MEMORIES OF CEYLON

Vintage Sri Lanka in Serious Style

Southern & Southwest Coast, Sri Lanka's Hill Country

Duration: 12 nights

Price: From $4,900 per person in low season based on two adults travelling together and including accommodation on a bed and breakfast basis, all internal flights, private transfers, experiences as stated and taxes

With a storied past that has seen every type of colonisation from the Persians to the English, Sri Lanka is overflowing with ramparts that echo a history spanning empires. With tea and cinnamon tours taken by local planters in the heart of the tea country, rare stories told by renowned photographers in Kandy and a walk around Galle Fort with a knowledge archaeologist, you’ll experience a Sri Lanka long since passed but not quite forgotten on this 12-night adventure through vintage Ceylon.
Perfect forHistory buffs and those who love their afternoon tea.
In the knowWhen in Galle, consider joining a degustation dinner party, where you can feast on seven courses of locally-inspired dishes, paired with cocktails and good company.

Best for

  • Couples
  • Cultural Immersion
  • History & Heritage
  • Beach

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Itinerary details

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3 nightsKANDY

Arriving into Colombo, you’ll take a seaplane to Kandy to start unravelling Sri Lanka’s fascinating history. Beginning in the living breathing cultural heart of the country, you’ll find that Kandy is full of the friendliest of locals and overpowered by a swirl of sensory treats. Staying at the colonial-era hotel, Kandy House, you’ll be welcomed into this vibrant yet gentle city, and capture exotic photos amongst the ornamented elephants, colourfully-cloaked monks, antiques markets, and women carrying parasols.

During your three nights here, you’ll be taken on a private tour around the headily-scented botanical gardens with a botanist, explore the sacred Buddhist Temple of the Tooth, have lunch with a local tea planter who’ll entertain you with stories of the past, and spend an afternoon with a renowned photographer to look at and learn how to take incredible snapshots of Kandy’s history.
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2 nightsHATTON

Having explored sultry and bustling Kandy, the lush tea country up in the hills is the perfect refresher: reached by a luxury steam train which winds its way past the undulating tea plantations, vast reservoirs, and colourfully dressed tea pickers. Your journey will have already made you feel as though you’ve stepped back in time, and the nostalgic experience continues at the Ceylon Tea Trails colonial bungalows. Here you’ll stay two nights in one of the beautiful bungalows, which are dotted around Castlereagh Lake, and harp back to a gentler age as you’re treated to the service of your own personal butler.  

During your stay here, you’ll be taken on a tea factory tour, which starts with a walk through the plantation, observing the crop being harvested, before learning about how tea is cultivated and examining the incredible machines that wither, roll and dry the tea. You can then spend a leisurely day cycling or walking the tea trails by yourself, with a sumptuous picnic lunch on the way, followed by traditional afternoon tea and sunset G&Ts back at your luxury bungalow.
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3 nightsKOGGALA LAKE

From Hatton, you’ll then take a seaplane flight to your next hotel, the Kahanda Kanda, which overlooks the calm and beautiful waters of Koggala Lake. Set on top of a hill in the middle of its own low-lying tea plantation, this boutique hotel is ideal for a few days of relaxation, where you can unwind in the dining pavilion and bar, by the infinity-edged pool or on your private veranda, fragranced by the aromatic gardenia bushes and frangipani trees.

You’ll be taken on a Story of Cinnamon tour, to witness just how important this spice is to Sri Lanka. A local cinnamon planter will take you to a vast plantation and walk you through the process of how cinnamon is created, before you tuck into a cinnamon-inspired four-course lunch. 
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3 nightsGALLE

For the finale of your Sri Lankan vacation, you’ll make the short journey to the Dutch colonial peninsula of Galle, and have a truly unique experience at the historic Amangalla retreat. Sitting proudly within the ramparts of Galle’s 17th-century fort, Amangalla is a graceful hotel that’s filled with antiques, murmurs with history, and evokes a refined era akin to the days of the Raj. 

Accompanied by a local researcher and building archaeologist, you’ll learn about the area’s past as you stroll around Galle Fort. Amble along the winding streets amongst brightly-painted bullock carts, spice warehouses and craft markets, or simply sit back with a glass of arrack - a traditional local drink - and watch the locals play cricket in the afternoon.
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Best time to go

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Good time to travel (but some limitations)

Travel is possible (but it’s not the best time)

Travel is not recommended

  • Jan
  • Feb
  • Mar
  • Apr
  • May
  • Jun
  • Jul
  • Aug
  • Sep
  • Oct
  • Nov
  • Dec
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