Sri Lanka Holidays

Sri Lanka Holidays

Written by bunpeiris

Sri Lanka Holidays that brings you the peerless blend of Luxury Holidays and Tropical Holidays, the Total Holiday Experience (THE) in the “Land of Delights” is revealed by Riolta Lanka Holidays (Pvt.) Ltd. of Lakshapatiya, Moratuwa, the city of pioneers and Ivory Gardens, Kandana, Sri Lanka, 10 minutes drive from the gateway to the ancient tropical island of Sri Lanka at Bandaranayake Int’l Airport (CMB).

Sri Lanka Holidays isn’t merely Luxury Holidays or Tropical Holidays in the ancient tropical island of Sri Lanka. 
Sri Lanka Holidays is the Total Holiday Experience: man made wonders complement the unrivalled natural beauty of the ancient tropical island. 
Sri Lanka Holidays is a World class Destination: diversity of numerous tourist attractions are supplemented by numerous eco-oriented luxury hotels steeped in the ancient concept of United Biology of the unbroken (since 543 BC) Sinhalese civilization immersed in the non-violence doctrine of Buddhism.

“On leaving the island of Andaman and sailing for 1,000 miles a little south of west, the traveler reaches, Ceylon, which is undoubtedly the finest island of its size in all the world.” Marco Polo 
Nowhere is another land, while the land is so compact, such vibrant diversity & a multitude of variety that would appeal to the voyagers, travelers, tourists and the inhabitants themselves. I shall not attempt to describe, nor will I weaken the reality of historical heritage and legendary beauty of my land by taking such a daunting task upon myself, a mere simpleton. I, a native of my land, who enjoyed the good fortune to tour my land island-wide since the age of eight with my maternal grandfather, Ayurveda Dr. Prangige Silmon Peter Gunaratne of Lakshapatiya, Moratuwa, Sri Lanka, herein would simply yet proudly elaborate upon the comments made by the visitors to my land. Certainly there is no other nation that would not have succumbed to the unforgiving temptation to be proud of its land beneath such combined weight of majestic heritage and unsurpassed beauty, natural and man-made. bunpeiris


What are you all going to do at Sri Lanka Holidays?
Everything everywhere for this is the “Land Of Delights”
Become the sunny revelers in the shade enjoying pristine palm fringed beaches of the tropical island of Sri Lanka. 
Become the Wild life enthusiasts in the numerous wild life reserves of one of the 34 Bio Diversity Hot Spots in the world. 
Become the lovers of history in the ancient island of Lanka that Ptolemy called Taprobane. 
Become enlightened conservationists of water at our ancient man-made rainwater reservoirs.
Become light adventure sportsmen at our hills, cliffs and rapids in the Central Highlands.
Become a dancer to the rainmaker beats of explosive traditional drummer dancers at the medieval Royal City, Kandy of Mediterranean climate.
Become rejuvenated merry makers in our colonial sanatoriums, the heath resorts, the retreats in the Central Highlands of salubrious climate.
Become our spoiled guests to your very finger tips, pampered to no ends at our eco-friendly luxury hotels of International luxury star ratings.
Become an overnight lover of popular Sinhalese music, of which the very first sight and sound makes your toes tingling and get you all off the chairs to the dancing floor.
Become an epicurean of spicy Sinhalese dishes of rice and curry as well as of our traditional Sinhalese sweets with the base of rice flour, coconut and palm honey.
Become enlightened to the boot and entertained to the hilt at My Sri Lanka, Our Island, the land of delights.

What is Sri Lanka Holidays?

“Why, that’s the place Sinbad Visited”. Eugene Wright (American, 1928)

