| INTRODUCTION |
For its magnificent natural beauty, Sri Lanka has been well known since history has begun. The Egyptian Traveler Ptolemy, Marco Polo who started his journey from Venice and Fah-Sian the Buddhist Monk from China had their writings adorned with praises not only about its fauna and flora but with well mannered culture of its people.
65,500 square kilo metres of Sri Lanka cover about 3,500 flowering plants, 113 mammals, 433 birds, 183 reptiles and 107 amphibians. More species are identified every year adding more glamour to the Pearl of the Indian Ocean.
Sri Lanka is located close to the southern tip of India, north of equator.
One can track back Sri Lanka's location a hundred million years to the early Cretaceous period when the ancient, giant Southern continent of Godwana began its breaking up.
Weathered by rain and wind for millions of years, nature has created Sri Lanka's present well-diversed topography. One always finds Sri Lanka as a paradise for exploring nature and culture.
| GEOGRAPHY |
Coastal plains of Sri Lanka hardly exceed 100m in elevation and towards the South Central parts of the island; it rises gently to about 600m. The central mountains consist of a complex of plateau, mountain ranges and basins. Many of the mountains reach more than 1800m, rich in fauna and flora. One can reach many waterfalls along the southern margin of these mountains. It is believed that most of these mountains are upliftments in relatively recent geological times. Majority of the peaks reach between 2000 – 2524m and marked by Sri Pada [Adam's Peak], Kirigalpoththa, Piduruthalagala and Namunukula, which are interspersed with the plateau Maha-Eliya [Horton Plains], Ambewela and Nuwara-Eliya.
Governed by the central highlands, the rivers and streams winds their way down to the plains below.
| CLIMATE |
Being close to the equator, Sri Lanka has a relatively constant day length, and the rainfall is governed by monsoonal winds. One finds the isle vastly diverse in four climatic zones i.e. Wet zone, dry zone, intermediate zone and arid zone. Being a small country, travelers find all types of climates with the reach of few hours and are amazed. Sri Lanka mainly has two seasons, Wet Season and Dry season. The rainfall varies from 1250mm in arid zone to 2080mm in wet zone, and the relative humidity varies from 70/% to 90%.
Enriched by geography and climate of this small isle, the wildlife is plenteous and diverse. Sunshine makes its people smiling all day long.
| GET READY TO VISIT SRI LANKA |
Get ready to smile all day long. People of Sri Lanka are friendly, helpful and hospitable, especially in villages and remote areas. If you are hungry, they are ready to offer their next meal to you. When you eat with them, they try to feed you to the brim! It is their custom to ask many times to serve you. Don't feel offended... it's their friendship and honesty.
| WHAT YOU CAN DO IN SRI LANKA |
You can plan what you would like to do when you're in Sri Lanka. Following are a list of activities you would like to plan during your holiday:
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4 x 4 safaris in National Parks
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Nature trails in some of the National Parks and sanctuaries
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Bird watching
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Whale watching
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Snorkeling and diving
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Boating
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Canoeing
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Fishing
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White water rafting
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Mountain climbing
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Cycling
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Geo site visting and research
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Photography
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Agro tours
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Study of ancient technology
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Meditation and relaxation
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Yoga, Aroma & other therapy sessions
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Countryside walking