Sri Lanka – The Mysteries and Majesty of the Island nation

tourists on a boat

Sri Lanka, the island country floating over the Indian Ocean is a world in itself. It has mountains and coasts and dense forests and big cities everything that you could ask for. There is something available for everyone as far as the expanse of the country is concerned. Whether it is wildlife safaris, or trekking through the densest of forests in the country or the idea of water rafting, the island nation has it all.

The train rides in different parts of the world can be beautiful and one thing that we can promise you is that backpacking through the country can never feel boring; there is simply so much to explore.

There must be hundreds and thousands of places all over the country which can be visited if you really want to explore the length and breadth of it, but I will make it slightly easier by putting it all in segregation so that you have an idea all that you want to do and plan accordingly.

You can always start at the capital of the country. With roughly the population of 650,000 people in the city, the capital of Sri Lanka is the center of transportation the country. Whether your flight is coming from within Asia or from outside, like Europe, it goes through Colombo. Make sure you buy your tickets after comparing the prices in proper price comparing sites to get the best possible prices depending on the time of your travel of course.

Get your accommodation beforehand too, as the capital city of the country is often very busy accommodating a large number of tourists, no matter the time of the year.

First and foremost, it would be a crime if we don’t talk about the nature and landscape of the country. It basically has everything from mountains, and rivers and forests and waterfall and the diversity is what makes Sri Lanka a place to explore.

The majority of the Sri Lankan population is Buddhist, so it will be almost criminal if I don’t mention Adam’s Peak pilgrimage. It is the highest and certainly the most famous place to visit around the world. The depression that lies just below the summit is called the Sinhalese Sri Pada or the Holy Feet. This depression is the focal point of the mountain’s sacred status in all the four major religion that consist of the population of the country. For the Buddhist, it is the feet of Buddha, while for Hindus it is the feet of Shiva, Muslims see the footprint of Adam and the Christians see the footprint of Apostle Thomas.

The Lion Rock, on the other hand, is a monolith of around 200 meters, which is surrounded by flatlands and is a major tourist attraction in the country.

Are you an Asian or maybe British, and a big fan of exotic tea from around the world? The tea plantations of the central highland are a sight to watch with the women workers in colored saris working through the plantation giving the lush green stretch of lands the perfect color coordination.

Another major attraction in the of Sri Lanka is its waterfalls. Bright gleaming stream of water falling down the side of a steep slope is something people stop their cars to watch across the city. The Bambarakanda, formed from the Kudu Oya River, which happens to be the highest waterfall in the island nation, is with a height of 241 meters. If you’re a lover of adventure sports, you can climb on the waterfall which is in itself exploratory. Even the thought of it gives me goosebumps.

When it comes to the lush lands of the rainforests in the country, visit the Sinharaja Forest, the last lowland rainforest of the country. It will be a particularly taxing walk through the jungle, but I can promise you it will certainly be worth it.

If you’re counting on witnessing the wildlife, there are creatures like monkeys, snakes, exotic birds, insects, but also other kinds of plants for you – so you get a world of experience with you.

If you’re in the mood to just soaking in the sun and enjoying the day, go to the exotic beaches where you will find turquoise blue water and white sand spread over miles at a stretch.

In case you are particularly fond of wildlife and want to witness as much of it as possible the jungle won’t entirely do. You will have to go to the national parks which have a store of significant animals and other exotic wildlife. While Yala National Park is famous for leopards, Minneriya National Park has wild elephants wandering around the wilderness. Go to the Port of Mirissa to observe the most enthralling wildlife of your life. The marine mammals are best observed during the month of December to April. You will get to see sea turtles, whales, dolphins and if you are lucky maybe blue whale as well. You will also find sloth bears in this part of the world.

The only dislikeable factor in the country is that you find a lot of elephants which is in captivity for serving the purpose of humans. In 2019, that seems redundant and a bit extreme. For tour information, elephants who have known the life of captivity can never go back to the life of the jungle.

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