Sri Lanka, formerly Ceylon, an island in the Indian Ocean and located south of the Indian
subcontinent, is also known as the Island of Serendipity.
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
affection which it has evoked in visitors.
Sri Lanka is a vibrant country of 18 million people;
rich in its diversity of culture, race, language and religion. The island
has an abundance of natural resources, fauna and flora, mountains, rivers
and beautiful beaches. It is located at the crossroads where East meets
West and is regarded as the gateway to South Asia.
Marco Polo considered Sri Lanka the finest island of its size in all the
world, and you'll likely agree after exploring the country's fabled delights.
What takes your fancy? Beaches? The coastal stretch south of Colombo offers
palm-lined sandy expanses as far as the eye can see. Culture? Try the Kandyan
dances, a procession of elephants or the masked devil dances. Ruins? You'll find
enough ancient and inspiring architecture in the cities of Anuradhapura and
Polonnaruwa to satisfy that inner archaeologist, we promise.
The climate of Sri Lanka is typically tropical with an average temperature of 27°C.
In the higher elevations it can be quite cool with temperatures going down to 16°C
at an altitude of nearly 2,000 metres. Bright, sunny, warm days are the rule and
are common even during the height of the monsoon - climatically Sri Lanka has no
off season. The south west monsoon brings rain mainly from May to July to the
western, southern and central regions of the island, while the north-east
monsoon rains occur in the northern and eastern regions in December and January.
Head for the rolling hill country to escape the heat of the plains in the
cool of tea plantations. The entire island is teeming with bird life, and
exotics like elephants and leopards are not uncommon. To top it all off, the
people are friendly, the food is delicious and costs are low.
