{"id":13536,"date":"2019-01-25T14:59:06","date_gmt":"2019-01-25T14:59:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.experiencetravelgroup.com\/blog\/?p=13536"},"modified":"2020-10-07T11:55:26","modified_gmt":"2020-10-07T10:55:26","slug":"whats-new-in-sri-lanka-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.experiencetravelgroup.com\/blog\/whats-new-in-sri-lanka-2019\/","title":{"rendered":"What&#8217;s New in Sri Lanka for 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>We\u2019ve been saying it for years. But this week <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lonelyplanet.com\/video\/best-in-travel-2019\/v\/cha\/14\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Lonely Planet confirmed that Sri Lanka<em> is<\/em> the world\u2019s best country to visit<\/a> (in 2019, at least). Improved transport links, exciting new hotel openings and &#8216;unmissable&#8217; experiences were just a few of the reasons why the captivating island was awarded the top spot. Here, our experts share their take on why you should visit in Sri Lanka in 2019.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-13540\" src=\"https:\/\/www.experiencetravelgroup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Sri-Lanka-Tea-Pluckers-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Sri Lanka - Tea Pluckers\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" \/>For it&#8217;s relatively small size,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.experiencetravelgroup.com\/sri_lanka\"> Sri Lanka<\/a> is perhaps the most diverse island on earth. From the verdant tea country to the dynamic cities, vast variety of wildlife to miles of golden, palm-fringed beaches, it&#8217;s a curious traveller&#8217;s paradise. Ironically, though, most\u00a0tourists still tend to go to the same small region that they did 15 years ago.<\/p>\n<p><!--HubSpot Call-to-Action Code --><span id=\"hs-cta-wrapper-9c00418d-44b8-458b-a3b2-b24d996f49da\" class=\"hs-cta-wrapper\"><span id=\"hs-cta-9c00418d-44b8-458b-a3b2-b24d996f49da\" class=\"hs-cta-node hs-cta-9c00418d-44b8-458b-a3b2-b24d996f49da\"><!-- [if lte IE 8]>\n\n\n<div id=\"hs-cta-ie-element\"><\/div>\n\n\n< ![endif]--><a href=\"https:\/\/cta-redirect.hubspot.com\/cta\/redirect\/2512862\/9c00418d-44b8-458b-a3b2-b24d996f49da\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" id=\"hs-cta-img-9c00418d-44b8-458b-a3b2-b24d996f49da\" class=\"hs-cta-img\" style=\"border-width: 0px;\" src=\"https:\/\/no-cache.hubspot.com\/cta\/default\/2512862\/9c00418d-44b8-458b-a3b2-b24d996f49da.png\" alt=\"Discover more about Sri Lanka\u00a0\" \/><\/a><\/span><script charset=\"utf-8\" src=\"https:\/\/js.hscta.net\/cta\/current.js\"><\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> hbspt.cta.load(2512862, '9c00418d-44b8-458b-a3b2-b24d996f49da', {}); <\/script><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Famous places like\u00a0Galle, Ella, Yala and Kandy are all still remarkable to visit &#8211; but in this article, we&#8217;re going to show you a few of those lesser-known spots that we think will make an incredible experience in 2019. We&#8217;re not arguing for wild <a href=\"https:\/\/www.experiencetravelgroup.com\/sri_lanka\/holidays\/off-beaten-track\">off-the-beaten-track adventures<\/a> &#8211; unless that&#8217;s up your street, of course, in which case we&#8217;d be <a href=\"https:\/\/www.experiencetravelgroup.com\/make-enq\">happy to advise<\/a>.\u00a0 Our idea is simply take \u2018an inch off the map\u2019 and turn left when everyone else goes right.<\/p>\n<p>This not only makes for a much more interesting travel experience for you, but is also beneficial to local communities too, as resources and economic benefits are spread around. Additionally, this helps combat the growing problem of over-tourism, as major sites don&#8217;t suffer from an influx of tourists that there is not the infrastructure to support. Plus, we all know that being surrounded by other tourists can detract from the magic of your experience&#8230;<\/p>\n<div id=\"x_divtagdefaultwrapper\">\n<p class=\"x_xmsonormal\">Here are our top 3 up-and-coming destinations for 2019 &#8211; all of which are easily accessible, but very little visited:<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-9987\" src=\"https:\/\/www.experiencetravelgroup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/elephant-nature-park-1-1024x682-e1480343772576.