Visit the Island of Serendip

Sri Lanka is welcoming visitors to its beautiful shores again. Open to most countries, but all foreign visitors will need to acquire a visa, health insurance, and present a negative COVID-19 test result taken no longer than 72 hours before their trip. The old name for the island was 'Serendip'. This evolved into the word 'serendipity' because of the unexpected surprises the island offers.

The island's cultural triangle

Sri Lanka’s cultural triangle includes the sacred city of Anuradhapura in the north, the ancient cave temples at Dambulla, and Sigiriya, which can be extended by heading east to another of Sri Lanka’s important ancient cities, Polonnaruwa.

Anuradhapura, a sacred city of well-preserved ruins and monuments dating back more than 2,000years, is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world today. The old city of Anuradhapura is a sprawling complex of archaeological and architectural wonders. 

One of Sri Lanka’s 8 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the city was once the centre of Theravada Buddhism and is home to a holy tree that was grown from a cutting from Siddhartha Gautama’s (the Buddha) 'tree of enlightenment'. The cutting, planted in the city in 345BC, was taken from the Pipal, Bo, Bodhi or Sacred Fig tree in Bodh Gaya beneath which the Buddha is believed to have achieved enlightenment. 

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The magic of Mannar

Mannar Island, off the coast of  Sri Lanka’s Northern Province, is linked to the mainland via a causeway that is also said to have once been connected to India through a chain of limestone shoals called Adam’s Bridge. 

Mannar Island is renowned for its absolutely stunning Hindu temples, churches and mosques, set amongst the island’s scenery of lagoons, lush greenery and sand banks which are also home to a rich variety of resident and migrant birds – the island is also home to the Vankalai Sanctuary for birds, protecting the islands wetlands and wetland birds. 

The waters around the island are equally rich in wildlife, with the star being the Sea Cow or Manatee – the animal believed to be the inspiration behind 100s of years of seafarers’ tall tales of mermaids.  Wander the streets of Mannar town, actually the capital of Mannar district, and discover the crumbling facades of 100s of years of history of the island. 

Here stories are told in architecture of the Portuguese, the Dutch, the British and the Tamil people who have all called this pretty island home. The more you see of this hidden jewel, the deeper you’ll want to dig.

More details about this serendipitous island...