Abundant and unspoilt natural beauty makes Srilanka an attractive destination. Very few places in the world can offer such diverse attractions in such a small area. Within a mere area of more than sixty five thousand kilometers, Srilanks homes eight UNESCO World Heritage sites, more than one thousand and three hundred meters long coast line of which major part is virgin beaches, fifteen national parks with abundance of wild life, two hundred and fifty acres of botanical gardens, three hundred and fifty waterfalls, twenty five thousand water bodies and relics of a culture that is more than twenty five thousand years old.
Srilanka is an island country situated in Indian Ocean. Srilanka is a multi-ethnic, multi- religious and multi- cultural nation. The people of Srilanka possess a warm and friendly nature. People of Srilanka are renowned for their hospitality. Even strangers are invited for reception in their houses.
[check gvt website] are an ideal way to start the trip to Srilanka. Colombo is the largest city and main port of Srilanka. It is also the commercial capital of Srilanka. Colombo tour packages offer an attractive blend of old and new. It has the lazy charm of the bygone era combined with the verve and vivaciousness of a modern city.
Colombo homes specimens of widely varying architecture that span centuries and is made of various styles. Many colonial buildings influenced by Portuguese, Dutch and British architectural styles exist along with structures built in Buddhist, Hindu, Islamic, Indian and contemporary styles. This is more evident in the heart of city, the Fort area where modern skyscrapers are found along with historic buildings.
The main places to visit in Colombo are Fort, Pettah, Galle Face Green, Slave Island, Mount Lavinia, Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara, Dehiwala Zoo, National Museum, Viharamahadevi Park and Wolvendaal church. Apart from them, there are many attractive Hindu temples also.
Srilanka has about one thousand and three hundred meters long coastline of which major chunk is virgin beaches. The prominent beaches of Srilanka are Alankuda beach, Negombo, Beruwala, Bentota, Kosgoda, Unawatuna, Weligama, Tangalle Bay, Arugam Bay, Pasikuda, Kalkuda, Trincomalee and Pigeon Island.
Because of the long coastline, Srilanka is suitable for wind-surfing, water skiing, surfing, sailing, scuba- diving, snorkeling and speed boating. Better known of water sports sites are Negombo, Wadduwa, Kalutara, Beruwela, Bentota, Hikkaduwa and Galle.
Due to the geographical diversity of Srilanka there is scope for many activities like Whale and Dolphin watching, Deep sea fishing, Diving, white water rafting, ballooning, golfing, swimming, surfing, rock climbing and also hiking and trekking.
Srilanka boasts of unparalleled bio diversity. The essence of environmental protection can be seen ingrained in the psyche of from pre-historic times. Even before Christ the first Buddhist monarch initiated the practice of declaring designated forest land as wild life sanctuaries with the aim of protecting wildlife. Now, there are twenty four wildlife reserves in Srilanka.
There are eight sites in Srilanka which are declared world heritage sites by UNESCO. They are Central Highlands, Dutch fort in Galle, Sacred temple of tooth in Kandy, Anuradhapura, Sinharaja forest reserve, Golden temple of Dambulla, Polonnaruwa and Sigirya rock fort and city.
There are a numerous waterfalls in Srilanka which are remarkable and fascinating to behold. Some of the prominent of them are Bambarakanda, Duhinda, Diyaluma and Ravana.
