SUNNY BEACHES OF PARADISE
Sri Lanka is an year – round beach destination. A tropical location keeps its beaches bathed in sunshine and its sea temperatures a warm an inviting 270C. Well-rostered seasons and rainfall patterns ensure brilliant sunshine, dry weather and ideal sea-conditions on the west and south coasts from November to April. The east and north coasts have fine dry weather and superb sea-conditions from May to September – October , making Sir Lanka beach holidays available year-round.
Western and South – Western Beaches
The best west coast beaches are at Negombo, Waikkal, Seeduwa, Uswetakeiyawa and Marawila, located north of, and close to commercial capital Colombo and to the international airport. Picturesque fishing villages with catamaran outrigger canoes and mangrove-hung lagoons add character and charm to palm-fringed golden sands. A proposed leisure resort at a lagoon location adjacent to the beach at Marawila will add to vacation assets here. South of Colombo, South-Western beaches include Mt. Lavinia, Wadduwa, Kalutara and Beruwela.
Southern Beaches
The prime beach resorts of the south are Bentota ( a major resort complex on a scenic watersmeet of sea and rive), Induruwa, Kosgoda, Ahungalle, Hikkaduwa, Galle, Unawatuna, Koggala, Weligama, Dikwella, Tangalle and Hambantota. Here soft, golden, palm - fringed sands, tiny tranquil bays, forests of coloured coral and perennial sunshine will enchant beach – lovers. A lake-side resort development due to commence shortly at Dedduwa near Bentota, will offer golf, bird-watching, added aqua-sports and other leisure options for south coast beaches.
WILD – LIFE VIEWING
The Island's rich variety of wild life (86 mammal species 16 of them endemic). Can be viewed in national parks and sanctuaries. Among the most accessible are Yala, Uda Walawe, Wasgamuwa, Horton Plains, Gal Oya, Lunugamvehera, Minneriya, Kauduluwawa, Lahugala, and Randenigala. The Wilpattu National park is also open for limited touring. Herds of elephant, wild buffalo, sambhur, spotted deer and wild boar as well as leopard, sloth bear, mouse and barking deer, many kinds of monkey, rusty spotted and fishing cat, pangolin, giant squirrel, porcupine and loris and numerous species of amphibians can be seen.
AYURVEDIC (NATURAL) MEDICINE
Ayurveda, Sri Lanka's traditional health-care, uses herbs and other natural ingredients to cure and relieve bodily ailments. Time-tested for centuries, these popular therapies are available at a number of ayurvedic spa hotels and in many resort hotels.
ANURADHAPURA
TAnuradhapura (203 km, from Colombo), Sri Lanka's first historical capital founded around the 5th c B.C gives a fascination glimpse of a stately, well laid-out pre-Christian metropolis of gigantic Buddhist shrines and monasteries, splendid palaces, pavilions and parks, bathing ponds and vast reservoirs, many of them masterpieces of architecture, art, sculpture and engineering.
Anuradhapura offers a host of memorable sight – seeing highlights. The Thuparama dabaga which enshrines a collar – bone relic of the Buddha, is encircled by 3rd c. B.C. stone columns. The Isurumuniya Rock Temple is a treasure – trove of 3rd to 7th c. B.C bas – relief sculptures – the Lovers, the Horseman and a group pf elephants frisking in water.
The 2,200 year – old Sri Maha Bodhi ( Sacred Bo Tree ) is the world's oldest historical tree, a sapling of the tree under which the Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, attained enlightenment. The 2nd c. B.C. Lohaprasda ( Brazen Palace) , was a monastery of 9 storeys and 1000 rooms. Roofed with copper tiles; its 1600 stone columns still stand, 40 rows, 40 columns in each row. The Ruwanweli Dagaba, re- built to its original 2nd c. B.C bubble shape, has many stone sculptures of the period. The 1st c. B.C. Abhayagiri and 3rd c. A.D. Jetawana dagabas (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) 380 ft. and 400 ft. high respectively, are second in height only to ancient Egypt's two mightiest pyramids at Gizeh; their monasteries housed 500 and 300 Buddhist monks each.
SIGIRIYA
Ancient glory dazzles at Sigiriya (166 km, from Colombo), stupendous 5th c. A.D. rock-fortress Citadel of a fugitive king, where history merges with melodrama. Some theories affirm that Sigiriya was a Mahayana Buddhist monastery, or that it was both citadel and hermitage at differing times. While Sigiriya keeps some of its secret, visitors have much else to fill them with wonder. The 10 ft. (3 meter) high Mirror Wall still glistens with its 5th c. high-gloss and the majestic Lion's paw picturesquely guards the stairway to the palace on the summit. A gallery of frescoes of shapely, be-jewelled maidens still glows with vibrant colour and the Water Gardens, (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), are unequalled anywhere on earth, Broad, 3 km-long, granite-lined moats, earthen ramparts, stone and brick walls and boulder-catapults defended the citadel, even if only for a brief (and shining) 18 years.
