Excellent Ceylon Holiday tours

01/12/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1JqCXBJ4Gs/?mibextid=wwXIfr

17/11/2025

Cursed grave of a Hunter👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻
Major Thomas William Rogers was a colonial administrator who came to Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) in the early 1800s. While he was responsible for other ‘productive’ efforts, Sir James Tennant wrote that Thomas killed around 1400 elephants in Sri Lanka during his lifetime. This is the highest ‘record’ of elephants killed by a single hunter in Sri Lanka.

Thomas’s reign of slaughter was cut short in 1845, when he died after being struck by lightning! Strangely, according to some sources, Thomas’s death was predicted by a Buddhist monk 8 months before his death. The monk had supposedly claimed that “thou [referring to Thomas] shalt be consumed by the lightning of heaven before thou canst raise thine accursed weapon for another act of sacrilege.” It’s said that Thomas was disturbed by this prediction, refrained from killing elephants for several months, and took refuge in the highlands.

Nonetheless, his penchant for hunting stirred again. After 8 months of ‘abstinence,’ Thomas launched another hunting expedition to track down a ‘rogue elephant.’ During the expedition, he stayed at a resthouse at Haputale. Supposedly, Thomas went out to check the weather… and never returned. On 7th June 1845 – just as the monk predicted – Thomas was struck by lightning. According to one source, “A flash of lightning had struck him with terrific force, before he got to the center of the high road in front of the bungalow, and had almost carbonized every particle of flesh, down to his bones. His hour had come at last.” But the story doesn’t end there...

After his death, Thomas was buried at Nuwara Eliya (just behind the golf course). Interestingly, some say even his grave was struck by lightning “at least 100 times within the next 30 years.” Those who have seen the grave say there is a visible ‘crack’ on it – whether it was caused by divine intervention or not is up for debate.

23/09/2025

Planning a Trip to Sri Lanka? Here Are the Answers to Your Top Questions! 🌴✈️

💳 Money & Payments:
Yes, ATMs are widely available, and Visa/MasterCard are accepted at most hotels, supermarkets like Keells and Cargills, and bigger restaurants.
However, small shops, local eateries, markets, and roadside vendors mostly accept cash so always carry some rupees with you.

💱 Currency & Exchange:
Bring USD, Euros, or British Pounds for the best exchange rates. These are widely accepted at money changers and banks.
Other currencies (like AUD, CAD etc.) can be exchanged too, but may have less favorable rates.
Exchange at licensed counters or banks not on the street.

🗣️ Language:
English is widely spoken in tourist areas hotels, transport, and attractions. Communication is easy for travelers.

📱 Phone & SIM:
You can get a local SIM at the airport (Dialog, Mobitel, Airtel) for cheap data and reliable coverage.

🛡️ Is Sri Lanka Safe?
Yes, Sri Lanka is safe for tourists. Use usual travel precautions, especially in remote or crowded places.

🌤️ Best Time to Visit:
• South/West: December to April
• East/North: May to September
So you can visit year-round just pick your coast!

🛂 Visa:
Yes, most nationalities need a Sri Lanka e-visa (ETA)—quick and easy to apply online at eta.gov.lk.

📆 How Many Days?
Ideally 2 weeks to see beaches, hill country, culture and wildlife. Even 10 days gives a beautiful glimpse!

🚗 Getting Around:
Best way is with a private driver for flexibility. Trains offer scenic routes (like Ella–Kandy), and tuk-tuks are great for short rides.

👉contact Wasantha ‘excellent Ceylon tours’

📱 WhatsApp - +94 711544570

19/09/2025

Horton plains in Srilanka

27/08/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1WWbXAubWs/?mibextid=wwXIfr

25/08/2025

In Sri Lanka, there’s only one bear species – the ‘Sri Lankan Sloth Bear’ (Melursus ursinus inornatus). However, there are historical records of another bear species in Sri Lanka. This mysterious bear was referred to as the ‘Rahu Walaha’ / ‘Rathu Walaha’ (රතු වලහා) and ‘Waga Walaha’ (වග වලහා) by locals.

In 1885, Hugh Neville wrote an article (in the ‘Taprobanian’) called the “Brown Bear of Ceylon.” In it, he writes that “the brown bear of Ceylon is now found, but very rarely, in the wild district lying between Kubukkan River and the Manik Ganga.” He further states that locals refer to this bear as “Rahu Walas” [direct copy]. One might think that the writer is confusing the animal with the ‘Sloth Bear,’ but he [Neville] specifically clarified that the “brown bear is scarcely more than half the size of the Sloth Bear.” Furthermore, Neville writes that the ‘brown bear’ was more “savage” than the Sloth Bear, and that it “invariably tries to attack a man – however far off.” Of course, Neville had never seen the bear, and his descriptions were based on hunter’s accounts (if you wish to read Neville’s article, the link is provided below).

But there’s another written record of the “brown bear.” Henry Parker wrote this article for the 1887 edition of the ‘Taprobanian.’ In it, he says that the “brown bear” is “well known, but by report only, to the hunters who frequent the forests around Padawiya (පදවිය), in the northeastern corner of the North Central Province.” Parker further states that in this region, the bear was referred to as the “Waga Walaha” (වග වලහා) by locals. Again, Parker also clarifies some differences with the ‘Sloth Bear’ – he [Parker] mentions that the “ brown bear stands much lower than the Sloth Bear,” and that “it is said to live chiefly upon flesh.” Normally, Sloth Bears are omnivorous, so it seems that these reports are about a different bear. According to Parker’s account (linked below), this ‘brown bear’ had a ‘reddish brown color throughout,’ and it didn’t have a ‘V-shaped marking” on the chest (Sloth Bears have a white mark on their chest). So, what was this ‘brown bear’? More importantly, what happened to it?

According to Hugh Neville’s original article about the ‘brown bear,’ the animal was ‘exterminated’ by locals because it was too ‘savage.’

P.S. - These aren’t the only accounts about the ‘brown bear.’ Even R. L. Spittell has mentioned this bear in his articles as the ‘Rahu Walaha,’ etc. Spittell forwarded the theory that the legendary ‘Nittaewo’ were confused with the ‘brown bear’ (or ‘Rahu Walaha’) of Ceylon.

Articles –
Hugh Neville’s 1885 article -https://dbooks.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/books/PDFs/590962844.pdf

Henry Park’s 1887 article - https://digi.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/diglit/taprobanian1887/0010/image,info,text_ocr

25/08/2025

My new member who’s waiting to take you safer and comfort

09/08/2025

25/07/2025