Berlitz Pocket Guide Sri Lanka (Travel Guide eBook) , livre ebook

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