Tourism in Sri Lanka is growing rapidly. For centuries, Sri Lanka has been a popular place of attraction for foreign travelers. The famous Chinese traveler Fa-Hien arrived in Sri Lanka in the late 4th century. In the twelfth century, Italian explorer Marco Polo claimed that Sri Lanka to be the "best island of its size in the world". In view of its fascinating scenic beauty and rich cultural heritage, Sri Lanka is one of the best tourist destinations in the world.
In 2012, post office worldwide holiday costs barometer named Sri Lanka as the best valued destination for holidays. In 2013 the popular travel guide book Lonely Planet named Sri Lanka as the best travel destination for 2013. According to the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report 2015 Sri Lanka is at 63 out of 141 countries.
Anuradhapura is a major city in Sri Lanka. It is the capital city of North Central Province, Sri Lanka and the capital of Anuradhapura District.
Anuradhapura is one of the ancient capitals of Sri Lanka, famous for its well-preserved ruins of an ancient Sri Lankan civilization. It was the third capital of the Kingdom of Rajarata, following the kingdoms of Tambapanni and Upatissa Nuwara.
Poḷonnaruwa s the main town of Polonnaruwa District in North Central Province, Sri Lanka. Kaduruwela area is the Polonnaruwa New Town and the other part of Polonnaruwa remains as the royal ancient city of the Kingdom of Polonnaruwa.
The second most ancient of Sri Lanka's kingdoms, Polonnaruwa was first declared the capital city by King Vijayabahu I, who defeated Chola invaders in 1070 to reunite the country once more under a local leader.
If you want to explore lush nature, the likes of which you usually come across on computer desktop wallpapers, with a scintillating beam of sunlight falling dramatically through the canopy of dense trees and meandering streams over rugged rocks cascading magnificently to form a deep green pool, then Sinharaja Rainforest is the place to be in.
Sigiriya is the most popular destination of tourist who travel Sri Lanka . This complex consists of Central Rock ( large stone ) rising about 300 meters above sea level covering about 3 hectares . Now it has been proposed to name it as the Eighth Wonder of the Ancient world .The cultural Triangle Project focused its attention on Sigiriya and it has been excavated and restored by UNESCO.
Dambulla is a world heritage historical site about 20 km from Sigiriya.
This temple is also known as Dambulla Cave Temple . It contains 153 statues related to Lord Buddha and some paintings .This is the largest and best cave temple complex in Sri Lanka
This is the largest rose quartz mountan in South Asia .White , rose and violet colour quartz deposits can be seen there
It is also called as “ Sri Dalada Maligawa ”. This temple was built within the royal palace complex which houses the only surviving relic of the tooth of Buddha. Since ancient times the Relic has played an important role in local politics be cause it is be lived that whoever holds the Relic holds the governance of the country .
This is important colorfull festival in Kandy held in July, August in every year .You should not miss this event in your visit to Sri Lanka .
This shows the traditional culture of Sri Lankans and really gives a thrill to spectators If you are a nature lover you might visit Peradeniya Botanical Garden. It is well maintained landscaped gardens with lots of flowers. It is also a great place to enjoy a leisurely walk .
Nuwara Eliya is a city in the hill country of the Central Province, Sri Lanka. Its name means "city on the plain (table land)" or "city of light". The city is the administrative capital of Nuwara Eliya District, with a picturesque landscape and temperate climate. It is at an altitude of 1,868 m (6,128 ft) and is considered to be the most important location for tea production in Sri Lanka. The city is overlooked by Pidurutalagala, the tallest mountain in Sri Lanka. Nuwara Eliya is known for its temperate, cool climate — the coolest area in Sri Lanka.
The town's attractions include the golf course, trout streams, Victoria Park, and boating or fishing on Lake Gregory. Victoria Park is an attractive and well-used oasis. It is popular with birdwatchers at quieter times because of the good opportunities for seeing species, particularly the Indian blue robin, pied thrush or scaly thrush lurking in the denser undergrowth. The Kashmir flycatcher is another attractive bird species in the park.
Yala National Park is the most visited and second largest national park in Sri Lanka. The park consists of five blocks, two of which are now open to the public, and also adjoining parks. The blocks have individual names such as, Ruhuna National Park (block 1) and Kumana National Park or 'Yala East' for the adjoining area. It is situated in the southeast region of the country, and lies in Southern Province and Uva Province.
The park covers 979 square kilometres (378 sq mi) and is located about 300 kilometres (190 mi) from Colombo. Yala was designated as a wildlife sanctuary in 1900, and, along with Wilpattu was one of the first two national parks in Sri Lanka, having been designated in 1938.
Colombo is the commercial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo metropolitan area has a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 in the city proper. It is the financial centre of the island and a popular tourist destination. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to the Greater Colombo area which includes Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, the legislative capital of Sri Lanka and Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia.
Colombo is often referred to as the capital since Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte is within the urban area of, and a suburb of, Colombo. It is also the administrative capital of Western Province, Sri Lanka and the district capital of Colombo District. Colombo is a busy and vibrant place with a mixture of modern life and colonial buildings and ruins. It was the legislative capital of Sri Lanka until 1982.