British Airways, the flag carrier of the United Kingdon is to resume air travel to Sri Lanka after a nearly 15 year hiatus. The airline suspended operations to the island in 1998 due to the security conditions that were prevailing at the time. The company’s Boeing 777 aircraft with 48 seats and 24 premium economy seats will begin operations at ...
Sri Lanka is known by many for its wide variety of contrasting climates and environments that lie very short distances apart. Despite the short distances, traveling from place to place however can sometimes be a bit tricky due to relatively narrow roads and traffic. The introduction of an air taxi service by Sri Lankan Airlines improved holiday travel in the ...
When I first heard about the Colombo City Walks, the first thought that came to my mind was: “Is a visit to Pettah markets really that appealing?” Nevertheless, wherever I went, word on the Walks frequently popped up. So when I was invited to join my team of Red Dotters for some much-needed exercise, I was the first to say ...
Picture courtesy of Daily FT No visit to a tropical country is ever complete without a tropical cocktail like a Pina Colada or Mojito, and with the need have the right mix of flair and knowledge to create some of the endless cocktail options available, two teams of upcoming bartenders from the Heritance Kandalama and Heritance Ahungalla hotels showed just ...
Everyone is excited about the new hotels and resorts being planned for the east coast, an area famed for its beautiful beaches and calm seas, so everyone in the Red Dot sales team was keen to abandon their laptops, grab their flip-flops and jump in our office van last month to see Trincomalee’s newest opening: Jungle Beach Resort. The second ...
The Sri Lanka government has granted permission to open up shipwreck dives off its Southern coastline to tourists in a move to further promote tourism. According to the minister of tourism for the Southern Provincial Council, P.D Ariyathilaka, permission has been granted to conduct the dives in Galle harbor, an area which was earlier closed to the public due to ...
You might say that Richard Dawkins took the world by storm with his anti-religious polemic ‘The God Delusion’. Now, the world renowned author and evolutionary biologist’s legacy has been immortalized in the waters of Sri Lanka after local scientists named an entire new genus of freshwater fish after him. The ‘Dawkinsia’ formally known as the ‘Puntius’ was named after Dawkins ...
Puttalam lagoon on Sri Lanka’s relatively untraveled north west coastline is to be developed into a tourism zone, the Puttalam local government authority has announced. According to the Mayor of Puttalam, K.A. Baiz, the area will developed into a zone similar to that of the Galle Face Green in Colombo and, apparently, will be referred to as “Golombo Face”. The ...
With several international hotel chains showing interest of opening shop in Sri Lanka, Hyatt is the latest to join the bandwagon with a 565-roomed 5-star hotel in Colombo underway. The hotel – a conversion of a high-rise formerly owned by the Ceylinco group – will consist of 54 suites, 265 king rooms, 150 twin rooms and six rooms that will ...
I’ve always heard about how enlightening a trek through a traditional Sri Lankan village can be so when I heard that the good folk at Sir Johns Bungalow were planning to take us on one I was thrilled. A perfect cup of steaming coffee was the start we needed before we headed out. We had to travel in our vehicle ...
There is nothing quite like a blue whale fluking in front of you especially for someone as crazy about marine life as I am. First an exhalation as the whale gets ready to dive, the spout misting the blue horizon as its bulk moves seamlessly, grey through the water. After a few breaths at the surface, the ludicrously small dorsal ...
The Sri Lankan three wheeler, commonly known as the ‘tuk tuk’ has often been considered the best form of travel for locals and tourists for years, with their ability to creep into the tiniest spaces on busy Sri Lankan roads. The tiny vehicle is considered to be a blessing to passengers, as well as the bane to all other vehicles ...
US based Marriott International has inked an agreement with Weligama Hotel properties to manage a 200 room, 11-storey property on the South coast of Sri Lanka. The resort which will be operated as Weligama Bay Marriott Resort and Spa will add to the number of high-quality properties available in one of the most popular regions in the country. Among the ...
When you think of safety jackets, the first thing that comes to mind usually is an activity that has something to do with the sea. In this case however, safety jackets have been deemed a must in one of the driest regions in the country! The Sigiriya Central Cultural Fund has made it essential for tourists to wear safety jackets ...
It is that time of year again where one of the most amazing wildlife spectacles take place in the dry zone jungles of Sri Lanka. On the shores of Minneriya and Kaudulla National Park, elephants from all parts of the north-central jungles ‘gather’ to feed on lush grass from the tank beds to quench their thirst. Ranked sixth on the ...
For those of you that have a bird watching bug in you this news will get you all excited, The Comb Duck known to be a very rare migrant to Sri Lanka was spotted by a water hole in the Yala National Park last week – outside its migrant season! The discovery was made by Naturalist Indika Nethigama of Leopard ...
Jetwing Lighthouse, a five-star hotel situated in the popular seaport city of Galle is to undergo a $3.2 million expansion that will see the addition of 23 deluxe rooms and two suites, as well as a new restaurant and bar, to their existing 60 deluxe rooms and three suites. The hotel which will soon complete 15 year of operations was ...
Centara Hotels and Resorts, a leading Thai hotel chain is to open two 4-star properties in Sri Lanka. The 126 room Centara Pasikudah Resort and Spa, and the 166 room Centara Ceysands Resort in Bentota are set to be completed for high season this year. Pasikudah has one of the most exotic beaches on Sri Lanka’s east coast, and it ...
Ever since I joined Red Dot as a sales consultant the phrase “scenic train journey” has cropped up in emails on a daily basis. We have people in the Red Dot office who claim to know every station en route intimately, but for me it was time to upgrade my childhood memories. The first hurdle to overcome was actually to ...
The Sri Lanka Travel Blog has been struck by an enthralling piece about whale watching in Sri Lanka that we have spotted on the Lanka Business report Website. Whale watching was first mooted back in the 1980s when according to the report whales began to enter Trinco harbour, one of the great natural harbours of the world, using an old ...
