North Central Province Travel Recommendations for 2024 (Updated in Jun)

🚲 Cycling around Anuradhapura

The UNESCO world heritage site of Anuradhapura in Sri Lanka is justifiably famous, but sadly the extortionate ticket prices put it out of our budget. Instead, we enjoyed a lovely day cycling around the less famous ancient temples centred around a beautiful tank (reservoir) to the south of the main park. One of my favourite things to do when travelling is to hop on a bike and explore on two wheels. Anuradhapura is pretty flat so it's easy to cycle around, and you get a much more local experience, while also saving money/ hassle on tuktuks. #srilanka #anuradhapura #biketrip #cyclingday #passionpassport #budgettravel

a unesco sacred city in Sri-Lanka

this splendid complex has been hidden in the jungles for many years before to be discovered…it was abandon due to an invasion in 1017. Was the political and religious capital of SriLanka for more than 1400 years. The center of the sacred city is a Buddha’s fig tree planted in 3 BC, king Vijayan is the one that designed the city. #2023travelwish #lucaworldtraveler

Step into the sacred city of Anuradhapura ~ Fearless Mountain Stupa

Near the Bodhi Temple, there is a huge brick-red stupa. When you ride a tutu car through the fields, you can intermittently see this stupa standing tall in the vastness. When you get closer, you will be shocked by its height and huge volume. This stupa in Sinhalese means Abhayagiri Stupa, also known as Fearless Mountain Stupa, one of the most magnificent stupas in Anuradhapura. In the first century BC, King Vattagamani Abhaya ordered the construction of this stupa, which was said to be 110 meters high at that time, almost as high as the Ruwanwelisaya Stupa, although now only a bare stupa remains, it was only a part of the overall temple architecture at that time. According to records, the temple could accommodate 5,000 monks at that time. The famous Chinese monk Faxian had studied and researched Buddhist scriptures here. Now it is about 75 meters high. 🌟Highlights: In Buddhist history, Fearless Mountain Stupa not only represents a temple, but also a unique historical record, tradition and sect of life philosophy. This was the main temple of Mahayana Buddhism in Sri Lanka at that time. By the third century AD, King Mahasena's support policy allowed Fearless Mountain to reach its peak. It had all the elements that a temple should have: Buddha Hall, Stupa, Bodhi Tree Temple, Library, Chanting Hall, Living Area, Dining Hall, Bath, and even developed road traffic and water diversion systems. By the twelfth century, there was a power conflict between Mahayana Buddhism centered here and Theravada Buddhism centered on the Great Temple. The king at that time suppressed Mahayana Buddhism, and then Mahayana Buddhism began to disappear in Sri Lanka. After thousands of years of wind and rain, now these buildings are basically only the base or completely disappeared, blending with the lush wild grass and old trees around. ✅The achievement of Fearless Mountain is also reflected in the exquisite architecture and sculpture art, among which the most prominent are the Moon Stone and the Guardian Stone. 📝tips: ✅The attractions in the ancient city of Anuradhapura are relatively scattered, generally choose to pack tutu, if you have good physical strength and are not afraid of the sun, you can also rent a bicycle. ✅You need to take off your shoes to enter the temple. If you are afraid that the ground is too hot, you can prepare a pair of socks. Although there are dress requirements for visiting each stupa, they are generally not checked too strictly, but the inspection of the Bodhi Temple is slightly strict. 🗓Itinerary: Most people's choice when they first arrive in Lanka should be to stay in Negombo for rest. I arrived at more than nine in the morning, so I plan to take a bus directly to Anuradhapura and then play slowly. 🚌Major traffic: First take a tutu from the airport to Negombo bus station, there is an air-conditioned minibus to Kurunegala, 210 rupees per person, and then transfer to Anuradhapura. Kurunegala is an important transportation hub, the cars are parked in a mess, if you want to take a few buses, just ask a ticket seller, they will tell you. 🚲Minor traffic: At first we bargained with the homestay brother and rented two bicycles for 700 rupees a day. The next morning, a Korean sister from the same homestay said she had already contacted a tutu, 2000 rupees for six hours, if three people can share, hesitated and decided to take a tutu. The fact proves that although the bicycle is cheap and free, if you choose again, tutu is more comfortable. 🏠Accommodation information: When you get off the bus in Anuradhapura, it feels like you are on the side of the road. Since there is no reservation, it took ten minutes to find GH. The place is not big, you can walk along the main street, or you can book in advance online.

