If you want to visit a truly impressive place which is usually crowd-free then get along to the ancient cave and rock temple at Pahiyangala.

Famous throughout Sri Lanka, Pahiyangala attracts Buddhists from all over Sri Lanka on Poya Day but is over-looked by the most of the guide books so the rest of the time you might well have the place to yourself. In addition to the pre-historic excavations and rather eclectic collection of relics there is a training centre for Buddhist monks and temple complex.

A site of special scientific and archaeological interest, complete with massive statue of a reclining Lord Buddha and surrounded by some of the finest countryside that Sri Lanka has to offer Pahiyangala is the prefect daytrip. There is no fixed entrance fee but a donation is expected, particularly if you are escorted around the site.

There is a flight of rather uneven stairs so take good shoes (which you will need to remove when entering the temple compound at the top).

Pahiyangala is near Bulatsinhala and easily accessible from Colombo and all other west coast tourist resorts. You can get there by three-wheeler or bus via Matugama or Horana or ask your hotel to arrange a car.

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The hill temple at Pimbura is not a particularly impressive structure, more a ramshackle collection of shrines and associated outbuildings spread out on the top of a ridge. In fact the nearer you get to the temple, the more you feel like you are in Nepal rather than Sri Lanka, but the setting, the atmosphere and the fact that you are almost certainly the only visitor makes up for any shortfall in the architecture. You need to explore this place and just when you think you have seen it all there is yet another path to something else.

The views from the top are magnificent, which means it is quite a climb (but I am fat and 40 and I made it ok) so you will need good shoes and plenty of water and do not go too late in the day, the track is steep, rocky and unlit. For the naturalists amongst you there are birds, bats and even monkeys. There is only one monk in residence, he will be surprised to see you and will no doubt welcome your generous donation.

You can take the train from Colombo to Aluthgama and then take the bus to Agalawatta via Matugama. From Agalawatta pick up the Horana bus or a three wheeler (approx Rs150). There is only one road worthy of the name running through Pimbura, the track to the temple leads off to the left (if you are travelling north) just past the district hospital, ask anyone. There is an alternative route up and down the hill so you can make a round trip. There is another temple in Pimbura (which is not on a hill).

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On the face of it there is not much to draw tourists into Bulatsinhala, I've been there dozens of times and not once seen another white face, for me that is the main attraction, it's just regular small town Sri Lanka with friendly locals and no touts.

Market day is Sunday and the town gets busy but during the week it can be an almost sleepy place, excellent for tout free shopping. Local shops and small cafes have most things you'll want, there is also a pharmacy, clinic, post office and bank (no ATM). The bustling city of Horana, less than an hour away by local bus, has everything else you might need.

Near Bulatsinhala is the impressive rock temple and Buddhist seminary at Pahiyangala. Famous in Sri Lanka, Pahiyangala draws Buddhists by the bus load on Poya Day but is over looked by the guide books so you will have it largely to yourself the rest of the time. There is no fixed entry charge but your donation will be appreciated

Pick up the Horana bus at Panadura which is easily reached by bus and train from Colombo or take the bus via Matugama if you're coming from Bentota or Beruwala. At Horana or Matugama you can get direct and frequent buses to Bulatsinhala.

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Galle Fort is a Sri Lankan ‘must see’ and is only a few minutes walk from Galle railway station (you can’t miss it). The Fort is free to get in and the sea breeze on the ramparts is a real treat. There are plenty of places to eat, drink and stay inside and outside the fort, watch out for touts, who can be a nuisance.

Galle is stuffed with history, the old gate tells anyone passing through it something about the history of the Fort, on one side is the Lion and the Unicorn of the British Coat of Arms on the other the Lions and Cock of the Dutch East India Company (VOC).

At the South West tip of Sri Lanka and on the west coast railway line (Colombo to Matara).

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In August 2006 I was traveling from Rakwana to Aluthgama when I realised that I wouldn’t make the coast by night fall. My friend Lahiru lives in the Bulatsinhala area and he introduced me to the Field View Inn.

The rooms at the Field View Inn are clean and comfortable, they have attached shower room, fan and mosquito net (which I didn’t need).
Good food and drink is available in the large bar-restaurant up to 11pm. We had an excellent dinner of fried rice, with several cool lagers served by the friendly but incessantly polite staff. Next morning coffee was brought to our room and we took a walk through the friendly little town of Bulatsinhala before breakfast. The final bill came as a pleasant surprise, I couldn’t really ask for more.

This is not a tourist area, I was the only foreigner staying at the hotel, the other customers in the bar were all Sinhalese. However the decor suggests it might occasionally be busy with local wedding parties so it might be as well to telephone ahead and reserve your room. Tel: 034-2283021

From Colombo, it's about an hour drive to Horana where you can pick up direct and frequent buses to Bulatsinhala. Alternatively you can take a bus from Aluthgama to Matugama and pick up the Bulatsinhala bus there.

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Perfect for those frightened of other tourists, this is simply a room in a real Sri Lanka home which the family will let out to occasional paying guests and where you really are more a friend of the family than a customer.

There is only one room so you are guaranteed to have the place to yourselves, you will be the only western guests in the village and the only tourist for miles around. It is just so easy here, a chance to experience real Sri Lankan village life with little or no hassle.

