SL Navy conducts tours from few locations. We took our tour from the Navy camp at Galle. Usual time of the tour is 7:00am. However, it was started around 7:45am.
It takes about an hour to reach to where you can see whales. Dolphins can be seen much earlier than this. This boat is a semi-luxury cruise with an approximate capacity of 200 passengers. Breakfast is included for each ticket. You may also buy food or drinks from the cafeteria in the ship.

We noticed that nearly 25% of passengers (majority of children) were vomiting during the journey. Some were seriously sick and could not enjoy or had energy to watch whales. It is better to take some precautionary medication for vomiting if you think you may vomit.

We saw about 7 – 10 whales and many dolphins. It was a fantastic journey and worth the money. The Navy staff was very kind and helpful.

Useful tips

• Don’t eat a lot of food or drink lot of water before the journey.
• Take some precautionary medication for vomiting.
• Take a pair of binoculars. The ship cannot go very closer to whales.
• Don’t take this trip if you are sick or unfit. You won’t enjoy the journey.

Visit the official Navy website http://whalewatching.navy.lk for more details about their whale watching trips.

A beach vacation is something all of us can use, as it provides time away with the family, friends, or just that special someone.  Beach vacations are also a great way to unwind from the pressures of life, and just have a blast.

In Sri Lanka, there are plenty of places that you can choose for your beach vacation. You can choose from beaches in the south coast, West and north-west or beautiful beaches in the east coastal line. Visit beaches in Sri Lanka page to read more about beautiful beach holiday destinations in Sri Lanka.

Those of you who are looking to get away with a husband or wife, would find Bentota, Galle and Weligama (southern coast) to be the perfect beach vacation.  Bentotal is one of the most romantic beaches in Sri Lanka.  Also well known for honeymoons, Bentota and Galle offers you plenty of breathtaking beaches with plenty of other things to do as well.

Another well known area for a beach vacation for couples is Negombo beach.  Negombo has been a popular vacation spot for many years, offering couples the chance to get away from it all and just spend some well deserved and well needed time together.

For a family beach holiday, there are many places you can go.  One of the most popular is Arugam Bay, as there are many other things to interest the kids as well.

There are several beaches in the East coastal line such as Trinco and Pasi Kuda where families can have a nice time with many beach sports and activities. Kaluthara,   Wadduwa and Hikkaduwa are also good for family beach vacations.

When you choose the perfect beach holiday in Sri Lanka, you need to choose a spot that will cater to who you are taking with you.  Couples wouldn’t want to go to a family resort destination, while families wouldn’t want to go to a couples resort that offers plenty of romance.

No matter where you decide to go, you can rest assured that there are plenty of locations for you to choose in Sri Lanka.  You can visit hotels in Sri Lanka page, which can help you locate deals that are simply too good to pass up.

Before you decide to rush off to your beach vacation, you should plan first.  Decide on where you are going, research your destination spot, and make sure that it offers something for everyone.  Sri Lanka beach vacations are truly inspiring, although it also helps to have other activities available as well.

Once you plan your beach holiday very carefully, you’ll be more than ready to take off to your destination and relax.  You’ll enjoy yourself much better if you plan carefully, which will also help to remove a lot of the stress that can be involved with planning for a beach vacation – or going on your destination unprepared.

This seems to be a very good move from tourism and transportation point of view. Kandy is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Sri Lanka. It is equally popular among local and foreign tourists. A domestic airport will help travelers to reach Kandy quickly and save travelling time.

But there may be few issues

We need to see what would be the ticket cost going to be. If the rates are high then people will avoid air travel to Kandy. Other potential problem is there are only a limited number of domestic airports in Sri Lanka. Therefore passengers will have to travel a reasonable distance to take a flight to Kandy.

Overall this is a good idea. I am sure domestic airports will come to other major cities in Sri Lanka. This will boost the tourism industry and also will help business travelers.

Green Globe Certification is the worldwide sustainability system based on internationally-accepted criteria for sustainable operation and management of travel and tourism businesses. Operating under a worldwide license, Green Globe Certification is based in California, USA, and is represented in over 83 countries. Green Globe is the only certification brand to be an affiliate member of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) an agency of the United Nations, and is partly owned by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC).

Green Globe Certification CEO Guido Bauer said, “We are proud to be working with the John Keells Hotels Group and congratulate Bentota Beach Hotel on their inaugural certification.

“Over the years, the region around the hotel has had to recover from the tsunami of 2004 and Bentota Beach Hotel has been a willing contributor to ongoing community development. Guests to this idyllic resort are encouraged to visit and support the local turtle conservation activities of Kosgoda Sea Turtle Hatchery.

“The hotel itself along with its manicured gardens is a significant part of local heritage. This former rubber plantation was first transformed into a landscape garden over 80 year ago and is a living part of Bentota’s cultural experience,” added Mr. Bauer.

The hotel has implemented a number of key sustainability contributions resulting in the improvement of its own operations, as well as of the community in which it operates. Monitoring of energy and water usage is under way, with measures implemented for reducing each. Renewable sources of energy have been used where possible – the additional cooling generated by the pump system has been diverted to the air conditioners in the guides’ and drivers’ accommodation areas, while solar power is made use of for the kitchen, pantry, and spa complex. The garden staff of the hotel are actively working on an organic vegetable garden – still in its infant stages – which, once fully developed, will meet the hotel’s own requirements for organic herbs and vegetables.

