As most of you heard Sri Lanka is an island circled with golden beaches and rising waves, misty mountains, and gray plains, has a majestic past and a place where iconic legends unfolded. The wildlife, vibrant culture, diversity and warm people and smiles could sum up a country that would be the pearl of Indian ocean, Sri Lanka
Hospitality in Sri Lanka is world famous with so many cultures living close to each other. It is an everyday cultural fest in Sri Lanaka. This little island is the ideal destination for fun, leisure, and adventure.
Island is bottled up with sites and scenes. A traveler could be diving in the blue ocean chasing dolphins and would be hiking in the lush mountains chasing the clouds next day. It doesn’t take a lot of time to travel from one point to another. Sri Lanka is called a paradise partly of its climate and physical diversity. The rich diversity extends to virtually every aspect of nature. Starting from beaches to rocky cove, islands costal lain contains a variety of geographical features such as lagoons, wetlands, rivers and rich jungles with lush mountains and wildlife.
The central area where the island starts to ascend into great mountains, lush forests and varies types of flora and fauna, massive tea plantations. There are seven different types of forests in Sri Lanka and the hill country is scattered with dramatic and breathtaking waterfalls. Sri Lanka has perhaps the largest number of waterfalls of any country. For its size this island has a lot to offer.
Sri Lanka is a multi-ethnic, multi religious and a multi-cultural society. It all began in 5th Century BC when the Indian prince Vijaya disembarked on the islands shore. The descendants still exist in the country known as Veddhas, a community known as Sri Lankan indigenous people. Sri Lanka had its share of foreign visitors and kings who rules the country for years. In later years the islands encounter with successive foreign immigrants effected the ethnicity drastically.
Main ethnic group is Sinhalese and Tamils and then there are Muslims. Malays and Chinese were also attracted to the island. Portuguese and British brought Kaffirs from Africa and Dutch brought burgers. Then there are other minor communities such as Chettis from India. The list is extraordinary, and they all live in peace and harmony. People of Sri Lanka are warm friendly and welcoming, has an eagerness to help those who are unfamiliar with aspects of local life. Sri Lankans are very hospitable and take pride in it.
Sri Lanka is packed with cultural heritage which has been recognized by UNESCO. They have declared six archaeological world heritage sites such as Anurdhapura, Polonnaruwa, Dambulla, Sigiriya, Kandy and Galle. The seventh world heritage site is ecological, The Sinharaja rain forest.
Sri Lanka possesses a high degree of diversity. There are 34 biodiversity hot spots in the world and Sri Lanka is one of them. 13% of island conserved as national parks, reserves, sanctuaries, and jungle corridors.
There are 14 national parks in Sri Lanka. A safari ride in one of the parks offers amazing sightings of wildlife. There are 91 mammals and 16 of them are endemic. Sri Lanka is famous for its Elephants, Leopards, Sloth bears, Sāmbhar, Spotted dears, Wild Bores, Monkeys and Birds. Sri Lanka is an ornithologist paradise with over 230 resident species, 33 endemic. Together with migratory species there are approximately 480. Also, there are 17o reptiles, 101 are endemic including 02 crocodile species.
Sri Lanka is an ideal location for adventure sports. With over 1,600km of coasts, Sri Lankan beaches are a hot spot for water sports all year around. Inlands possess over hundreds of rivers together with lagoons, tanks, waterfalls, mountains, and plains. There are over 400 mountains listed in Sri Lanka. The mountains of the island exhibit some of the most surreal and mesmerizing views. There are around 20 mountains that attracts tourists. Sri Lanka has been listed as one of the best destinations for hiking, nature trail, camping. Varied landscapes, The Green, and the lushness, this island offers excellent opportunities for memorable expeditions such as hikes, nature trails, camping, glamping, paragliding, rock climbing, waterfall abseiling, cave treks, cycling, mountain biking, hot air balloon rides to name a few.
Paradise island is famous for its foo culture and spices. The traditional cultivation coupled with past foreign influence, Sri Lanka enjoys a varied and select cuisine. Starting from Rice, that can be prepared in many ways, served with curries that are unlimited. Variety of meats, seafood, unique street foods and traditional sweets, tropical fruits, in Sri Lanka your taste buds will have a ball.
From pristine beaches, the high hills and meandering lush green meadows, rich wildlife, ancient culture packed with adventure and fun topped with yum food, great hotels, and hospitality collectively rank Sri Lanka one of the must visit destinations in everyone’s list.
