Mark Fletcher
Travel & Planning Writer
33 pieces on Sri Lanka Frontier
Mark covers the practical side of a Sri Lanka trip, the Cultural Triangle and Sigiriya, the hill-country railway to Ella, safaris at Yala, the southern beaches around Galle, and how to string it all together by train, tuk-tuk and driver. He focuses on clear planning advice, cross-checked against operators and official sources, so your trip runs smoothly.
The Cultural Triangle Hill country & the tea train Safaris & the coast Trip planning
The team researches every page from official heritage and tourism sources and keeps the practical details current. Read how we research and edit.
In-depth guides by Mark
- Climbing Sigiriya Rock: A Complete GuideHow to climb Sigiriya (Lion Rock): 2026 ticket prices, the ~1,200 steps, frescoes and Mirror Wall, the best time of day, hornet and heat warnings, plus Pidurangala and Dambulla.
- The Ella Train & Tea Guide: Sri Lanka's Hill Country by RailHow to ride Sri Lanka's famous hill-country train from Kandy to Ella, book reserved seats, pick the best side, see the Nine Arch Bridge and tour a Ceylon tea factory.
- Galle Fort: A Complete Guide to Sri Lanka's Dutch FortressA complete guide to Galle Fort: its Portuguese, Dutch and British history, walking the ramparts, the lighthouse and Dutch church, museums, cafes, sunset spots, and how to get there from Colombo.
- Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, Kandy: A Visitor's GuideA practical guide to Kandy's Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic: what the relic is, daily puja times, dress code, ticket price, the Esala Perahera, and combining it with Kandy Lake.
- Whale Watching in Mirissa: A Complete GuidePlan whale watching in Mirissa: the blue whale season, morning departures, trip length, seasickness, choosing a responsible operator and the Trincomalee alternative.
- Yala Safari Guide: Leopards, Blocks & Booking a JeepA practical Yala National Park safari guide: leopard-spotting odds, Block 1 versus the quieter blocks, park fees, best months, private versus shared jeeps, the crowding problem and how to avoid it.
Destination guides by Mark
- ColomboColombo is Sri Lanka's commercial capital and main gateway, a busy, salt-aired port city of colonial arcades, crowded bazaars, lakeside temples and a reclaimed seafront, and the place most journeys around the island begin.
- EllaElla is Sri Lanka's laid-back hill-country favourite, a small town among tea plantations known for the Nine Arch Bridge, easy peak hikes and the scenic blue train through the highlands.
- GalleGalle is Sri Lanka's Dutch-colonial fort city on the south coast, a walled UNESCO gem of ramparts, lighthouse and boutique-lined streets, and the natural base for the southern beaches.
- KandyKandy is Sri Lanka's hill-country cultural capital and last royal kingdom, ringed by wooded hills around a lake and the golden-roofed Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic.
- SigiriyaSigiriya is the Lion Rock, a fifth-century palace-fortress on a sheer granite outcrop rising from the plains, and the natural base for Sri Lanka's Cultural Triangle of ancient cities, cave temples and gathering elephants.
- YalaYala is Sri Lanka's premier safari destination, a vast sweep of dry-zone scrub, lagoons and jungle on the south-east coast famed for having one of the highest leopard densities on earth, alongside elephants, sloth bears and crocodiles.
Articles by Mark
- The Ancient KingdomsAnuradhapura and Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka's great ancient capitals: giant dagobas, the sacred Bodhi tree, the Gal Vihara Buddhas and one of history's finest hydraulic civilisations.
- The Arrival of BuddhismHow Buddhism reached Sri Lanka in the 3rd century BC: Mahinda's meeting with King Devanampiya Tissa at Mihintale, the sacred Bo tree at Anuradhapura, the Pali canon and the Sacred Tooth Relic.
- Sri Lanka Travel BudgetHow much a trip to Sri Lanka costs: realistic daily budgets for backpackers, mid-range and comfortable travellers in rupees and dollars, plus sample prices for meals, trains, tuk-tuks, drivers and the big-ticket national-park fees.
