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Sri Lanka is an island
of endless enchantment, a tiny tropical paradise where you could
discover almost anything from golden sun-kissed beaches, mist-shrouded
mountains, awe-inspiring ancient monuments and sprawling wild life
parks to impenetrable rain forests and rushing white waters to get
the adrenaline flowing. Travellers have a right to dream, and in
Sri Lanka they would discover their dreams could become a reality....
It is an Island of tranquil hospitality and spellbinding sights
and sounds, a culture and heritage inherited over thousands of years,
an island of vivid intensity where ancient customs and traditions
blend perfectly with modern life. Where the customs, traditions
and religious beliefs brought in over the centuries add not only
variety, but also spice to the island life, blending the best from
the East and the West.
The Island has an unbroken expanse of beautiful golden beaches from
the soft brown sands and warm blue waters of the Indian Ocean on
its South and West Coast, to the world renowned beauty of its unspoilt
expanses of beach on the East Coast. No less than seven UNESCO World
Heritage Sites are located in Sri Lanka. They include the ancient
cities of Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa, the cave temples at Dambulla
dating back to the 1st Century, the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic
in Kandy and Sigiriya - the rock fortress in the sky said to be
the 8th Wonder of the World.
The Sinharaja tropical rain forest is designated a UNESCO World
Natural Heritage Site and the white-washed seaport of Galle with
its impressive Fort is declared the only Living World Heritage Site
in Sri Lanka. The World renowned space fiction writer Sir Arthur
C. Clarke, a resident of Sri Lanka has said : "The Island of
Sri Lanka is a small universe containing as many variations of culture,
scenery and climate as some countries a dozen times her size....."
Every point on the island can be reached with just a few hours travel
by car, enabling even the short-term visitor experience the island's
diversities.
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