Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka has seduced travellers for centuries. Lapped by the Indian Ocean, the coast is fringed with idyllic beaches, while the interior boasts a compelling variety of landscapes ranging from wildlife-rich lowland jungles, home to extensive populations of elephants, leopards and rare endemic bird species, to the misty heights of the hill country, swathed in immaculately manicured tea plantations. The glories of this early Buddhist civilization continue to provide a benchmark of national identity for the island's Sinhalese population, while Sri Lanka's historic role as the world's oldest stronghold of Theravada Buddhism lends it a unique cultural identity that permeates life at every level.