Sigiriya

The citadel of Sigiriya, founded 1500 years ago by king Kassapa (447-495 A.D., is one of the most remarkable creations in the world. the King transformed a 600 - foot high rock into an impregnable fortress. today Sigiriya offers the visitors a gallery of 6th century painting coupled with landscaped gardens, unravelled and unmatched by any contemporary citadel in the world. Paintings of 23 damsels, mostly in pairs and usually consisting of a lady and her maid, are found halfway up the rock. the mirror wall owes its reflecting surface to an extraordinary combination of materials used in the construction of the wall.

Dambulla

Dambulla is reminiscent of the past. the principal shrine at Dambulla or the golden cave temple of Dambulla has been cited in a number of religious and historical texts. the images in a number of postures are those of the Buddha, the Bodhisatva, gods and goddesses, monks, disciples and kings. Covering 25,000 sq ft, the area of paintings in the shrine is the largest in South Asia and the oldest in the world.

Kandy

Kandy, Sri Lanka's cultural capital, is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. the valley of Kandy is surrounded by hills and a colourful pageant takes place in Kandy annually. Elephant bathing, botanical gardens, waterfalls and the mountains are only some of the attractions. the sacred tooth relic is housed in the temple known as the 'Dalada Maligawa'. It includes an octagon, which now houses a rare collection of Buddhist books. the art, architecture and paintings in the temple, stand testimony to the generosity of the kings and other members of royalty who patronized the temple through the years to enhance its beauty and history. En-route to Kandy is the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage, the home to more than 40 elephants.

The 'Nuwara Perahara', or pageant of Kandy, is the most colorful processions in the world. About 100 caparisoned elephants and over 1000 dancers, drummers and noblemen, led by the custodian of the temple of the sacred tooth relic, parade past hundreds of thousands of spectators, while they pay homage to the casket of the sacred tooth relic carried by the king of the elephants. the procession moves along the streets for seven consecutive nights and concludes on the day of the August full moon.

Kandy National Museum

The Kandy National Museum displays some of the finest objects of art from the 16th century to the 19th century. the Buddha statues, the crown of kings, images of the noblemen, and wooden carvings are preserved in the museum. the national museum in Colombo is also a repository of Sri Lankan art and antiques, the finest bronzes, wooden carvings, sculptures of the Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa and later periods.

Kandy Royal Botanical Garden

Kandy Royal Botanical Garden is among the finest tropical gardens in the world. the botanical garden has a comprehensive collection and the scientific programme in bio-technology, ecology, conservation and taxonomy. the garden, open to the public every day, has flowers in bloom throughout the year. About 4000 plants specious thrive in the Royal Botanical Gardens in Peradeniuya and Hakgala.

Nuwara Eliya

Nuwara Eliya, known as the garden city of Asia for its hills, valleys and waterfalls, is 6,182 feet above sea level and is situated at the foot of Pidurutalagala, Sri Lanka's highest peak. tourists who visit Nuwara Eliya to relish the salubrious climate play golf, enjoy the park, admire the high-grown tea plantations, visit the Hakgala botanical garden and travel to the 'worlds end' at Horton Plains, where there is a steep drop in the terrain of several thousand feet.From December to April devotees climb the 2,224 metre Adam's Peak, near the town of Maskeliya in the Nuwara Eliya district. Adam's Peak has been a place of pilgrimage for more than 1000 years. At the top, aside from spectacular views, is a footprint claimed by Buddhists to be the footprint of Buddha, Muslims believe it to belong to Adam, and Hindus believe that the print had been made by Lord Shiva.

National Parks

The national parks such as Yala, Wilpathu, Bundala, Uda walawa, Randenigala, Wasgamuwa, Somawathieya and, Maduru Oya hold the greatest appeal, where visitors can watch leopards, elephants, monkeys, deer, wild boar and bear and a variety of birds. the Sinharaja rain forest is an example of one of the few such remaining tropical rain forests in Asia. It is also a primeval sanctuary for over 170 varieties of exotic orchids. Horton Place is a special attraction. this remote plateau is the island's last remaining mountain forest - the home of some fauna and flora species found nowhere else in the world. Kumana and Weirawilla are two magnificent bird sanctuaries. Stilts, barbets, fly catchers, Ibis, pelicans, parrots, peacocks, parakeets, devil birds, hawks, jungle fowl and stork abound in these sanctuaries.

Getting Around

Buses and trains are the dominant modes of transport as there are no domestic passenger flights in Sri Lanka at present. train travel is comfortable and modern private coaches provide tours at reasonable cost. Self-drive cars are popular and with more than one person, it is economical to rent a car with a driver for a day trip or even a few days tour of the island. On the road linking Colombo and Kandy are a series of 'monoculture' villages seen and tropical fruits like pineapples, cashews, banana, avacado, mangoe and coconuts are available plentifully. the most popular purchase in Sri Lanka is tea. Woodcarvings, weavings, pottery and metal work are among the popular crafts. Sri Lanka is especially renewed for its gems and jewellary. Ambalangoda is the best place to see Sri Lankan masks, and Ratnapura is the centre of Sri Lanka's gem trade.

How to get there from Beijing

Sri Lankan Airlines operates 3 direct flights a week from Beijing to Colombo. For further details please contact Sri Lankan Airlines in Beijing.