With the celebration of its 70th independence day, Sri Lanka is highlighted in the mainstream international travel communities now more than ever. The engineering marvels in the capital cities, prevalent exotic wildlife, magnificent forests, friendly locals, access to all facilities, minimal crime rates & safety, interesting travel routes and many more factors answer the question why you should visit Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka is blessed with a little more than 2 million visitors per year which is expected to double by the end of the next year. Many tourists who plan on visiting other South Asian travel hotspots often wonder if they should create their travel memories in Sri Lanka. Let’s see some of the answers to why you should visit Sri Lanka.
Here are 10 reasons why you should visit Sri Lanka:
1. Scenery and nature in it’s purest essence
If you ask anyone who travelled to Sri Lanka about what strikes them the most, there’s a great probability you will hear a response about how outrageously gorgeous the views can be. Each province of Sri Lanka has something special of its own and this makes the whole country a lot more interesting as you keep travelling around. Sky high mountains covered in deep greenery and roads & railway tracks cutting its way through mountains, sometimes in a spiral fashion, which makes the scenery look so vivid and unreal is a refreshing experience for all.
Sri Lanka’s central province lies at a higher altitude than the rest of the country and the most important rivers of Sri Lanka originate from Adam’s peak. These rivers are a beautiful sight to behold as they gush through city to city until they finally join the ocean from the coastal areas. There are numerous waterfalls as well and it’s not unusual to see people bathing under the fresh water of these waterfalls. If you are a nature lover, Sri Lanka is a must – visit place.
2. Friendly People
Sri Lanka is a multi-ethnic, multi-religious nation whose people live together in extreme harmony. The largest community in Sri Lanka is Sinhalese by a far greater percentage. The second largest community is the Tamil Community. Both ethnic groups originate from the Indian sub-continent. The third largest community are Muslims who settled in the island over a millennia ago. There are also small communities of Malays, Burghers, Chetties and other small minorities.
Whatever the differences these communities may have vastly in terms of traditions and lifestyle, they all share a common trait. The people of Sri Lanka are warm and very friendly, a fact reflected in smiling faces and eagerness to help those new to Sri Lanka adapt to local life. What is a great place without no great people to interact with? This definitely is another reason to visit Sri Lanka.
3. Exotic Wildlife
Environmental conservation is a philosophy deeply ingrained in the people of Sri Lanka which may be the reason why nearly 13% of Sri Lanka is conserved as national parks, bird sanctuaries and etc. This tradition goes back to nearly 3rd century BC according to history. The government or the people do not take kindly to poachers or hunters of endangered animals and anyone who dares to do so may face severe consequences and even imprisonment.
Wildlife photographers take a special interest in visiting Sri Lanka as the country is one of the most bio-diverse hot spots in the world with many species endemic to Sri Lanka. Th exotic wildlife appeals to the animal crowd, the professionals and laypersons alike.
With 96 documented land & sea snakes in Sri Lanka, 51 snakes are endemic to Sri Lanka. Out of all these snakes, only 5 are lethal.
There are 452 species of resident birds of which 33 are endemic to Sri Lanka. There are a large number of bird species migrating to Sri Lanka from Northern India, Siberia, Scandinavia & Western Europe. During the migration season, it’s an ordinary sight in certain areas to see large flocks of birds roaming the clear blue skies.
4. Rich Cultural Heritage
With an astonishing and eventful recorded history that spans over 3000 years, it is quite safe to say that Sri Lanka has one of the most interesting and unique cultures in the world. The glorious Dagabas (Giant Dome-like structures which are Buddhist temples), ancient ruins of palaces, monasteries and etc, leaves anyone fortunate enough to witness these miracles in utter amazement. One such miracle is the Parakrama Samudraya (Parakrama Ocean). A lake built by the greatly respected King Parakramabahu, the lake stretches to the horizon and even formation of waves happens which is why it is fondly named a Samudraya (Ocean). With so much more marvels like these, it is not hard to imagine why UNESCO would name 8 regions as World Heritage sites.
Eight sites of Sri Lanka has been inscribed into UNESCO as world heritage sites.
- The ancient city of Polonnaruwa (1982)
- The ancient city of Sigiriya (1982)
- The Golden Temple of Dambulla (1991)
- The old town of Galle and its fortifications (1988)
- The sacred city of Anuradhapura (1982)
- The sacred city of Kandy (1988)
- Sinharaja Forest Reserve (1988)
- The Central Highlands of Sri Lanka (2010)
All these sites lie in a compact area of Sri Lanka called the Cultural Triangle. All these sites are different from each other in so many ways. One such feature is the difference in the architecture of structures. The styles, materials used, the difference in painting styles and so on makes these sites all the more exciting. The abundance of true factually verified stories associated with each of these places is rivalled in excellence only by the folklore associated with them.
