A True Natural Paradise
Sri Lanka’s History has 3,000 Years of Interesting Events
The history of Sri Lanka is filled with ancient, medieval, and colonial historical events. These events included popular kings of Sri Lanka, large war elephants who were used in battles during ancient times, as well as giants who served the royal palace. The colonial era of Sri Lanka has three key periods. These are the Portuguese, Dutch, and the British colonial times.
Because of this long and different time periods in the historical past of the island nation, different tourist attractions have been created. Some of these are found nearby the surfing spots in the beach but some are found inside forests and mountains. Many historians, researchers, and travellers visit these ancient and colonial places as these provide a different experience.
These landmarks and tourist destinations found in Sri Lanka include the following:
- Unique royal developments (e.g. Sigiriya, the rock fortress)
- Colonial architectural projects (e.g. the Galle Fort, Dutch Hospital)
- Religious and cultural buildings (e.g. stupas and temples, including the Golden Cave Temple)
- Ancient civilisations (e.g. large water tanks and ruins of villages)
- Colonial industries (e.g. Ceylon tea, old hill country railway lines).
Golden Beaches, Clear Blue Oceans and Exciting Waves
The tropical coastline of Sri Lanka has golden and even white beaches, clear blue and green ocean, as well as exciting waves. The warm climate with windy breezes and a perfect temperature makes relaxing, swimming, surfing, or diving in the beach and its ocean attractive activities.
As Sri Lanka as an abundance of sunshine as well as both homegrown and five-star tourist amenities, there are many tourist hotspots all around the island. The Western, Southern, Eastern, and Northern coastlines all offer unique experiences.
The Galle, Unawatuna, Mirissa, Hikkaduwa, Mount Lavinia, and Negombo beaches are popular in the Western and Southern provinces. In the Eastern side of Sri Lanka, Arugam Bay, Nilaveli, and Pasikudah are globally popular beaches.
Sunshine and Surfing - Weather of Sri Lanka
A tropical island with warmth in any month of the year has made Sri Lanka a favourite with travellers. You get plenty of sunshine and clear skies on almost every single day. This predictable and suitable weather is ideal for surfing. Both beginner and professional surfers enjoy this weather and the safe waves of the country.
However, if you want a colder experience, you can visit the hill country with all its cool air, fog, waterfalls and amazing amenities. The best season to visit Sri Lanka is from December to April but the other months are perfect as well. The rainy seasons start in April and again in October. The average temperature in the capital and coastline of Sri Lanka falls between a warm 26 degrees Celsius and 31 degrees Celsius.
What tourists love more about Sri Lanka is that if offers a different change, which is a suitable vacation for the winter season in the Northern Hemisphere. The friendly people, king coconut drinks, windy atmosphere, and blue skies all make Sri Lanka a land built for travellers.
Sri Lanka’s Landscape has it all!
As you all know, Sri Lanka is an island placed in a very important location in the world. It has beaches all around it and it is perfect for surfing and other adventurous activities. One thing that all travellers agree is that the landscape of Sri Lanka is like a paradise in the middle of the ocean. You can find a number of mini-islands near the coast too!
The highest mountain of Sri Lanka is Pidurutalagala, which is more than 8,000 feet above the land. There are other amazing mountain ranges too. This includes the religiously important Adam’s Peak, Bible Rock, Kirigalpotha and other areas. Some of these are suitable for hiking.
Sri Lanka is home to 103 rivers which all start from the hill country and flow to the Indian Ocean. The Mahaweli River is the largest river and it provides water for thousands of farms and villages. An interesting fact is that there are almost 400 waterfalls in the country! Bambarakanda Falls is the highest at 863 feet. Nuwara Eliya is famous for its waterfalls, including Aberdeen Falls and Devon Falls.
In addition, you will be excited to know that Sri Lanka has a number of forests and national parks. You can see many exciting animals, both big and small, birds, and fish.
A Unique Cuisine that Makes Your Taste Buds Dance
Sri Lanka has its own unique taste and cuisine. It is very different from India and other Asian nations. It is not too spicy but delicious and unique. Foreign food lovers acquire the Sri Lanka taste immediately.
The traditional meals of Sri Lanka are made from natural ingredients and are healthy to the human body. You might be interested that many ayurveda herbs are also added to the meals. These include spices and other materials. Cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, basic leaves, and other ingredients are added in truly health meals.
The food culture of Sri Lanka is like an Asian-fusion style with a mixture Sinhalese, Tamil, and Burgher diets found in many places. In addition, you can find five-star hotels and world-renowned chefs in Colombo and other city areas. You can easily get international cuisines as well, including America, Italian, Indian, and Chinese meals.
Street food is another trend that has been popular in Sri Lanka. If you ask what the staple food of the country is, it will be rice and curry. You will also like lamprais, wambatu moju (eggplant/brinjals pickle), as well as fish ambul thiyal (sour fish curry).
Sri Lankan Wildlife will blow your mind away!
Sri Lanka is famous for its wildlife and natural resources. Many large forests and smaller jungles as well as vast wild plains of Sri Lanka are perfect for safari tours. These areas, which are rich in biodiversity, are home to thousands of species of wildlife. These species include both big and small carnivores and herbivores, birds, fish, and plants.
Tourists will quickly understand that Sri Lanka’s natural attractions allow a number of wildlife to live. The Yala National Park is a world-famous area for wild elephants, leopards, and many birds. Udawalawe National Park and the UNESCO World Heritage Site Sinharaja Forest Reserve are other valuable destinations for wildlife enthusiasts.
The ocean and lakes of Sri Lanka contain many species of fish and coral reefs. Whale watching as well as dolphin watching are popular activities for tourists in Sri Lanka. Ultimately, you will be surprised how ecologically diverse Sri Lanka is and how exciting the wildlife of this island will be for any traveller.
Dramatic Changes in Scenery - Sri Lanka’s Famous Train Rides
Train riding has been a recreational and adventurous activity of Sri Lanka since colonial times. Perfect for photographers, wildlife enthusiasts, and other travellers, Sri Lanka offers a number of unique train rides that take from just an hour to nearly half a day.
One of the most exciting attractions of these train rides is that the scenery changes within minutes. For example, it just takes an hour to leave the bustling city of Colombo to the eye-catching lush green tea plantations and waterfalls of the hill country.
Popular train rides of this beautiful and tourist-friendly island include the Colombo to Kandy route, Kandy to Badulla, Colombo to Galle, and the Colombo to Jaffna ride. The most iconic ride could be the “Ella to Badulla” train journey.
The rail tickets are affordable and there are multiple trains per day. Both traditional and non-stop train rides are available on most days of the year. In 2021, Lonely Planet has described Sri Lanka’s train rides as “epic”.