- Colonial CeylonThree empires shaped colonial Ceylon: the Portuguese from 1505, the Dutch VOC from the 1640s, and the British from 1796, who unified the island and built the tea, rubber and railway economy.
- The Best Time to Visit Sri LankaWhen to visit Sri Lanka, explained by its two monsoons: the west, south and hills shine from December to March, while the east coast comes into its own from May to September.
- Sri Lankan Food and DrinkA guide to Sri Lankan food and drink: rice and curry, hoppers and string hoppers, kottu roti, pol sambol, dhal, jackfruit curry, Jaffna crab, short eats, Ceylon tea and king coconut, with the dishes to try first and how to handle the chilli heat.
- Money in Sri Lanka: The RupeeUsing money in Sri Lanka: the rupee (LKR), a largely cash economy, ATMs and card acceptance, why some park fees and tickets are priced in US dollars, bargaining, tipping norms, everyday prices, and how the post-2022 crisis has settled with tourism firmly recovered.
- Getting Around Sri LankaHow to travel around Sri Lanka: the famous scenic trains and how to book reserved seats, tuk-tuks and ride-hailing apps, cheap buses, hiring a car with a driver, and the Southern Expressway.
- Getting to Sri LankaHow to get to Sri Lanka: Colombo's Bandaranaike (CMB) airport is the main gateway near Negombo, plus airlines, flight times from London, the quieter Mattala airport and airport-to-city transfers.
- Independence and Modern Sri LankaSri Lanka's modern story: independence from Britain in 1948 as Ceylon, the republic and renaming in 1972, the world's first female prime minister, and the 2022 crisis and recovery.
- Is Sri Lanka Safe?Is Sri Lanka safe for travellers? Yes. It is warm, friendly and low on violent crime. The real risks are touts, tuk-tuk scams, strong sea currents and dengue, not danger.
- Sri Lanka's Land and NatureSri Lanka's landscapes and wild places: the central tea highlands, Adam's Peak and Horton Plains, the Sinharaja rainforest, the dry-zone national parks, some 1,340 kilometres of coast, and one of the richest concentrations of wildlife on Earth, leopards, elephants, whales and endemic birds.
- Language in Sri LankaSri Lanka's languages for travellers: Sinhala and Tamil as the two official tongues, English as the link language, the beautiful scripts, and a friendly phrasebook of Sinhala and Tamil words worth knowing.
- Map of Sri LankaA plain-language map of Sri Lanka: the Cultural Triangle, the Hill Country, the South Coast, Colombo and the west, the East Coast, the far North, and the wildlife parks, how far apart they are, and how the island's two monsoons split the year between its coasts.
- The People of Sri LankaWho are the Sri Lankan people? The island's communities, Sinhalese, Sri Lankan and Indian Tamils, Muslims and Moors, Burghers and the indigenous Veddas, their languages, faiths, diaspora, and the warmth of daily life.
- Religion in Sri LankaSri Lanka's faiths: Theravada Buddhism given the foremost place, alongside Hinduism, Islam and Christianity; the Sacred Tooth Relic, Adam's Peak and the ancient Bo tree, plus temple etiquette for visitors.
- The Civil War and ReconciliationSri Lanka's civil war, 1983 to 2009: the roots in post-independence tensions, the conflict with the LTTE, the 2004 tsunami, the end in 2009 and the peaceful north and east that welcome travellers today.
- The Kandyan KingdomThe Kingdom of Kandy, the last independent Sinhalese kingdom, held off the Portuguese and Dutch behind its mountains for over 300 years until the British took it in 1815. Its temple, art and the 1818 uprising.
- Do You Need a Visa for Sri Lanka?Sri Lanka visa guide: how the online ETA works, the free 30-day tourist scheme for 40 nationalities, fees for everyone else, passport rules and extensions.
- Sri Lanka Weather: Climate by Zone and MonthHow Sri Lanka's weather really works: hot, humid coasts around 27-32C year-round, cool highlands, and two monsoons that keep one coast dry while the other is wet.
- Where Is Sri Lanka?Sri Lanka is an island nation in the Indian Ocean, just off the south-east tip of India across the Palk Strait. Its exact location, size, distance from India, coordinates, time zone and place on the world's shipping routes.