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    Berlitz Pocket Guide Sri Lanka (Travel Guide eBook)
    Berlitz Pocket Guide Sri Lanka (Travel Guide eBook)
    Berlitz Pocket Guide Sri Lanka (Travel Guide eBook)
    Ebook398 pages2 hours

    Berlitz Pocket Guide Sri Lanka (Travel Guide eBook)

    By Berlitz

    3.5/5

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    About this ebook

    With an iconic style and a bestselling brand, this is the quintessential pocket-sized travel guide to Sri Lanka - now with a bilingual dictionary

    Plan your trip, plan perfect days and discover how to get around - this pocket-sized guide is a convenient, quick-reference companion to discovering fun and interesting things to do and see in Sri Lanka, from top tourist attractions like Colombo, Adam's Peak, Sigiriya, Yala National Park and Galle Fort, to hidden gems, including the Jaffna Peninsula. 

    - What to see: comprehensive coverage of the country's attractions, illustrated with striking photography
    - What to do: how to make the most of your leisure time, from local entertainment to the best activities and shopping
    - History and culture: giving you a deeper understanding of the country's heritage, people and contemporary life
    - Practical tips: where to stay, dining out and how to get around: reliable recommendations and expert travel advice
    - Dictionary: quick-reference bilingual language guide to help you with vocabulary on the ground
    - Covers: Colombo, the West Coast, the South, Kandy, the Hill Country, the Cultural Ttriange, the East and the North

    About Berlitz: Berlitz draws on years of travel and language expertise to bring you a wide range of travel and language products, including travel guides, maps, phrase books, language-learning courses, dictionaries and kids' language products.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherInsight Guides
    Release dateAug 1, 2019
    ISBN9781785732300
    Berlitz Pocket Guide Sri Lanka (Travel Guide eBook)
    Author

    Berlitz

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      Book preview

      Berlitz Pocket Guide Sri Lanka (Travel Guide eBook) - Berlitz

      How To Use This E-Book

      Getting Around the e-Book

      This Pocket Guide e-book is designed to give you inspiration and planning advice for your visit to Sri Lanka, and is also the perfect on-the-ground companion for your trip.

      The guide begins with our selection of Top 10 Attractions, plus a Perfect Itinerary feature to help you plan unmissable experiences. The Introduction and History chapters paint a vivid cultural portrait of Sri Lanka, and the Where to Go chapter gives a complete guide to all the sights worth visiting. You will find ideas for activities in the What to Do section, while the Eating Out chapter describes the local cuisine and gives listings of the best restaurants. The Travel Tips offer practical information to help you plan your trip. Finally, there are carefully selected hotel listings.

      In the Table of Contents and throughout this e-book you will see hyperlinked references. Just tap a hyperlink once to skip to the section you would like to read. Practical information and listings are also hyperlinked, so as long as you have an external connection to the internet, you can tap a link to go directly to the website for more information.

      Maps

      All key attractions and sights in Sri Lanka are numbered and cross-referenced to high-quality maps. Wherever you see the reference [map], tap once to go straight to the related map. You can also double-tap any map for a zoom view.

      Images

      You’ll find lots of beautiful high-resolution images that capture the essence of Sri Lanka. Simply double-tap an image to see it in full-screen.

      About Berlitz Pocket Guides

      The Berlitz story began in 1877 when Maximilian Berlitz devised his revolutionary method of language learning. More than 130 years later, Berlitz is a household name, famed not only for language schools but also as a provider of best-selling language and travel guides.

      Our wide-ranging travel products – printed travel guides and phrase books, as well as apps and ebooks – offer all the information you need for a perfect trip, and are regularly updated by our team of expert local authors. Their practical emphasis means they are perfect for use on the ground. Wherever you’re going – whether it’s on a short break, the trip of a lifetime, a cruise or a business trip – we offer the ideal guide for your needs.

      Our Berlitz Pocket Guides are the perfect choice if you need reliable, concise information in a handy format. We provide amazing value for money – these guides may be small, but they are packed with information. No wonder they have sold more than 45 million copies worldwide.

      © 2019 Apa Digital (CH) AG and Apa Publications (UK) Ltd

      Table of Contents

      Sri Lanka’s Top 10 Attractions

      Top Attraction #1

      Top Attraction #2

      Top Attraction #3

      Top Attraction #4

      Top Attraction #5

      Top Attraction #6

      Top Attraction #7

      Top Attraction #8

      Top Attraction #9

      Top Attraction #10

      A Perfect Tour of Sri Lanka

      Introduction

      The modern nation

      Landscapes

      One island, many people

      Buddhas and beaches

      A Brief History

      Prehistory

      The Anuradhapura period

      Polonnaruwa period

      Sinhalese decline and the rise of Jaffna

      The Portuguese

      The Kandyan Kingdom and the Dutch

      The British

      Towards independence

      Independence

      Civil war

      Peace at last?

