1. Sky diving
Have you ever imagined jumping out of an airplane? The amazing feeling of achievement? The adrenaline rush? Your luxury holiday in Sri Lanka just got to a whole new level! Tandem skydiving is possible in Koggala, Sri Lanka. Exit from an airplane at 15000 feet for an absolutely insane 60 seconds of freefall experience and then about 5-7 minutes of floating under a canopy to enjoy a 360-degree view of the stunning southern coast of Sri Lanka. the feeling of flying amidst clean, cool and crisp air, along with an abundance of visual delights is just inexpressible. As for safety of the activity, there is nothing to worry about as it is organized by professionals who have many years of experience.
2. Colombo Supper Club
In 2016, Naserah Tyebally founded the Colombo Supper Club, introducing the concept of pop-up dinners in Sri Lanka. With this, she aimed to uplift the food culture in the country by introducing guests to a variety of rare and unique ingredients to stretch their palate and also exhibit exclusive culinary cooking techniques. This was made possible by bringing down high caliber chefs to prepare cuisines ranging from Spanish to Singaporean to South American, Japanese, Indian and Korean. In a span of two years, the Colombo Supper Club has educated the Sri Lankan palettes with more than 16 pop-up dinners with top-class Michelin star celebrity chefs.
According to Naserah, food is something that can uplift moods, evoke memories and mentally drive a person to other places. While there are some excellent restaurants in Colombo, the pop-up dining movement is something new and different. The foodie capitals of the world have already invested in this trend so if you want to try new menus from fun, creative and open-minded international chefs in Sri Lanka, this is the place to be.
3. Aerial whale watching
You must have surely heard of whale watching in Sri Lanka, with Mirissa being the harbor for boats that take off every morning in search of whales and dolphins. Ever thought about doing this activity on an aircraft? Yes, it is possible and is a better option so as to not disturb the whales in their natural habitat. An aerial view for observing the largest mammal in the world is an unmatchable experience, offered right here in Sri Lanka. In addition to flying above whales, you have the chance to get an aerial view of the south coast of Sri Lanka, which in itself is a stunning landscape!
4. Staying at Wild Coast Tented Lodge
Indulge in an exclusive stylish safari experience in Sri Lanka while choosing to stay at Wild Coast Tented Lodge, adjoining the Yala National Park. Taking glamping to a whole new level, this property features unhuman pods comfortably fitting into their beachfront location. Guests are able to have up-close encounters with Sri Lanka’s wildlife, including monkeys, monitor lizards, elephants, and wild boars.
Inside the cocoon-like luxury tents at this resort, you will find contemporary décor with a theme that represents plush colonial era. Plenty of leather and wood used in the room interiors while the bathrooms are furnished with copper, including a handcrafted, freestanding bathtub.
Wild Coast Tented Lodge is Resplendent Ceylon’s third Relaix and Chateaux property and by far its best. With all this luxury, don’t think that this property is greenwashing the environment. The domed public spaces are made from net bamboo that is wrapped with recycled teak shingles. Local fishermen earned a great income here since they were great with knots and were taught how to use bamboo. The water used at the property is taken from the ocean and desalinated there.
5. Helicopter ride to Sigiriya
The mount of remembrance – the Sigirya Rock Fortress is best explored by air. Built by the ancient King Kashyapa, imagine the amount of engineering and architectural knowledge needed to transform a granite rock into a residential palace?! What better way to visit this rock than a magnificent view from a helicopter ride in Sri Lanka?
Flight packages to Sigiriya include pickup from your hotel in Colombo, transfer to Ratmalana Airport, one hour flight to Sigiriya and three hours to visit, climb and explore the fortress, its paintings, and the mirror wall. Refreshing facilities and lunch at a hotel are also included, along with a visit to Dambulla Cave Temples and then the flight back to Ratmalana airport, after which you will be dropped to your hotel.
6. Buying exclusive Sri Lankan gemstones
In addition to the many names given to Sri Lanka, the ‘Island of Gems’ is another. Some of the most famous and precious Blue Sapphires and Rubies come from Sri Lankan mines along with other gemstones such as Alexandrite, Padparadscha, Spinel, and more. Here’s a list of some exclusive gemstones in Sri Lanka, ranked in order from most expensive to least expensive:
- Padparadscha – when translated, means ‘aquatic lotus color’, resembles lotus flowers of Sri Lanka. From the sapphire family and its colors must combine pink and orange hues into one gem to claim their genuine title.
- Ruby – Sri Lankan rubies are world-renowned for their distinct pinkish-red color. The Rosser Reeves star-shaped ruby weighs 138.7 carats and is amongst the largest rubies in the world.
- Blue Sapphire – Ceylon blue sapphires are popular across the world because of its naturally vivid, pure and translucent color and density that cannot be replicated elsewhere.
- Alexandrite – Sri Lankan alexandrite is typically brownish-red. The highlight of this stone is its color-changing feature when placed under daylight (fluorescent light) and incandescent light. A small amount of each alexandrite shows a cat’s eye effect.
- Cat’s Eye –beautiful honey and milk-colored stone with a hazy visual effect. Other colors include olive green, golden yellow, yellowish-green and brownish-green; degree of clarity varies from opaque to translucent.
- Spinel – After Myanmar, Sri Lanka is the largest exporter of Spinel stones. Available in red, pink, brown, orange, purple and green shades. The deep blue cobalt spinel is the rarest and exclusive one.
- Moonstone – Sri Lanka is recognized for the high quality pure blue shade of moonstones.
To make sure you are being given the original gemstones at a reasonable price, we advise that you visit recommended jewelers who provide certificates for your stones. If you wish to further guarantee your purchase, you could visit the Sri Lanka Gem Authority and ask them to double-check the genuineness of your gemstone.
7. Hot Air Ballooning
Hot Air Balloon flights in Sri Lanka usually take off at Heritance Kandalama Hotel which is in the town of Dambulla. This geographical area is best for balloon rides because of its calm and predictable weather conditions throughout the year. The flights take off early morning and last for about an hour, giving guests undisturbed panoramas of Mother Nature. The maximum height limit set by the Sri Lankan Civil Aviation Authority is 2000 feet above ground level, but the professional pilots pick a suitable height depending on weather conditions.
A typical hot air balloon flight package includes transfers to and from your hotel, breakfast, a one-hour balloon ride, cold water on board, celebrations upon landing, flight certificate and insurance.
If you want to experience any of these out-of-the-box activities during your tour in Sri Lanka, please inform our Blue Lanka travel consultants and we will make the necessary arrangements to give you memories that you can treasure forever.