Restored Buildings, Colombo
The lavishly restored 17th-century Old
Dutch Hospital and other renovated grand
old buildings are bringing real appeal to
Colombo’s historic Fort area. (p58)
New Hotels & Malls, Colombo
A number of huge hotel (p71) and mall
(p80) complexes are set to open facing
Galle Face Green and around Slave Island
and Union Place.
Colombo–Galle Trains
Newly renovated tracks have sped up
trains on this very scenic route. It’s easily
the best way to travel between these two
key points. (p 115 )
Renovations, Galle
New paving stones on its once-dirt streets
and lavishly renovated buildings, such as
the Dutch Hospital, are making Galle a
showplace. (p 104 )
New Restaurants & Hotels, Galle
Smart new boutique hotels such as
Fortaleza (p 110 ), and great restaurants
including Elita (p 113 ), are making it hard
to leave the Fort walls.
Beach Hotels, Tangalla
The vast, often-unexplored beaches east
of Tangalla are seeing many new and
excellent beachfront hotels, such as
Serein Beach. (p133)
Lakeside Walk, Tissamaharama
Stroll along the new lakeside walkway at
Tissa Wewa (p134), the centrepiece of town
and a romantic spot for sunsets.
Galway’s Land National Park
Sri Lanka’s newest national park is open-
ing up to nature lovers who revel in the
great bird-spotting. It’s a temperate,
tropical adventure. (p 167 )
Uda Walawe National Park
Accommodation
Renowned for its elephant spotting, this
national park (p188) now has many more
sleeping options, such as the safari-
experience at Athgira River Camping.
Wilpattu National Park
Accommodation
This park received few visitors during the
war years but now is opening right up.
New guesthouses and hotels are appearing
outside the gates. (p93)
The A9 road, Jaffna Peninsula
Repaved and fully reopened, the A9
highway across the Tamil Eelam region
and on to Jaffna allows for exploration of
these fascinating lands. Watch, too, for the
resumption of the Colombo–Jaffna train
service. (p267)
Beach Hotels, Arugam Bay
The beautiful beaches at this surfer and
sun-seeker hangout have great new places
to stay, including the Sandy Beach Hotel.
(p235)
For more recommendations and
reviews, see lonelyplanet.com/
srilanka
©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd
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