1. Scenery. Marco Polo
described Sri Lanka as the finest island of its size in the world (and he had
done his share of travelling!). From the tropical rainforest in the south,
through the tea plantations and gentle rolling slopes of the Hill Country to
the wilderness peaks of the Knuckles Range, few areas of this size can match
the variety and beauty of Sri Lanka’s scenery.
2. Crowds. Not here. These
days popular trekking areas like Kilimanjaro, the Inca Trail and Nepal can seem
like Oxford Street during the January sales. In Sri Lanka you will mostly have
the hill country and Knuckles Range to yourself.
3. Wildlife. The whole island
is full of wildlife ranging from monkeys and mongooses to monitor lizards, wild
elephants and even the occasional leopard. Sri Lanka is also home to over 450
species of birds. There’s no better way to get up close to the local wildlife
than on foot.
4. Weather. While summers in
the UK can seem hit or miss affairs and the rest of the year often blends into
continuous drizzle, Sri Lanka has a relatively constant temperature of 25-30
degrees – enough to make you take off a layer or two.
5. Culture. Temples with
spectacular religious ceremonies, ancient cities perched on precarious
outcrops, giant Buddhas, Royal Palaces, a fascinating mix of Sinhalese Buddhism
and Tamil Hindu culture, not to mention the ancient aboriginal Vedda tribe –
the island packs a considerable cultural punch.
If 5 reasons weren’t enough:
refresh after your trek with cup of local tea and a plate of Sri Lanka’s famous
rice and curry.
No comments:
Post a Comment