Sri Lanka is a small island, only 430 kilometres long and 220 kilometres wide. It is a land of sunshine and monsoons, marsh and mountains, forests and jungles, dunes and mangrove swamps, spices and gems, waterfalls and paddy fields, tea plantations and coconut palms. These hills, stretching up into the clouds, feed the fertile hectares of the lower land through the island s many rivers.
History is everywhere.
At Anuradhapura the 2,200-year old Sri Maha Bodhi Tree is said to have grown from a branch of the very tree under which Buddha found enlightenment. At Nuwara Eliya, an English explorer recreated for himself a traditional English village in a high mountain valley amongst some of the island s most beautiful scenery. And in many rural areas, elephants still haul timber from the forests and water buffalo plough the fields. When visiting temples or other places of worship modest dress should be worn - ideally with sandals since these are easier to remove than laced shoes. Even the imposing outlines of the major public buildings are softened by a riot of colourful flowers and rich tropical foliage.