Sri Lanka is exotic. A tour around the country is a thrilling affair with intriguing places, incidents and people that probably would leave your mouth opened. Read through to go on a journey across the island and explore 7 Intriguing Things in Sri Lanka -unlike anything you have seen before.

When you walk around the famous Fort in Galle, you would definitely come across a bunch of guys with bouncy curly hair in beach shorts whose way of making a living is rather unconventional. They take a daring leap from the ramparts spread-eagle into the air and plummet head first down! It is a 35ft drop into the rocky waters. Watch with bated breath as they give you a hair rising thrill.

Wild horses can be seen in Delft, which is the largest islet off the Jaffna peninsula in the North. The horses are believed to be a legacy left behind by the Portuguese. It is said that they were used for transport by the Dutch and the British as well. Visit Delft to see them roam free.

Photo Credits : Sunday Times 

Hundreds of Asian elephants gather near the Minneriya reservoir during the dry season, which is called “The Great Gathering”. This is also the biggest congregation of Asian elephants in the world. The reservoir turns into a giant bathtub where the jumbos frolic, fight and splash water. They feast on the greens and roam the land freely. Their trumpeting calls might make your heart beat fast.

Catch a glimpse of the spectacular natural phenomenon of a blowhole in Dickwella where water shoots up as high as three coconut palms. The blowhole comes to life during the stormy weather. When the sea water blows through the natural rock chimney, it is a remarkable display of cascading water that spews high into the air.

Ringed by verdant mountains, bordering the Piduruthalagala Forest Reserve, lies Mandaram Nuwara, a little hamlet that has never seen the very first rays of the sun nor the last rays due to its mountain locked position. The village is serene and otherworldly. Spend a day chasing its waterfalls, or simply get lost in its secret paths flagged by looming trees.

Photo Credits : Amaya Resorts & Spas

A silvery snake comes out of a flat wicker basket and starts swaying and moving with coiling movements as a man plays a flute. The man would next grab holds of the snake and put it back in the basket as if it was just a rope. These men are a native tribe in the island, often called as ‘Ahiguntika’ or gypsies. As they say, they have taken off some of the poison fangs of the snakes to make them less venomous.

Of all the memorable sights the island has to offer, none is perhaps quite so fascinating as the rock fortress of Sigiriya. It features some of the greatest feats of architecture and construction engineering apart from converting the fortress in the sky to a veritable treasure trove of art. The water gardens on top of the rock are a series of ponds with stunning fountains and water system that during the monsoon functions perfectly even today.