St. Bodhi is undoubtedly the center of Anura's geography and spirit. The focus of the believers and Buddha visits. According to legend, in the third century BC, the princess of the Moh, the son of Ashoka, brought the branches of the Bodhi tree of Sakyamuni into the royal garden. This St. Bodhi tree is one of the oldest trees recorded in history. This leafy tree is now surrounded by layers of high-rise auditoriums. The believers and tourists can't enter it. They can only send the gift of worship to the hands of the gift-holders before they are enshrined in the tree. . Occasionally the local family, the male owner gave the rich tribute to the gift holder, after the words in the mouth, put his hand on the daughter's head, pray for the daughter to remove the disaster. After the ceremony, the ceremony holder returned the basket of tribute, and the family thanked him sincerely.

Sri Lanka Trip: The Parliament Building of Polonnaruwa Ancient City

Palazzo della Ragione in Bolzano The Palazzo della Ragione in Bolzano was used by the emperor at the time to receive ministers, advisors, and foreign envoys. The stone lions at the entrance are a symbol of sovereignty. The council hall is built on a high stone pedestal made of huge stones. The wooden ceiling of the hall is long gone, leaving only lonely stone pillars standing there. The steps of the council hall are divided into three sections. There is a beautiful moonstone on the ground at the entrance of the first two sections, and the left and right sides of the third section are guarded by mythical beasts. The railing and the design of the mythical beasts on both sides of each step are extremely clever and perfect. There are many exquisite animal patterns carved on the stone foundation and pillars around the council hall, and the names of the ministers are also engraved on the pillars. You don't need to call out their names, just look at which pillar is missing a name to know who didn't show up...

Located in the northeastern part of Sri Lanka, Polonnaruwa is the ancient capital of Sri Lanka's second dynasty. It flourished in the 11th-13th centuries AD and was abandoned after the invasion of foreign enemies in the 14th century. It was not until the early 20th century that modern cities were established here. Most of the monuments left here are built in the 12th century. The ancient city is a large-scale building and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Polonnaruwa bus station and train station are located at Kaduruwela, four kilometers east of the ancient city, near the main road of Batticaloa. From Cologne, the bus and train are in the direction of Colombo -Batticaloa. About 6 or 7 hours.

In 1982, UNESCO listed the ancient city of Polonnaruwa as a cultural heritage on the World Heritage List. The ancient city of Polonnaruwa is located in the northeastern part of Sri Lanka, 216 km northeast of the capital Colombo. In 933 AD, Polonnaruwa became the capital of Sri Lanka. The monuments in the ancient city can be roughly divided into five areas: the palace complex, the square courtyard, the northern monuments, the historical hotel (that is, the bank of the reservoir), the southern monuments (on the way to the new town) and some sporadic monuments. . Figure 2 Sathmahal Prasada, meaning seven-level stupa looks a bit like a step pyramid, which is a rather strange building in Sri Lanka. Figure 7 is the largest in the ancient city of Polonnaruwa, and is the fourth largest pagoda in Lanca, RANKOT VIHARA, which is carved from a whole piece of Huanggang rock. The lines of different rock layers of the rock itself flow through the face and body of the Buddha, adding a mysterious vicissitudes of beauty.

The ancient city of Polonnaruwa was established in the Sinhala Dynasty at the end of the 10th century. It was the best Buddhist city in Southeast Asia in the 12th century. In the area of about 5x2 km, there are many amazing sites left. In the ancient city of Polonnaruwa, not only the Brahmin ruins of the Kaulasian period, but also the remains of the fabulous garden city built in the 12th century by Paraklama I. At the end of the 10th century, the national capital and Buddhist center Anuradhapura began to decline, and Polonnaruwa became famous for its replacement. From 1059 to 1207, along with the prosperity of Polonnaruwa, the level of architecture has reached a level of perfection. There is an artificial reservoir larger than the area of Colombo Bay - the Borogaroa Sea. You can also visit the King's Parliament Building, the Royal Castle, the Royal Pavilion, the memorial hall with moonstones and carved railings, and the finest carvings. A huge Buddha statue. In addition to the way of chartered tours, cycling is also good, the price of renting a bicycle is about 50 yuan a day.

