Horizon voyages describes why this island is called pendant of the Indian Ocean… because this little island, a pendant, that nestle gently on the swelling blossom of the Indian Ocean. Caressed by warm water, 1250 kilomitres of golden sand ring the island. Within these sand is green, lush green, firtile land sculptured, toward the centre, into soaring mountains. An emerald, fringed by filigreed gold and set in aquamarine – truly a jeweled pendant.

Once Tennent wrote; Set 800 kilomitres away from the equator, this little island of 65,000 square kilometres is only 435 kilometres long and 225 kilomitres across at its widest. Pearl shaped, it is island of sunshine and rain; of marsh and mountains; of dunes and mangrove swamps; of bays and beaches; of spices and gems; of rivers, lakes and streams; of peacocks and majestic elephants and a warm friendly people. A delightful island that has been described as well as by the classic Greeks, as by those of the Lower Empire; by the Romans; by the writers of China, Burma, India, and Kashmir; by the geographers of Arabia and Persia; by the mediaeval voyagers of Italy and France; by the annalist of Portugal, and Spain; by the merchant adventurers of Holland and the travelers and topographers of Great Britain………

Island’s geography…..

From the beaches this land rises, gently at first and then steeply to form the south of central hill massif the cool up country reaching up to 2500 metres, this is actually ragged beautiful landscape. Hundred and fifty years ago British planters' coffee plantations were there, subsequently coffee was replaced by nice tea plantations, today for a visitor these tea gardens with surrounding water falls give unbelievable experience of its scenic beauty, a visitor who goes through this famous tea route either by train or in a vehicle can definitely feel that he or she is in his or her dreamy land.
To the north the hills step down lower and lower till Dambulla where the geographically centre of the island situated, thereafter a visitor can see the difference between the wet zone and dry zone, though the dry zone looks dry today, it was flourishing during the Sri Lankan kings' period, beautiful lakes and most of the ruined cities are found in this zone and this zone is declared as “cultural triangle” of the island, if traveler continues further down toward Wanni, he can see another vegetation especially with plains with wilderness, flat, gently undulating, occasionally outcropped land that stretches north words, tapering gradually, until it reaches the beaches of Point Pedro in the peninsula of Jaffana.

To the east mountains descend through another pattern and vegetation also give different contrast in traveler’s mind, Sri lanka’s longest river “Mahaweli” fertilizes most of the flora and east cost wildlife up to Trincomalee and to the south and west the hills descend more abruptly through tea, rubber, coconut and paddy fields to the coast.