Kalmunai, though not a district capital, is the largest town along Sri Lanka’s East Coast. Despite its long beaches, it has not yet become a major beach holiday destination. Bathing here is dangerous due to underwater currents. Kalmunai is Sri Lanka’s only town with mora than 100.000 inhabitants that is a Muslim-majority municipality. The Muslims who originally settles at the west coast of the island, were resetlled here within the territory of the Kandy kingdom, after they had been expelled by European colonial invaders.

There is a simple reason to visit Kandy: It’s in the very centre of the island. Almost all travelers visiting both Sigiriya Lion Rock in the lowlands and the tea growing area of the central higlands will have to cross Kandy anyway. Kandy is a major attraction in itself, of course, as the cultural capital of the Sinhalese is definitely the city number one worth seeing in Sri Lanka, much more lovely than Colombo. Surrounded by green hills and grouped on either side of the picturesque Kandy Lake, the city is a cozy place for relaxing days, although the town centre is quite busy. The colonial ambiente contributes to the much to the charming cityscape, too.

Kandy’s main attraction is the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, which is of utmost significance for the Sinhalese Buddhist culture of the island nation. The ceremonies called pujas can be joined by foreigners three times a day. Another important centre of Buddhist culture is the Malwatta monastery on the opposite side of the Kandy Lake. It’s the headquarter of the most significant branch of the Buddhist order in Sri Lanka. The ceremonial hall and a museum in traditional monk accommodations and some other buildings are open to the public. Hindu temples also frequented by Buddhists are part of the garden-like World Heritage Site area around Kandy's Tooth Temple, too. Tamil Kovils and Muslim mosques shape the market area within walking distance from the Buddhist sacred sites. Furthermore, Kandy is a perfect place for shopping and even nature activities such as hiking or birdwatching. The world-Famous Peradenia Botanical Gardens are in situated in Kandy’s university suburb.

Halavata is the name of a town in Sri Lanka’s Northwestern Province, which is located 45 km to the north of Negombo. Besides Negombo and Puttalam, Halavata is the most important traditional fishing harbour at Sri Lanka’s west coast. Halavata is the Sinhala name of Chilaw, which is the colonial English name derived from the traditional Tamil name Cilapam. The term Halavata has become more common recently. Chilaw is mainly Sinhalese. There is a large Roman-Catholic community in this area. Chilaw is a bishop’s see. The main attraction of Halavata however is Hindu, the Munneshvaram temple in the suburb of the same name is one of the four most-venerated Shiva temples on the island. It’s surrounded by smaller Tamil temples dedicated to other Hindu deities. The annual temple feast of Munneshvaram attracts devotees of other religious communities, too. The beaches of Halavata are not yet crowded with tourists. 

Jaffna is the name of both a city and a peninsula. The city of Jaffna is the capital of Sri Lanka‘s Northern Province and of its northernmost district, which is also callled Jaffna. Jaffna District covers most of the Peninsula and the nearby islands to the west, many of which are connected with Jaffna city by causeways. In a way, the entire Jaffna peninsula is an island, as there is no natural land connection to Sri Lanka mainland. The Elephant Pass causeway is man-made.

After the end of the civil war, Jaffna city has developed into a new travel destination. The main attractions of Jaffna are the amphibic landscape of the peninsula and islands and the Tamil culture, which differ from both, mainland Sri Lanka and mainland Tamil Nadu (South India. For travelers there are two places of interest in Jaffna city that deserve to be called must-sees, viz. the Dutch Fort in the town center and the Kandaswamy Kovil, the largest Hindu temple of Sri Lanka, which is situated in the northwestern suburb of Nallur. Actually, what is called Nallur is the historical town of Jaffna, which was the capital of an almost independent Tamil kingdom in the late Middle Ages and early modern period. Till today, Nallur is a kind of spiritual centre of the Hindu community.

On our website, you can find detailed descriptions of Jaffna city and the temple town Nallur and Jaffna Peninsula and their attractions.

Mathale or Matale is the capital of the district of the same name in Sri Lanka’s Central Province. Travellers cross Mathale on their way from Dambulla or Sigiriya in the Cultural Triangle to Kandy in the hill country. Mathale is situated in a valley in the northern foothills of the highlands. In Sri Lanka’s colonial history, Mathale is famous for of a major battle fought in 1848, when the Mathale Rebellion started and the British garrison in the local Fort MacDowall came placed under siege by Sinhalese freedom fighter. The place of the former fort is marked by the Christ Church established in 1860.