Sri Lanka Holidays is touring Luxury Holidays in the ancient Indian Ocean Tropical Island of resplendent Sri Lanka, the “Land of Delights”, a World Class Tourist Destination where the Total Holiday Experience (THE) is revealed to your heart’s content. To Portuguese Captain Joao Ribeiro (1658- 1676) the island of Sri Lanka was the loveliest parcel of land the Creator has placed upon this earth. Then again, Sri Lanka Holidays has been the least promoted world class tourist destination in the world. Given the propensity, “any other land” would have exploited the tourism potential to the hilt. With due respect to those who worked hard and in contempt of those in authority who didn’t, it goes without saying, Sri Lanka has utterly failed in promoting Sri Lanka Holidays: in that sense too, Sri Lanka, with apologies to Marco Polo, is a “Land like no other”. The slogan that cuts both ways was discarded by the tourism authorities of Sri Lanka only to make way for another bureaucratic bungle: “small miracle” in the year 2009. Sri Lanka isn’t a small miracle, it’s a phenomenon. The second slogan was dropped too within a couple of months. 
“Dear me, it is beautiful! And most sumptuously tropical”, Mark Twain (American novelist, year 1896)

Where is Sri Lanka Holidays?

Franciscan Bishop, John de Marignolli, Legate (to Peking -1338-1353) of Pope Clement 1 was assured that the terrestrial paradise is only 40 Italian miles away from Sri Lanka’s “Adam’s Peak”. And just across the “Adam’s Bridge” is Sri Lanka.

The Pearl shaped tropical island of Sri Lanka, the Pearl of Indian Ocean is located south of the southern tip of India 20 miles across the Palk Straits, across now ruined and submerged prehistoric “Adam’s Bridge”, according to the Indian epic Ramayana, built by non human beings named Vanara. The island is set in the low latitudes between 6° and 10° with Indian Ocean all around resulting in typical maritime-tropical vicissitude: monsoon rains, palms, woods, rivers and waterfalls. From the Point Pedro, the northernmost beach of Sri Lanka to the Point Dondre, the southern most Beach of Sri Lanka, as the crow flies, is only 270 miles. The next beach, if you wish to swim across, is where Captain Titus Oats (1880-1912) gave his life to save his friends, but in vain.

How do you begin Sri Lanka Holidays?
“We begin with the city of Colombo, because it is the Emporium of the whole Island” Captain Joao Ribeiro (1658- 1676)

Sri Lankan Airlines the National Carrier of Sri Lanka, Emirates, Etihad Airways, Qatar Airways, Lufthansa, Kuwait Airways, British Airways and an array of International carriers take you to Sri Lanka Holidays. And in turn, Sri Lanka Holidays take you by surprise even before you land at Colombo’s Bandaranayake’s International Airport (CMB) at Katunayake, Negambo, Western coast, 27km north of Colombo: the Indian ocean, the beach, the large seawater lagoon, the vast coconut groves, then the beach and you are on the runway. Imagine the seascape & landscape in your descend from 30,000 feet to the ground. No, don’t imagine, visit Sri Lanka Holidays. Spent your Holidays in Sri Lanka, enjoy Sri Lanka Holidays with Riolta Lanka Holidays (Pvt.) Ltd., Colombo, Sri Lanka. We reveal for you to revel. This is My Sri Lanka, Your Island. 

For who is Sri Lanka Holidays?

“Ceylon, like Cleopatra is of infinite variety”. William Hull (American, 1953)

Sri Lanka Holidays is for everybody: each one & every one with his own interests & activities finds his stream in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka Holidays has something to offer to all the guys and dolls across the wide spectrum of humanity. Sri Lanka Holidays is for the Beach Holiday seekers; then again Sri Lanka Holidays is for the ornithologists and keen birders; then again for the wildlife enthusiasts; then again for the activists of sustainable ecological system; also for those who hunts for eco-oriented resorts; also for those seek refuge, relaxation & rejuvenation in the Hill station retreats of salubrious climate; and equally well for those who fall in love head over heels with ancient yet living cultures.

Sri Lanka Holidays is for the Beach Holidays seekers.
“There is no prettier sea-shore in the world, nor more beautiful surf.” Andrew Carnagie (American business tycoon, 1879)

During the main tourist season (October to April) the South western-southern coastal belt provides ideal Sri Lanka Holidays for beach holidays lovers beginning with  beach resorts at Wadduwa and running along to Kalutara, Beruwala, Bentota, Hikkaduwa, (all in the western coast ) and Galle, Unawatuna, Koggala, Weligama, Mirissa, Matara, Tangalla and Ambalangoda (all in the southern coast) all with vast coconut groves which grows to the water’s edge of Indian ocean in great luxuriance protecting you all from the tropical sun with ever Palm green shade, many tones of green & leafy shelter. You are the sunny holiday makers in the naturally well-sheltered beaches of Sri Lanka Holidays. 
Such is the climate of the tropical island of Sri Lanka, any time during the year, we have a right beach for you all: April to September period is the season for Eastern coast. Arugambay bay beach is a world class surf beach where International surfing competitions are held; Nilveli & Kalkuda Bay Beach too are magnificent beaches of the Eastern coast.
This is the island in the sun, the tropical paradise, Sinbad of One thousand and one Arabian nights discovered then and holiday makers of Sri Lanka Holidays do discover now.

