There’s never been a better time for a luxury holiday, family adventure, or honeymoon in Sri Lanka: a captivating book of fairytales with beautiful beaches, fascinating history, warm people, and some of the most varied wildlife in the world. What’s more, Sri Lanka is now even easier to get around, which – combined with the new collection of boutique hotels, and unspoilt regions recently opened up to tourism – allows you to enjoy so much more than just a beach escape.
Classic Sri Lanka holidays will often start in the fascinating Cultural Triangle: real explorer territory that’s home to five UNESCO heritage sites including the staggering rock citadel of Sigiriya and the enchanting Dambulla cave complex.
Next you’ll want to experience Sri Lanka at its most colourful in the vibrant yet gentle city of Kandy, where ornamented elephants star in the world’s largest festival, and a kaleidoscope of colourfully robed monks gravitate towards the Buddhist Temple of the Tooth.
Finally, for a snapshot of Sri Lanka’s colonial past, and to learn the role that tea and spices played in its history, head to the Dutch colonial peninsula of Galle where you can take sunset walks through the ramparts of the 17th-century fort, or head up into the lush tea plantations where you can live as the original tea planters did in the exquisite Ceylon Tea Trails.