The three main attractions of Mathale are to the north of the town center. The great Muthumariamman Kovil, built in the typical colourful style of Southindian temples with a tall gateway tower called Gopuram, is the largest Hindu temple in central Sri Lanka. It’s located in the northern outskirts of Mathale city and can be seen from the mainroad A9.

Further north is the village of Aluvihara. It’s famous for the cave temple of the same name. The Aluvihara is famous in all Theravada countries as the location of the 4th Buddhist council, the place where the entire canon of Holy Scriptures was recorded in written form for the first time. This occured in the 1st century BC. Today’s visitor can see a palm-leaf manuscript museum co-sponsored by the former Cambodian king and a picturesque ensemble of rocks and painted caves. In the Aluvihara area, there are plenty of Herbal and Spice Gardens, where Ayurvedic plants can be studied with the help of professional guides.

Seethawakapura, also known under its former name Avissawella, is crossed by tourists travelling from Colombo to Ratnapura or from the southwestern beaches to adventure holiday destination Kitulgala. Not many travellers take a break at Seethawakapura. To be honest, the town is not a must-see. But apart from typical Buddhist temples with modern buildings and paintings, there is one ancient site in the suburbs of Seethawakapura. The Berendi Kovil, also known as Barandiya Kovil, was the main temple of the former Sinhalese capital Seethawaka (Sitavaka). It’s one of the rare archaeologival sites of the 16th century in Sri Lanka. Modern Hindu pilgrims from India consider this temple to be a place visited by Lord Rama.

Badulla, capital of Uva Province, is not a major tourist destination, although it’s the terminus of Sri Lanka’s famous highland railway line. Most foreigners prefer to leave the train in Ella. Bandarawela and Haputale, too, are more popular with tourists and provide a wider range of accommodation. For those having enough time to visit the town of Badulla, there is one great attraction a few kilometres to the north of the city. Dunhinda Ella formed by the Badulu river is one of Sri Lanka’s most scenic waterfalls and can be reached via a 2 km long jungle path. To the south of the city is Spring Valley, a tea plantation area, which gives access to Badulla’s backyard mountain, Namunukula.

Inside Badulla town, there are four main attractions. The Muthiyangana Vihara is one of the 16 Buddha-visited places of Sri Lanka and thereby one of the most important Buddhist temples. The Kataragama Devale, devoted to the warrior got known as Murugan in southern India, is a mainly wooden temple building in the typical style of the Kandy period. It is a Sinhalese Buddhist place of worship but also sacred to Hindus. There are several Hindu shrines of the local Tamil community, these are less worth visiting for their architecture but genuine places of worship allowing foreigners to join impressive Puja ceremonies. Last not least Badulla has several churches of the colonial period. The oldest one is St Mark's Church from 1857, it was built in memory of Major Thomas William Rogers, a famous hunter, who died after being struck by lightning near Haputale. Locals say, this was the result of his bad Karma due to the many killings of elephants.

The south coast beaches in the surroundings of Tangalle in the western part of Hambantota District have developed into a favourite destination of families and independent travellers in recent years. One reason is that Tangalle belongs to the intermediate and dry zone that receives sunshine also during the monsoon season, which corresponds to the northern summer months. The climate is much drier than at the traditional beach resorts further west in the Matale and Galle Districts of the Southern Province. Another reason is, that the beaches outside town are smaller less crowded those close to the centres of coastal towns. The area of Tangalle offers Ayurveda facilities, too. Rewarding destinations for beach holiday makers in the Tangalle region are the rock temple of Mulkirigala 18 km further inland, the spectacular Hoomaniya Blowhole 11 km west of Tangalle, the Kalametiya Lagoon and Bird Sanctuary 24 km east of the city, and the turtle watch beach and conservation centre of Rekawa  10 km east on the way to Kalamitiya. Very close to the town is the natural swimming area of Parewella.

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Batticaloa is a district capital in Sri Lanka’s Eastern Province, situated 110 km south of Trincomalee, which is the provincial capital. Batticaloa is situated on a peninsula and an island at the mouth of Sri Lanka’s largest and most dendritic lagoon. At the open ocean, there are long sandy beaches in the suburb of Batticaloa at the opposite side of the lagoon’s opening, namely on the  isthums of Kallady. The main cultural attractions of Batticaloa are the Dutch Fort and several Hindu shrines, the temple festivals of which are spectacular. Batticaloa is not yet a mass tourism destination. Guesthouses are available, particularly at the beach of Kallady, but most travellers visiting the coastline of Batticaloa District stay in Pasikudah, which is located 30 km further north. The shallow region of the Batticaloa Lagoon is a perfect place for cycling tours.