DESTINATIONS SRI LANKA INDIAN OCEAN Other low tea country options are
Madulkelle Tea and Eco Lodge and boutique Stone House hotel. From here, it’s easy to visit the Unesco-listed city of Kandy, the start of the Cultural Triangle, with its Botanical Gardens, Temple of the Tooth and summertime Kandy Esala Perahera festival with processions of elephants, drummers and dancers. Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage and Millennium Elephant Foundation are also popular, although subject to some debate from a wildlife tourism perspective so it’s worth giving clients all the information and letting them decide for themselves.
w CULTURAL TRIANGLE: INNER PEACE The Cultural Triangle takes full shape north of here, home to five Unesco World Heritage Sites: Dambulla’s cave temples, the ancient capitals of Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa and Kandy, and rock fortress Sigiriya. Most visitors head to either
Anuradhapura or Polonnaruwa, where guided cycling tours are a particularly good way to enjoy the sights. In the monastic city of Anuradhapura, look out for huge dome-shaped dagobas and the peaceful Abhayagiriya
Leave time to barter with locals at roadside stalls, stop for tea, or feast on patties and samosas at ‘short eat’ shops
monastery, and in Polonnaruwa, the preserved ruins and bathing ponds are particularly evocative. At Dambulla, the stairways and
panoramic views culminate in some impressive Buddhist cave temples, but the big ticket is Sigiriya for its palace, frescoes and water gardens, and those who reach its summit are especially well rewarded. Summer visitors often add Minneriya
National Park too, where ‘The Gathering’ sees elephant herds flock to its reservoirs in huge numbers. Accommodation in the Cultural
Triangle includes the excellent-value Hotel Sigiriya, Aliya Resort & Spa and the picturesque Jetwing Vil Uyuna. Particularly noteworthy is Uga Escapes’ Ulagalla, a boutique property centred
around a 150-year-old mansion house, with luxury villas, paddy fields, its own solar farm and vegetable garden.
w EAST: ON THE UP The Cultural Triangle connects well to the east coast. This arid region had its heyday in the 1970s and 1980s, but the hotels of Passikudah and Kalkudah were abandoned and blown up during the civil war, and it was further traumatised by the tsunami, which rushed inland along its flat terrain. Now it’s on the map again. Colourful fishing boats gather at one end and sunseekers have returned to properties such as Uga Escapes’ luxury Uga Bay and Amaya Beach Resort. Other hotspots include Uga Escapes’ Jungle Beach resort near Trincomalee, surfing paradise Arugam Bay, Batticaloa town and Gal Oya National Park. As compact as Sri Lanka is,
discourage clients from a pack-it-all-in approach. Fuelled by a fear of missing out, this results in one-night stays and long drives, leaving no time to barter with friendly locals at roadside handicraft stalls, stop for tea, or feast on patties and samosas at ‘short eat’ shops. In this beguiling island nation, the journey becomes part of the holiday.
SAMPLE PRODUCT
The Travel Gallery offers a 14-night tour from £2,020 in
June, staying B&B at Ulagalla in the Cultural Triangle; Jungle Beach, Uga Bay and Gal Oya Lodge on the east coast; and half- board at Estate House at Rosyth.
Activities include a jeep safari, Sigiriya visit, walk with a local Veddah chief, Anuradhapura cycling tour, cooking class and tea factory visit.
A 14-night trip with The Travel Gallery in
November with stays at several luxury properties including Bethany 101
LEFT: Polonnaruwa BELOW: Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage
near Puttalam, Madukele near Kandy, Stafford Bungalow near Nuwara Eliya,
Grand Udawalawe Safari Resort, and Amangalla in Galle, starts at £2,875.
Excursions include whale watching, jeep safaris, trips to Sigiriya and Dambulla. Both include flights and a driver-guide. travel-gallery.
co.uk
62
travelweekly.co.uk 25 February 2016
PICTURES: SRI LANKA TOURISM
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76
