Sri Lanka is likened to a tear drop falling from the South East coast of India. From North to South it stretches 433km and is 244km wide, comparable to Ireland or Tasmania.
The central hill country rises a little South of centre and is surrounded by a coastal plain. The flat dry Northern plain extends up to the tip and ends in an archipelago of low, flat islands.
Adam’s Peak at 2243m is spectacular and offers outstanding sunsets, but Pidurutalagala (2524m) near Nuwara Eliya is the highest point.
Capital: Colombo. Population of 1.2 million and the political, economic, social and cultural centre.
Climate
Tropical with distinct dry and wet seasons in different regions. Humidity is not as intense as Hong Kong / Singapore. There is always a sunny day somewhere so don’t be swayed by the large tour operators who promote November to March only. Colombo and low-lying coastal regions have a temperature of 25-29ºC all year round with humidity of 80%. In the hill country the temperature drops- Kandy averages 20ºC Nuwara Eliya 16ºC, with coolish nights. The sea maintains a constant 27ºC all year.
There are two monsoons:
From May to June and October to mid November in the South West/South and from December to January in the North/East and South East.
There are magnificent, but rapid sunsets and virtually no twilight.