Sri Lanka – Pearl of the Indian Ocean
Practical travel information
This small island nation has it all. With six cultural and two natural monuments, Sri Lanka has more UNESCO World Heritage Sites than Egypt. It also attracts travellers from all over the world with its dream beaches, friendly people, impressive culture and exciting travel adventures. Compared to its huge neighbour India, Sri Lanka is really manageable in terms of area. It is just 445 kilometres from the northernmost to the southernmost point and around 225 kilometres of land lie between the west and east coasts. Although the transport infrastructure is not always good, most destinations can be connected. Sri Lanka can easily be travelled individually.
Popular destinations
The coastal regions of the islands are characterised by many beautiful seaside resorts. Almost without exception, the beautiful beaches stretch all the way around Sri Lanka and offer over 1,300 kilometres of coastline. Thanks to the different climatic regions, you can enjoy undisturbed hours on the beach all year round, as the individual regions are never affected by the monsoon season at the same time. The south is particularly suitable for sunbathing in the winter months and the east in the summer months. When it rains on one side of the island, the sun shines on the other.
Sri Lanka has several highlights that are on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Sinharaja Forest, the central highlands with the Horton Plains National Park, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In contrast, Sigiriya Rock, Anuradhapura, Dambulla, Polonaruwa, Kandy and Galle have been declared UNESCO World Heritage Sites.