Sri Lanka | Angkor Photography Tours

The Cultural Triangle of Sri Lanka

On August 3, 2019 / Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is a relatively small country and has a lot to offer to archaeological and history lovers with several beautiful and well maintained archaeological sites with 8 of them listed on the UNESCO World Heritage. The most important ones are situated in a zone called the cultural triangle or golden triangle formed by Anarudhapura, Polonnarowa and Kandy in the middle of the island . The other significant sites are Sigiriya, Minhatale and Dambulla cave.

MIHINTALE

Although not on the UNESCO list, Mihintale (also known as Cetiyagiri or Sagiri) is a very important archeological site and also one of the oldest in Sri Lanka. Mihintale is regarded to be the cradle of Buddhism in Sri Lanka where the monk Mahinda and King Devanampiyatissa Nuradhapura met. The rock called Aradhana Gala where Mahinda landed can be climbed and is an important pilgrimage site for Buddhist all over the world. The view from the top is breathtaking especially when the sun is down. It is accessed by a flight of rock-carved steps.

ANURADHAPURA

This archaeological site is situated in the town of Anuradhapura, 205 km away from the Capital of Colombo and spread on 41km2 (about 1/10 of Angkor Archaeological site).
In 377 BC, King Pandukabhaya (437–367 BC) moved the capital of the Sinhalese Kingdom to Anuradhapura and developed it into a prosperous city.

Anuradhapura was added to the UNESCO Word Heritage list in 1982. It was founded in 3 BC and once had the tallest structures in the ancient world with a dagoba (stupa). The stupa we see nowadays can be quite different from the original ones as many of them we restored or reconstructed. British explorers found the lost city in the 19 century and many dagobas had fallen to the natural elements, as nature reclaimed is territory.

What is more fascinating about Anuradhapura and its extensive hydraulic system taking into account that the city was built more than 1000 years before Angkor. Some structures like the massive Jetavanaramaya dagoba which spreads on 5.6 hectares was the highest structure of the ancient word at 122 meters (it was scaled back to 70 meters afterwards).

POLONNARUWA

Pollonnaruwa became the royal city of Ceylon Kingdom after the demise of Anuradhapura and was home of the Sinhalese kings between 1056 AD and 1236 AD. Buddhism was very strong in the Kingdom but it is still possible today to find few of Hindu temples from the earlier period.

Like Anudahapuura, Polonnaruwa had an extensive hydraulic system which survived to this day. Parakrama Samudraya (Sea of Parakrama) is the largest man-made water reservoir in the country built by King Parakramabahu. It spreads over 2500 hectares and hence even bigger the largest reservoir of West Baray in Angkor which is 1760 hectares.

Gal Viharaya in Polonnaruwa

Elephants carvings in Polonnaruwa

DAMBULLA CAVE TEMPLE

Dambulla cave temple, also known as Rangiri Dambulla or Golden temple of Dambulla is the largest temple cave complex in Sri Lanka , originating from 3BC . Like other cave temples in Sri Lanka, these shires were occupied by hermits monks in the ancient times.

At 160 meters high, 5 caves (shrines ) close to each other, are famous for their 157 status of Lord Buddha images and wall paintings which are covering an area of 2,100 square meters. It is an active religious site and can become quite crowded especially in the smaller caves. Adding the low light to this, it is quite challenging place to take pictures.

Reclining Buddha in Dev-Raja-viharaya cave

Feet of the reclining Buddha in Dev-Raja-viharaya cave

Sri Lanka Tea Plantations

On June 10, 2019 / Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka tea plantations: history

The history of tea plantations (Camellia sinensis) in Sri Lanka is quite an interesting one. After cinnamon, coffee was for 200 years was the lucrative crop on the island of Ceylon controlled by the British Empire . In 1869, crops were devastated by a fungi called Hemileia vastatrix and by 1890 nearly all crops were wiped out. After the collapse of the coffee industry, tea estates took over in Sri Lanka.

Tea from China was first introduced by British in 1824 but all really started in 1867 when Scotsman James Taylor planted tea bushes in Kandy district and found out that the climate of the central highlands (humidity, cool temperatures, rainfalls) was suitable for the production of high-quality tea. This will become the first commercial tea estate in Ceylon and tea plantations boomed 1880 onward.Plantations were taken over by the government in 1960’s and then got privatized.

