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 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
Things to see and do
This small island of only 270 km long and 140 km wide has the most diverse activities to do on your
gap year in Sri Lanka. Each activity will be an unforgettable experience you will take home with you. The following list has suggestions made by former
gap year volunteers:
- Kandy: The second largest city in Sri Lanka has many sights to offer - botanical gardens, Temple of the Tooth, Kandy Lake and the Udawattakelle Sanctuary. Check our section on Kandy to plan your own gap year travel.
- Dambulla: The Dambulla cave temples are about 2,000 years old and contain hundreds of statues and wall paintings of Lord Buddha. It is a remarkably peaceful environment, save for the mangy monkeys chattering loudly outside the caves.
- Temples around Manikhinna: Ask Dhammalokha (the head monk at Manikhinna) to set up a trip for you to see the temples in his area. There are at least a dozen worth visiting, some are comparable to Dambulla in their history and artwork but as a gap year volunteer you will be one of the first tourists ever to see them.
- Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage: Pinnawela, about 80 km northeast of Colombo, is regarded as the biggest herd of captive elephants in the world. This is a refuge for orphaned and abandoned elephants set in a 24 acre land. A definite must do when you are on your gap year in Sri Lanka.
- Sigiriya: The ruins of a fortress built on a large mountain with spectacular views.
- Unawatuna: A great spot if you decide to go to the South coast for a weekend away from your gap year volunteer project. To get there, take the bus or train from Kandy to Colombo and then from Colombo to Unawatuna. It is a 6-hour journey, but since the tsunami we have been encouraging any willing gap year volunteers to travel to the south, even for brief trips, to support the recovering tourist industry.
Culture and Customs
Sri Lanka has a rich heritage and ancient culture and no one on a
gap year in Sri Lanka can miss the diversity of cultural heritage. Sri Lankans are artistic people who enjoy music, dance and art in everything they do. The traditional agricultural life style made people come together to help each other in work. The gatherings for work created a nice atmosphere for dance and music. The art, music and dances of Sri Lanka were derived from the elements of nature. The temple paintings and carvings used birds, elephants, wild animals, flowers and trees. The colours were all used from nature
Buddhism was introduced to Sri Lanka in the 3rd century B.C and became the core of Sri Lankan culture ever since. In many ways Sri Lankan art is an inspiration of this long Buddhist tradition which in turn absorbed and adopted countless regional and local tradition for thousand of years, evolving to be a unique variant of Sri Lankan arts. Unsurprising, most of Sri Lankan arts originated religious beliefs, represented in many artistic forms such as painting, sculpture, architecture, and so on.
Sri Lankan artistic style varied from kingdom to kingdom along its historic lines, each of which has successively added some characteristic elements, becoming the completely priceless inheritance you will be able to now see during your
gap year travel to Sri Lanka..
The Music is of several kinds. The folk music is created with only a few instruments. The folk songs and poems were used in social gatherings to work together. The Indian influenced classical music has grown to be unique. The traditional drama, music and songs are typically Sri Lankan.
Rice and curry are the staple main course food of Sri Lanka, but the term 'curry' conceals an enormous variety of subtle flavors. Coriander, chilies, mustard, cumin, pepper, cinnamon and garlic are just some of the common ingredients which add flavour to both sea food and meat curries. Fresh sea food - crab, lobster and prawn, as well as fish - is excellent, and meat is cheap. Rice forms the basis of many Sri Lankan sweet dishes, palm treacle being used as the main traditional sweetener. This is also served on yoghurt as a delicious dessert. The experience of living with a Sri Lankan family in a homestay provides
gap year volunteers the opportunity to experience traditional and home cooked Sri Lankan delicacies.
As food that is common in Europe is less readily available generally of much lower quality in Sri Lanka, eg: breakfast cereals, bread, cheese and chocolates, a
gap year in Sri Lanka is an ideal opportunity experience the local cusines.
Sri Lankan festivals are the best way to experience all that this country has to offer. The most popular one being Kany Esala Perahera which is held in July/August. It is a spectacular pageant with 10 days of torch bearers, whip crackers, dancers, drummers and elephants. It ends in a grand procession honoring the sacred Tooth Relic of Kandy.
While you volunteer, travel, on your
gap year in Sri Lanka, you will meet local people, the one phrase that you will hear commonly is "Ayubowan" meaning "May you be blessed with a long life" or "May all beings on earth have long life".