Peradeniya is a town of about 50,000 inhabitants on the outskirts of Kandy in Sri Lanka. It is situated on the A1 main road connecting Kandy and Colombo, just a few kilometres west of Kandy.

Peradeniya is famous for the Royal Botanical Garden of Peradeniya, which is considered to be one of the most beautiful botanical gardens in Asia. It is situated in a slope of the Mahaweli river and attracts many visitors from Sri Lanka as well as from abroad.

There is a signboard at the entrance, with a map, feature a numbered circuit from 1-30. The corresponding numbers are placed at strategic points on the route, black on a yellow background. 60 ha (150 acres) gardens, where you can easily stroll around a whole day, are stuffed with a bewildering variety of local & foreign tree & plant species. There are around ten thousand plants & trees inclusive of 4000 labelled species. One of the most interesting sites here is bizarre-looking snake creeper, whose tangles area roots look just like a writhing knot of vipers.

Another key attribute of this city is the University of Peradeniya which is the second oldest University in Sri Lanka and also the largest in the country with more than 8,000 students. Its buildings are of mixed colonial and Indian style amongst the lush vegetation of the Sri Lankan hill country.

UDAWALAWA

Asian elephant is a globally threatened species (IUCN, 1996). The subspecies of the Asian elephant in Sri Lanka is endemic to the island and exits with a population of approx 4000.The largest and the darkest of the three subspecies distributed in Asia, the subspecies (Elephas maximus maximus) is a victim of habitat fragmentation and loss as its’ two counterparts in India and Indo-china.

Death of an adult females- resulting orphansThe increase of human population during the past century is rapid in Asia and the population in Sri Lanka has increase nearly five times. The large scale irrigational and agricultural projects have fragmented the former habitat of elephants resulting elephant mortality and decrease of population. Fragmentation of elephant habitat and pocking of elephants to smaller areas lead to the establishment of wildlife protected areas and sanctuaries, which are managed by the department of wildlife conservation (DWC) in Sri Lanka.
Despite the mitigation measures to control human elephant conflict considerable numbers ofelephant calves were recovered as orphans. Most of these wild orphans (68.5%) are from the north-central province of the country. The DWLC pioneered a research project in 1995 at Udawalawe, to rehabilitate and supplement wild elephant orphans back to wild. With the initial release.

Udawalawa Elephant Heardof four elephant calves to the Udawalawa National Park in 1998, it was apparent that the released calves reintegrate in to wild herds successfully. Afterwards there were four releases in year 2000, 2002, 2003 and 2004 respectively to Udawalawe National Park.

In order to minimize this expense DWLC called for public support through the foster-parent scheme and Help wild elephant orphans program.
Your generous donations to conserve the orphaned calves and to the conservation of wild elephants in Sri Lanka is highly appreciated. Your generous donations should be credited to the wildlife preservation fund of Sri Lanka.

HIKKADUWA

The beautiful world lies beneath the waves, and Sri Lanka offers a wide variety of experiences and vistas for photographers.

Hikkaduwa reefs support five species of angel-fish and twelve species of butterfly-fish. These fish feed on coral tentacles and coral polyps. Statistics from the Hikkaduwa Marine Sanctuary have revealed that 18.2% of the lagoon area have live hard coral cover, 8.19% of coral rubble and 28.9% of dead corals.In this area, traditional fishing types such as angling and the use of cast nets are prevalent.

Hikkaduwa, a popular tourist destination in the GalleDistric t is renowned for it’s beach and the corals. The Coral Garden here is considered to be the best out of all such coral gardens found in Asia. There is a reef of lime stones running parallel to the coast. The corals are in between this line of lime stones and the coast. The sea up to about 200 m from the coast is very shallow. The reef of lime stones protects the corals from high tide. The coral type found mostly here is the type locally called ‘Gampara’. These corals are found in various forms , shapes and colours. They are a very fascinating sight especially when there is bright sunlight which gives a very clearer view of the corals. You see some corals in the shape of a cabbage leaf; some are like a lady’s fan. Since there is no silt, corals can grow in their natural form and colour.

The beach of Hikkaduwa is situated 98 km from Colombo towards the south of Sri Lanka. This fun coastal town 14 kms from Galle was the first (1960's) of Sri Lanka's beautiful beaches to be discovered by tourists. Snorkeling and diving in the clear waters are the major past-time along this stretch and is the most environmentally friendly way to see the colorful fish that dart around. The coral sanctuary found on the coast of Hikkaduwa is a large shallow body of water enclosed by a reef, decorated with layers of multi colored corals, witch is home to countless number of colorful fish. Off the beach there is a collection of tine islets surrounded by beautiful coral formations. Many species of fish and large turtles are found here.There are more than four different shipwrecks for diving enthusiasts to explore along with dive shops offering PADI courses and equipment. Plenty of beachfront accommodation and a reputation as the second best surf spot in Sri Lanka by the international board-riding set, and the reason so many visit Hikkaduwa is blatantly clear.The resort area has now engulfed two or three villages south of it, and is now a 4km strip of hotels, shops, bars, restaurants and guesthouses. The beaches are nice and wide and swimming is safe here, though the currents are stronger south of Hikkaduwa proper. The impressive coral reef runs just offshore and is still populated by exotic fish and sea turtles. Glass bottomed boats are available for visitors wanting to admire the wonders of the deep while keeping their feet dry!After a shot distance southwards from the center of the reef, it diminishes given rise to a wider sandy bottomed beach with good waves ideal for board surfing and body surfing. You can always rent the necessary equipment needed for snorkeling and surfing. Hikkaduwa is an established tourist destination and the surfing there is quite well known. You won't see the Indonesian style overcrowding here though. The reef is coral so a first aid kit and booties are handy. Localism is usually not a problem though we have seen some tourists get some hassle. Respect them and they leave you alone pretty much. There are many shops selling Masks, Gems, Jewellery, Batik, Antiques and etc. along with several Buddhist temples, all which add spice to life at Hikkaduwa.

Sinharaja (11,250 ha), is the jewel of the last remaining virgin rainforest crown in country is located in the wet zone of the country. the primeval Sinharaja covers 8900 hectares of breathtakingly beautiful, continuous forest. Beautiful Streams, springs, rivers, waterfalls, leopard, monkeys, butterflies and moths, rare trees, valuable shrubs and medicinal herbs are all found within its green canopy.

Atrek along the sinharaja paths would provide nature entusiast a never to be forgotten experience of sights and sounds and feelings.Due to its high bio-diversity and ecological importance, it has been declared as a National Heritage Wilderness Area and it is the only natural World Heritage Site (declared by UNESCO) in the country. Sinharaja is one of the few virgin forests left in the world, The forest has series of mountains and ridges rising abruptly from 90m to 1170m above mean sea level. Situated in Ratnapura, Galle and Matara districts in the interior wet zone of the south west of the island.

The Sinharaja falls within a rainfall range of 3,000 to 6,000 millimeters and even diest season records a surprisingly considerable amount of rain fall.Small streams found within the forest contain crystal-clear cool water and one can clearly see the fish, toads and crabs swimming in it. Another characteristic feature of Sinharaja is the mixed species flock formation of its birds. Number of species in the flock can be go up to about 40 species. If you are lucky enough you can experience the tropical monsoon inside the forest, which will be an unforgettable experience.