Sri Lanka is the teardrop that falls from the southern tip of India and is becoming increasingly popular as a travel destination –and not only for sports fanatics who want to play a proper game of cricket. About twenty million people reside on this relatively small island that used to bear the name Ceylon. Although a lot of people come over to Sri Lanka to have a nice beach holiday (finished off with a touch of culture), there is definitely more to see and to do than sunbathing on one of the many excellent beaches. Hikkaduwa, for example, is very well-known for its beach-resorts and for its brooding turtles.

Colombo is the place where Sri Lanka’s hustle and bustle takes place. Although it is not such a big city, this is the place where the commercial heart beats and where you can see some of the tallest buildings in Asia. In the northern part of the city is the fort area, where you can find the British fort, dating from the 19th century, and other remnants of the former colonial power. When you set off for Galle, which was the capital city when the Dutch ruled before the British invaded the Pearl of the Orient, you can visit the world heritage fort complex.

And this is only the beginning. In Kurunegala, you can feast your eyes with coconut plantations and paddy fields. The country’s hilly southern part offers a perfect place for tea plantations and the accompanying villages, such as Nuwara Eliya. Dense rainforests cover the south-western part and this is the area to go to when you want to see wildlife. There are several possibilities of staying over-night in national parks, such as Ruhunu and Wilpattu, for those who want to wake up with the trumpeting of an elephant.

Sri Lanka is unfortunately also known for its terrorism. The LTTE, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, still fights for a separate homeland for the Tamil people in the northern part of the island and its members don’t shrink from needless shedding of blood. As a result of the cleansing actions, a lot of Sinhalese (the native majority community of Sri Lanka) had to flee their homes and seek shelter in one of the many refugee camps. The northern and north-eastern part of Sri Lanka are extremely dangerous.