Beaches of Sri Lanka
There are many beaches in Sri Lanka and they are found in the three coastal areas-north, west and east. In the west coast, the main beaches are-Negombo, Mount Lavinia, Beruwela, Bentota, Ambalangoda, Hikkaduwa, Galle and Weligama.
Nature Spots in Sri Lanka
The nature lovers can visit the Yala or Ruhuna National Park, Wilpattu National Park, Gal Oya National Park, Maduru Oya National Park, Uda Walawe National Park, Wasgamuwa National Park, Horton Plains National Park, and Bundala National Park. For ornithologists, the sanctuaries at Kumana, Wirawila, Bundala, and Kalametiya are all worth a visit. These are all lagoon locations in Sri Lanka's extreme southeastern coast. The Giant's Tank in the northwestern corner of the island is a huge ancient irrigation reservoir of 3,800 hectares. Sri Lanka has three beautiful botanical gardens - Peradeniya at an elevation of 488 m, Hakgala at 1,680 m, and Henarathgoda in the low country. Besides these, one can also find elephant orphanages at Pinnawela and zoological gardens in Colombo.
Events and Festivals
Sri Lanka has an enormous range of Buddhist, Hindu, Christian and Muslim festivals. The Kandy Esala Perahera (July/August) is the country's most important and spectacular pageant, with 10 days of torchbearers, whip-crackers, dancers, drummers and elephants lit up like giant birthday cakes. It climaxes in great procession honoring the Sacred Tooth Relic of Kandy. Second in importance is the Duruthu Perahera (January) held in Colombo, which celebrates a visit by Buddha to Sri Lanka.
Other celebrations include the National Day, celebrated with parades, dances and national games; Sri Lankan New Year (March/April), celebrated with elephant races, coconut games and pillow fights; Vesak (May), a sacred full-moon festival commemorating the birth, death and enlightenment of Buddha; the Hindu Vel festival (July/August) in Colombo, where the ceremonial chariot of Skanda, the God of War, is hauled between two temples; and the predominantly Hindu Kataragama festival (July/August) in Kataragama, where devotees put themselves through the whole gamut of ritual masochism.
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