where is sri lanka | Sights of Sri Lanka + ways to travel and tour

Sri Lanka is an island coury in South Asia, located in the Indian Ocean and Southeast India. This coury is separated from the Indian subcoine through the “Palak Strait” and is of special historical and economic importance due to its location on the maritime trade routes between the West and the East. The commercial capital of Sri Lanka is Colombo and its administrative and political capital is Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte.

Sri Lanka is known for its natural diversity, rich culture and rich history. This coury was known as Ceylon in the past and it has an ancie history of differe kingdoms and empires. Sri Lanka has become a popular tourist destination due to its beautiful natural scenery of rainforests and lush mouains. Also, Sri Lanka is one of the largest producers of tea in the world and Ceylon tea is one of the famous products of this coury.

Learn more about Sri Lanka:

where is sri lanka

• Location: South Asia, Ceral Indian Ocean, Southeast India (view on the map)
• Language: Sinhalese and Tamil
• Currency: Sri Lankan Rupee
• Time difference with Tehran: Two hours ahead of Tehran

Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an island coury located in the Indian Ocean and separated from the Indian subcoine by the Palk Strait. This beautiful island is 432 km long and 224 km wide. The total area is about 65,600 square kilometers and it has more than 1,340 kilometers of coastline.

_{Photo source: kerrenalamassa.fi website. Photographer: Unknown}

Sri Lanka’s proximity to the Indian subcoine and its location at the crossroads of sea routes that cross the Indian Ocean have made it exposed to the cultural influences of other Asian civilizations. Ancie Greek geographers called Sri Lanka “Taprobane”. The Arabs referred to it as “Serendib” and the Europeans chose the name “Ceylon” for it, and it officially became Sri Lanka in 1972; Of course, in some commercial destinations, Sri Lanka is still known as Ceylon.

With a teardrop-like appearance, Sri Lanka is rich in natural resources and has a diversified economy based on agriculture, mining, fishing, manufacturing and tourism. This island is surrounded by a wide coastal plain and is located between 5 and 10 degrees latitude north of the equator. In the southern and ceral part of this coury, there are coinuous mouain ranges with high peaks, of course, the highest peak belongs to Pidurutalagala mouain with a height of 2,524 meters.

Neighboring couries of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is an island in South Asia, located in the middle of the Indian Ocean; Therefore, it does not have a direct land border with any coury. This coury is located in the southeast of India, and its closest neighbor is India with a distance of approximately 2,450 km by land and sea. The Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait separate Sri Lanka from South India. Sri Lanka is also located near the Maldive Islands, although there is a significa sea distance between the two couries.

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According to the geographical location of Sri Lanka, access to neighboring couries is possible by sea and air. Of course, in the past, on the route between the island of Sri Lanka and India, there was a chain of limestone rocks on the water for people to cross; But today, due to heavy sea storms, it is not possible to travel on the rocks.

Where is the capital of Sri Lanka?

Sri Lanka has two capitals; “Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte” as the administrative capital and “Colombo” as the economic capital.

Sri Jayawardenepura Kote

The official and political capital of Sri Lanka is the city of Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, which is located near Colombo. This city is the main ceer of governme activities and the seat of parliame and many governme institutions of the coury.

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Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte was chosen as the official capital in 1977, and the purpose of this change was to separate the political ceers from the commercial and economic activities that were concerated in Colombo. With its green and relaxing atmosphere, this city plays an importa role in the governme affairs of the coury.

Colombo

Colombo is known as the commercial and economic capital of Sri Lanka and is the largest city in the coury. This port city is located on the west coast of Sri Lanka and is the ceer of economic, commercial and cultural activities. Most embassies and iernational organizations are also based in Colombo.

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Colombo is still considered as one of the most importa cities in Sri Lanka and many of the coury’s daily activities take place there; Of course, this city was considered a commercial city in the past due to the presence of the port and its strategic location on the sea trade route of East and West.

Importa cities of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka has several importa cities, each of which has a special place in terms of history, economy, culture and natural beauty. In addition to Sri Jayawardenepura, Kote and Colombo, the most importa cities in Sri Lanka are:

the slowness

“Kandy” (Kandy) is known as the cultural capital of Sri Lanka and has many beautiful places to visit. The colorful houses of this city are located among green hills and in the ceer of the city, the magnifice buildings around the lake have given the city a very beautiful appearance.

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Since the city of Kandy was the capital of Sri Lanka during the time of the past kings, there are many historical monumes from the colonial period. One of the most importa ancie monumes of this city is the “Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic”, a Buddhist temple dating back to the 16th ceury. In addition to the magnifice palaces and temples, Kandy hosts the annual Esala Perahera festival; In this festival, the rich culture of Kandyan is displayed with all its glory.

gale

“Galle” (Galle) located on the southern coast is considered one of the other attractive and historical cities of Sri Lanka. By walking in this city, you can enjoy watching museums, abandoned castles and elega buildings from the colonial era. In addition to ancie monumes, there are stylish cafes, fashionable boutiques and art galleries in this city.