Sri Lanka Holidays is for birdlife enthusiasts.

“I shall always think of Ceylon as an Eden” Moncure Daniel Conway (American, 1883)

As the life begins with water, the lifeline of the fertile island of Sri Lanka, warmed by the tropical sun, watered by the two seasons of monsoon rains (South West monsoon rains during April to October and North East monsoon rains during November to January) is provided by the renovated ancient irrigation network of man-made rain water reservoirs. In addition to the reservoirs, the wet lands of Sri Lanka consist of natural wetlands: lagoons, Estuaries, Mangroves, rivers, streams, freshwater marshes, swam forests & Villus. 
103 rivers flow out swiftly in radial pattern from the Central highlands, the mountainous core of the Island now down, then over the escarpments forming over 400 waterfalls (the highest is Bambarakanda (263m), Dunhida waterfalls (220m) is close to hill retreat of Bandarawela)  & rapids (the most famous is the tourist resort of Kitulgala white water rafting rapids) to slow down in the plains and then meander through the flood plains to feed thousands of ancient man-made rainwater reservoirs (the largest is Parakarama Samudra at the ancient capital of Polonnaruwa) then to the scenic deltas at the palm fringed pristine beaches of western coast, southern coast & eastern coast. 

River Mahaweli with its source at Adam’s Peak flows down 335 km flows from the Central Highlands in a serpentine route over the Horton Plains, twisting around Kandy to the central plains reaching the one of the finest deep water natural harbors of the world at Trincomalee in the north eastern plains. Kelani River that originates in Sri Pada mountain range runs through the Central Highlands to meet the Indian Ocean at Colombo. The Walawe River that originates at Adam’s Peak and flows through 136 km of territories that gain the benefit of north-east monsoon a well as south-west monsoon flows into the Indian Ocean at the beaches of Ambalantota. 

Water, water everywhere has made Sri Lanka Holidays one of the premier bird watching tourist destinations in Asia & frog capitals of the earth. The resident & migrants flocks of birds make up to 435 species in the tropical Sri Lanka Holidays. Wirawila Rainwater reservoir, Bundala Bird Sanctuary & Kalmetiya Bird Sanctuary are major bird life attractions.

Sri Lanka Holidays is for wild life enthusiasts.

“O great king the birds of the air and the beasts have an equal right to live and move about in any part of the land as thou.” Buddhist missionary Arhath Mahinda from India to King Devanam Piya Tissa of Sri Lanka (307-267 BC).

The manifold natural beauty & immense diversity of tourist destinations of the island of Sri Lanka called Ceylon by the British, belies its size: with only 65,525 Sq. km it’s only half the size of England. Being a part of one of the 34 Bio Diversity Hotspot spots (Western Ghats of South Western India & Sri Lanka) in the world, 15% of the land is designated as wild life reserves and protected by Sri Lanka Wild Life protection Department. Sri Lanka Holidays set you up with the ideal Touring Holidays to see Asian elephant, Leopard & 84 other mammal species. Sri Lanka is home to the largest population of Asian elephants: Minneriya National Park, Wasgomuwa National Park, Uda Walawe National Park & Ruhuna Yala National Park are the kingdoms of elephants. Captive elephants are held at Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage close to Kandy.

