Blog and Stories with Locals Experiences
Itinerant Notes is a guide to the island of Sri Lanka. We write blog posts and articles about traveling, food, accommodation, most un-touched places and many more. Any one is welcome to join to our community and share thoughts.
The Spectacular Unawatuna Beach
Unawatuna is one of the biggest tourist destinations in Sri Lanka and is the most “famous” beach in the country. It is a lovely banana-shaped beach of golden sand and turquoise water, surrounded by green palm trees! Behind the beach, in between palm trees, is Unawatuna center. It is basically one street full of small nice restaurants and shops selling souvenirs, clothes, water, jewelry and so on. It will give you a vibe of a completely different surrounding where you could see tourists walking around and having a cup of hot coffee in small cafes or shopping in street shops. The beach is popular with tourists, and part of the beach is occupied with sunbeds for rent.
Pitawala Pathana - Sri Lanka
Pitawala 'Pathana/Plain' is the unique grassland found in the Knuckles Conservation Forest, Sri Lanka. This plain has a great ecological value. Pitawala Pathana is situated close to the Riverstone and edge of Knuckles Mountain Reservation which is on the way to Matale - Illukkumbura road. It is about 5km away from the “Nature Riverstone River Cottage''.
Pahanthudawa Waterfall - Sri Lanka
Another iconic destination in Belihuloya is Pahanthudawa, a waterfall that would be mesmerizing to anyone who visits in the fall. The name “Pahanthudawa” was given because of the shape of the base pool which resembles the shape of a clay lamp....
Kalkudah and Pasikuda Beach - Sri Lanka
It is difficult to find two breathtaking beaches within walking distance, but not in the eastern shores of Trincomalee, specifically in the Kalkudah and Pasikudah beaches, which boasts spectacular sand stretches back to back...
Jungle Beach, Rumassala
Every one of you may already know that Sri Lanka is famous for 3S’s. Yeah, it is Sea, Sand, and Sun. Our wonderful tropical island got the most beautiful sandy beaches in the world and many tourists visit Sri Lanka to experience this beauty. However, this beach is quite different as it is hidden from a jungle that covered the hill.
Knuckles Mountain Range
Knuckles mountain range lies in central Sri Lanka in the districts of Matale and Kandy. It is situated above 3000 ft/ 915 m from the sea level while land extent by 234 sq. km. It has featured 34 peaks ranging in height between 900m-1900m. Climatic conditions vary in a broad range from Low Country Wet Evergreen forest to Semi-evergreen forest to Dry Evergreen forest ecosystems. Weather in the Knuckles mountain range is unpredictable and could transform within a few minutes. A thick mist could shroud the mountain and in a matter of minutes, rain could breeze on any day.
A walk through Horton Plains
Horton plains is situated in the Central Highlands of Sri Lanka and were declared as a national park in the country. This would be probably the only national park in Sri Lanka which allows you to walk inside instead of taking a tour in a jeep....
Coffee Places in Colombo
The most popular export in Sri Lanka is without a doubt Tea. This is perhaps not so surprising from the country that brings you “Ceylon Tea”. Unfortunately coffee is not one of its great exports. This doesn’t mean you can not find good coffee in and around Colombo, although not authentic Espresso in Italy is worth giving a look at. In Sri Lanka coffee shops use locally grounded coffee however there are some places that may serve you high-end foreign beans...
Ridiyagama Safari Park
Have you ever visited a park where Lions roam around freely and on another side, you could see Ostriches running around? Of course, you are on a bus and the bus is protected from metal rods so you are safe and sound inside (Otherwise none of us would like to have an encounter with Lions, right?). I'm talking about the first-ever man-made safari park in Sri Lanka which opened its doors to the public in 2016. This is basically an open-air zoo. If you are an animal lover and pleasure hunter this is the best place for you to observe animals in a more free environment while you are in a moving cage.
Moon Plains - A little bit of Heaven
Nuwara Eliya is one of the famous destinations in Sri Lanka. All of us have at least visited Nuwara Eliya once in our life. But have you ever heard of this beautiful plain called Moon plains? I bet many of us have not visited this place as this was opened recently for the public. Moon Plains is also known as Sandatanne and Sandagalatanne
Konduruhela - Sri Lanka
y inheriting the theme of mountains being named “Hela”(“Fall”) on the Eastern side, our next site is aptly but rather contradictorily named “Konduruhela”. It is situated in the Eastern Province specifically on the Ampara District which is also where Arugam Bay beach is although they are over 2 hours journey apart by car. But it is also closer to Govinda Hela, another mountain range in the vicinity...
Wildlife in Sri Lanka
From large elephant gatherings to parks that have the highest concentration of leopards in the world to the easiest place in the world to see the blue whale, the largest animal to have ever lived on the planet, Sri Lanka is a surprisingly wildlife paradise. Despite being small in size, Sri Lanka’s wildlife is as varied as the island itself.