Northern Sri Lanka’s hidden treasures – a beautiful land scarred by war and untouched by tourists
An adventure off the beaten track reveals the rich history and culture in Sri Lanka’s unspoilt northern regions
“What a pretty baby,” exclaims the elderly woman, dressed in a sari, her fragile hands squeezing the cheeks of our one-year-old daughter. My wife Esther and I have taken our little one, Zaya, on a last-minute adventure to Sri Lanka, and she’s attracting unexpected attention at the Sri Maha Bodhi temple in Anuradhapura, the ancient capital of the island nation’s North Central Province.
The temple encompasses the sacred Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi tree, said to be oldest human-planted tree in the world, which has been tended by an uninterrupted succession of guardians for over 2,000 years.
For decades, Anuradhapura was as far north as tourists ventured – any further travel needed special permission from the government. It also marked the end of the railway line from the capital, Colombo. Things changed after the end of the civil war in 2009. In 2014, an extension opened, linking Sri Lanka’s northern region with the rest of the country.
As we travel further north, we find the provinces retain their refreshing “off the beaten track” charm. Sri Lanka has, in recent years, become a trendy tourist destination, with double-digit growth in visitor numbers, but the focus has remained on its southern shores.