Sri Lanka Holidays is for the lovers of the world cultures.
“I am more and more delighted with this island and its people” Clara Kathleene Rogers (American, year 1903)

In the year 1515, overwhelmed by the beauty of the tropical island, Edward Barbosa, a Portuguese captain introduced the word Tennaserim meaning “The Land of Delights” in an ancient Indian language, to the island which had already been known by a string of names beginning from prehistoric and modern name Lanka (Sanskrit) to Heladiva (Sinhala), Tambapanni (Sinhala- 543 BC), Sinhaladvipa (Sinhala), Si-lan (Chinese) Taprobane (Greek), Serendib (Arabic) & then destined to be named Ceilo (Portuguese, 1505-1655), Zeilan (Dutch, 1656-1795) & Ceylon (English 1796-1948) only to come a full circle to Lanka in the year 1972, with the prefix Sri or Shri (Sanskrit) to be renamed Sri Lanka meaning “The Resplendent Island”. There goes the Sri Lanka Holidays. The ancient island nation’s archeological, historical & cultural attractions abound from north to south, west to east.

“In no other part of the world are there to be found within the same space, the remains of so many works of irrigation, which are, at the same time, of such antiquity and of such vast magnitude as Ceylon. Probably no other country can exhibit works so numerous, and at the same time so ancient and extensive, within the same limited area, as this island”
Colonial Governor of Ceylon (Sri Lanka), Sir Henry Ward (1885- 1860)

The numerous cultural attractions set up Sri Lanka Holidays more like, with apologies to Dr. Arthur C. Clarke, a microcosm of India Holidays without hassle. The ancient capitals of Anuradhapura  and Polonnaruwa fell to the marauding Dravidian invaders from Southern India following the glorious era of 500 BC to 1200 AD. The lost cities of Anuaradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Sigiriya (among the 6 culture UNESCO World heritage Sites), since being rediscovered by the colonial British rulers (1802-1948), homes to colossal cultural edifices have been renovated beginning with Ceylon’s first Commissioner of Archeology (1889- 1912) H.C. P. Bell (1851-1937), a British colonial civil servant, a man of unflagging energy and outstanding ability. 

“The constructive and artistic genius of the Sinhalese race proceeded in the following century (i.e.2nd century B.C.) to develop the design to an extent not found elsewhere. The most important examples erected in Ceylon are comparable with the greatest pyramids of Egypt. The two largest dagobas at Anuradhapura surpass in contents and three exceeded in height all but the two enormous pyramids Khufru and Khafra at Gizah.”
Henry Parker: Ancient Ceylon

"Not one drop of water must flow into the ocean without serving the purposes of man"
King Parakramabahu the great (1164-1196 AD) of Lanka, the builder of rainwater reservoir "Sea of Parakrama" & numerous other reservoirs.

However the abandoned vast ancient irrigation networks in those lost kingdoms with thousands of rainwater reservoirs had been continuously reconstructed & renovated only following the formation of Irrigation Department of Ceylon’s under the leadership of H.T.S. Ward & Henry Parker in the year 1900, almost a century since British commenced ruling Ceylon. During the first fifty years since the establishment of Irrigation Department almost all the important ancient rainwater reservoirs & anicuts were restored including Minneriya close to Polonnaruwa, Kalawewa close to Sigiriya Lion Rock Citadel & Parakrama Samudra in Polonnaruwa of Sri Lanka Holidays.

How do you value the hospitability of Sri Lanka Holidays?
"The Buddhist monks on the mountain and elsewhere are very holy, though they have not the Faith... They welcomed me into their monasteries and treated me as one of their own". Franciscan Bishop John de Marignolis, Legate (to Peking) of Pope Clement .

Sri Lanka’s traditions of hospitality are legendary; its origins are entrenched in the 2553 years of recorded unbroken civilization of Sinhalese. Our doors are open; our people are all smiles Then again Sri Lanka Hotels hospitality of Sri Lanka Holidays is of international standard: contemporary, modern, eco-chic with high value superior service. 

You can tour alone all over the island of Sri Lanka by public transport too, if you take a fancy to it. And ask help from our people any time, any day and they would respond with courtesy in words as well as in deeds.  But then, the hassle of public transport is not worth the trouble since cost of Rent a Car with driver, compared to most of the world class destinations, is affordable in Sri Lanka. We are your friends in need; visit Sri Lanka Holidays and tour with Riolta Lanka Holidays (Pvt.) Ltd., Sri Lanka.

When do you enjoy Sri Lanka Holidays most?