The prestigious and sentimental relics of past is important to the Sri Lankan people as a symbol of Dhammadeepa (Island of Buddhism) which often links the past with the present. The local population takes great pride in the land’s extended period of glory and prosperity. The Esala Perahera is a great example of how past traditions are carried forth towards the future. As Sri Lanka is the only country in the world which practises pure Theravada Buddhism, the Sinhalese consider it a responsibility to preserve the Buddhist philosophy for future generations to come.
5. Delicious Food
With a unique cuisine shaped by thousands of years in history and influences from past invasions, Sri Lanka has a variety of food & dishes to choose from. The staple food of Sri Lanka is considered to be Rice and it’s accompanied by several different curries rich in spices and flavour.
From street food to gourmet dishes, there’s no shortage of fine meals. Seafood lovers will be delighted to find the abundance of crayfish, squid, prawns, shrimp, crabs, lobsters and all sorts of fresh fish varieties.
Sri Lanka also has a delicious array of snacks, known as short eats. These are served to guests or prepared to have with tea in the afternoon. Some of them are Cutlets, Patties, Rolls, Samosa, Curry Rotti, Cheese Rotti, asmee, halapa, kokis, pani walalu and other pastries.
As a nation living in harmony with nature, it’s only natural to expect the abundance of fruits and vegetables in the country. The most famous fruits are Rambutan, Mango, Papaw, Butterfruit. Mangosteen, Durian, Strawberries, Guava, plaintans and many more. Here’are a few famous dishes you find in Sri Lanka.
6. Adventure & Sports
One more reason why young tourists choose to come to Sri Lanka is to engage in adventures and sports. Activities such as white water rafting, deep sea diving, hot air balloon rides, canoeing, speed boating, wreck diving, surfing, cliff jumping, parasailing and hiking have created a new subspace in the tourism sector. Locations like Arugambay, Hikkaduwa, Ella, Trincomalee are famous for adventure & sports fans who come to Sri Lanka seeking an adrenaline boost.
7. Affordable and great accommodation
Versatility in choosing from the plethora of options available for overnight stays is something that’s always understated in Sri Lanka. There are great places to spend the night at reasonable prices. The people of Sri Lanka are quick to adapt to the ever-changing internet which has resulted in most businesses being featured online. Tourists easily can browse through thousands of available overnight stay options using Booking.com.
If you are looking for some affordable luxury, you should definitely look at Sri Lanka as it features one of the world´s most incredible holiday properties for relatively low prices.
8. Relaxing Beaches
If there’s one thing that all tourists love and look forward to in Sri Lanka, it’s beautiful beaches. Sri Lanka is blessed with nearly 25 known beaches, all different to each other. Beaches in Sri Lanka are always clean & well maintained. The stunning stretches of sand attract people on a daily basis, althouth they never get too crowded.
Beaches like the one you find in the Pigeon Island, Trinco is not only out of this world, but also has a unique inland structure that allows visitors to go on exploring the tiny pigeon island which is an adventure in itself.
9. Year-round festivals
As an ethnically diverse country, Sri Lanka celebrates festivals of all ethnicities ceremoniously. The most noteworthy are the Sinhala & Tamil New Year, Deepavali, Eid festival, Christmas, Vesak & Poson. Every full moon day on each month is known as a “poya”. All poya days are declared bank, mercantile & public holidays by the government. The Vesak poya is particularly important as it marks the Buddha’s birth, enlightenment and passing away (Parinibbana). The whole country engages in various festivities on Vesak and it’s a common sight to see food stalls set up by residents on pavements providing all with free food, snacks or beverages.
What brings out the most crowd to Sri Lanka is the Esala Perahera held in Kandy, the last royal capital of Sri Lanka. The festival takes place over a period of 10 eventful days. The term “Perahera” translates to “procession” and this is what exactly happens during the nights of these 10 days. Traditional dancers, musicians, trained elephants and countless other performers take part in the procession which brightens up the entire city at nights.
10. Easy travel and compact climate zones
The ability to experience entirely different climate zones and terrains in Sri Lanka often goes unnoticed in the travel community. Since Sri Lanka is a relatively small island nestled in the Indian Ocean, a traveller may experience entirely differently themed cities or provinces within hours. For instance, the time taken to travel from Colombo to Kandy is about 3.5 hours if you take a bus. However, during your journey, there will be severe changes in the terrains, sea level differences, changes in the ambience and the environment in general. This is a magnificent phenomenon. which is hard to come by in other countries.
After arriving at the airport, you could witness the wet zone climate of the country and take a bus for a few hours to go see the dry zone. These are exciting differences to make out within a day and it always excites tourists who come from countries somewhat larger in landmass.