Dematapitiya Village near Bulatsinhala, not far from Horana which is an hour's drive from Colombo.
Tel: 0342 282490
mjbibby@hotmail.com

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Buddhism is integral to who the Sinhalese are as a people, they take it very seriously indeed and it's important to show some respect when visiting a temple, but don’t let this put you off. The locals will not be looking to catch you out and honest mistakes are politely overlooked. In large temples, which you may visit as part of an organised tour simply follow the crowd and you should be fine, but one of the pleasures of your Sri Lankan holiday is a visit to a small local temple. Here you will be a point of interest so it’s useful to learn a little etiquette:

Don’t enter a temple in beach wear (would you go into a church with your backside hanging out?)
Remove your shoes and hat.
Walk round the central features in a clockwise direction.
Images of the Buddha and monks should be given the respect that would be shown to the Buddha himself, so it is important not to deliberately turn your back on either and you should ask before taking photographs.
If you are approached by, or introduced to a Buddhist monk, you aren’t expected to know the intricate ritual and particular terms of address applied by the Sinhalese, should you address the Monk I find ‘reverend’ usually does the trick. Don’t attempt to shake hands unless one is offered.
If you’re well impressed and/or the monk is particularly distinguished you can bend down and touch his toes before coming up with your hands together.
Off the beaten track you probably won’t be asked for a donation outright but one will be appreciated and will earn you merit so ask if there is somewhere you can make the donation, there’s usually a box, if there isn’t offer your notes to an attendant (in front of the monk) or directly to the monk with both hands to show that it is freely given.
Evangelical organisations are currently attempting to convert the people to Christianity and this doesn’t go down too well in the Buddhist community.
Any respect you pay to Sinhalese culture during your visit will be genuinely appreciated and this is as true in the temple as anywhere.

There will be a temple in every Sinhalese Buddhist town and village.

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Just about every village you pass through will have at least one small restaurant selling Sri Lankan food at very reasonable prices, they are sometimes known as hotels or cool spots.

You can get hoppers, eggs and bread for breakfast, coffee usually comes black so ask for kiri kopi (milk coffee) and unless you like it impossibly sweet ask for it without sugar.

For lunch and dinner there is of course rice and curry, this often comes with fish or chicken. Throughout the day you can get a variety of rolls and patties called ‘short eats’ you may be given a plate full of these but you only pay for what you eat.

There is a range of soft drinks called Elephant (ask for it cool) the ginger beer is particularly excellent. Local soft drinks appear to be being increasingly replaced by American brands.

Hoppers (appa). Eggs (bithara). Bread (pahn). Coffee (kopi). Milk (Kiri). Sugar (seeni). Cool (cool). Fish (marlu). Chicken (kukul mas).

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A Sri Lankan night can be a magical experience but if you want western style nightlife you really are in the wrong country.

In Colombo there are casinos and clubs, which tend to cater for the more affluent and small towns may have a local bar (catering for the more desperate) but these are probably not the sort of place you will want to frequent.

Your hotel management will do their best to entertain you as you sip your overpriced after dinner drinks with your fellow Europeans but believe me, the novelty will soon wear off and even the most love-struck couples will be eager for a change of scenery by the end of the first week.

Touts or beach boys can be a pain in the arse, but do not let that stop you getting to know the locals and if you get invited to visit a Sri Lankan home jump at the chance. Unless your new found friends are Muslim they will almost certainly agree to share a beer with you of an evening so if you enjoy your daytime visit (i.e. if you are not asked for money) suggest getting together for a drink after dinner one night.

The locals may know a reasonable local bar but for a real treat get yourself invited to their home to share a few beers with their family and friends (their friends will turn up anyway so you might as well include them in the invitation). Arrange a time and place for them to pick you up in a three-wheeler (only tourists call them tuk tuks), grab your bug spray and enjoy your evening. It gets lively and even though you will be buying all the beer, it is a relatively cheap night out.

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Browns Beach Hotel is a large sprawling place in Negombo, which I occasionally use as a base (it’s just 20 minutes from the airport). A package deal to Sri Lanka often costs about the same as a flight so you can leave your heavy gear here while you pop off on your travels.

Popular with British package tourists and more well-to-do Sri Lankans at the weekend (when the nightclub opens), Browns Beach is a friendly enough place with a large pool and several bars. In the season, the place gets full, in June I was one of around 20 guests, out-numbered 10 to 1 by staff.

Try to get one of the ground-floor chalet type rooms (practically on the beach) rather than the older upstairs rooms in the main building. All have AC and a fridge.

Negombo beach
www.aitkenspencehotels.com/browns

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The Minara Hotel is a well-managed and reasonably priced modern boutique hotel adjacent to the magnificent Bopath Ella Waterfall. No doubt it gets busy in the season but when we stayed in June 06 we had the place to ourselves.

I would recommend this place to any traveller (particularly those looking for a break from the grubby bed sheet circuit).

A small modern, professionally run place with air conditioned rooms, a good restaurant and unrivalled views of the falls.

Near Ratnapura, a few kilometres off the A4 at Kurawita. Ask for Bopath Ella.

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A small independent hotel, restaurant and bar (open to non-residents). Wunderbar is a real gem of a place. The accommodation and food really is first rate and the bar is the best in the area. There is not much night life in Bentota but Wunderbar is my favourite bar in the whole of Sri Lanka. It can be lively when the boys play the drums but it is always friendly and is a safe environment to drink with a minimum of hassle. Like the hotel, the bar is well managed (not over-managed) drinks are cheap and it's locally owned so your cash goes into the local economy.

Walk along the beach, the bar is less than 1km to the south of the main resort, of an evening take a three wheeler from the railroad crossing.

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