Surrounded by the deep blue of the Indian Ocean lies a beautiful, fairytale-like island south east of the coast of India. In recent decades this island has developed into a popular tourist destination that attracts people from all over the world.

Colombo, the capital city of Sri Lanka, has a splendid mixture of both western and eastern influences and, along with its many old and modern buildings, never fails to surprise. Modern skyscrapers highlight the city’s flourishing new economy and with approximately five hundred thousand inhabitants Colombo is the largest city in Sri Lanka. As with the country itself Colombo is influenced by a multicultural society that is dominated by its Singhalese population.

Along the road from Colombo to Kandy is an elephants’ orphanage that currently tends to the needs of around eighty animals. Most of the parents of the young elephants were shot and killed by ruthless poachers while others were ignored by their mother and left to fend for themselves in Sri Lanka’s forests. The regime of an elephant school usually consists of teaching the elephants to march in line and in pairs as well as teaching them how to move, carry and stack timber.

Sri Lanka is one of the world’s main producers of tea. The reason for its success lies in the exceptional quality of its tea. Ceylon tea is a fine, dark tea that has today become a popular ingredient in many different blends.

Some areas on Sri Lanka’s eastern coast were devastated by the horrific Tsunami tragedy of December 2004. It will take a considerable amount of time for the people there to recover from the effects of the TSUNAMI disaster and for their villages to return to a semblance of normality. A massive reconstruction programme is now underway.

The openness and hospitality of the people allied with the country’s natural splendour and impressive cultural diversity make Sri Lanka one of the most amazing island paradises on Earth!