Attractions – Yala Villa Sri Lanka

In antiquity, Sri Lanka was known to travellers by a variety of names; in India as Lanka or Sinhala, ancient Greek geographers called it Taprobane and Arabs referred to it as Serendib (the origin of the word “serendipity”) Ceilão, the name given to Sri Lanka by the Portuguese when they arrived in 1505, Then it was transliterated into English as Ceylon. As a British crown colony, the island was known as Ceylon. It achieved independence as the Dominion of Ceylon in 1948 Geographically It is in the Indian Ocean southwest of the Bay of Bengal, between latitudes 5°and 10°N, and longitudes 79° and 82°E. Sri Lanka is separated from the Indian subcontinent by the Gulf of Mannar and Palk Strait.

Yala National Park

Yala National Park is the most visited and second largest national park in Sri Lanka. Actually it consists of five blocks, two of which are now open to the public; and also adjoining parks. The blocks have individual names also, like Ruhuna National Park for the (best known) block 1 and Kumana National Park or ‘Yala East’ for the adjoining area. It is situated in the southeast region of the country, and lies in Southern Province and Uva Province. The park covers 979 square kilometres (378 sq mi) and is located about 300 kilometres (190 mi) from Colombo. Yala was designated as a wildlife sanctuary in 1900, and, along with Wilpattu it was one of the first two national parks in Sri Lanka, having been designated in 1938. The park is best known for its variety of wild animals. It is important for the conservation of Sri Lankan Elephants and aquatic birds.

“Yala hosts a variety of ecosystems ranging from moist monsoon forests to freshwater and marine wetlands. It is one of the 70 Important Bird Areas (IBAs) in Sri Lanka. Yala harbours 215 bird species including six endemic species of Sri Lanka. The number of mammals that has been recorded from the park is 44, and it has one of the highest leopard densities in the world.”

The best times to visit the park are early morning ( 5.30 am) and afternoon (3.00pm) to dusk. Dawn and dusk are the best times for spotting leopard and sloth bear . Get your park permit from the park office (Palatupana) for each entry prior to going into the park. You will be provided with a tracker by the office. Cost per local is Rs. 70/-. Foreign passport holder is Rs. 2500/-. Each vehicle will be Rs. 200/-. To all this, all relevant statutory taxes will be added. At the end of each trip, it is customary to tip the tracker and driver.

Kirinda Temple

Kirinda is a beautiful place visited by thousands of pilgrims each year. The ancient temple is sited atop a rocky outcrop from which one can obtain magnificent views of the desolate coast with its long stretch of sand dunes and the ocean beyond. On a clear day the light house on the Great Basses reef appears like a needle in the far distance.

With the atmosphere of its magnificent setting aside the sea, Kirinda is the appropriate setting of one of those popular legends that constitute early Sri Lankan history. Legend recounts that Kirinda was the place where Princess Viharamahadevi drifted ashore after being sacrificed to the sea to atone for her father’s, King Kelanitissa, sacrilegious act of killing a monk by putting him in a cauldron of boiling oil. After receiving the Princess, King Kavantissa, who was the ruler of Ruhuna at that time, married the young princess and the couple eventually had 2 sons. Dutugemunu, the eldest son of Viharamahadevi became one of the legends in Sri Lankan history.

Kirinda Harbour

The Fishery Harbour has been constructed under grant aid programme given by Japanese Government. Construction work was done by Penta Ocean and Wakachiku Japanese Companies. Kirinda Fishery Harbour is located surrounding historical places of Sri Lanka like Sithulpawwa, Tissamaharamaya and Kataragama. Also at close proximity to the Yala and Bundala National Parks. Sinhala and Muslim people live together in Kirinda and suburbs. Kirinda harbour is used as a transit harbour for craft fishing in Easter coast.

If you wish to buy some fresh seafood for your meals a short 5 minute drive from the villa will take you to the harbor. But you need to get there early in the morning in order to beat the wholesale fish vendors.

Katharagama

Kataragama (also Katharagama, Katirkamam and Kathirgamam, Sinhala: කතරගම, Tamil: கதிர்காமம் (Katirkāmam)) is a pilgrimage town popular with Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim and indigenous Vedda communities of Sri Lanka and South India. The town has Ruhunu Maha Kataragama devalaya, a shrine dedicated to Skanda-Murukan also known as Kataragamadevio. Kataragama is situated in the Monaragala District of Uva province, Sri Lanka. It is situated 228 km ESE of Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka. Although Kataragama was a small village in medieval times, today it is a fast developing township surrounded by jungle in the South Eastern region of Sri Lanka. It also houses the ancient Kiri Vehera Buddhist stupa. The town has a venerable history dating back to the last centuries of BCE. It also was the seat of government of many Sinhalese kings during the days of Rohana kingdom. Since the 1950’s the city has undergone many improvements with successive governments investing in public transportation, medical facilities, and business development and hotel services. It adjoins the popular Yala national park.

Bundala National Park

Bundala National Park is an internationally important wintering ground for migratory water birds in Sri Lanka. Bundala harbors 197 species of Birds, the highlight being the Greater Flamingo, which migrate in large flocks. Bundala was designated a wildlife sanctuary in 1969 and redesignated to a national park on 4 January 1993.[2] In 1991 Bundala became the first wetland to be declared as a Ramsar site in Sri Lanka. In 2005 the national park was designated as a biosphere reserve by UNESCO, the fourth biosphere reserve in Sri Lanka. The national park is situated 245 kilometres (152 mi) southeast of Colombo.

Situlpawwa

Situlpawwa rock temple with a history of over 2200 years is one of the significant Buddhist sites built in the 2nd Century BC.Located deep within the Yala National Park within the Hambantota district in the deep south of Sri Lanka, Sithulpawwa rock temple has a stunning setting. There are two temples perched high atop hard volcanic rock outcrops. Maha Sithulpauwa rock is 400 feet in height. . The dagoba is situated on top of the rock and is reached by a difficult steep climb, aided by steps cut into the rock. The dagoba is believed to have been built by king Kawantissa. It houses an intricate cave complex The name Sithulpauwa is derived from the word ‘Chittalapabbata’ which means the hill of the quiet mind. The rock temple was a place of worship for devotees as well as a centre of Buddhist scholarship. It is believed that in ancient times this rock temple once housed a total of 12,000 Arhats or monks who achieved the highest mind level in Buddhism. The life that the Arhats lived in Sithulpawwa was a hard one, with silence and solitude. The rock temple is famous for its early Brahmi script, ruins of the preaching house and the fragments of paintings that can be viewed at the image house. nside Situlpawwa are a number of gal len (rock caves), dagoba (pagodas), Poya geval (chapter houses), bodhigara, pilimageval and pokunu (ponds). Sithulpawwa rock temple houses an intrincate temple complex. The caves inside have been built to make it suitable for the monks to live in.

Fishing

Kirinda and the surrounding sea is very famous location for Game Fishing. From Yala villa to the Kirinda Fisheries harbor is a 10 minute walk where the excursions commence.Its advisable to bring your own fishing gear and you can hire a boat from the Harbour or can use your own service provide. This is seasonal for your information.

Diving-in Kirinda

Great & Little Bases are One of the best Locations for diving-in Sri Lanka. The reefs surrounding offer snorkeling experiences which will be memorable. This is seasonal and its always better to do some reading before.

Yala Block 05 Safari’s

Yala Block 05 Safari’s are getting famous by the day by day. Yala Villa to the Block 05 Entrance is a 45minute drive the. You are rewarded with much quieter and more scenic surrounding. Photo opportunities of the reservoir and scenes inside the park are memorable.