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https:\/\/archive.experiencetravelgroup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/elephant-nature-park-1-1024x682-e1480343772576.jpg 800w, https:\/\/archive.experiencetravelgroup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/elephant-nature-park-1-1024x682-e1480343772576-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/archive.experiencetravelgroup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/elephant-nature-park-1-1024x682-e1480343772576-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/archive.experiencetravelgroup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/elephant-nature-park-1-1024x682-e1480343772576-585x390.jpg 585w, https:\/\/archive.experiencetravelgroup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/elephant-nature-park-1-1024x682-e1480343772576-263x175.jpg 263w, https:\/\/archive.experiencetravelgroup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/elephant-nature-park-1-1024x682-e1480343772576-150x100.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"x_xmsonormal\">1.\u00a0<b>Mahiyanganaya.<\/b>\u00a0This region is said to be where the Buddha first visited Sri Lanka and is the cultural heartland of the indigenous Vedda\u00a0people. It&#8217;s easily\u00a0accessible from Kandy and provides access\u00a0to\u00a0less-known national parks like\u00a0Maduru Oya, where you can see huge herds of buffalo and elephants (and no other jeeps!). There&#8217;s also an incredible waterfall.<\/p>\n<p class=\"x_xmsonormal\">2.\u00a0<b>Weeravila.<\/b>\u00a0This is the perfect base for wildlife buffs, tucked between Yala, Lunugamvehera and Bundala Nationa parks.<\/p>\n<p class=\"x_xmsonormal\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-12533\" src=\"https:\/\/www.experiencetravelgroup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/18-083R-_MG_5159-v1.1-1024x677.jpg\" alt=\"Cricket Beach Sri Lanka\" width=\"1024\" height=\"677\" \/>3.\u00a0<b>Tangalle.<\/b>\u00a0Whilst the main town has been on\u00a0the tourist\u00a0map for years, the wider region\u00a0is unspoilt by mass tourism. Typically,\u00a0more people headed to Galle as there were\u00a0more things to do by comparison.\u00a0However, we&#8217;ll soon be launching some fantastic new excursions\u00a0\u2013 from watching buffalo curd production, to exploring bird-rich wetlands by kayak and much more.<\/p>\n<p><!--HubSpot Call-to-Action Code --><span id=\"hs-cta-wrapper-9c00418d-44b8-458b-a3b2-b24d996f49da\" class=\"hs-cta-wrapper\"><span id=\"hs-cta-9c00418d-44b8-458b-a3b2-b24d996f49da\" class=\"hs-cta-node hs-cta-9c00418d-44b8-458b-a3b2-b24d996f49da\"><!-- [if lte IE 8]>\n\n\n<div id=\"hs-cta-ie-element\"><\/div>\n\n\n< ![endif]--><a href=\"https:\/\/cta-redirect.hubspot.com\/cta\/redirect\/2512862\/9c00418d-44b8-458b-a3b2-b24d996f49da\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" id=\"hs-cta-img-9c00418d-44b8-458b-a3b2-b24d996f49da\" class=\"hs-cta-img\" style=\"border-width: 0px;\" src=\"https:\/\/no-cache.hubspot.com\/cta\/default\/2512862\/9c00418d-44b8-458b-a3b2-b24d996f49da.png\" alt=\"Discover more about Sri Lanka\u00a0\" \/><\/a><\/span><script charset=\"utf-8\" src=\"https:\/\/js.hscta.net\/cta\/current.js\"><\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> hbspt.cta.load(2512862, '9c00418d-44b8-458b-a3b2-b24d996f49da', {}); <\/script><\/span><!-- end HubSpot Call-to-Action Code --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"x_divtagdefaultwrapper\">\n<p class=\"x_xmsonormal\">There are also some really interesting new hotels opening up. Sri Lanka is not\u00a0a low-cost destination, but there is great value to be had on characterful boutique properties, so that end of the market is\u00a0accessible to more people. Here are a few new\u00a0hotel highlights:<\/p>\n<p>The Teardrop Hotel group (who run the\u00a0award-winning Wallawa and Fort Bazaar) are opening\u00a0<b>Goatfell, Nine Skies\u00a0<\/b>and<b>\u00a0Pekoe House<\/b>, all gorgeous little places in the tea\u00a0hills. They\u2019ve gone for a more modern\u00a0approach than the\u00a0\u2018faux\u2019 tea planter style associated with hotels in the region. These are great value for high-quality hotels in really beautiful surroundings.