SRI LANKA
KINGSLY KNEW HOW TO TAKE THE BIRD BY JENNY POTTER I didn’t have high expectations for my morning bird walk. Hotel Sigiriya’s resident naturalist was on a day off, so Kingsly the bar man had to step in, and we only had time to do the very shortest walk. But I was wrong to underestimate Kingsly’s knowledge, and what we might see so close to the hotel. As soon as we left the hotel gates, we spotted little barbets and bulbuls perched in the bushes and on telephone wires above. We walked alongside a lotus-
filled lake, across which the majestic Sigiriya rock was in full view. Through Kingsly’s telescope, I saw a Purple swamphen and Purple sunbird hidden in the foliage of the lake, with egrets and shikras flying in to say good morning. I saw three of Sri Lanka’s four species of kingfisher: the one common to the UK plus the white-throated and stork-billed variety. Next came bee-eaters, woodpeckers, doves, parakeets and robins – an incredible 23 different species in only an hour, and many of them close- up enough for me to take decent photographs. Hotel Sigiriya describes itself as a ‘bird-friendly’ hotel and is particularly popular with twitchers. The 79-room, single- storey hotel is eco-conscious, and has taken part in the recent Greening Sri Lanka Hotels project. It was closed for a three-month renovation this summer and guest rooms now sport fresh soft furnishings.
“Clients interested in learning about life in a rural village can spend a few days at Tamarind Gardens (featured by The Adventure Company), a farmstay near Kandy. Guests help provide employment and income for local villagers” JENNY POTTER, JOURNALIST
them all under the Cinnamon brand. Serendib Leisure has renovated
Hotel Sigiriya and Club Hotel Dolphin. Serendib tied up with Minor Hotels International to bring the Avani brand to Sri Lanka: Avani Bentota opened in 2011 and Avani Kalutara last year. This partnership will also see Sri Lanka gain two Anantara hotels by 2015. Uga Escapes is a new Sri Lankan
Clockwise: A Ceylon magpie; Elephants at Minneriya National Wildlife Park; Avukana Buddha statue; Jasmine is one of Sri Lanka’s native fl owers; looking for birdlife on a Hotel Sigiriya excursion
hotel brand. The Uga group started out with Ulagalla, a 20-chalet, luxury eco-resort near Arandapura that opened in 2010. The group has now added the larger Jungle Beach in Kuchchaveli and Uga Bay in Passikudah, both on the east coast. Anilana is another Sri Lankan
company, and its fi rst boutique hotel opened in Passikudah earlier this year. Four others are in the pipeline. The Beach House Collection will open a sister property to its Maldives hotel in Passikudah early next year. Passikudah has been designated as a major tourism development zone, and will comprise 14 hotels by 2015.
50 December 2013
www.sellinglonghaul.com
The four-star Centara Passikudah Resort & Spa opened this year, and Centara Ceysands in Bentota is to have a soft-launch in January. Operators: Cosmos, Premier Holidays and Western & Oriental have all introduced Sri Lanka’s east coast in their latest programmes. W&O has new experiences such as helicopter and hot air balloon rides over Sigiriya rock fortress. Cosmos Tours & Cruises is one
of the few operators to feature the far north of the island. Its new 13- day Sri Lanka’s Northern Explorer includes the historic centre of Jaffna, Mihintale and Trincomalee as well as the Cultural Triangle. Kuoni has launched a standalone
Sri Lanka and India brochure, with Sri Lanka currently the operator’s third best-selling destination. Kandy is new to the programme. Luxury specialist Exsus is
now selling Sri Lanka, with a programme of tailor-made tours
NATURE ODYSSEY
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