Maarten, Annick & Febe travel, with a focus on nature, wildlife, culture & Unesco World Heritage. Hi! At first the website was only focused on World Heritage.
We are Maarten, Annick & Febe, a Belgian family with a passion for traveling. Whenever possible, we set out to discover a part of our world, often taking Túrin, our fourth family member along with us. When traveling, we try to keep a focus on Unesco World Heritage sites, nature and wildlife, local people, food and traditions. The idea for this website began to grow after Maarten received a book as
a gift from Annick, containing all 878 UNESCO World Heritage Sites (at that time - 2010). We began to look into the list, and discovered we had seen quite a few already - and wanted to see many more. Later on, the need to add some travel pictures came. After all, when travelling, World Heritage is not our only focus. Later on, we decided to put up a travel blog as well. This new version aims to build a bridge between all of this. When not travelling, Maarten & Annick both work in a school for kids aged 12-18. Maarten teaches, Annick is a fulltime student councelor. Other big passions in our life are cooking, reading, gardening, gaming (both board & computer games), crochet and soccer - not always in that order ;-)
Dambulla is the largest and best-preserved cave temple complex in Sri Lanka and a must-see when you visit the country. There are a total of 153 Buddha statues, three statues of Sri Lankan kings and four statues of gods and goddesses, spread over 5 rock caves that you can visit.
We decided to spend the last two days in the area at Dehigaha Ela, another treehouse lodging - completely disconnected from everything. No wifi, no connection. Electricity and hot water run on solar power and you have to have a large jeep to reach the premises. We spend our days relaxing in the river (with free fish spa) and birdwatching. Especially the Asian Paradise Flycatcher, who was nesting on the hotel grounds, was worth spotting.
The elephant gathering at Kaudulla National Park is amazing to see! We saw over 100 Asian elephants that day. The last two pictures are of a jackal we spotted when entering the park and an Indian Roller, one of the most beautiful birds in Sri Lanka.
Sigiriya
We can confirm it: this climb is much easier than Pidurangala.
We left very early (6:30) to be able to make the climb before the heat (and the crowds). When you get to the lion's paws, you're actually already halfway there. At the time of the palace (the ruins at the top), visitors had to pass through a stone lion's head. The view at the top is again very impressive!
Polonnaruwa.
We explored the ruins of this city, which had its heyday from the 10th century. The Indians conquered Anaradhapura and settled here. Later the Sinhalese conquered Polonnaruwa and it was the center of the country for 200 years.
We started in the beautiful museum, where you can see some impressive Hindu statues that are about 3,000 years old. Afterwards we explored the ruins by bicycle. We saw beautiful ruins spread over 4km. Not an easy task with 36 degrees and a very rickety bike - as you can see, Febe clearly loved it 😂🙈
As the Sri Lankan beer says: it's not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves. Pidurangala: what a climb! 🙈
You start with a lot of irregular stairs, up to a reclining Buddha. That in itself is quite difficult, but then the stairs disappear and it becomes pure rock climbing. And not the easiest kind either. We literally crawled up to the top on our hands and knees.
But the view at the top is breathtaking. Jungle and beautiful views of Sigiriya Rock.
The Avukana Buddha is a Buddha from the 12th/13th century. It is connected to the rock for a small part. His pose, ashiva mudra, signifies a blessing and the fire above his head signifies the power of total enlightenment.
Mihintale is the place where Buddhism originated in Sri Lanka. The mountain peak is one of the most important pilgrimage sites for Buddhists on the island.
Anuradhapura was Sri Lanka's first capital in 380BC, under King Pandukabhaya, and remained a thriving place for 13 centuries. It developed into an important Buddhist complex.
To us it made a big impression. We spent a full day with Siri, an excellent guide who took us in his tuktuk to all the different sites. We learned so much about Buddhism that day. You can contact him on Whatsapp ⏩ +94 76 606 69 76.
We'll blog about the different sites we visited that day soon.
Some more Wilpattu sightings!
