the killing of the Brahmin Ravana, which had been necessary to liberate Rama’s consort Sita from captivity. Actually, the temple village of Munnesvaram has a collection of altogether five temples, the other four dedicated to Kali, Ganesha, Ayyanar and Buddha. The architecture of the Munesvaram Kovil and the other shrines is from the 20th century, the original temple was destroyed twice by Portuguese invaders. The Munneswaram temple festival is one of the longest in Sri Lanka, lasting a full month. It’s attended by Buddhists and Hindus from Sri Lanka and also pilgrims from India. Foreigner guests are rarely seen but welcome.

In Sri Lanka, May is off season. Of course this is bad news for tour operators, as we have only few bookings, for example from Arabian families, as May or June are school holidays in Gulf  countries. However, for travellers who are intersted to visit the southwestern beaches between Colombo and Galle and who free to choose the month of May, we recommend May, not only for our own advantage but also for our coustmers': The beaches are less crowded.

In contrast, those travellers interested in sightseeing in the Cultural Triangle should know that May (besides October) is the peak of precipitation in Anuradhapura and our hometown Mihintale and has most rainy days. Roughly, rainfall occurs every second day, but usually it's not raining the entire day.    

Yesterday, we published an article about Sri Lanka's capital Colombo. It's somewhat a kind of conclusion. Just below it, you can find approximately 200 more articles about travel destinations in Sri Lanka, published on a daily basis. The series will be continued, but from now on more sporadically.

However, let's take a break and reconsider: You could let us know, what you like to be informed about in our blog.

Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo is considered a must-see by lonely planet:

It’s true that Colombo has become more attractive in recent years. In particular, it’s Sri Lanka’s best place for culinary journeys and shopping. However, you should not expect a city as vibrant and charming as Bangkok or Beijing or Delhi or as modern as Singapore or Dubai. Honestly, there are reasons to doubt that Colombo is the best choice for an itinerary. The reason is: Risks are high to spend a lot of time in traffic jams. A rationale is simply this: The time for your holidays in Sri Lanka is limited. Is a day in the city of Colombo more rewarding that sightseeing at another destination that you would not be able to see when visiting Colombo? The answer could be „no“ in case you want to see the beauty of Sri Lanka. The answer will be „yes“, if you think: But the only megacity of the island nation is good a change, and even if there are more rewarding destinations, the itinerary should be rich in variety.

Find our comprehensive report on Colombo's attractions here...  

Most Sri Lanka travellers who like hiking of course know Big World’s End and Mini World’s End. Both of them are spectacular escarpments at Horton Plains in the south of the central highlands. But there are more escarpments called „World’s End“ on the island. The most noteworthy of them is Mini World’s End in the Knuckles Range in the northeastern part of the highlands, which is locally better known by ist traditional Sinhala name Dumbara Kanduvetiya, which translates to „misty range“. It's near the hamlet of Deanston, located at the Dotalugala Mountain not far from Hunnasgiriya. Deanston is home of the Knuckles Conservation Centre, which is the starting point of a short and easy hiking trail to Mini World’s End. Despite ot’s nickname „mini“, the vantage point is quite spectacular, with a 270 degree panoramic view. The best time to visit it is the late afternoon. Mini World’s End is rarely visited by foreign tourists and still not crowded, although the entire region between Hunnasgiriya and Meemure is one of the most scenic parts of Sri Lanka.

The Dambulla Cave Temple, also known as the Golden Temple, is Sri Lanka‘s largest and most impressive monastic cave adorned with Buddhist statues and paintings. It’s situated in the southern outskirts of Dambulla town, which is located in the very centre of the area called Cultural Triangle, at the junction where the Anuradhapura-Kandy and Polonnaruwa-Kandy roads meet and not far from Sigiriya. Besides Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Kandy and Sigiriya, Dambulla is another World Heritage Site in this area and a major attraction for sightseeing tours. The rock of the Dambulla Cave Temple towers 160 m over the plains of the Cultural Triangle. The five caves of the Golden Temple can be reached via a stairway to a natural terrace in an altitude of about 100 m.

Namunukula is the name of both a town and mountain range and it’s highest peak. The Sinhala term translates to „nine peaks". It also the name of a town near it which is sometimes called Namunukula Town. With an elevation of 2,035 metres, Namunukula is the highest mountain in Uva Province, which is the famous tea region of southeastern Sri Lanka. Namunukula is the backyard mountain of Uva’s capital, Badulla. The mountain can be seen from the regions of Ella and Hakgala near Nuwara Eliya towering the spacious valley known as Uva Bassin. The main peak can be climbed via a jungle path starting at Spring Valley.