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re super excited about the opening of\u00a0<b>Karpaha Sands\u00a0<\/b>on the\u00a0east coast. This will further open up a region which gets very reliable sun from April through to September and has literally miles of pristine beaches.<\/p>\n<p><b>Northgate<\/b>\u00a0is the latest property to open in Jaffna, which is of course the region that was closed to tourism until quite recently. You can explore the undiscovered north and east of Sri Lanka on this <a href=\"https:\/\/www.experiencetravelgroup.com\/sri_lanka\/holiday\/north-and-east-adventure\">unique itinerary.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"x_divtagdefaultwrapper\">\n<p><strong>Wattura Resort<\/strong> (\u2018Water\u2019 Resort in Sinhala) is also an exciting looking opening. Not far from the international airport, this offers a fantastic beach option for those first or last few nights which is close to the airport but far away from the overdone commercialisation of Negombo to be a very attractive option.<\/p>\n<p>Finally, a quick\u00a0word on an attraction which has been instrumental in putting Sri Lanka on the map in the last 10 years\u00a0\u2013 the discovery of pods of Blue Whales off the coast.\u00a0Whilst this is understandably on many travellers&#8217;\u00a0bucket list,\u00a0we are\u00a0concerned about the safety and environmental awareness of the\u00a0<i>majority\u00a0<\/i>of whale safari operators. There are a couple of operators who are conscious not to\u00a0crowd or potentially upset the whales, but we\u2019d urge visitors to consider carefully whether this is a \u2018must do\u2019. If so, we&#8217;d encourage people to\u00a0talk to us or other similar operators about\u00a0reputable boat operators.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><em><strong>For more ideas on what to do in Sri Lanka for 2019, please don&#8217;t hesitate to get in touch with one of our Sri Lanka experts. You can either make an<a href=\"https:\/\/www.experiencetravelgroup.com\/make-enq\"> enquiry here<\/a>, or give us a call on  <span class=\"InfinityNumber clickable \">020 7924 7133<\/span>\r\n \t. Alternatively, head to our website to check out some suggested <a href=\"https:\/\/www.experiencetravelgroup.com\/sri_lanka\">holiday ideas for Sri Lanka<\/a>.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We\u2019ve been saying it for years. But this week Lonely Planet confirmed that Sri Lanka is the world\u2019s best country to visit (in 2019, at least). Improved transport links, exciting&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":13540,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[138],"coauthors":[934],"class_list":["post-13536","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sri-lanka","tag-wildlife"],"aioseo_notices":[],"views":6291,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.experiencetravelgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13536","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.experiencetravelgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.experiencetravelgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.experiencetravelgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.experiencetravelgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13536"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/archive.experiencetravelgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13536\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.experiencetravelgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13540"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.experiencetravelgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13536"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.experiencetravelgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13536"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.experiencetravelgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13536"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.experiencetravelgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=13536"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}