Nowadays thousands of tea plantations are operating in Sri Lanka and visiting one or more will one of the highlight of your trip in Sri Lanka.

Tea estate landscape

Highlands Sri Lanka tea plantation in the evening mist

Tea production in Sri Lanka

Inside a tea factory in Sri Lanka

Tea is produced in 14 districts in Sri Lanka (out of 25), covering more than 200,000 hectares of land. Current annual production of tea in Sri Lanka is above 300,000 tons, making Sri Lanka the fourth largest producer of tea in the world after China, India and Kenya. It is worth noting that contrary to China which produces green tea, Sri Lanka produces mainly black tea using the orthodox method. The most intensive labor tasks are of course planting, maintaining and plucking the tea leaves. It is estimated that the tea sector employs more than 1 million people and contribute 0.9 % to the GDP in 2014.

The main planting regions are Nuwara Eliya, Dimbula, Kandy, Uda Pussellawa, Uva Province, Galle, Matara. They can be classified by their altitude: up-country (above 1,200 m) : Nuwara Eliya,Udapussellawa, Uva, Dimbula. Kandy district is considered already as mid-country (between 600 and 1,200 m). Low-country tea estates (below 600 m) such as Sabaragamuwa and Ruhuna. Interestingly, more tea is produced from the lower altitude regions than in the highlands.

Tea grading

Tea (orthodox method) grading

If you visit one of the tea factory, you will notice that the equipment is quite old but than most of the tasks of selecting and processing tea are now done by machines. Tea is graded at the factory in different qualities: BOPF (Broken Orange Pekoe Fannings Tea), mostly used in tea bags, it has bright reddish liquor and a strong taste. OP (Orange Pekoe), made of larger and twisted leaves, it has a lighter taste and golden reddish color.

Golden tips is a rare variety of Ceylon white tea made of tea leaf buds. It is an expensive grade selling at around USD 500 per kilo. Silver tips are also a premium grade of Ceylon tea made from tea leaf buds plucked by hand and dried in the sunlight.

Young tea buds in plantation

Group of tea pluckers climbing the steep tea estate hillsides

Tea plucker climbing a hilly tea estate with her sack

Many of the tea pickers are women and they have the laborious task to carefully choose young tea buds which will be used in the tea processing . It is a physical job as tea bushes are grown on steep hillsides. These area can be dangerous also are prone to landslide and many snakes are live inside. There also quite a lot of work in grooming in the estates to remove by hand the herbs to to avoid the use of pesticides.

Elderly tea plucker in the highlands

Tea worker grooming the tea bushes

Tea estates are part of the iconic landscapes of Sri Lanka and traveling by train between Kandy and Ella give a good idea of the size of their size. They are also an indefinite source of inspiration for photographers. Many companies are proposing tour where you can learn about the cultivation and processing of tea, of course you can taste different teas and by them at the shop.

Ceylon black tea tasting

The future of Ceylon Tea

In the 21st century, tea production in Sri Lanka faces many challenges like changing weather patterns due to El Nino, difficulty to find workforce in the estate and an increasing cost of production. The labor shortage issue is nothing new and has been present since the beginning when British brought Tamil from South India to work in plantations as Sinhalese did not want to work there. Sri Lanka faces a tough competition from Kenya which also produces black tea. However tea from Sri Lanka is of high quality with unique flavors so it should stay a main player in the years to come.

Morning view in the tea estate

Ceylon tea bushes in estate

Sri Lanka Travel Tips

On May 17, 2019 / Sri Lanka

Updated: April 2024

If you are planning to travel to Sri Lanka soon on a budget , we have few advices below and tips to help you out.

1. GET YOUR TOURIST VISA ONLINE

Only the citizens of Singapore, The Republic of Maldives and The Republic of Seychelles are exempt from an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) to enter Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka visa fees were increased in December 2022 and two visas are available for tourists. These prices are for tourists outside ASEAN.

30-day tourist visa double entry: USD 50
180-day (6 months) tourist visa: USD 180

Please note that there is no visa fee for children under 12 for all nationalities.