      Historical landmarks

      Where To Go

      Colombo

      Fort and the Pettah

      Galle Face Green and Slave Island

      Southern Colombo

      The west coast

      Negombo and around

      Kalutara

      Beruwala, Bentota and around

      Ambalangoda

      Hikkaduwa

      The south

      Galle

      Unawatuna to Mirissa

      Matara

      Tangalla and around

      Bundala National Park

      Tissamaharama and Yala

      Kataragama

      Kandy

      The Lake and around

      Temple of the Tooth

      Royal Palace Complex

      The Devales

      Peradeniya Botanical Gardens

      Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage

      The Hill Country

      Nuwara Eliya and around

      Horton Plains and World’s End

      Haputale

      Ella and around

      Adam’s Peak

      Ratnapura and around

      Udawalaweand Sinharaja

      The Cultural Triangle

      North from Kandy to Dambulla

      Dambulla

      Sigiriya

      Polonnaruwa

      The Citadel

      The Quadrangle

      The Alahana Pirivena and beyond

      The southern remains

      Minneriya and Kaudulla

      Yapahuwa to Ritigala

      Anuradhapura

      The Mahavihara

      The Jetavana Monastery and the Citadel

      The Abhayagiri Monastery

      Outlying remains

      Mihintale

      The east

      Trincomalee

      Uppuveli and Nilaveli

      Arugam Bay and around

      The north

      Jaffna

      The Jaffna Peninsula and islands

      What To Do

      Shopping

      Handicrafts and souvenirs

      Gems and jewellery

      Entertainment

      Sports and relaxation

      Cricket

      Golf

      Swimming

      Diving

      Snorkelling

      Surfing

      Other watersports

      Trekking and cycling

      Wildlife

      Whale-watching and turtle-watches

      Yoga and meditation

      Ayurveda

      Children’s Sri Lanka

      Festivals

      Festivals calendar

      Eating Out

      Where to eat

      What to eat

      Rice and curry

      Seafood

      International cuisines

      Desserts

      Fruits

      What to drink

      Reading the Menu

      Menu reader

      Desserts

      Drinks

      Restaurants

      Colombo

      The west coast

      The south coast

      Kandy

      The Hill Country

      The east

      A–Z Travel Tips

      A

      Accommodation (see also Camping and Recommended hotels)

      Airports

      B

      Bicycle and motorbike hire

      Budgeting for your trip

      C

      Camping

      Car hire (see also Driving)

      Climate

      Clothing

      Crime and safety

      D

      Driving (see also Car hire)

      E

      Electricity

      Embassies, consulates and high commissions

      Emergencies

      G

      Getting there

      Guides and tours

      H

      Health and medical care

      L

      Language

      LGBTQ travellers

      M

      Maps

      Media

      Money

      O

      Opening times

      P

      Police

      Post offices

      Public holidays

      R

      Religion

      T

      Telephones

      Time zones

      Tipping and taxes

      Toilets

      Tourist information

      Transport

      V

      Visas and entry requirements

      W

      Websites and internal access

      Recommended Hotels

      Colombo

      The west coast

      Bentota

      Balapitiya and Hikkaduwa

      Negombo

      The south

      Galle

      Unawatuna

      Koggala

      Tangalla

      Kandy

      The Hill Country

      Ella, Bandarawela and Haputale

      Nuwara Eliya

      The Cultural Triangle

      Anuradhapura

      Dambulla

      Sigiriya

      Polonnaruwa

      The east coast

      Trincomalee

      Arugam Bay

      Dictionary

      English–Malay

      Malay–English

      Sri Lanka’s Top 10 Attractions

      Top Attraction #1

      Shutterstock

      Elephant Gathering at Minneriya National Park

      Stunning natural spectacle of hundreds of elephants gathering around the Minneriya Lake.

      For more information, click here.

      Top Attraction #2

      iStock

      Sigiriya

      A spectacular, ancient citadel featuring the ‘Sigiriya Damsels’. For more information, click here.

      Top Attraction #3

      Shutterstock

      Buddhas of Polonnaruwa

      Explore the impressive, ancient sculptures and carvings in this ruined city. For more information, click here.

      Top Attraction #4

      Getty Images

      Galle Fort

      A perfectly preserved colonial time capsule. For more information, click here.

      Top Attraction #5

      Getty Images

      Temple of the Tooth

      Home to Sri Lanka’s most venerated religious relic on Kandy Lake. For more information, click here.

      Top Attraction #6

      Shutterstock

      Bentota

      The west coast’s premier beach destination. For more information, click here.

