Sri Lanka, an island in the Indian Ocean is located to the south of the Indian subcontinent. It lies between 5^o 55' and 9^o 55' north of the equator and between the eastern longitudes 79^o 42' and 81^o 52'. The total land area is 65,610 sq. km. Sri Lanka's capital Colombo, is a fascinating city, not only for its comfortable blend of the east and west, but also for its cosy mixture of the past and the present.

Sri Lanka is mainly an agricultural country. The chief crop is rice with which the country is almost self sufficient. tea, rubber and coconut are also important agricultural crops, with tea being a major foreign exchange earner. In addition, other crops of importance are cocoa and spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, pepper and cloves. Fruits and vegetables, native to both tropical and temperate regions, grow well in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka is also a major exporter of precious and semi-precious stones.

With a length of 445 km and breadth of 225 km, Sri Lanka encompasses beautiful tropical beaches, verdant vegetation, ancient monuments and a thousand delights to please all taste buds. The relief features of the island consist of a mountainous mass somewhat south of the centre, with height exceeding 2,500 metres, surrounded by broad plains. Palm fringed beaches surround the island and the temperature of the coast rarely falls below 27^o C

Although Sri Lanka is situated close to the equator, and though it is surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the center of the Island is a high mountainous area. It receives sufficient rainfall and the temperature through out the country does not exceed 40^o C. which is bearable to the people. Generally the temperature in Colombo is between 25^o C to 30^o C. The lowest temperature is normally recorded in Nuwara Eliya where it is 14^o C maximum and 8^o C minimum.

Sri Lanka is the best destination as there is always a sunny day somewhere. There is nothing called season or off season. The sea temperature is always around 26º C through out the year. Sri Lanka receives her rainfall mainly from two monsoons:

01. Southwest Monsoon (May to November)
02. Northeast Monsoon (November to February)

Southwest Monsoon brings rain from May to mid November. During this period the regions in the West and Southwest gets rain. Northeast monsoon visits from November to February. Apart from this depression in the bay of Bengal and cyclones bring conventional rain clouds causing torrential rains and sudden floods to some regions quite often.

Travour offers you an insight into the vibrant culture of Sri Lanka and online culture tour booking to the various tourist destinations in Sri Lanka. Customs and rituals form an inseparable part of the culture of Sri Lanka have been part and parcel of the Lankan society from the ancient times. The Buddhists, Hindus, Christians and Muslims of Sri Lanka and their myriad religious beliefs and customs are an inseparable part of the fascinating Sri Lankan culture collage.

Most of these customs, faiths and beliefs have been handed down over the generations and still form an integral part of the everyday social and religious life of the people of Sri Lanka. Witness the bewitching Pirit Chanting ceremony of the Sri Lankan Buddhists and learn more about the Katina Ceremony that is an important part of the Buddhist culture in Sri Lanka.

Find out more about the Poya Days that are specially observed by the Buddhists and that forms an important part of Sri Lanka culture. Enjoy the Yakun Natima dance performance during your Sri Lanka culture travel with Sri Lanka and witness a unique form of devil dance ritual whose history can be traced back to the pre-Buddhist era. Watch cultural folk dance drama performances such as the Nadagam, Sokari and Kolam that are important components of the Sri Lanka culture.

Other celebrations include National Day (February), which is celebrated with parades, dances and national games; 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 a whole gamut of ritual masochism.

Within the last few years remittances from Sri Lankans employed abroad have contributed a large share towards foreign exchange. The last three decades have seen tourism emerge as an important industry. There has also been a rapid growth in manufacturing industries which offer a wide range of export goods such as petroleum products, leather goods, ready made garments and electronic equipment.

The Sri Lankan currency is the rupee and has an approximate exchange rate of £1=228.72 rupees and $1 = 113.51 rupees (current as at September 2007). Rupees can't be purchased outside of Sri Lanka , but Colombo airport has many bank branches where you can change money. National banking hours are from 0900 to 1500 hrs on weekdays. Cash and traveler's cheques can be exchanged at most banks. Dollars are the preferred currency. ATMs are fairly wide spread across the island especially in tourist areas and international credit cards are widely accepted by shops and major hotels.

Modesty is important in all situations. Nudity and topless bathing are prohibited and can incur hefty fines. Use your right hand for giving, taking, shaking hands and eating as the left hand is considered unclean. Blowing your nose in public is considered rude, but spitting is not and so visitors should not take offence to this.

When visiting religious buildings, both men and women must ensure that their shoulders and knees are fully covered. Shoes should be left at the entrance and the head should be uncovered. Do not attempt to touch or take photos with Buddhist monks, or next to Buddhist statues. Donations should be put in the temple offering boxes and not given to the monks as they are not allowed to touch money.