Places to Visit in Central Province Sri Lanka

Rated among the major cities of Sri Lanka, Kandy is a special city. Surrounded by dense forests and mountain ranges, acquiring a height of 500 meters from the sea level, the tourist plces in this town gives you a feeling that you are living in a modern valley. Nature supports this place immensely and makes it the city with a pleasant climate. A city with lakes and special landscapes is always a delight when you plan to spend some romantic evenings and playful late nights while mooning around.

Kandy has a rich historical background covering the major events of the medieval era and colonial era. Every square inch of this nicely planned town has a piece of Sri Lankan history to share with you. You can feel the pulse of royalty in some colonial architecture and feel the divine blessings while visiting a large temple where science meets religion and together they try to explain the complexity of life. The Colonial-era constructions left an imprint on various cities of the world, current generations term these imprints as "old world charms." While moving in the capacity of a tourist, Kandy gives you this opportunity to capture the old world charm where the ambiance of the city plays a pivotal role and transports you into the world where things were easier and more enjoyable. For many of you, it can also become a travel in time when you will visit this nice city that has a mystique associated with it.

If you wish to explore the evolution of a cityscape and witness that how historical factors contribute to it, then the town of Kandy is the right place for that. Check out the map of the city drawn in 1815 and visit the present city. You will understand the point that we are trying to make here, also about the tourist places in Kandy. The town of Kandy added a value to its legacy and never changed its roots for the sake of development. This one virtue makes this town worth a visit.

Nuwara Eliya, which literally means, ‘City of Light’, is the coolest city of Sri Lanka. The picturesque landscapes of this beautiful city will surely blow your mind if you love visiting hill stations. With the highest mountain peak in Sri Lanka, Nuwara Eliya boasts on its natural beauty.

Nuwara Eliya is also the prime tea producing land in Sri Lanka. With is lush green terraces, it produces some high quality aromatic tea. Due to its cool climate in a hot and humid country like Sri Lanka, Nuwara Eliya is also referred to as ‘Little England’. During the winters, the nights are chilling. But as soon as the day breaks, the place gets warm and comfortable.

In April, the natives of Nuwara Eliya celebrate Tamil New Year by taking out band carnivals on the street. If you are planning to come down to the city of lights during the festivals, you might not get an accommodation in the hotels easily.

The main attraction of this city is the highest peak in Sri Lanka named Pidurutalagala, which is 2524 m high. The other attractions include a beautiful golf course, an oasis named Victoria Park, Lake Gregory, and many more alluring tourist spots.

If you have a query like where to stay and where to eat in the city, here are some suggestions. The Blackpool Hotel, Heritance Tea Factory, Jetwing St. Andrew’s, Stafford Bunglow, etc., are few good places for your stay. Grand Indian, Salmiya, Mackwoods’s Labookellie Tea Centre, etc., are great ideas to visit and dine in.

If you want a happening nightlife in Nuwara Eliya, visit 19th Hole Pub for some good drinks. If you are wondering where to shop in this city and you can bargain hard, visit Cargil’s. There you will get a lot of stuffs cheaper than other markets. Happy shopping!

The remnants of Anuradhapura are unequivocally the most expressive sites of South Asia. This sprawling complex is composed of an opulent collection of architectural and archaeological marvels: gigantic brick towers, crumbling temples, humongous dagobas and archaic pools that were all constructed during the rule of Anuradhapura which went on for several thousand years. At present, most of the sites here remain in use solely as temples and holy places. Incessant ceremonies retain the very ebullience and buoyancy of Anuradhapura which is a stark reverse of the the ambience at Polonaruwa.     

Present day, Anuradhapura is significantly different. It is rather engaging albeit sprawling city. Its main street is orderly in comparison to the the ugly concrete agglomerations found elsewhere. This saintly city was entrenched around a cutting from the 'tree of enlightenment' which is supposedly the Buddha's fig tree. Legends say that in the 3rd century B.C, the tree was brought there by Sanghamitta who was the founder of an order of Buddhist nuns.  

Ceylonese’s religious and political capital, Anuradhapura bloomed for 1300 years but was then eighty-sixed post the invasion in 993. Shrouded in the dense jungles for several years, this magnificent tourist place with its breathtaking places to see, resorts, monuments, palaces and monasteries is accessible all over again.  

Most of us tend to talk about the African safari but in the process, forget that even the beautiful and one of the largest continents – Asia too consists of a range of unique ecosystems that connects to the country of India by another place called Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka is known for many things especially its range of largest safaris and the beautiful city of Harbarana.

One can simply enjoy a stroll through this city by witnessing the numerous contrasts of green and ethnicity of the whole country. The elephant being one of the most significant animals there – there are numerous other animals that will come to sight too.

Harbarana is actually quite small when we speak about its geographical occupation in Sri Lanka. Situated in the Anuradhapura district, the city is perfect for visitors as not only is there a range of varied activities that they can choose from but also has numerous mid-range and up hotels aimed at package tourists. Avid travelers will know that Harbarana also serves as a departure point for numerous locations of greater interest.

Harbarana is a popular tourist destination especially for safari-lovers. There are special sessions conducted in the Habarana jungle and the Minneriya sanctuary that takes visitors through the beautiful and rich flora and fauna that is singular to the place. Other primary attractions of the place include the ruins of the fortress Sirigiriya, the roads that lie between Colombo and Trincomalee, Polonnaruwa and Batticaloa and its delicious food.

The area has some of the best hotels and the wild life and greenery just adds extra value to the place.

Matale often spelled (or pronounced) as Mathale is a mid size regional city that geographically lies in the heart of the island. Located 142 km from Colombo, is nestled at an elevation of 300 meters in an expansive dense valley. Aa bland urban sprawl with a congested one way system, Matale doesn’t see too many tourists. So it is quite possible for you to wish to not dawdle here for long. However, the road that lies towards the north of the town is encrusted with an array of welcoming spice plantations where cocoa, rubber, vanilla, cardamom, cinchona and jackfruit thrive. This is not all. This Sri Lankan town is also popular for kohila (an acqutic plant/herb) as well as small benign chilies.