The ‘Pearl of the Indian Ocean’ as it’s often called the country, thrives with natural beauty and the remains of a widespread ancient civilization. This island country being so small in size offers, no other island can offer from varied landscapes, climates, cultures and wildlife. Sri Lanka is a true paradise for the tourists with a whole lot of tourist attractions in Sri Lanka from sunny beaches, wonderful ancient cities, beautiful fauna and flora, to fine handicrafts, world famous gems, colorful festivals, smiling people and mouth watering Sri Lankan cuisine. Sri Lanka is one of the most beautiful countries in the world, a great tourist destination and a tourist's paradise. Sri Lanka has everything that a tourist can imagine with its Sri Lanka Attractions. It has something to offer to everyone. Some of the important attractions in Sri Lanka are listed below: |
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National Parks and Reserves
Sri Lanka is a country which is blessed by nature, thus it has a wide network of National Parks and Forest Reserves, especially Sinharaja F.R. and Uda Walawe N.P. These places offers abundant wildlife including wild elephants, buffalo, boar, crocodiles, monitor lizards, leopards, sambhur and jackals along with an amazing diversity of birds. Both the places are easy to travel within miles of sunny, golden sandy beaches. |
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Nature places
The nature lovers are in for a treat on a visit to the country. One should definitely visit the Yala or Ruhuna National Park, Wilpattu National Park, Gal Oya National Park, Maduru Oya National Park, Uda Walawe National Park, Wasgamuwa National Park, Horton Plains National Park, and Bundala National Park, which are worth a visit. For ornithologists, the sanctuaries at Kumana, Wirawila, Bundala, and Kalametiya are all an amazing experience. These are all lagoon locations in Sri Lanka's extreme southeastern coast. Sri Lanka three beautiful botanical gardens are beautiful places- Peradeniya at an elevation of 488 m, Hakgala at 1,680 m, and Henarathgoda in the low country. |
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Beaches of Sri Lanka
There are many beaches in Sri Lanka and they are found in the three coastal areas north, west and east. In the west coast, the main beaches are-Negombo, Mount Lavinia, Beruwela, Bentota, Ambalangoda, Hikkaduwa, Galle and Weligama. Along the north coast, one can visit Jaffna. In the east coast, the prominent ones are Trincomalee, Batticaloa, Kalkudah, Nilaveli, and Arugam Bay. |
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Ancient cities of Sri Lanka
The cultural triangle includes the cities of Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, and Kandy displaying the architecture, sculpture, and engineering feats from the 3 rd century to 14 th century AD, a golden age marked by economic prosperity, the arrival of Buddhism and erratic invasion from the Chola kingdom. Other places of interest include Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, and Ratnapura. Anuradhapura is one of the World Heritage sites in Sri Lanka. Located in the North-Central part of the Island, Anuradhapura was originally founded by a King's minister named Anuradhapura in 500 BC. |
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Colombo the Capital City
Colombo is the largest city in Sri Lanka. It is also the financial and the commercial capital and almost all the major economic activity is centered on the city. The capital of Sri Lanka, Colombo offers a host of attractions to the tourist. These include Buddhists temples, Hindu temples, mosques, Christian churches, and Parliament building, parks, zoo, museums and art galleries. Must visit places of interest in Colombo are century-old Clock Tower, British colonial buildings, the old Parliament in Fort, and Buddhist and Hindu temples. |
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Events and Festivals
In Sri Lanka the tourists are for an amazing time with huge range of Buddhist, Hindu, Christian and Muslim festivals. The Kandy Esala Perahera (July/August) is the country's most important and magnificent show. During these 10 days torchbearers, whip-crackers, dancers, drummers and elephants light up like giant birthday cakes. It peaks in great parade honoring the Sacred Tooth Relic of Kandy. Second in importance is the Duruthu Perahera (January) held in Colombo, which celebrates a visit by Buddha to Sri Lanka. |
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