Region:  South Asia
Size:  65,610 sq. km
Population:  18.5 million
Languages:  Sinhala and Tamil(official) but English is widely spoken and on signs
Time Zone:  GMT+0600, 6 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time
Currency:  rupee
Landscape:  mostly low, flat to rolling plain; mountains in south-central interior, beaches
Climate: In the lowlands the climate is typically tropical and in the higher elevations it can be quite cool with temperatures going down to 16C
Entry Requirements:  Automatic entry for between 30 and 90 days is given on arrival
Airlines:  Sri Lankan Airlines, Singapore Airlines
Travel Time from LAX:  30hrs
Travel Time from JFK:  27hrs
Getting Around: The road and highway system in Sri Lanka is very comprehensive and large arteries cover most areas of the country. The Sri Lanka Government Railway provides an Inter-City Express Service to and from Kandy. Wide network of bus services to all parts of the island.
Personal Technology: 230-240 volts 50 cycles A.C.
Nearby Destinations:  India
Web Site:  http://www.lanka.net/ctb/ 

 

SRI LANKA
Marco Polo considered Sri Lanka the finest island of its size in the entire world, and you'll likely agree after exploring the country's fabled delights. A tourist's paradise, Sri Lanka has a little bit of everything. It combines beautiful beaches, lush rolling green hills, tea plantations, rain forests, well-established culture, ancient architecture and delicious food, creating a unique affordable experience. All of this is encompassed in an island that is only 350 kilometers long.

Culture
The culture in Sri Lanka embraces a mixture of different religions from Buddhism, Hinduism, Muslim, and Christianity. Much of Sri Lanka's culture stems from its ethnic intolerance and militant readings of religious philosophy.

Buddhism is seen throughout much of the art and architecture in the country, which are visible all over the country. Buddhist stupas and sculptures can be found scattered throughout the countryside.

The most popular form of dance in Sri Lanka is known as Sinhalese. Sinhalese is similar to Indian dance, but relies on acrobatics, nimbleness, and symbolism to unfold its narratives. Another visible art form is the folk theater, which combines dance, masked drama, drums, and exorcism rituals to vividly recreate folklore.

History
Aryans from India were the first to settle in Sri Lanka. They employed the use of iron tools and a sophisticated form of agriculture and irrigation. Thru the introduction of government, Polonnaruwa became one of the most splendid cities in Asia. In the 3rd century BC the son of the Emperor of India introduced Buddhism, which led to the cultural greatness of Sri Lanka. There was a unified dynasty until the 4th century AD. The country then changed rulers many times until the arrival of the Portuguese in 1505. Upon arrival they intended to trade for spices, but ended up staying to rule. Then the Dutch invaded and maintained control until 1796, when the British displaced them. The English established the practice of western medicine, modern communications, the plantation industry and education in English. 1948 marks the peaceful independence of Sri Lanka. The island is now a sovereign republic with membership in the UN and Commonwealth of Nations.

Attractions
Colombo
Colombo is the islands largest city, and is know to be noisy and frenetic. The city features parks, fashionable neighborhoods, and markets.

Kandy
Kandy is a beautiful city built around a peaceful lake and set in the surrounding of flowing hills. Kandy is the capital, and the historical bastion of Buddhist power.

Anuradhapura
Anuradhapura was the first capital of Sri Lanka, and still harnesses the holist site in the country, the Sacred Bo-Tree.

Sigiriya
Sigiriya is an incredible rock fortess that dates back to the 5th century AD. It is used as a monastic retreat, and is home to a rock art gallery.

Hikkaduwa
Hikkaduwa is home to the islands most developed beach resort. It has a range of accommodation, good restaurants and pleasant cafe-lined beaches. There's good snorkeling at an attractive and easily accessible coral sanctuary, scuba diving at a number of wrecks in the bay, tours by glass-bottomed boats and pretty good surfing.

 

Adventures:
Adam's Peak
There is a large 'footprint' at the top of the peak, thought to belong to Adam, who stood there in expiation of his sin in the Garden of Eden. Buddhists and Hindus believe that it belongs to their gods, but either way it has been a place of pilgrimage for thousands of years. The view from the peak at dawn is enough to shock the most cynical agnostic into a state of reverie.
Yala West
Yala West is one of the few remaining Sri Lankan national parks still open to travelers. It covers almost 1000 sq km of scrub, lagoons and rocky outcrops in the country's southeast and is a particularly good place to see elephants. There are also leopards, bears, deer, crocodiles, wild boar, monkeys, buffalo and wild peacocks.

For Families:
There's good swimming at any number of beaches along the southwestern coast. Excellent scuba diving, snorkeling, surfing, sailing, windsurfing and water skiing are all popular activities. For trekking, try climbing Adam's Peak or walking across the strange silent plateau of Horton Plains near Nuwara Eliya to see the 700m (2296ft) drop at World's End. There is also an elephant orphanage.

Shopping: Local Handicraftds

Culinary:
Staple meal is rice and curry. Curries are spicy. Abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka grows the finest tea in the world. The island also grows excellent coffee. Arrack, a distinctive Sri Lanka alcoholic beverage is distilled from coconut toddy. Indian curries such as vegetarian thali, delicately flavoured biriyani and kool, a boiled, fried and dried-in-the-sun vegetable combo, are also available. Hoppers are a unique Sri Lankan snack, similar to a pancake, served with egg or honey and yogurt. Coastal towns have excellent fish and most travelers are happy to live on the delicious local tuna. There are plenty of tropical fruits to choose from, the tea is terrific and the beer acceptable.

Sports:
 Sri Lanka is a nation of sportsmen. Many clubs offer temporary membership to visitors and some of the games include Cricket, Tennis, Swimming, Golf, Canoeing, Rowing, Rafting, Diving and Windsurfing. Other water based recreational facilities for Water Skiing, Sailing, Boating, Fishing, Yachting and Coastal Cruising are available in most beach resorts.

Nightlife:
Theatre- Sinhala and Western plays and Sinhala translations of Western plays are staged frequently at popular theatres. They hold musical and traditional dance performances in addition to dramatic productions.
Night Clubs- Most large hotels have nightclubs, which provide dinner, dancing and occasional floor shows.
Cultural Shows- `Devil' Dancing and the famous Kandyan dances are regularly performed at several venues.