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One of the most promine ancie monumes of the city of Galle is the “Dutch” (Dutch) castle belonging to the 17th ceury. The fort is very spectacular at sunset and there are many stalls selling souvenirs.

Ngombo

Negombo is a pleasa beach town and a perfect place to relax and enjoy the golden sands. In the past, the city was the site of conflict between the British, Dutch and Portuguese who waed to gain corol of the cinnamon plaations.

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Ngombo is located north of Colombo and its old quarter still hosts a colonial-era fort. In this city, you can enjoy its tropical climate for relaxation.

Hikkaduwa

Hikkaduwa is located on the southwest coast of Sri Lanka and northwest of the city of Galle, and has become a popular destination for tourists with its wonderful beaches. In addition, it has great places for diving and surfing.

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In rece years, although Hikkaduwa has become a tourist town; But it still retains many of its charms. This city has a calm and pleasa atmosphere. Don’t forget to visit the National Marine Park with its colorful coral reefs.

Nuwara Eliya

“Nuwara Eliya” (Nuwara Eliya) is one of the most attractive cities in Sri Lanka with its beautiful gardens, colonial buildings and mild climate, and because of these attractions, it has been nicknamed Little England.

_{Photo source: audleytravel.com. Photographer: Unknown}

Nuwara Eliya is located in the beautiful mouainous region of Sri Lanka, surrounded by tea plaations and forested hills, and its surrounding mouains and waterfalls double its beauty.

History of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka dates back more than two thousand years, although the oldest human remains found on this island belong to 35 thousand years ago. This island is formed by two groups of “Sinhalese” and “Tamils” with the two domina religions being “Buddhism” and “Hinduism”. Both groups migrated from India to Sri Lanka, and this made the coury of India influence in various fields such as art, architecture, literature, music, medicine and astronomy in this island and its civilization was formed by the Indian subcoine.

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Autheic chronicles show that the historical period of Sri Lanka begins with the establishme of the kingdom of “Thambapani” in the sixth ceury BC by the first ancestors of the Sinhalese people. Pandukabhaya is recorded as the first ruler of Sri Lanka from the kingdom of Anuradhapura in the 4th ceury BC. Buddhism was iroduced to Sri Lanka in the third ceury BC by Arhath Mahinda. During the following ceuries, the island was divided io several separate kingdoms; But between 993 and 1077, it was temporarily united under the rule of the Chola dynasty. Sri Lanka was ruled by 181 kings from the Anuradhapura era to the Kennedy era.

From the 16th ceury, some coastal areas of Sri Lanka were under the corol of the Portuguese, Dutch and British. Between 1597 and 1658 AD, a large part of the island was under Portuguese rule. The Portuguese lost their possessions in Sri Lanka due to the ierveion of the Dutch in the Eighty Years’ War, and after the Kennedy Wars, the island was united under British rule in 1815. Armed rebellions against the British occurred in 1818 and 1848; Uil Sri Lanka became independe in 1948. In 1972, the republican governme was implemeed in this coury and the constitution was approved in 1978. The Sri Lankan civil war started in 1983 and coinued uil 2009.

Sights of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is an attractive coury with many historical and natural attractions. This coury has pristine beaches, beautiful temples and green tea plaations and attracts many tourists due to its natural and cultural diversity.

Sigiriya

• Location: Ceral Province of Sri Lanka

“Sigiriya” is a historical fortress, dating back to the 5th ceury AD, built on top of a high stone mouain. This castle is a royal palace and a Buddhist monastery, and its atmosphere is more spiritual than milita! The historical attraction of Sigiriya has reached the UNESCO World Register.

_{Photo source: Google Map. Photographer: Yasitha Damruwan}

Sigiriya Castle may be a bit difficult to access; But watching the sunrise and sunset over this castle reduces the difficulty of the journey. As you descend from the cliff, pay atteion to the paiings on its walls, which are a symbol of Sri Lankan culture and art.

Aduwalawa National Park

• Location: Southern Sri Lanka, the border of Uva and Sabaragamuwa provinces.

Udawalawe National Park is one of the best places to see elephas in the wild. This park was created to protect the catchme area of ​​the huge Adowallah reservoir and about 400 elephas live in it. The national park has vast expanses of grasslands, small forests and riverine forests and is one of the best places for bird watching in Sri Lanka.

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You can see elephas swimming in the Senanayake Samudra lake while exploring the Udawalawe National Park with a boat safari.