Be careful as third-party websites exist and will come up first on Google (yes they do pay google ads…). They will charge you up to USD 75 for a tourist visa! Be sure you order your visa on the official website of Sri Lanka immigration. It will cost USD 35 USD and valid for 30 days.

Online visa is only USD 10 more expensive than a visa on arrival and will avoid you to queue. With the online visa you just need to present your passport at the immigration officer as you are already on the system. Please double check that your passport is valid for at least 6 months upon entry to Sri Lanka.

2. BUY A LOCAL SIM CARD

It is best to buy a local sim card and a data plan as soon as you arrive in Colombo airport. Pass the immigration and few phone operators are just before the exit doors. Few companies exist in Sri Lanka but we recommend Dialog, we found the coverage to be good in most places. They have also an app to monitor your consumption. I would recommend the Prepaid Tourist Plan. Here are Dialog prices in April 2024:

50GB data for Rs. 2,450 (USD 9) including Rs. 250 worth of local calls and SMS, valid for 30 days (unlimited Whatsapp)

In April 2019, the plan was 10GB of data for Rs. 1,299 (USD 7) including Rs. 350 of local calls and SMS. Extra 10 GB was Rs. 1,000.

3. PREFER HOMESTAYS INSTEAD OF HOTELS

Homestay in Sri Lanka have pretty good value and the price range is between 10 and 20 USD depending on the location. Generally breakfasts are not included and most of the time the owners can cook for you Sri Lankan traditional plates. They can help you out as well in your travel plans. You can find many ones on booking.com, using the app can give further discounts, no credit cards are necessary for many of them during booking.

4. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF SRI LANKA RAILWAY SYSTEM

With more than 1500 km of railway is a very convenient and cheap transportation to go from one point to another. Even if it is a slow mode of transport, it can be fun and some lines like the Kandy-Ella that became a huge hit with tourists. If you travel on second class, a 60 km journey will cost you less than USD 1. You can check timetables and fares on the website of Sri Lanka Railways or here.

5. TUK-TUK AND TAXIS

Tuk-Tuks (also called three-wheelers) are very popular in Sri Lanka for short but also long distance journeys. The difficulty for a traveller arriving in a city for the first time, is to know the standard fare or a journey and of course if you get a tuk tuk in a touristic city you have a lot of chance to overpay.

As soon as you have your local card, you can download the app called PickMe, a taxi hailing app with which you book tuk tuk, nano and a whole range of cars, even vans. Although you can install pickme from your home country, drivers always call to confirm the ride, so it will be an issue once you are in Sri Lanka. Pickme is getting popular and it is now available in Kandy in 2024. In 2019, it was difficult to get a driver in Ella. In Colombo however it is not issue to get drivers in few minutes.

In 2024, we estimated fares to be about 80 Rs. using UBER tuk tuks. If you have to cover a long distance it is safer to get a private car. To cut down the cost, it is a good idea to share a ride with other travellers.

Mode of Transportation	Distance in km	Total Price Rs.	Price per Kilometer in Rs.
Taxi	93	11000 (USD 36.42 )	118
Train (1st class)	116	2000 (USD 6.7)	17
Train (2nd class)	87	400 (USD 1.34)	5
tuk tuk (Uber)	5.7	436 (USD 1.45)	76

Prices for different transportation in April 2024 (daily LKR/USD rate was applied)

5. STAY AWAY FROM THE CROWD

It is not difficult in Sri Lanka to stay away from the crowd. It is worth it, not only for activities and scenic spots but also for food. Food prices in the center of Ella and Fort Galle are much expensive than in other less touristic town. Try to find a place a bit away from the main street or ask your hotel or homestay what are their meal options.

Sri Lanka Photography Tips: 10 Expert Secrets for Better Pictures

On May 10, 2019 / Photography Tips, Sri Lanka

tips to take better pictures in Sri Lanka by Laurent Dambies

Sri Lanka offers an impressive number of photo locations for photography enthusiasts and travelers, both on and off the beaten path.In the morning, you can take photos of the sun rising behind a fog-shrouded mountain, and in the evening witness capture a vibrant red sunset at the beach. We hope these 10 photography tips will help you in taking better pictures on your trip in Sri Lanka.

