Sri Lanka is a tropical island situated in the Indian Ocean. The country’s coast is known for its tropical palm fringed beaches, coral reefs and whale watching. Towards the centre of the island ancient ruins take pride of place and depict a long and illustrious history. The hill country is the source of Sri Lanka’s finest tea, a commodity that’s reputation is internationally acclaimed. Several national parks spread around the country are known for their abundance of wildlife, a number of species found here are endemic to Sri Lanka. Though English is commonly spoken in Colombo, it is less common in rural parts of the country, making the use of public transport a challenge for tourists. An easy solution is car hire; Sri Lanka has several companies that provide this service.
Dehiwala is the largest suburb of Sri Lanka’s capital, Colombo and home of the country’s national zoo. The Dehiwala Zoological Gardens are an eleven kilometre drive from the heart of Colombo. Online Rent Car allows you the option of hiring a car to drive yourself or should you require a driver, one will be provided. The Dehiwala Zoo was founded in 1936 and is one of the oldest existing zoos in Asia. The premises spans an area of twenty four hectares and holdsover three hundred mammals, birds and reptiles. A variety of species brought from across the world are on display, including white tigers from China.
The premises includes an aviary, a reptile house, an aquarium, a display of nocturnal creatures, a butterfly house and a large lake in the centre of the zoo. An elephant show is performed daily which continues to thrill crowds, both young and old by its sheer pageantry. One visiting the city of Colombo should definitely make time to call by these gardens to get a glimpse of Sri Lanka’s most treasured species.
Uditha Dharmawardhane is a travel writer who writes under the pen name Roland Lefevre. He specializes in creating features on leisure as well as business travel destinations across the globe.