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Nature Perspectives
Nature’s palette is vividly
and generously splashed across Sri Lanka and is reflected
in it’s incredible beaches, inland waterways, marshlands,
tropical jungles, magnificent hill country, and the myriad
flora and fauna, all of which combine to produce a miniature
Garden of Eden. If nature excites you, prepare to be in a
continual state of excitement.
Beaches
– Imagine lying on golden sand, while being fanned
by the breeze as it moves through the swaying palms, and
lulled by the lapping of azure waters on the shore. Well,
in Sri Lanka this is a reality, virtually all around the
island. The ebb and flow of the sea has a strong impact
on the island. This is manifested in the fishing communities
that thrive on the shores, adding to the romance of beachlife
– from the famous ‘stilt fisherman’ to
the brightly coloured fishermen’s’ boats that
go out every day to harvest the fruits of the ocean, there
is always an exotic ‘distraction’ to keep you
entranced.
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The
Hills – Imagine climbing what is possibly the
longest staircase in the world to arrive at the top of a peak
that has pushed its way 2,200 meters into the clouds, and
then to encounter what is probably the most spectacular sunrise
you will ever see. You will be atop ‘Samanala Kanda’
or Adam’s Peak – a place of religious significance
to the pantheon of religions in the island.
The hills also include the apparently
contradictory Horton Plains – a wildly beautiful and
desolate plain over 1500 meters above see level. The plains
are shrouded in mist, and home to a variety of bird and
animal life. Move on to the ‘hill stations’
such as Nuwara Eliya, Haputale, and Badulla that developed
over time particularly after Kandy became the country’s
‘hill’ capital in the fourteenth century. Tea
changed the contours of the hill country as well as its
fortunes – the smooth green ‘carpet’ was
laid in the mid-eighteenth century, and it grew into an
industry that today produces possibly the best teas in the
world. The beauty and serenity of Sri Lanka’s hill
country enhanced with many graceful waterfalls will surprise
and delight you, and induce in you an irrepressible urge
to return.
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Flora & Fauna –
Sri Lanka was colonized for its spices – for example;
cinnamon, cloves, pepper, tumeric, and nutmeg grow in abundance.
In fact so does everything else from the exotic and resilient
wild orchid to the delicate rose. The 18,900-hectare Sinharaja
tropical forests; a world heritage site, is a perfect example
of the incredible bio-diversity on offer in Sri Lanka. It
is home to a profusion of flora and the highest concentration
of endemic fauna. Sri Lanka has established a number of
‘wildlife reserves’ that ensure the animals’
and their environments are protected. Seeing these animals
in their natural habitat is an unsurpassable experience
the mighty elephant, leopard, bear and water buffalo head
the cast. It can only be added to by the most exotic of
bird life – 400 plus species on the island. Sri Lanka
is truly a bird watcher’s paradise. Imagine watching
up to six peacocks strutting their stuff to the background
music of calls from the myriad migratory birds (an estimated198
species) that also feel compelled to visit Sri Lanka: Some
from as far as the Arctic Tundra and Siberia.
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