Dambulla Cave Temple

• Address: Dambulla city

Dambulla Cave Temple, also known as the Golden Temple, is located 24 km from Sigiriya in the ceer of Sri Lanka. This temple was built around 80 years BC and is considered the largest and best cave temple in Sri Lanka.

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Inside the Dambulla Cave Temple, there are 153 Buddha statues in differe tombs, three statues of ancie kings and four other statues including statues of Vishnu and Ganesh. The ceiling and walls have been paied over the ceuries, juxtaposing images of royal life.

Temple of the Holy Tooth

• Location: Kennedy city

“Temple of the Holy Tooth”, which is also known as “Sri Dalada Maligawa”, is one of the other spiritual and tourist attractions of Sri Lanka. The reason for its name is because the tooth of Buddha is kept in the temple.

_{Photo source: britannica.com. Photographer: Unknown}

In addition to being a tourist attraction, the Temple of the Holy Tooth is considered a sacred place among the local people of Sri Lanka, and people visit this place to pray and light candles. In late June and early July, a festival is held to pay homage to this temple, and on the same day, you can see spectacular parades around the temple.

Arugam Bay

• Location: Southeast Sri Lanka

The beaches of “Arugam Bay”, located in the southeast of Sri Lanka, are one of the best areas of the coury for water sports. In the forests around the bay, there are a lot of coconut trees and a huge part of Sri Lanka’s coconut comes from this area.

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Tourists mostly choose Arugam Bay for activities such as surfing, boating, diving and fishing, and today this place has become one of the best surfing destinations in the world. In addition to water activities on the beaches of this beautiful bay, you can drink coconut water, sunbathe and enjoy the aroma of jasmine flowers in the area.

The best time to travel to Sri Lanka

Due to its geographical location, Sri Lanka may have several weather conditions in differe places in one moh of the year; Therefore, to know the best time to travel to this coury, you must first determine which part of the island you are traveling to. In terms of climate, Sri Lanka can be divided io two main climate zones, the western and southern coasts and the eastern part.

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To visit the west and south-west coasts (including Colombo, Galle and resort areas), choose the mohs between October and February (mid-October to mid-March). During this period, there is less rainfall and the weather is more suitable for beach activities and excursions. Also, the best time to visit the eastern coast is between May and September (mid-May to mid-October); Because in this season, the rain is less in these areas and the weather conditions are better.

In general, if you wa to visit differe parts of Sri Lanka and see less rain, choose December to mid-April, that is, from mid-December to late May. These mohs are the peak of the tourism season. The coastal areas of Sri Lanka have an average temperature between 25 and 30 degrees Celsius all year round.

Travel guide to Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, a beautiful island in the Indian Ocean, is an ideal destination for tourists who are ierested in history, culture and nature. To travel to this coury from Iran, the best way is to fly with iernational airlines. In this coury, the public transportation system, including buses, trains, and taxis, is well developed, and traveling to differe areas from the capital city of Colombo to tourist towns is easily possible.

_{Photo source: nomadicmatt.com. Photographer: Unknown}

If you wa to have a budget trip to Sri Lanka, it is better not to choose the peak tourist times; In these cases, due to the high number of tourists, the prices increase by 50%. Also, try to enjoy local food in typical restauras while traveling and enjoy free or low-cost activities such as walking on the beach, swimming, sunbathing, and biking.

Sri Lanka visa

To go to Sri Lanka, you need to obtain a visa; Of course, getting a Sri Lankan visa is very simple and it is possible to get it online without going to the embassy. There are several types of study, business, transit and tourist visas to eer Sri Lanka according to the type of travel and length of stay. The most common type is the tourist visa. By obtaining this visa, you can stay in Sri Lanka for a maximum of 30 days, and the deadline for using it ends after 180 days. For a tourist trip to Sri Lanka, you can also get an airport visa at the airport.

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To get a Sri Lanka e-Visa, you must bring the following documes:

• Ideification documes
• Completed form online
• Passport with at least 6 mohs validity
• Return ticket from Sri Lanka and hotel reservation documes
• At least two photos

The visa will be se to your email after one to two working days, after uploading the documes on the website of the Sri Lanka Immigration Departme and paying the visa fee. Applicas must pri this email and carry it with them to eer the coury. If the visa is not emailed to you after this period of time, you should check the website again for the status of your visa.

Ways to travel to Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is an island coury in the middle of the Indian Ocean; Therefore, it is not possible to travel to this coury by land, and people can travel by sea and air. Air travel to this coury is more common; But if you wa to travel by sea, you have to take the sea route from India to Sri Lanka by ship.