DAMBULLA
The 1st c. B.C. Dambulla rock temple, a UNESCO World Heritage site, (149 km, from Colombo, 16 km west of Sigiriya), is a complex of five cave-shrines.
Among its highlights are pre-Christian rock inscriptions, sculptures (including a 47 ft. long rock-cut reclining Buddha) and Buddhist murals, (mainly 18th c.) which cover more than 20,000 sq. feet of cave walls and ceilings, the largest antique painted surface in the world. Ancient drip-ledge drainage still keeps the caves free of seeping water.
POLONNARUWA
Polonnaruwa 218 km. From Colombo) became established as the capital in the 11th c., when Anuradhapura was abandoned due to foreign invasion. A well-planned medieval city defended by enclosing walls (around 5 km. Of which still remain), it was graced by palaces, shrines, monasteries, pavilions, parks, ponds and irrigation lakes.
Polonnaruwa's, monuments date mainly from the 11th and 12th centuries during which it was Sri Lanka's capital and bear the stamp of three great kings-Vijayabahu 1, Parakrama Bahu the Great and Nissanka Malla.
KANDY
Sri Lanka's hill capital Kandy (115 km. From Colombo), was the last capital and stronghold of its independent kingdom which resisted European colonialism from the latter half of the 16th c. until 1815. Today Kandy is a sanctuary of the traditional culture it preserved for many centuries.
Kandy fascinating heritage sites include the moated, turreted and golden-roofed Temple Of the Sacred Tooth Relic of the Buddha (16th – 19th c.) temples of the four guardian deities Natha (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), Vishnu, Kataragama and Pattini, the Audience Hall and Ulpenge (Queen's Bath), all with distinctive late – medieval period architecture, and the scenic 19th c. Kandy Lake, constructed by its last king. Kandy's suburbs have a host of interesting 14th – 18th c. Buddhist temples – Lankatilleke, Gadaladeniya, Degaldoruwa, Embakke, Galmaduwa and Medawela with distinctive architecture, sculpture, murals and wood-carvings of the late-medieval (Kandyan) period.
YAPAHUWA
Among the succession of capitals tat followed the abandonment of Polonnaruwa due to invasion was the 13th c. rock-fortress Citadel of Yapahuwa (146 km. From Colombo), in the north – western plains. Its many intriguing remains include walls, moats, ponds audience hall and palace complex. Yapahuwa's crowing glory is its majestic Ornamental Strairway of dressed stone, adorned with fine sculptures of lions, musicians, dancers and goddesses.
BMICH
(One of Asia's best conferrence & exhibition centers)
The ASOCIO Summit and General Assembly will be held at the spacious and elegant Badaranayaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH) complex. The BMICH and its beautifully landscaped on Bauddhaloka Mawatha. One of the main roads in the residential quarter of city of Colombo. The BMICH covers an area of about 37 acres and is situated ideally, away from the city centre, but within close proximity to five star & other first class hotels in Colombo. It offers a range of halls for plenary meeting as well as break-uprooms.
White-Water Rafting
You don't find tour operators promoting Sri Lanka solely on the merits of its white-water rafting, but the sport certainly is catching on fast. With many rivers arising in the central mountains and then flowing downhill for much of their length, the island has several good locations for the sport. In a morning's rafting you can confront awesome rapids with names such as Virgin's Breast, Head Chopper, Killer Fall, Rib Cage and Slot and Drop.
Pinnawela
Elephant Orphanage
Sri Lanka has an elephant attraction unique in the world-an orphanage where abandoned and orphaned elephants are looked after. Most eventually find homes elsewhere as working elephants, while some stay on to swell the resident herd. In recent years pinnawela Elephant orphanage has become a major tourist attraction, no doubt because it is possible to observe these magnificent creatures under almost ideal conditions.
The Sri Lankan Leopard
Early travellers to the island wrote of the woods being infested withtygers - referring to the leopard and other wild cats. leopards seldom attacked humans, but often killed villagers cattle. In turn, the villagers trapped and killed leopards for their skins. Today, these magnificent felines are of course protected and, although largely nocturnal, thay can be viewed in the daytime in some national parks. |
