Magic of 6 top offbeat destinations in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is a beautiful tropical island. It has an ancient history, culture, and natural resources. So Sri Lanka is also called The Pearl of the Indian Ocean.

Sri Lanka is a famous offbeat destination. Most tourists come to Sri Lanka every year to capture the beautiful scenery on this island. Tourists always travel to popular offbeat destinations like Sigiriya and Arugambe Beach, which are famous places.

But Sri Lanka has lots of offbeat destinations where tourists can catch lots of beautiful scenery and experiences.

What is an offbeat destination?

Simply put, an “offbeat destination is a place that goes beyond tourist attractions or unusual places.

Top 6 Offbeat Destinations in Sri Lanka

01.Jathika Namal Uyana

Jathika Namal Uyana is a forest sanctuary full of ironwood trees. The Jathika means “national”, the Namal means the “ironwood flower,” and the Uyana means “garden” in Sri Lankan. Because of the ironwoods, this place is called Namal Uyana.

There are two remarkable features of this place. They are,

The largest rose quartz mountain in South Asia
The ancient sanctuary where lots of ironwood trees have been planted

Where is the Jathika Namal Uyana situated?

Jathika Namal Uyana is situated in Dambulla. It is near the villages of Ulpathagama and Galkiriyagama, 15 km northwest of Dambulla and 21 km southwest of Aukana by road.

Things that foreigners can see if they visit the Namal Uyana

Namal Uyana is an archaeological site with the ruins of an ancient monastery from the Anuradhapura period.
Visitors can see the ruins of an ancient stupa, which is called Purana Namal Seya.
In the center of Namal Uyana, there is a rocky hill. It is the largest rose quartz mountain in Asia.
Foreigners can also see the beauty of the rose quartz.

02. Sea Turtle Conservation Center Kosgoda

What is done in the sea turtle conservation center?

This center looks after sea turtles and protects their natural habitats.

What is the purpose of the sea turtle conservation center?

The purpose is to confirm the existence of sea turtles within the Indian Ocean through research, education, training, advocacy, and protection of their natural habitats because turtles are endangered species.

The Kosgoda Sea Turtle Conservation Center is a sea turtle conservation project that was started by Dudley Perera in 1981. The main objective of the project is to conserve sea turtles and protect them from predators like birds, dogs, and crabs.

The conservation center carries the eggs from the beach at night after the mother turtle lays eggs on the beach. The eggs are carried to the hatchery to give them better protection against predators until the baby turtles come out. Then the baby sea turtles are released back into the sea.

Also, this center takes care of sea turtles with disabilities and treats the ones who have become weak due to fishing activities, like damaged fishing nets.

Where is the sea turtle conservation center situated?

The place is especially suitable for kids but provides a once-in-a-lifetime experience for all.

Things that foreigners can see if they visit the Sea Turtle Conservation Center in Kosgoda

Foreigners can gain knowledge and experience about the process of protecting and hatching sea turtles.
When foreigners visit this place in the evening, they can see how these baby turtles are released into the sea.

03. Bevis Garden

Bevis Garden is a home garden that is designed using landscape design practices and Bevis Garden designs. This place is actually an offbeat destination that is hidden inside a village in Beruwala, Sri Lanka.

This garden is the creation of Bevis Bawa, who is a landscape architect. He is the owner and designer of this garden. He converted his rubber estate into a garden by using marvelous landscape designs.

This garden has a bungalow with a variety of beautifully landscaped spaces connected by colorful and densely planted paths. The garden is designed by using outdoor showers, sculptures, urns, ironwork, and different kinds of flowers like bat lilies or tacca chanter.

Where is Bawa Garden situated?

This is situated in a village called Kiranthidiya in Beruwala.

04. Pigeon Island

The Pigeon Island National Park is composed of two islands. They are the large pigeon island and the small pigeon island.

The best thing about any island has to be the beach, and it is no different from Pigeon Island National Park. These two islands are surrounded by coral reefs.

So always wear slippers to protect your feet from coral cuts. According to the locals, the best time to visit Pigeon Island National Park is in June.

Where is Pigeon Island situated?

Pigeon Island National Park is located just 1 km off the coast of Nilaveli in Eastern Province.

What can foreigners do on Pigeon Island?

Pigeon Island is heaven for people who are looking for a good snorkeling spot where they can witness a variety of underwater life ranging from Trumper fish, angel fish, parrot fish, eels, coral gardens, and other colorful fish, etc. There is also a high chance of seeing huge sea turtles and even blacktip sharks.
Foreigners can experience a speedboat ride by themselves.
Foreigners can enjoy swimming on the other side of the island or even go fishing in the ocean.
Windsurfing is another secondary activity foreigners can do on Pigeon Island.

05. Hadungoda Estate

Hadungoda Estate is a tea estate that is situated in the coastal belt of Sri Lanka. This is the only tea estate that manufactures “virgin white tea’ . Herman Tea is the brand name of tea products that are produced on this Hadungoda tea estate.

The aim of Herman’s tea is to tickle the taste buds of consumers, providing a memorable experience while maintaining its unique flavor.

When foreigners visit the Hadungoda Tea Estate, the estate guides a tea plantation visit followed by a tea appreciation program.

At the end of the journey, guests are treated to a complimentary luscious chocolate cake and a pot of oolong tea at the proprietor’s bungalow. The charge will be 2 US dollars per person for the visit to this tea estate.

Visitors keen to purchase tea get a chance to buy these priceless teas at the tea shop.

06. Ella Spice Garden

Sri Lanka is a major country that supplies quality spices for the foreign market. So in Sri Lanka, there are so many spice gardens.

Among those, this Ella spice garden is a famous spice garden in Sri Lanka. The main objective of this spice garden is to enhance the production of spices in Sri Lanka.

If you are a foreigner who loves spices, go for a visit to the Ella spice garden. This garden consists of a variety of spices like cinnamon, black pepper, and cloves.

What are the experiences foreigners can get if they visit this spice garden?

The instructors of the garden facilitate a small tour through the spice garden that will take you on an aromatic journey through Sri Lankan spices. The instructors take you on an informative tour of the place.
Foreigners can purchase some natural Ayurvedic products that have been prepared from the spices in the garden.
Also, foreigners can join cooking classes. The classes teach how to cook various types of Sri Lankan food.
At the end of the course, foreigners also get the opportunity to sit down at the dinner table to enjoy a Sri Lankan meal.