1. Land Monitor
2. Spotted Deer
3. Garden Lizard
4. Leopard
5. Asian Elephant
It was Febes 13th birthday that day and her hope was to see a leopard. And we did! A male was resting in the afternoon heat - quite a distance from where we could park.
A first selection of great animals we saw in Wilpattu.
1. Serpent Eagle (picture taken by our daughter Febe 💛)
2. Green Bee Eater
3. Garden Lizard
Safari day!
Wilpattu is one of the lesser known and less busy parks in Sri Lanka, but also the largest. It consists mainly of dry forest land, but Wilpattu literally means “natural lakes” and these can be found here too.
Wild Wadi Wilpattu was our second hotel of the trip. It's located near the Eluwankulama Gate of Wilpattu National Park. The hospitality we received there was amazing. If you ever go to Wilpattu, be sure to book your stay with them!
1. Our lovely cabin with private splash pool.
2. Part of the delicious birthday dinner for Febe. She turned 13 there!
3. Traditional Sri Lankan breakfast.
4. Friendly neighbour.
wadi.wilpattu
On our way north we made a first stop @ Yapahuwa Rock Fortress. The first Sri Lankan stairs we climbed. Certainly not the last 🙈
As early as the 3rd century BC there was a Buddhist monastery in Yapahuwa. In the 2nd century BC, this rock fortress became the new capital and the relic of the Buddha's sacred tooth was also housed here. The most important part of the remains of this fortress is the ornamental staircase with two lions, which once led to the Temple of the Tooth. On top of the rock there are remains of a stupa. There is also a rock temple with beautiful 13th-century frescoes and Buddha statues.
We're taking you to Sri Lanka! We visited this beautiful island last summer. Our first stop was - to unwind after our long flight.
1. Kayaking on the river. Kayaks are included in your stay.
2. What a pool 🌴
3 & 4. Local farmer harvesting palmwine.
5. Our bungalow.
6. The garden is very good for birdwatching. We spotted this beautifil big kingfisher, amongst many other local birds.
Last up was a visit to one of the smallest capitals in the world, Victoria.
1-3: the Immaculate Conception Cathedral, with colourfull gardens around it.
4-5: the Hindu temple of Arul Mihu Navaskthi Vinayagar
6-7: Sir Selwyn Selwyn-Clarke Market, with a buzzing atmosphere & fresh produce
8: the National museum of History
We hope we managed to inspire you to plan your own trip to the Seychelles. As always, more info in our blogposts (link in bio).
One of the last excursions we did, took us to the St. Anne Marine Park & Moyenne Island.
1. Cristal clear waters
2-4. Moyenne island is a protected area, with limited visitors each day
5-7. Spectacular underwater world at St. Anne Marine Park
SUP in the Seychelles.
We took our two sups to the Seychelles. Supping on the sea is always a bit more challenging than on your local river or lake. Weather can shift really fast in the tropics (as you can see on the last picture), so make sure you keep a good eye out on your weather apps. As always, windfinder is a must to check winds. Never go out on an offshore wind!
We mostly supped out from Bel Ombre beach; and ideal location to go in the water. Clear visibility is a must with all the rocks in the Seychelles.
Time for some beachhopping on Praslin, because that's what you'll do mostly on the Seychelles!
1 - 4: Anse Lazio, one of the best beaches in the Seychelles and the best beach on Praslin. Excellent for snorkeling - and what a beach (again!).
5. Anse Georgette. On the map situated just next to Anse Lazio, but you'll need to go around the whole island to reach it - there's no road connecting both.
6. Grande Anse
7 Cote d'or Beach
On Praslin we took a bout tour with Sagittarius, taking us from Cousin (for birdwatching) to Curieuze (for tortioises) & then on to St. Pierre island (for some excellent snorkeling).
1. Lesser Noddy
2. Seychelles Sunbird
3. Fairy tern
4. Meeting the gentle giants once again
5. Path to the boat on Curieuze
6. St. Pierre island, a tiny dreamy spot in the ocean
7-8-9: snorkeling around St. Pierre island
📍 Praslin - Valée de Mai
A must-do when you're on the island of Praslin is the Unesco World Heritage nature reserve of Valée de Mai, home to the 'coco de mer', a palm tree that only grows (naturally) on the Seychelles.
