Sri Lanka, an Eco-Tourist’s paradise

Legend as well as history record that from the earliest times, visitors have discovered Sri Lanka with exclamations of delight. In the fifth century B.C. an Indian Prince, Vijaya, on first setting foot, kissed the shore and called it, TAMBAPANNI, the Golden Land. In the middle ages, the explorer, MARCO POLO rated Sri Lanka as the ‘finest island in the world’ and MARK TWAIN making a stop over on the round the world cruise marveled that Sri Lanka was ‘beautiful and most sumptuously tropical.’ GEORGE BERNHARD SHOW, defined Sri Lanka as the cradle of the human race.

Exotically, beautiful, Sri Lanka is also incredibly varied within its petite proportions.

Sri Lanka’s landscape is incomparably lovely-lush tropical lowlands and a dramatically beautiful mountain country of high waterfalls, steep peaks, deep chasms and mist-wrapped tea gardens. COLOMBO, the sea-port commercial capital is classically tropical; one hundred and sixty kilometers away and one-thousand eight hundred and ninety metres up, NUWARA-ELIYA registers constant English spring weather..

Sri Lanka’s history dates back more than two thousand five hundred years. This deep –rooted antiquity is well-documented in magnificent masterpieces of architecture, art and sculpture at Anuradhapura, Sigiriya, Polonnaruwa and Yapahuwa.

Not just these dazzling testaments of craftsmanship however bear witness to a rich and ancient culture, colourful arts, rituals and scintillating festivals keep traditions alive.

Sri Lanka is also blessed with natural riches. Four hundred and twenty seven species of birds, for instance, brilliantly plumaged. A glittering array of gems, among them many kinds of sapphires, rubies, cat’s-eyes and alexandrite. Two hundred and forty varieties of native butterflies and one hundred seventy varieties of native orchids, exotic wildlife and every one of the precious of the Orient-cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, pepper—and some of the world’s finest teas.

Sri Lanka’s smiling, hospitable people are a fascinating group of multi-ethnic races-Sinhalese, Tamil, Moor, Malay, and ‘Burghers’ of Portuguese and Dutch descent, each with colourful customs and traditions which adorn and enrich a beautiful and abundant land.

Sri Lanka, an Eco-Tourist’s paradise, has something to offer everyone and is fast becoming one of the great adventure destinations in the world. For a country with a very high population density, Sri Lanka, remarkably has 13% of its land area designated for wild life and nature conservation. UNESCO has declared seven(07) WORLD HERIAGE SITES in Sri Lanka.