Things To see

Colombo:
Colombo, Sri Lanka’s capital city, cosmopolitan and filled with many-starred international hotels, shopping centers and surprisingly westernized yet with its own unmistakable Sri Lankan character.
Colombo,the commercial and political heart of Sri Lanka is a fascinating mix of old and new with a central cluster of high-rise office blocks and hotels overshadowing red-tiled colonial-era buildings and sprawling street markets which overflow with high piled fruit and vegetables, colourful silks and cottons and deliciously fragrant spices. Some of the city tour places of Colombo are Fort , Hindu Temple at Sea Streat ,Dutsh Church ,historic Davatagaha Mosque, Independence Hall,B.M.I.C.H.the shopping malls like Odel & Fashion House are also worth visiting.

Bentota:
Facing the Indian Ocean, a tropical lagoon and a major river Bentota offers water sports possibilities.Apart from swimming, body-surfing or diving in the sea,you can jet-ski,windsurf,parasail or enjoy a romantic river safari in the river and lagoon.One can enjoy the Water Sports & relax at the beach.

Nuwara Eliya:
Nuwara Eliya or City of Light is the tea capital of Sri Lanka at an altitude of 1889 m and is the most visited hill station of the island.No wonder, the oppressive heat and humidity that surrounds the rest of Sri Lanka. Nuwara Eliya is surrounded by a seemingly endless array of tea plantations populated by tea pickers who are almost exclusively Indian Tamils, who are distinct from the Ceylonese Tamils that live in the Northeast of the country.City tour of Sita Eliya Temple & tea Gardens & spice Gardens can be done.

Kandy:
Kandy,Sri Lanka’s second largest city and cultural capital is the gateway to the higher hills and tea plantations.The clarity of the air and its verdant,hilly outlook around the sacred lake make it a pleasant escape from the heat of the coasts.Kandy,is Sri Lanka’s second largest city and home of the Dalada Maligawa,one of Buddhism’s most sacred temple grounds containing the palace of Sri Lanka’s former king. Kandy is a laid-back place, and most visitors choose to base themselves at one of the hotels here for a few days and to explore the surrounding Kandyan countryside. City tour places of Kandy are – Upper Lake Drive,Market Square ,Temple of the tooth relic,Royal Botanical Garden & Gem Museum.

Dambula :
Dambulla Rock Temple is a magnificent gallery of Buddha images and wall and ceiling paintings not seen anywhere else in the Island. It is a complex of five cave temples with its origin going back to the first1st century BC.Dambulla and its five cave temples are filed with Buddhist murals and many Buddha statues.Visitors must remove their shoes and approach the shrines bare-foot.The first cave is filled with the 47-foot-long recumbent image of the meditating Buddha. In the second cave, there are 150 beautifully carved and preserved gilded statues of gods and Buddhas. The rock ceilings are painted in brilliantly preserved and intricately detailed patterns and images of the holy figures.

Sigiriya:
Sigiriya alone is worth a trip to Sri Lanka.Climb the amazing rock of Sigiriya with its impregnable palace fortress built in the fifth century and enjoy the magnificent views over the one magnificent royal pool, the throne, remains of the majestic palace, walk ways and garden.Sigiriya is a sixth century fortress perched on a 200 metre high rock and one the most dramatic of Sri Lanka’s historic sites. On the western and northern sides of the steep rock face runs a gallery or pathway which provides access to the seemingly inaccessible nearly three acre wide summit.

Anuradhapura:
Anuradhapura is the most celebrated of Sri Lanka’s ancient ruined cities.This city is the repository of several priceless treasures of Buddhism and as a World Heritage site definetly a MUST to every visitor to Sri Lanka.The ancient capital shines with treasures like the Ruwanweliseya Stupa,one of the largest structures of the ancient world;the Isurumuniya Rock Temple;the Royal Twin Baths;and two huge irrigation tanks are just to name a few.It is easy to spend days discovering the ancient history of Sri Lanka, exploring the picturesque countryside and to watch the many pilgrims paying homage to the Sri Maha Bodhi tree, Anuradhapura’s most venerated possession

Polonnaruwa :
Polonnaruwa is the ancient capital of Sri Lanka from the eleventh to thirteenth centuries and the repository of outstanding ruins,frescoes and enormous statues of reclining Buddhas.The ruins of the old city are on the shores of Lake Topawewa,man¬made during the reign of a twelfth century king-a huge task,when one considers it was accomplished with nothing but manual labour.What remains of the ancient city itself is a cluster of palaces and temples contained within a rectangular city wall.The foundations of the royal palace and the king’s audience hall are particularly well preserved.An outstanding site in Polonnaruwa is the Galyhare also known as the Cave of the Spirits of Knowledge.It is an outdoor rock wall where giant standing and reclining sculptures of the Buddha were carved out of the living rock.
Sri Lanka has a tropical climate.Upland areas are cooler and more temperate,and coastal areas are cooled by sea breezes.There are two monsoons although they occur in opposite halves of the country.The western and southern areas experience their monsoon during May to September while the northern and eastern areas experience the monsoon between October to January.The central highlands can be much cooler throughout the year and warm clothes will be needed. Lightweights and rainwear are recommended.