Tea Leaves, Leopard Prints & Palm Trees

Start your journey in the tea country with two nights at the traditional 1920s Rosyth Estate House. Here you will get to experience a 62-acre working tea and rubber plantation while taking in the views of the rolling green countryside around you. Enjoy a tour of the tea estate, trying your hand at tea plucking before heading to the tea factory where you will be shown the detailed process of tea making. You will also get to try your hand at Sri Lankan cooking, allowing you to provide a taste of Sri Lanka to friends and family when you return back home.

Head north to the largest national park in Sri Lanka, Wilpattu National Park. Known for its “Willus” - natural lakes - it is lush, green and bursting with life. Stay in a luxury tent at Noel Rodrigos Leopard Safaris, where eco-friendliness and comfort go hand in hand. Here you will have the chance to enjoy game drives both in the morning and evening, with guides that know the park like the back of their hand. You will have the opportunity to come face to face with a variety of mammals, birds and reptiles from sloth bears and leopards to crocodiles and the serpent eagle.

From wildlife to history: travel inland to astonishing Sigiriya, a large outcrop in the middle of the flat central plans, where the ancient Kingdom of Kassapa was built atop the flat summit. If you have the nerves, climb the steep staircases on the vertical walls and you will be met with breathtaking vistas of the land below, making you instantaneously forget the climb up. You will be staying just 6km away at the secluded haven that is Water Garden Sigiriya, where you can enjoy views over the fortress. 

A visit the ruins of the ancient city of Polonnaruwa will give you an insight into the past and, what used ot be, Sri Lanka's second capital. While in the cultural triangle you will also have a chance to get up close and personal with the gentle giants of Sri Lanka when you head out on an elephant safari in Minneriya National Park.

Spend your last couple of days relaxing in the best way possible, with three nights at Uga Bay on the east coast. Located on Passekudah Bay, known for its long pristine beaches, this luxury beach resort is perfect for those who want to do nothing but relax or take advantage of the sea and all it has to offer from snorkelling and diving the coral reef to jet skiing and sailing. 

Fly back west and enjoy a pre-flight stopover at The Wallawwa. An airport hotel like no other, you will be staying in a restored colonial manor that comes with its own five acres of tropical gardens. Relax with a dip in the pool, find a shaded spot to finish that holiday book or get pampered at the Z Spa, and you are guaranteed to feel refreshed and revitalised for your flight home the next day.