Sri Lanka At a Glance
"The finest island of its size in all the world" Marco Polo.
Long before Marco Polo made the above statement, this beautiful country found its way into Greek, Egyptian and Indian literature, where it was known as Taprobane, Serendib or Lanka. Sri Lanka is a small teardrop shaped island in the Indian Ocean located just to the south of the Indian subcontinent. It is a multi-ethnic, multi-religious country with a diverse and rich culture with a total population of 20 million. GapGuru volunteer projects here focus on teaching English in Buddhist temple schools and child care
Sri Lanka At A Glance Sri Lanka history is incident full, being an important trade port and oasis of Nature for sea farers of China, Arabia and Europe of the ancient times. Sri Lanka has a fascinating documented history over 2500 years of Civilization.
In the early 19th century The British rule introduced democracy, modern education, legal and commercial agriculture system. Sri Lanka now is a mirror of it's own ancient and modern cultures diverse from it's cities to far villages across the tiny island.
The Sri Lanka mystique perseveres, unfurling before the senses as soon you arrive: the heavy warm air, the rich green foliage, the luxuriant swirls of the Sinhalese alphabet, the multicolored Buddhist flags, and the kaleidoscope of saris, fruits, jewellery and spices on display in the markets.
Known as the "Smiling People" though out the world, Sri Lankans enjoy a unique life style that's humble, artistic, entertaining and touching someone's heart with Sri Lanka hospitality known for centuries is not missed by gap year volunteers travelling to Sri Lanka. The intimate connection between Society and Buddhism as well as traditional forms of Art, Dance and Music are the fusion of the Sri Lanka Culture
The driest and best seasons for a gap year in Sri Lanka are from December to March on the west and south coasts and in the hill country, and from May to September on the east coast. December to March is also the time when most foreign tourists come, the majority of them escaping the European winter.
Although the current political troubles are generally isolated in certain areas of the country, we recommend all gap year travellers to refer to the useful Foreign Office website www.fco.gov.uk for the latest situation. The extreme northern and eastern coastal parts of the island are considered unsafe so we recommend very strongly against travel to these regions. On the other hand, Kandy, Hikkaduwa and the areas where our volunteer projects are located are considered very safe
With smiling people, spectacular nature views, traditional festivals, this truly is a rich land to spend time on your gap year abroad