Nature and History Beckon Tourists to Sri Lanka

Introduction

Formerly known as Ceylon, Sri Lanka is a tear-shaped island-country situated south of the Indian peninsula. The island is well-known in the international tourist circuit for its lovely beaches, lush vegetation, monuments and cash-crop plantations. Moreover, the people of the country are known for their hospitality and love for the foreigners visiting their country. The place is also rich in historical monuments that talk about its glorious past.

Island Economy

Sri Lanka has lush scenery. This beautiful island has also got plantations of coffee and tea. These plantations provide currency to propel the economy of island-country. The other bread-winner for the country is the tourism industry. It is blessed with lovely beaches and beautiful monuments. Being a Buddhist country, Sri Lanka has a lot of monasteries and monuments that are preserved by the monks. These specialities keep the island-nation active in the international tourism circuit. The country also gets money from fishing activities in the coastal region. Hence, the visitors get a lot of opportunities to taste the mouth-watering seafood-based cuisines there.

Important Tourist Destinations

A trip to the island-nation starts with a visit to its capital Colombo. The capital is buzzing with modern metropolitan culture and hi-fi life. Hence, one can find the judicious mix of Colonial architecture and the modern designs in posh hotels, museums and cafes in the city.

Southern Side

As we leave the country capital, its rustic nature reveals itself to the tourists. Sri Lanka’s most popular beaches are on its western side. Hence, one can find many hotels, beach resorts and other tourism avenues on the western coast. Some other well-known destinations in this island-country are Kalpitiya peninsula, Wilpattu National Park, Tangalla and Matara, which is a provincial capital. On the southern coast is the quaint and attractive Galle. There are also other places of tourist interest beyond Matara, such as Tissamaharama, which is close to Yale and Bundala National Park.

Northern Side

There are plenty of tea and coffee plantations towards the northeast of Colombo, the gateway to Sri Lanka. The second largest city of the country Kandy is situated north of the Sri Lankan Capital. This city is home to the Temple of Tooth and most popular festival Esala Perahera. From this beautiful city, one can easily reach British-era town Nuwara Eliya that is home to Horton Plains National Park. The places of historical importance in the northern side of the island nation include Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa. The cave temples of Dambulla are closer to the latter place.