The wild beauty of southeast Sri Lanka
Dive deep into the island nation's most beautiful and untamed places
The journey from Sri Lanka's central highlands to its southeast coast takes you through some of the island nation's most beautiful and untamed places, said Lorna Parkes in National Geographic Traveller.
There's plenty of wildlife to see – as well as "surf-lashed" beaches – but fewer tourists than in many parts of the country. The region has long been the heartland of Sri Lanka's indigenous people, the Vedda, who now comprise roughly 1% of the island's population but whose ancestors lived here long before other groups arrived from the Indian mainland.
On forest walks guided by Vedda elders, visitors can learn about their traditional hunter-gatherer culture and syncretic belief system, in which folk and animist ideas mingle with those of Sri Lanka's younger religions.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
You might start out in the city of Kandy, which sits 1,600ft above sea level in the heart of the island. Its Temple of the Sacred Tooth is one of the world's holiest Buddhist sites, owing to the relic it holds – supposedly a tooth of the Buddha himself.
From Kandy, the train journey eastwards on a colonial-era railway to the hilltown of Ella is one of the world's most scenic, winding among tea plantations, over deep ravines and past brightly-painted temples. And set among rice paddies near Ella, there's a lovely farm hotel, Kaduruketha, which makes a good base for birdwatching walks in the surrounding jungle.
Next comes Gal Oya National Park, where elephants swim amid the islands of the vast Senanayake Samudra reservoir. Gal Oya Lodge offers several activities guided by local Vedda elders, including camping expeditions on which you might, among other things, try "citrussy-sweet" jackal jujube fruit or learn how to make bow strings with aralu creepers.
The park is also rich in wildlife, including leopards and thick-tailed pangolins, although you might spot more as you head towards the region's wild coast, where the forest cover is not so thick. Among the best places to stay there is Kottukal Beach House, a small hotel in the Tamil town of Pottuvil.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Today's political cartoons - September 14, 2024
Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - a second debate, Europe on the menu, and more
By The Week US Published
-
5 cleverly clashing cartoons about the presidential debate
Cartoons Artists take on a deepfake debate, winners and losers, and more
By The Week US Published
-
The Pélicot case: a horror exposed
Talking Point This case is unusually horrifying, but the misogyny that enabled is chillingly common
By The Week UK Published
-
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice: pure 'nostalgia bait'
Talking Point Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder return for sequel to the 1988 cult classic
By The Week UK Published
-
Sam Leith picks his favourite children's books
The Week Recommends The author and journalist chooses works from Nicholas Fisk, Richard Adams and more
By The Week UK Published
-
The Real Thing: Stoppard revival is 'witty' and 'wise'
The Week Recommends James McArdle is 'sensational' in Max Webster's production at the Old Vic
By The Week UK Published
-
Firebrand: Jude Law is 'gloriously disgusting' in Tudor drama
The Week Recommends 'Vividly constructed' film looks at the life of Henry VIII's sixth wife, Katherine Parr
By The Week UK Published
-
A Voyage Around the Queen: 'gloriously bizarre' royal biography
The Week Recommends Craig Brown's book paints a 'vivid and remarkably telling' picture of the late monarch
By The Week UK Published
-
The Perfect Couple: glossy Netflix murder-mystery starring Nicole Kidman
The Week Recommends However hard you try to resist it, 'you will want to know the who, what, where and why-dunit'
By The Week UK Published
-
Chicken with Steph's spice
The Week Recommends This Caribbean-inspired recipe is mouthwateringly delicious
By The Week UK Published
-
A peaceful seaside village in Turkey
The Week Recommends Çıralı has been spared the 'scourge' of all-inclusive resort development
By The Week UK Published