1. CHECK THE WEATHER

Sri Lanka’s diverse climate and location make it an ideal destination for photographers all year round. With two monsoons each year – southwestern monsoon from May to September, and northeastern monsoon from October to February – the country’s weather can be unpredictable, particularly in the highlands. For up-to-date weather forecasts, visit the website of the Sri Lanka Department of Meteorology.

2. TAKE THE TRAIN

No trip to Sri Lanka is complete without taking at least one train ride. This adventure is highly recommended as it provides numerous opportunities for photographers. Additionally, it is the most economical mode of transportation for reaching various locations throughout the island. It’s also a favorite among locals, making it an excellent choice for people photography.

The Kandy-Ella train journey, in particular, is incredibly scenic as it passes through mountains and tea plantations. We suggest traveling in second or third class to get access the exit doors and windows. Similarly, the coastal train ride offers breathtaking views, especially a few kilometers south of Colombo, where the train runs just a few feet away from the crashing waves.

So, don’t miss the chance to embark on an unforgettable train journey in Sri Lanka and capture some stunning photographs along the way.

3. BEAT THE CROWD

While Sri Lanka has some locations with relatively less tourists, some popular destinations like Kandy, Ella, and Fort Galle often attract large numbers of visitors. To make the most of your experience in these places, we suggest waking up early to capture stunning photographs of these hotspots before the crowds arrive.

4. HIKE THOSE TRAILS

Sri Lanka offers numerous hiking trails suitable for individuals with varying fitness levels. Some of the most renowned trails include Adam’s Peak, Ella’s Peak, and the Knuckles mountain range. These locations offer breathtaking views of the landscape, particularly during sunrise when the mist is still present, providing a unique opportunity for capturing stunning photographs.

Top of Little Adam’s Peak in Ella

Shadow of Adam’s peak (Sri Pada) at sunrise

Golden light at sunrise with mist in Sigiriya

5. TRAVEL LIGHT

As you will likely be walking and hiking frequently during your stay, we would highly recommend bringing a small bag to carry your photo gear. It doesn’t necessarily need to be a photo backpack, but it should be padded enough to protect your equipment while you’re on the move. Given that some hikes can last several hours, it’s also important to be selective with the gear you bring along.

Tea estate workers in the highlands

6. TAKE A LONG LENS

Because of the many photography opportunities available in Sri Lanka, a wide lens or a standard zoom lens might not enough. A long lens (300 mm or more) is recommended for wildlife photography but also for landscape photography to isolate details.

Sigiriya rock fortress at sunrise

Bahirawakanda Vihara Buddha Statue in Kandy at sunset

7. PREPARE YOUR SHOTS

For landscape photography, we recommend to use TPE (The Photographer’s Ephemeris), available as paid app for Android and IOS and free on a web browser. For train shots, have a look at the timetable as even if the trains do not run fast, you have only few seconds to be on the right spot. Be aware than they can run up to 30 minutes late.

Passenger train on the Demodara nine arch bridge in Ella

8. CHECK THE CALENDAR OF FESTIVITIES AND NATIONAL HOLIDAYS

Many people in Sri Lanka are following Buddhism so the Sihanese New Year celebrated during the month of April is a major holiday. This can disrupt your travel plans but also give some unique photo opportunities. For photography there are some festivals like the famous Esala Perahera festival taking place in Kandy during the month of August.

Dutch Reformed Church in Galle Fort

9. GET CREATIVE WITH ND FILTERS

ND (neutral density) filters block a fraction of the light coming into the camera sensor and thus allow you to have longer exposure times during the day. It is particular suitable for waterfalls and seascapes, and Sri Lanka has plenty of those!

Unless you a shooting in low light conditions (sunrise or sunset) where a ND8 filter could be enough (3-stops reduction), be prepare to use a very dark filter during the day. In the pictures below, a 10-stops reduction filter was used (also called ND1000).

10. TAKE A SMALL TRIPOD

If you do not carry a fiber carbon tripod, I recommended to take with you a steady and small tripod for long exposure shots. It is even better if you add a fluid head.

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