The island of Sri Lanka is a rich treasure house of history, heritage, culture, art, nature, beaches and wildlife. The Sri Lanka travel experience is the most enjoyable and soul enriching one. Sri Lanka is an island country of South Asia and is officially known as the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. It is popularly called the Indian Ocean’s Pearl and this title is very apt for this beautiful island nation. It enjoys a perfect tropical climate and provides the tourists with large variety of tropical vegetation and wildlife, splendid views, superb beaches, ancient temples, monuments, architecture, art forms and many more such delights. The great traveler, Marco Polo remarked that one must surely visit Sri Lanka at least once in one’s lifetime for the most outstanding experience.
Sri Lanka has a strategic location on the important sea routes and forms a link between Asia’s west and south-east regions. It is a major center of Buddhist culture and religion since ancient times. Modern day Sri Lanka is a melting pot of many ethnicities and religions. The different ethnic communities include the Sinhalese, Tamils, Malays, Burghers and Muslim Moors. The different religions of Sri Lanka are Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and Christianity. Sri Lanka was ruled by local kingdoms for over 2,000 years till the 16th century, when it came to be colonized by the Netherlands and Portugal. In 1815, it came under the rule of the British Empire and gained freedom in 1948. Modern Sri Lanka is a well developed nation with flourishing economy.
Tourism industry is a thriving business in Sri Lanka. Tourism has become slightly affected due to the 2004 Tsunami, militancy and continuing civil war. Despite this, Sri Lanka continues to draw millions of tourists from all over the world. Sri Lanka is conveniently accessible by air and the international airport at Colombo is directly linked by flights to Asia, Europe, Middle East and Australia. The land and rail transport are quite well developed in Sri Lanka. The tourists are provided with comfortable accommodations of all types by the hotels in Sri Lanka.
The tourist places of Sri Lanka include the capital city of Colombo, ancient cities of Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Dambula, Sigiriya, Arthalanthaya, Mihintale, Aluvihara and Yapahuwa and other cities like Ratnapura, Nuwara Eliya and Kandy. Anuradhapura is a world heritage site and it was founded in 500 BC by Anuradha, a minister of the king. It was the royal capital of as many as 113 kings and a great monastic city of the old world. The city has many ruins that are a reminder of the past glories and attracts many pilgrims and foreign tourists. Sri Lanka is endowed with excellent beaches like the Mount Lavinia, Negombo, Beruwela, Ambalangoda, Bentota, Galle, Hikkaduwa, Weligama, Jaffna, Batticaloa, Trincomala, Nilaveli, Kalkudah and Arugam Bay. The tourists can enjoy many water based adventure sports like boating, sailing, surfing, fishing and diving. The nature enthusiasts can hike and trek through the famous national parks of Sri Lanka- Ruhuna National Park, Maduru Oya National Park, Bunadala National Park and many others. There are as many as 400 bird species in Sri Lanka and the ornithologists will be delighted to see them. Colombo houses many museums, Parliament buildings, Buddhist and Hindu Temples, mosques, churches, art galleries, zoo and parks. You can join in the celebrations of the various festivals and events in Sri Lanka and enjoy its warm hospitality, unique culture and delicious cuisine.
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