Sri Lanka

The beauty and allure of Sri Lanka, famed for its grace and charm since the beginnings of time, is witnessed by the many names that have been applied to the island over the centuries – ‘Pearl of the Orient’, ‘The Fairest Isle’, even ‘Serenedib’, from which we gain the word serendipity.

This ‘Tear Drop’ of an island lying off the south coast of India rejoices in an abundance of natural beauty, a very diverse landscape, rich agricultural produce, a variety of wildlife in natural parks and ancient Buddhist traditions. Despite the advance of a modern economy in recent years, the ancient Buddhist practises remain firmly in place and continue to be a strong theme throughout daily Sri Lankan life. The island boasts in all an amazing eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

From the tea plantations of the higher hills to the palm-fringed sandy beaches, Sri Lanka is a true tropical paradise. The country is home to a number of National Parks that are not only very picturesque but also rate very highly on the biodiversity scale. Elephant are aplenty and leopard are thriving here too. There is a vast array of wildlife to be found, including numerous tropical birds everywhere.

In the hills of the interior lie the bands of terraced hills where the island’s most famous export, tea, continues to grow in abundance. Lush estates, still worked by hand, sit in perfect climatic conditions, where rain and sunshine are in equal measure. The whole region is connected by a charming train service climbing from the capital Colombo, and passing the lakeside pilgrimage citadel of Kandy. The most scenic part of this journey is certainly up into the highlands of the tea growing region and is a very worthwhile experience and highly atmospheric.

Add to all this fulsome richness a charming, warm and hospitable people and Sri Lanka, Pearl of the Orient, will utterly win you over.