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There are direct flights between Iran and Sri Lanka; But most of the flights will stop at least once along the route from Imam Khomeini Iernational Airport to Colombo Iernational Airport in Sri Lanka. The duration of air travel to Sri Lanka takes 6 hours in case of a direct flight; But in a non-direct flight, the duration of the trip depends on the amou of stops and delays of the passengers to board the next flight.

Another way to travel to Sri Lanka is to register for tourist tours. Traveling with a tour allows you to stop worrying about your accommodation and visit the most beautiful tourist places in Sri Lanka in cities like Kandy, Beota and Colombo with proper planning. Moving between cities and city tours are done by bus with a tour guide to enjoy the green roads and the beauty of the island.

The cost of traveling to Sri Lanka

The cost of traveling to Sri Lanka depends on various factors such as length of stay, type of hotel, flight and activities you plan to do.

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Sri Lanka tour cost: Sri Lanka tourism tours are carried out by Iranian or foreign flights, which of course has a direct relationship with the price of the tour. Sometimes Sri Lanka tours are offered in combination. In combined tours, besides visiting Sri Lanka, travelers also travel to the Maldives. In general, the cost of the tour depends on the time and duration of the trip, the flight time, the type and facilities of the hotel, the meals and the number of visits to the cities and tourist attractions of Sri Lanka. This amou for a seven-day tour of Sri Lanka starts from 845 dollars and reaches more than 990 dollars.

Plane ticket: The cost of plane tickets from Iran to Sri Lanka varies depending on the travel time, airline, flight class and number of stops. A round-trip ticket from Tehran to Sri Lanka in the fall of 1403 varies on average between 25 and 90 million tomans (about 400 and 1,400 dollars).

The cost of exiting the coury: For the first trip, 520,000 Tomans, for the second trip about 780,000 Tomans, and for the third and more trips, this amou reaches 1,040,000 Tomans.

Tourist visa fee: The Sri Lankan visa fee used to be $50; However, in order to attract tourists, Sri Lanka has announced free visa fees for this coury for 6 mohs as of October 10, 1403.

Cost of stay: The cost of staying in Sri Lanka varies from cheap hotels to luxury hotels. A one-night stay in a double room costs about $50 to $100 for average hotels, while luxury hotels cost more than $100.

Daily expenses: The cost of food in Sri Lanka is between 30 and 100 dollars per person per day and the cost of transportation is about five dollars.

Ticket price of tourist places in Sri Lanka: There are many tourist attractions in Sri Lanka. The cost of visiting some attractions is free; But in general, the cost of using the tourist attractions of this coury varies from 3 to 50 dollars. The cost of visiting some tourist attractions in this coury are:

• Sigiriya Museum ticket price: 6 dollars
• Sigiriya rock and its museum ticket price: 35 dollars
• Ticket price for visiting Pinnawala elephas: $16 for adults and $6 for children

With these factors in mind, a week-long trip to Sri Lanka should cost an average of $1,300 to $4,500 (including airfare, accommodation, and daily expenses).

Sri Lankan cuisine

Local Sri Lankan cuisine is famous for its use of spices and strong flavors, giving you a differe experience of local Sri Lankan flavors. Some of the famous Sri Lankan dishes are:

Rice and curry food

“Rice and curry” is one of the most famous local dishes in Sri Lanka. This dish consists of steamed rice with various curries. Curry food is prepared from a lot of vegetables, meat, fish or seafood and a combination of spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, curry leaves and pepper.

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Hoppers

“Hoppers” are a type of crispy bowl-shaped pancakes. This local dish is eaten as a breakfast or snack and is cooked using fermeed rice flour paste, coconut milk and sugar. An egg is usually broken in the middle and served with leil or coconut curry.

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Koto Roti

Kottu Roti is a type of street food that consists of shredded rice bread with vegetables, meat, fish or eggs and spices. This food has a very pleasa smell and is consumed as an evening snack or dinner.

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Sambol money

“Pol Sambol” (Pol Sambol) is a type of spicy seasoning that is prepared from grated coconut, red pepper, onion, spices and lemon juice. These ingredies are pounded together in a mortar and consumed with other foods such as rice, curry and roti.

Pitou

“Pittu” is a food that is prepared from rice flour and fresh coconut and made io compressed tubes. This food is steamed and usually eaten with curry or dal.

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Kiribati

Kiribath is a traditional Sri Lankan dish made by cooking rice with coconut milk. This dish is served in a square shape and sprinkled with local pepper or curry. In Sri Lanka, kiribat is usually served on all occasions and celebrations, birthdays, weddings and Buddhist rituals.

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If you have ever traveled to Sri Lanka or have ieresting information about this city, we will be happy to share it with the audience.

_{Cover photo source: tourlane.fr. Photographer: Unknown}