Galle Tour
Galle is without doubt Sri Lanka’s most historically interesting living city. The town is said to date back to Biblical times, where King Solomon is believed to have obtained gems and spices. The port of Galle developed after the arrival of the Portuguese and further developed as a fortress town by the Dutch in the 17th century. Galle developed as a port, notable for its British built lighthouse and well preserved ramparts encircling the old town’s narrow streets. It was the island’s major port until the construction of the
breakwaters at Colombo harbour was completed in the 19th century and still handles shipping and cruising yachts today.The old town or Fort is delightfully quiet but atmospheric with a real sense of the history.
It stands in almost perfect repair and has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The British built the Fort’s main gate in 1873, to handle the heavy flow of traffic into the old city. Most of the buildings inside the Fort date from the Dutch era and include an interesting Dutch Period Museum, in a well-restored house in Rope Walk Street. There is another museum next to the New Oriental Hotel, the hotel itself originally built in 1684 for the Dutch Governor and officers and well worth a visit for its colonial atmosphere. The town has a lively bazaar, fish market and fruit and vegetable market giving visitors a taste of the Galle of today.
Galle’s beaches lie to the north and east of the town, where most tourist accommodation is located. Unawatuna Bay, to the east has a lovely curving beach of sand, protected by an offshore reef.
"Leopard" National Park Tour (Yala)
The region of Yala is divided into Yala West and Yala East by a strict natural reserve; where visitors are not permitted. Yala West National Park is one of Sri Lanka’s most visited parks. It is a mixture of scrub plains, lagoons and rocky outcrops. Most visitors visit the park on a half day excursion from Tissamaharama, either in private vehicles or by hiring a jeep and driver to take them around the park.
A tracker is compulsory and can be arranged at the park entrance. The park is particularly known for its elephants although it is also home to leopards, although becoming increasingly rare, sloth bears, pangolin, deer, crocodiles, monkeys and buffalo. The bird life is varied and exciting with wild peacocks and jungle foul. For those with an interest in wildlife, a journey to Yala is well worth the effort. The best time to view the animals is at dawn or dusk when groups of different species gather around the waterholes, giving the feeling of a real kingdom of animals. The Kumana mangrove swamp can be found in Yala East. Here a great variety of water birds can be seen in spectacular numbers, nesting in June and July. There are also elephants and the occasional leopard.
Galle is without doubt Sri Lanka’s most historically interesting living city. The town is said to date back to Biblical times, where King Solomon is believed to have obtained gems and spices. The port of Galle developed after the arrival of the Portuguese and further developed as a fortress town by the Dutch in the 17th century. Galle developed as a port, notable for its British built lighthouse and well preserved ramparts encircling the old town’s narrow streets. It was the island’s major port until the construction of the
breakwaters at Colombo harbour was completed in the 19th century and still handles shipping and cruising yachts today.The old town or Fort is delightfully quiet but atmospheric with a real sense of the history.
It stands in almost perfect repair and has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The British built the Fort’s main gate in 1873, to handle the heavy flow of traffic into the old city. Most of the buildings inside the Fort date from the Dutch era and include an interesting Dutch Period Museum, in a well-restored house in Rope Walk Street. There is another museum next to the New Oriental Hotel, the hotel itself originally built in 1684 for the Dutch Governor and officers and well worth a visit for its colonial atmosphere. The town has a lively bazaar, fish market and fruit and vegetable market giving visitors a taste of the Galle of today.
Galle’s beaches lie to the north and east of the town, where most tourist accommodation is located. Unawatuna Bay, to the east has a lovely curving beach of sand, protected by an offshore reef.
"Leopard" National Park Tour (Yala)
The region of Yala is divided into Yala West and Yala East by a strict natural reserve; where visitors are not permitted. Yala West National Park is one of Sri Lanka’s most visited parks. It is a mixture of scrub plains, lagoons and rocky outcrops. Most visitors visit the park on a half day excursion from Tissamaharama, either in private vehicles or by hiring a jeep and driver to take them around the park.
A tracker is compulsory and can be arranged at the park entrance. The park is particularly known for its elephants although it is also home to leopards, although becoming increasingly rare, sloth bears, pangolin, deer, crocodiles, monkeys and buffalo. The bird life is varied and exciting with wild peacocks and jungle foul. For those with an interest in wildlife, a journey to Yala is well worth the effort. The best time to view the animals is at dawn or dusk when groups of different species gather around the waterholes, giving the feeling of a real kingdom of animals. The Kumana mangrove swamp can be found in Yala East. Here a great variety of water birds can be seen in spectacular numbers, nesting in June and July. There are also elephants and the occasional leopard.
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