Colombo is a relatively easy city to find your way around. To the north is the Fort district, the country's business centre, which has department stores, book shops, airline offices and is the site of the Central Bank which the Tamil Tigers blew up in January 1996. There are also ample sights such as the clock tower, a former lighthouse, the president's residence (known by incorrigible traditionalists as Queen's House), and a cluster of colonial buildings which lend the district an aura of bygone Empire.

Immediately south of here is Galle Face Green, a seafront expanse of occasional green graced by cricket games, kite flyers and trysting lovers. Cinammon Gardens, further south, is Colombo's most fashionable neighbourhood, with elegant mansions, tree-lined streets and the city's largest park. East of the fort is the pungent Pettah bazaar district. Walk through and marvel at the riot of goods - fruit, vegetables, meat, gems, gold, silver, brass and tin junk.

Culture buffs shouldn't miss the National Museum, which has a good collection of historical works, the Art Gallery, which focuses on portraiture and temporary exhibits by local artists, and the city's many mosques and Buddhist and Hindu temples. After familiarising yourself with Sri Lankan culture, check out the island's fauna at the Dehiwala Zoo. The highlight here is an afternoon elephant show. The closest real beach is at Mt Lavinia, a faded resort 10km south of the city. Budget accommodation, cheap food and the best shopping can be found in the Fort and Pettah districts.

You will never be short of something to do in Sri Lanka - wherever you are based on your project you will be able to reach some of the most incredible beaches, cultural sites including ancient temples and cities, aromatic tea plantations and exhilarating waterfalls in the rolling hill country. The famous Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage is also a "must-see" on this paradise island.

Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage is a sanctuary for rescued, injured or abused elephants and attracts visitors from all over the world to view these magnificent animals. Around 70 elephants have found homes at Pinnawala, including some small babies who have been born into the herd.

Visitors are permitted to walk around the orphanage grounds and watch some of the elephants being fed. At 10am and 2pm the elephants are taken to the river for 2 hours where they wash and play in the water.

These incredibly gentle animals are fascinating to watch, and the surrounding palm trees provide a dramatic backdrop to this daily ritual. 

In Sri Lanka, every sight, sound and smell will engulf you with new experiences.

If you're travelling by train, smiling children will wave at you from shanty towns lining the outskirts of Colombo, but these soon give way to views across paddy fields where buffalo and cows can be seen grazing. As your journey continues the train tracks begin to run parallel to the beach and you will be left mesmerised by the incredible sights in this friendly country.