      Top Attraction #7

      Shutterstock

      Yala National Park

      Famous for its significant leopard population. For more information, click here.

      Top Attraction #8

      Shutterstock

      Horton Plains National Park and World’s End

      See some of Sri Lanka’s finest scenery, and most magnificent views. For more information, click here.

      Top Attraction #9

      Getty Images

      Adam’s Peak

      See dawn’s shadow cast from revered Adam’s Peak. For more information, click here.

      Top Attraction #10

      iStock

      Anuradhapura

      Home to an astonishing collection of impressive ancient stupas. For more information, click here.

      A Perfect Tour of Sri Lanka

      Days 1–3

      Temples

      Pick up a car and driver and head northeast to Sri Lanka’s Cultural Triangle. Spend a day cycling around the ruined city of Polonnaruwa and a second day visiting the magical cave temples of Dambulla and the rock-top citadel of Sigiriya. Climb Pidurangala Rock to visit the Rock Buddha Temple and take in views of Sigiriya. End your tour with an elephant safari at Kaudulla National Park.

      Days 4–6

      Culture in Kandy

      Head south to Kandy, and explore the temples and palaces, as well as the Peradeniya Botanical Gardens and one of the Elephant Sanctuaries in the area. Attend an early morning puja ceremony at the Temple of the Tooth, and take in a nightly performance of the traditional, acrobatic Kandyan dancing.

      Day 7

      Time for tea

      Travel south through the hills to Nuwara Eliya, stopping for a visit to the tea factory and plantation at Damro Labookelie en route. Spend the afternoon exploring Nuwara Eliya, strolling through Victoria Park and then taking afternoon tea on the terrace at the Grand Hotel. Round off the day with dinner at the town’s wonderfully time-warped Hill Club.

      Day 8

      Views aplenty

      Continue south to Horton Plains National Park with its beautiful stands of cloudforest, and sensational views over the lowlands from the escarpment at World’s End. Continue on to idyllic Ella, one of the island’s prettiest villages.

      Day 9

      Around Ella

      Spend the day exploring the beautiful countryside around Ella making either the short but rewarding walk up Little Adam’s Peak, or the longer hike to the summit of Ella Rock. Alternatively, take a short trek to 9 Arch Bridge - one of the best examples of colonial-era railway construction in the country.

      Day 10

      Buddhas and big cats

      Spend the morning driving south from Ella via the spectacular Rawana Ella Falls and the majestic Buddha statues at Buduruwagala. Then while away the afternoon looking for leopards in Yala National Park.

      Days 11–13

      Beach time

      Crash out on one of the idyllic beaches fringing the west and south coasts, such as at Bentota – also the island’s water sports capital – backpacker-friendly Unawatuna, or Mirissa, enjoying a stay at one of the superb hotels or villas listed here.

      Day 14

      Colombo

      Loop back around the coastal road and finish with a visit to Colombo. See the vibrant bazaars in Pettah and the fine National Museum. Shop in one of the city’s lovely boutiques and enjoy a final authentic Sri Lankan or Indian meal before flying home.

      Introduction

      Poised a few degrees above the equator amidst the azure waters of the Indian Ocean, Sri Lanka is, for many visitors, one of Asia’s ultimate tropical island paradises. Medieval traders and modern tourists have been beguiled by the island’s endless golden beaches and abundant natural riches, from cinnamon to sapphires and elephants. As the home of one of the world’s oldest and purest Buddhist traditions, Sri Lanka boasts a unique and distinctive cultural character, while the island’s wide range of landscapes, from tropical beaches to misty upland tea plantations, lends it an extraordinary scenic appeal.

      The modern nation

      The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka (as it has been known since 1972, when it ditched the old British colonial name of Ceylon) now boasts a population of almost 21 million, and is growing rapidly. Almost three-quarters of the population are Buddhist Sinhalese, the descendants of settlers from North India, but there are also significant numbers of South Indian-descended Hindu Tamils, particularly in the north and east of the island. The nation’s two main languages are Sinhala (the language of the Sinhalese) and Tamil, while English is also widely spoken. The island has been a multi-party democracy since independence in 1948.

      Sri Lanka’s recent history has been overshadowed by the civil war between the Sri Lankan government and the separatist Tamil Tigers (LTTE), which ravaged the island from the early 1980s through to the beginning of 2009, when the Sri Lankan Army finally succeeded in destroying the last remnants of LTTE power. The island was also devastated by the 2004 Asian tsunami, which killed almost 40,000 people and reduced much of the seaboard to ruins. Today, following great reconstruction efforts, tourist facilities are of a higher standard than ever before, reflecting the industry’s increasingly crucial role in the national economy.

      Waterfall in the Hill Country

      iStock

      The many names of Sri Lanka

      Sri Lanka has had many names over the centuries.

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