The
island is a veritable wonderland for those
interested in exploration, everywhere
there are ancient temples, shrines, palaces
and vestiges of Portuguese, Dutch and British
colonial heritage all now merged into present
day Sri Lanka. Primarily Buddhist the people
of the island also have Hindi, Muslim and
Christian minorities all proud of their
island where courtesy is a way of life.
Wildlife of Sri Lanka is varied and fascinating,
here you can see elephants bathing, monkeys
roaming wild and even a tiger. There are
several National Parks where these animals
can be seen in complete safety.
Capitals
of ancients civilisations are to be found
at Anuradhpura, Polonnaruwa, Dambulla
and Sigiriya, all well worth a visit.
COLOMBO,
the capital of the island, is a bustling
metropolis of business. KANDY,
the
last royal citadel, located inland is
the cultural centre and home to the legendary ‘Temple
of the sacred Tooth’. GALLE is
the major town in the south and has retained
much of its colonial past being dominated
by the medieval fortress with its ramparts
enclosing the old town containing over
200
houses, this was declared a world heritage
site in 1988. Much of the south and south
west coats are almost continuous sandy
beaches, north of Colombo at WADDUWA and south of
the capital continuing to Galle the golden
sandy beaches continue with several resort
areas to stay the best known is BENTOTA.
Here there are a number of hotels, set
in lush tropical surrounds, spread along
the
seashore where the River Bentota Ganga
meets the ocean. The area is good for
water sports
and river rides, travel three miles upstream
and you will find the remains of a twelth
century Galapata Vihara temple. The town
its purpose built for tourists with the
usual tourist shops, however there is
a collection
of pavilions by the river where Ayurvedic
medicine is practised. At the southern
end of the town is the Sea Turtles Project
where
the turtle eggs are protected until they
hatch.
The ancient capital of KANDY is located almost at the centre point of the island. Crammed with ancients and modern history and plenty left over from British rule, beautifu lparks, lakes and the unmissable Temple of the Sared Tooth Relic.
