Introducing Sri Lanka
Travel Alert: Fighting between the Sri Lankan military and the LTTE (Tamil Tigers) has ceased, but northern Sri Lanka has been devastated by the conflict and political violence continues in the conflict's wake. Check the BBC for news updates and Safe Travel for current government warnings.
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When the noted writer Sir Arthur C Clarke made his home in Sri Lanka in 1956, he claimed the island jewel of the Indian Ocean was the best place in the world from which to view the universe. The author of 2001: A Space Odyssey passed away in 2008, but no doubt the futurist would have logged on to Google Earth to gaze back at his island home from an online universe. And concealed in the sky-high imagery of this teardrop-shaped nation, he would have recognised an amazing diversity for somewhere so compact.
Fringing the coasts is an array of gently arcing golden-sand beaches, now making a comeback after the devastation wreaked by the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami. Zoom closer to spy the giant tanks (artificial reservoirs) built by the first Sinhalese rulers around the ancient cities of Anuradhapura and Pollonaruwa. In the Hill Country, a layer of cotton wool clouds obscures the view, mirroring the misty mornings travellers often experience in this area of waterfalls and verdant tea plantations.
To the northwest, a gossamer-thin land bridge almost connects fragile Sri Lanka to the modern juggernaut that is India. Two and a half decades of civil war reinforces this bridge to Tamil Nadu is as much cultural as geographic.
Irrespective of their cultural background, Sinhalese, Tamil and Muslim locals will welcome you with pride. Pride in their criminally underrated cuisine, pride in their national parks and wildlife, and – especially – pride in their national cricket team. Whether you’re a humble three-wheeler jockey or a British-trained lawyer or doctor, the sport that frequently stops the nation is always worthy of discussion. How will the boys do in the upcoming series against New Zealand? Will the country be ready to host the World Cup in 2011? And have you seen how much that opening batsman from Kandy is earning in the new Indian Premier League?
Faced with funding a war and weathering a global financial crisis, Sri Lanka’s proud population has been doing it tough for a few years. But equipped with a stellar combination of scenery, culture and history, a growing focus on sustainable tourism and (hopefully) a more settled society, Sri Lanka is firmly back on the radar for curious travellers seeking unique experiences.
Last updated: Jan 26, 2010
Tips & articles
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Tangalla – Sri Lanka’s answer to paradise
27 May 2010
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Esala Perahera: Buddhist festival of the tooth
15 February 2010
Legend has it that when Buddha was cremated in the fifth century BC, one of his followers took a tooth...
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Flamingo-spotting made easy
13 January 2010
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Thorn Tree forum discussion
Recent posts
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Suggestions for int'l destinations from India within 25k airfare budget
by ami_adrift 2 replies, last post 01 August 2010
Hi, Okay, this post isn't about travelling to India, more like travelling +from+ India. My friends and I don't have too much money to…
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Anyone else in South India in August? Possibly share a houseboat in Kollam?
by lisa0204 0 replies, last post 31 July 2010
Hi everyone, My bf and I are traveling through southern india throughout August, and were wondering if there was anyone else around doing…
Sri Lanka
Our Top Picks For Sri Lanka
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1 Ancient Cities
Visit Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa and Sigiriya – the magnificent relics of Sri Lanka's golden age
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2 Arugam Bay
A wonderfully easy-going beach village offering Sri Lanka's best surfing, great lagoon trips and ample wildlife-spotting opportunities
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3 Ella
This sleepy village-with-a-view is the perfect base for walks through tea plantations to temples and waterfalls
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4 Yala National Park
Take a wildlife safari – it's your best chance to spot the elusive leopard
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5 Horton's Plains & World's End
Beautiful, silent and strange, these sweeping plains come to a breathtaking vertical drop – a classic sunrise walk
Fast Facts about Sri Lanka
- Number of waterfalls
103
- Highest waterfall
Bambarakanda Falls (240m)
- Population
21.1 million
- Tip top sportsman Muttiah Muralitharan (spin bowler)
- Cost of a new three-wheeler
US$3500
- Adult literacy
female 90%, male 95%
- Life expectancy
female 77, male 73
- Population density per sq km
Colombo 2500 people, dry zone less than 50.
Related Groups
Our favourite Sri Lanka Blogs (beta)
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Wild Side of Travel: animal photo tribute
Blog: Todd's Wanderings - 19 July 2010
Interesting characters are usually the center piece of my travels. They help make a place memorable either by their actions, personalities and generosity. However, there is another group of actors that deserves attention, our fury and feathered friends in the animal world. They participate in festivals, live monastic lives in temples, sneak into our rooms at night, and play hide and seek while we tramp through their neighborhoods in 4-wheel drive vehicles. They have made many of my trips extraordinary and unforgettable.
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Spicy Dhal Curry, bring your South Asian adventures home to your friends
Blog: Todd's Wanderings - 2 July 2010
This post is by: Kay (my lovely wife and founder of K’s Kitchen!) I have to apologize for not posting a recipe in a while….It has been really hectic with work in the last few weeks and I just got back to Kosovo from a work trip in Skopje, Macedonia. But that was the great push for me to post the new recipe! After eating almost the same food and way too much meat for 4 days, I was missing spicy Asian food sooooo much. As soon as I got home, I started cooking Dhal, something spicy, easy, and vegetarian!!
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World Cup Reports from Kiva Fellows Around the World
Blog: Kiva Stories from the Field - 30 June 2010
Kiva Fellows share their World Cup experiences from Mongolia, Rwanda, Mexico, Bolivia, Togo, Sri Lanka, Chile and Kyrgyzstan
