Sri Lanka is a country with everything a tourist could possibly want. It has mile upon unbroken mile of pristine tropical beach for sun seekers, or verdant tea plantations for those who prefer chillier climes. Wildlife can be viewed up close and personal in scores of national parks, or spotted simply wandering at will through jungle and across paddy fields.
The country is also replete with history. Some eight World Heritage sites conserve its ancient Buddhist, Hindu, and Islamic traditions, not to mention its more recent Colonial heritage.
For three decades much of this splendour was lost on global tourists because of a civil war...