Sri Lanka

For a small island, Sri Lanka has many nicknames: Serendib, Ceylon, Teardrop of India, Resplendent Isle, Island of Dharma, Pearl of the Orient. This colourful collection reveals its richness and beauty, and the intensity of the affection it evokes in its visitors.

Anuradhapura
Sri Lanka's first capital is situated in the dry zone. It is one of Sri Lanka's premier ancient cities. Anuradhapura Kingdom lasted one thousand and five hundred years from 380BC. This city is home to many of the earliest grandest monuments of Sri Lanka.

Colombo
Colombo is a fascinating city, not only for its comfortable blend of East and West, but also for its cosy mixture of past and present. It is the commercial capital of the country.

Kandy
Sri Lanka’s hill capital is, perhaps, its most beautiful town. It is 488 metres above sea level, and next to Colombo,Kandy is Sri Lanka’s most visited place. The focal point of the town is the golden-roofed Dalada Maligawa, where the sacred tooth relic of the Buddha is enshrined. The highlight of the year is the Esala Perahera, when a replica of the relic casket is taken in procession, accompanied by exotically costumed dancers, drummers and some 100 elephants ,on ten glittering nights in July/August

Activities and Tours

Aukana
One of Sri Lanka's most curious archaeological puzzles concerns the history of the two massive statues of the Buddha located within 11 kilometres of each other in the North Central Province. They are so similar in some ways at least that they have been called twin statues or Gog and Magog as they were referred to by the founder of Sri Lankan archaeology, H. C. P. Bell, in the late 19th century.

Dimbulagala
Dimbulagala, or Gunners Quoin, stands out 545m (1787ft) above the surrounding scrub. There are hundreds of caves cut out of the rock in a Buddhist hermitage that has been occupied almost continuously since the 3rd century BC. The temple at the base is the first of 15 cave temples in the complex that can be explored on the way to the dagoba at the top.

Panduwasnuwara
Panduwasnuwara is an ancient city in the Kurunegala area which functioned as the capital of Sri Lanka for a very brief period. The site which contains the ruins of ancient buildings is spread over an area of 20 hectares, of which some sections have still not been excavated. The first thing that you will see as you enter the site is the six metre wide moat (ditch usually filled with water which ran around a castle, protecting it) and the huge wall of the citadel (fort). The compound contains remnants of many dagobas, image houses (pilimage), meeting halls, accommodation quarters for monks and even ancient latrines.

Ridi Vihara
Ridi Vihara, literally the 'Silver Temple', is so named because it was here that silver ore was discovered in the 2nd century BC. Although not on the usual beaten track, it's well worth a visit to see its wonderful frescoes and the unusual Dutch tiles in the main cave.

Uda Walawe National Park
Uda Walawe is the best park in Sri Lanka to watch and photograph wild elephants. Located next to the vast Uda Walawe reservoir, only a short drive from the South Coast, the park covers an area of over 30,000 hectares and consists of a mixture of scrubland and teak forest. The lack of forest in some areas is due to the extensive slash-and-burn farming that was once practised in this area. Uda Walawe became the country's fifth National Park in 1972.

Travel Tip and useful information

Climate
Low Lands tropical, average 27C
Central Hills cooler, with temperatures dropping to 14C. The south west monsoon brings rain to the western, southern and central regions from May to July, while the north eastern monsoon occurs in the north and east in December and January. Sri Lanka has a good climate for holiday makers throughout the year.

Time Zone
Sri Lanka is 5.30 hours ahead of GMT (+5.30 GMT).

Population
Sihalese 74 per cent; Tamil 18 per cent; Muslim 7 per cent; Burgher (descendants of Dutch and Portuguese colonist) and others 1 per cent.

Transport
The only way to enter Sri Lanka is by flying. Colombo is the international gateway for direct flights from Europe, Asia, Australia and the Middle East. There are no domestic passenger flights in Sri Lanka, which leaves buses and trains as the dominant modes of transport.

Currency and credit cards
Sri Lanka follows decimal currency system in Rupees

Dress Code
Cotton garments are the ideal as Sri Lanka is a tropical island. However, viscose/cotton mixed garments are commonly worn. Light clothing is recommended in the lowland areas and light woollen clothing is suitable in the hill country. A sun hat and sun glasses may help to escape the heat during day time. Visitors to Buddhist temples are advised to be properly clad covering the body in full.

Safety and security
You should pay close attention to your personal security at all times and monitor the media and other local information sources for information about possible new safety or security risks

Travel Tip and useful information

Climate
Low Lands tropical, average 27C
Central Hills cooler, with temperatures dropping to 14C. The south west monsoon brings rain to the western, southern and central regions from May to July, while the north eastern monsoon occurs in the north and east in December and January. Sri Lanka has a good climate for holiday makers throughout the year.

Time Zone
Sri Lanka is 5.30 hours ahead of GMT (+5.30 GMT).

Population
Sihalese 74 per cent; Tamil 18 per cent; Muslim 7 per cent; Burgher (descendants of Dutch and Portuguese colonist) and others 1 per cent.

Transport
The only way to enter Sri Lanka is by flying. Colombo is the international gateway for direct flights from Europe, Asia, Australia and the Middle East. There are no domestic passenger flights in Sri Lanka, which leaves buses and trains as the dominant modes of transport.

Currency and credit cards
Sri Lanka follows decimal currency system in Rupees

Dress Code
Cotton garments are the ideal as Sri Lanka is a tropical island. However, viscose/cotton mixed garments are commonly worn. Light clothing is recommended in the lowland areas and light woollen clothing is suitable in the hill country. A sun hat and sun glasses may help to escape the heat during day time. Visitors to Buddhist temples are advised to be properly clad covering the body in full.

Safety and security
You should pay close attention to your personal security at all times and monitor the media and other local information sources for information about possible new safety or security risks

Travel Tip and useful information

Climate
Low Lands tropical, average 27C
Central Hills cooler, with temperatures dropping to 14C. The south west monsoon brings rain to the western, southern and central regions from May to July, while the north eastern monsoon occurs in the north and east in December and January. Sri Lanka has a good climate for holiday makers throughout the year.

Time Zone
Sri Lanka is 5.30 hours ahead of GMT (+5.30 GMT).

Population
Sihalese 74 per cent; Tamil 18 per cent; Muslim 7 per cent; Burgher (descendants of Dutch and Portuguese colonist) and others 1 per cent.

Transport
The only way to enter Sri Lanka is by flying. Colombo is the international gateway for direct flights from Europe, Asia, Australia and the Middle East. There are no domestic passenger flights in Sri Lanka, which leaves buses and trains as the dominant modes of transport.

Currency and credit cards
Sri Lanka follows decimal currency system in Rupees

Dress Code
Cotton garments are the ideal as Sri Lanka is a tropical island. However, viscose/cotton mixed garments are commonly worn. Light clothing is recommended in the lowland areas and light woollen clothing is suitable in the hill country. A sun hat and sun glasses may help to escape the heat during day time. Visitors to Buddhist temples are advised to be properly clad covering the body in full.

Safety and security
You should pay close attention to your personal security at all times and monitor the media and other local information sources for information about possible new safety or security risks