1. Female coco de mer fruits.
2. A male coco de mer tree.
3. Walking in between giants.
4. Seychelles bulbul.
5. We saw a ton of geckos that day.
6. Beautiful snails in the forest.
La Digue has some stunning beaches on the other side of the island as well. The coastline there is rougher, because it is not protected by coral reef - so there is nothing to break the waves. You can enjoy the scenery and dip your toes in the water, but swimming is not advisable: the waves & currents are really strong there.
1. Grande Anse
2. Petite Anse
3 - 5. Anse Cocos
Our third blogpost on the Seychelles is live, taking you to the tropical paradise of La Digue.
https://blog.ourworldheritage.be/2024/02/19/la-digue-tropical-paradise/
📍 Anse Source d'Argent
Often mentioned as one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, and we can clearly see why. It's not for free though, you have to pay to enter the estate where the beach is located. If you buy your ticket after 4PM, you can watch the sunset and use the same ticket the day after.
It's a shallow beach, with cristal clear water, making it one of the few places ideal with young kids. You don't even need snorkeling gear there - just enjoy the pictures.
1. What a beach.
2. Entry to the beach.
3 - 6: The water is really clear, you can see the fish swimming even without any gear.
7. Friendly tortoises to be fed in the estate pen. You can also see some really tiny babies there, a real highlight for Febe.
📍 Anse Sévère - La Digue
One of our favourite beaches on the Seychelles. Not only does it look stunning, it's also excellent for snorkeling, spotting wild Aldabra tortoises munching on the greens & it has an excellent beach bar. What more do you need?
1. What a beach!
2. Anse Sévère can be wild, as its name suggests.
3. Swimming along typical Seychelles scenery.
4. Friendly tortoises to be fed.
5. Beach bar.
6 - 7 - 8. A great spot for snorkeling. Maarten saw a few sea turtles, but beware: the waves & currents can be tricky on this beach.
9. Enjoying a sunset swim.
📍 V***e Nature Reserve on La Digue.
After a few days of exploring on Mahé, we headed out to tiny La Digue, an island we lost our hearts to.
We decided to visit V***e Nature Reserve, where you can spot the Seychelles Paradise Flycatcher. Maarten saw him on his second visit, but was unable to get a good photograph. But there's plenty of other wildlife to spot:
1. Febe amongst the trees. Bring musquito repellent, much needed here.
2. Madagascar Fody, a beautiful red bird, abundant in the Seychelles.
3. Nephila spiders, also abundant. Make sure you don't walk into a web, in this small nature reserve they often span them across the walking paths.
4. A fruit bat in a tree - spanning up to 1m they are a joy to see flying around in the evenings.
5. Fruit bats are abundant in the Seychelles and often gather in trees to sleep during the day.
📍 Hiking Anse Major trail on Mahé.
This trail is simply stunning. As with all hiking trails in the Seychelles, it's not an easy hike. Expect some uneven terrain and the tropical heat makes it strenuous. But the views are stunning and in the middle, this lovely beach called Anse Major awaits you for a great swim. When we arrived, there was a tropical shower that lasted for about an hour, making it less hot on our way back. We didn't mind that at all!
You can take a bus from Beau Vallon to the starting point of the hiking trail.
If you find yourself in Beau Vallon, please eat out in Baobab Pizzeria at least once. Not only do they have great pizza's, this is the view you get. The restaurant is located on the beach & a must-do when you're there.
We can also highly recommend Leo's food bus for excellent street food, also alongside the beach.
Both places are frequented by locals as well, which is always a good sign for quality food.
Beau Vallon is not the best spot for snorkeling in the Seychelles, but near the edges of the beach (both east and west) you find some rocky areas where you can see clearer.
Everything you wanted to know about the largest island of the Seychelles:
https://blog.ourworldheritage.be/2024/02/13/a-few-days-in-beau-vallon-mahe-seychelles/
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