Beyond these environmental achievements, however, the hotel has taken significant measures in local community development through its involvement with the Bentota Beruwala Hoteliers Association. The hotel along with the Association has been instrumental in developing the lives and livelihoods of the “Beach Operators” as they are now known – local youth who are now given priority in organizing beach activities along with cultural and environmental tours for guests. The management of Bentota Beach Hotel also has plans to set up an association to protect and conserve ecosystems that are part of the Bentota River.

Courtesy : eTurbo News

The gates open at 8:30 am. If you don’t have pre-paid tickets then you can buy them at the ticket counter. There are two bottle feeding sessions in the Elephant orphanage. One at 9:15 am and the other session at 1:15 pm. If you want to bottle-feed the baby elephants then you need to buy a special ticket at the ticket counter. One ticket is required for each bottle.

There are only 10 bottle feeding tickets issued for each session.

Once you are entered you can go and see elephants in an open area. The beauty is there are many baby elephants. We had a chance to see a 2 months old one.

The bottle feeding area is separated and is covered by a fence. Two baby elephants are fed at a given time. Visitors can watch the feeding or feed them if they have bottle-feeding tickets.

10am to 12pm is the bathing time of the Elephants. The river is in the other side of the road. Therefore you need to come out of the Elephant orphanage and cross the road and go along a narrow street to reach the river.

You can watch them from the river banks or go to one of the restaurants on the river banks and have a cup of tea or coffee while watching the elephant bath.

Pinnawala Elephant orphanage in Sri Lanka has over 85 Elephants at the moment. All elephants are either rescued from a danger or being treated for a sickness. Currently there is a 3-legged elephant in the orphanage.

Optional tours in the area

There are many herb and spice gardens in the area. Some places have ancient ayurvedic medicines. The entrance is free for these herb and spice gardens.

Where to stay?

My personal choice is a bungalow inside the park. These bungalows are managed by the Department of Wildlife Conservation (http://www.dwc.gov.lk). Currently there are four bungalows available. You need to book the bungalows through the Wildlife Department.

Alternatively there are many bungalows and camping sites managed by private owners.

How to visit Wilpattu National Park?

Wilpattu is located approximately 180 km north of Colombo, and can be reached via Puttalam. Well established network of roads provides access to the important areas within the park. Wiipattu park entry permits are issued at the park entrance at Hunuwilagama.

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The tourism industry has earlier expressed concern that the new system might hamper the government’s attempts to promote tourism in post-war Sri Lanka.

The tourists intending to visit Sri Lanka could apply online supply few details such as name, passport number and date of birth. Anybody will be able to apply visa from home and they would receive it within 24-72 hours.

The date of the availability of the online visa system is not yet available. The authorities say the date of its implementation will soon be announced. They also added that the government has allowed a trial period for those who are yet to get used to the new visa system. And until the visitors get used to the new system a parallel system of on-arrival and online visa will be operated.

There will be special facilities at the airport for those arrive with the online visa.The authorities however stress that the current system of on-arrival visa would not be annulled without properly informing the tourists and other visitors.

Shangri-La signed an agreement recently to acquire 10 acres of government property near the Galle Face green.

The hotel will be built at the place where the army headquarters is located at the moment.

Shangri-La will invest about 500 million US dollars in the hotel project which will have almost 500 rooms.

For those looking to experience a real taste of Sri Lankan culture, the Buddhist Festival in Kandy offers an exciting break from the norm and plenty of new sights, sounds and tastes. Kandy is normally a smaller, more laid back town compared to others where you can find monkeys swinging between the trees. However during the annual August Buddhist festival the town comes alive for 11 days of festivities and celebrations. The festival is used to celebrate and show off a tooth of the revered Buddha which is believed to be one of the few remnants left after his cremation and was brought to Sri Lanka 1,700 years ago. It is also a symbol of sovereignty. Whoever is in possession to the Buddha’s tooth is said to be the rightful ruler of the island. However before you think a snatch and grab could make you the new king of your own little slice of Asian paradise be aware that the one used in the parade is just a replica. Obviously the real artifact is too valuable to be carried through the streets.

The festival held in Kandy has been likened to Brazil’s Carnivale and New Orlean’s Mardi Gras, only without the alcohol and barely clothed women and flashing. No reason to be dissapointed, there are still many beautiful women in Sri Lanka and if you are kind enough to your hotel staff they will probably sneak you a few bottles to get you though. Just avoid getting too drunk and running off into the jungle in the night as there are still many landmines left over from the recent civil war.

To get the best view of the parade you are going to have to get up pretty early. Many visitors start camping out 14 hours before the parade begins to secure a seat, though reserving the right hotel room can mean your own VIP booth for watching in comfort. The parade begins with men cracking whips, followed by others carrying spinning baskets of fire and are followed by dozens of elephants. Following in the parade you will find dancers, performers and monks. It is certainly an amazing collaboration of new sensations for all of the senses that must be seen and experienced on any adventure to the mythical island of Sri Lanka.

Click here to read the news item.

What does this mean to Sri Lanka?

More tourists mean more business to the hospitality industry in the country. The tour operators and hotels are busy preparing the best for visitors.

There was a time most countries were imposing travel ban against Sri Lanka due to the security situation. Things have changed dramatically and Sri Lanka has become one of the favourite travel destinations.

If you are a reader who hasn’t been to Sri Lanka yet then I think the New York Times article is more than enough to convince you.