24 hours/365 days

December to March tourist season, the driest months are ideal for Sri Lanka Holidays in the western & southern coastal belt and Central Highlands.
{So that we could avoid May to September South West Monsoon rains on wet zone of southwestern region including the Central highlands- mean annual rainfall 2500mm}
(Maha season- the main rice cultivation season in the entire country falls - in mid September/October to late January/February)

April to September period is ideal for the ancient kingdoms & the eastern coast. 
{So that we could avoid November- February North East monsoon on northern and eastern plains- mean annual rainfall 1750mm.}
(Yala rice cultivation season falls in mid March to early May)

July/August is the period of Kandy Esala Perhera pageant, the greatest light and fire pageant in the world.
December to April is the season for the ascent of Adam’s Peak along the lighted path to be at the peak at the crack of dawn to witness the phenomenon of light and shadow show.

Hi. I am B. Upul N. Peiris (web ID: bunpeiris) of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka. You have been reading my narrations, a bit of a writer and a Sri Lanka Holidays tour operator. We are in force at 99/76, Ivory Gardens, Old D. R. O. Rd, Kandana, Sri Lanka. (100 meters from Kandana Sri Lanka Police station on Negambo-Colombo main motor way and again 100 meters uphill off the main road in the residential area to the land side, other side off the main road is sea side. No, don’t go to the beach yet, we are in the north of Colombo, the best beaches of the world are to the south of Colombo along south-western, southern & eastern coast.) Contact us today.

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Bibliography related to the Home Page of Sri Lanka Holidays

The quotation attributed to Marco Polo is gleaned from “The Travels of Marco Polo” The Folio Society Edition (1968), London, UK, translated by Ronald Latham. Please note the Englishman Ronald Latham has translated then Arabic name of the island, Seilan into Ceylon, the British colonial name of Sri Lanka.
The quotations attributed to Franciscan Bishop, John de Marignolli are gleaned from Ceylon, the Portuguese era  by Dr. Paulus Edward Pieris1983 & History of paradise: the Garden of Eden in myth and tradition By Jean Delumeau, Matthew O'Connell          http://books.google.com/books?id=ubJDLvEV0vEC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_navlinks_s#v=onepage&q=&f=false

The quotations attributed to Americans are gleaned from a select anthology titled “Images of Sri Lanka through American Eyes”, sub titled Travellers in Ceylon in the 19th and 20th centuries Ceylon compiled and edited by H.A.I. Goonetileke with a forward by U.S.A. Ambassador to Sri Lanka (1972-1976) Christopher Van Hollen. International Communication Agency, Embassy of the United States of America, Colombo, Sri Lanka, 1976.

The quotation attributed to Colonial Governor of Ceylon (Sri Lanka), Sir Henry Ward (1885- 1860) is gleaned from the book titled “Ceylon, An Account of the Island” Physical, Historical, and Topographical composed by the British Colonial Secretary illustrious Sir James Emerson Tennent. K.C.S. LL.D published in London, U.K. in 1859.

The quotation attributed to Henry Parker is gleaned from the book titled “Ancient Ceylon” by the British Colonial civil servant illustrious H. Parker, Deputy to H. T.S. Ward, Director of Department of Irrigation, Ceylon during 1873-1904.

The quotations attributed to the historical characters of Sri Lanka are gleanings from Sri Lanka’s continuous historical chronicle Mahawamsa.narrating unbroken Sinhalese civilization beginning in 543 BC with the arrival of Prince Vijaya from Bengal, East India.

The quotations attributed to Captain Joao Ribeiro are gleaned from the book titled “The Historic Tragedy of the Island of Ceilao” composed by Portuguese Captain Joao Ribeiro at Lisbon on 8th January 1685. The book was translated from Portuguese to English by illustrious Dr. P.E. Pieris Litt. D. (Cantab) in the year 1947. To the captain, it was a tragedy that the beautiful Sri Lanka, then ultimate oriental treasure trove of Pearls, Gems, Elephants, Cinnamon and Spices couldn’t be conquered by Portugal. Riolta dot Com reveals for you to revel the Total Holiday Experience (THE) at Tropical Luxury Holidays of Sri Lanka Holidays. 
bunpeiris.