🐘 Sighting in Minneriya National Park 🇱🇰

Going on a safari is one of the activities that you should not miss in Sri Lanka. One of the world’s most spectacular wildlife phenomenon that you can find in the island nation is the elephant gathering in Minneriya National Park. Located in the north-central province of Sri Lanka, Minneriya National Park is home to hundreds of Asian elephants which thrive on the Minneriya Tank, a reservoir built around 1700 years ago. The national park can only be explored by safari jeeps. We hired a jeep from Sigiriya and reached the entrance of national park in an hour. The jeep traveled through a forest before reaching the Minneriya Tank where we spotted herds of elephants and buffaloes by the reservoir. We were also fortunate to sight some other wild animals like foxes and native birds. #srilanka #minneriya #elephants #safari #safaripark #nationalpark #tripblazers #elephant

Beautiful Sri Lankan elephants North central

This is absolutely wonderful and these elephants are now very much free in the jungle since there is very less crowd entering to the Minneriya national wild life park followed by the Covid restrictions . I was so fortune to cover a descent amount of time at the park during my visit in the mid August 2021.

#wintergetaway one cool thing to do in #srilanka is wildlife watching or #safari. Here are some Asian elephants we bumped into during our early morning jeep tour in the national park. #wintergetaway

In Sri Lanka, go to the Minnesota National Wildlife Refuge to get close to the most primitive nature. Sitting in the open-top jeep, jolting in the most primitive nature, in a country that pays attention to the ecological harmony of nature from the bones, this is the most primitive. I saw the elephant for the first time, and the elephant passed by your car. It is said that there will be more than 200 crossings in the cluster. It was a little hot that day, but everything was worth it.

Sri Lanka has the largest number of Asian elephants in the world. Although the government has enacted laws prohibiting the capture of wild elephants, it is still difficult to escape the fate of extinction. There are many reasons for this, injuries to humans and animals are being killed, religious culture and entertainment industries need to be housed, etc., but it is well known that the reproduction rate and survival rate of elephants under captivity are extremely low because they belong only to nature. The elephant belongs to a complex and perfect family structure in the natural environment. It requires dozens or even hundreds of square kilometers of activity space. However, in the imprisonment, they have no space to survive in the wild. They can only be forced to Family stripping, limited to a dozen square feet of space, and finally depressed. In the Kadura and Mineriya National Parks in Sri Lanka, the land is more than 150 square kilometers. It is a paradise for wild elephants. The vegetation is rich, and the green grass next to the reservoir attracts hundreds of heads. Elephants foraging. Tourists take off-road vehicles, just watching from far away, and not affecting the life of elephants. This is exactly the way I admire, protecting wild elephants while not being captive, and they are an undisturbed natural environment.

Sri Lanka is one of the 25 biodiversity hotspots in the world. Its biodiversity density is the highest in Asia. In the Kadura National Park, groups of Ceylon elephants are leisurely by my side; in Trincomalee, the white spotted deer is hidden in the grass; in the Lion Rock, the macaque is like a defending guardian; and Minerui Asian air lord serpent carving, Polonnaruwa lurking on the trunk of the chameleon, leisurely walking the mouth of the Kandy Lake, you will feel that this is a magical country, people and animals live in harmony, without any violation sense.

## [Airplane] Habarana Habarana, taking a catamaran, led by the villagers. Experience local farming culture. When the oxcart is done, it will not move if it is shaken. This docile animal is quite capable! In the early morning, walking in the countryside of Habarana, butterflies dance. The locals who have laundry and fishing on the riverside taste the delicious food made by the local villagers. Simple and sincere, deeply impressed. This is undoubtedly the closest distance to witness the real life of the Sri Lankan people. [Traveling with Weibo] On the way, I met a child who was playing on the road, the life of the Sri Lankan people, four words, no worries. Remember to bring a few chocolates in your pocket. The children here will be happy to show off your banana tree. [haha]

Hiking the birthplace of Buddhism in Sri Lanka

One of the highlights of Sri Lanka was a day walking up the peak at Mihintale. Considered the birthplace of Buddhism in Sri Lanka, Mihintale consists of a series of fascinating stupas, shrines and caves spread throughout the hills. It was amazing to learn more about the history and culture of the region by exploring the many ruins along the way, with the walk ending at the temple on the summit. Top tips: 🚍 Take the public bus from Anuradhapura, which drops you off at the start of the trail. 🔆 Arrive early in the morning to avoid the midday heat. 👟 Bring comfortable walking shoes for the hike. ⭐ At the top, you must remove your shoes and wear long clothing to be respectful in the temple. Remember loose pants, a long sleeved shirt and socks (to protect your feet from the burning hot sand). 🖼️ As well as the famous summit, there are also some interesting ruined stupas and a lovely walk hidden around the side (see last photo). #srilanka #hiking #mountainview #celebratewithtrip #mihintale