SRI LANKA
NIKHIL CHHIBBER Product Manager, India and Sri Lanka, Western & Oriental.
How do you sum up Sri Lanka’s unique appeal?
Sri Lanka has rich culture and heritage, amazing architecture, landscapes, tea plantations, stunning beaches and amazing wildlife, birdlife and sea life. On a recent visit, in the morning I witnessed two humpback whales and three blue whales off the coast of Mirissa, and in the afternoon saw elephant, crocodile, buffalo and some rare and migratory birds. At the end of the day we spotted a young female leopard in the bushes and an adult leopard, walking up close!
When is the best time to visit?
and honeymoons, and a range of boutique hotels. Indus Tours’ latest Sri Lanka and the Maldives brochure includes two new wildlife tours, as well as a Geoffrey Bawa-themed tour taking in architectural highlights. Sri Lanka is new for Great Rail Journeys: a 14-day Sri Lanka Temples and Teas tour is from £2,198pp.
Tourism talk “After 30 years in which even Sri Lankans were reluctant to come to Sri Lanka, we are now positioning Sri Lanka as a ‘new country’. Our eight themes are heritage, beach, festive, wild, essence, thrills, bliss and pristine. “In addition to many new hotels,
we launched a homestay scheme in 2011 and have already had 1,000 applications from families that want
Clockwise: Centara Passikudah Aqua bar and pool; Jetwing’s Vil Uyana, a leading eco-friendly resort; Tamarind Gardens Farmstay, near Kandy; Cinnamon Lodge, Habarana
to welcome tourists. Colombo has seen lots of investment, with a new emporium for handicrafts, new cafes and restaurants in the old Dutch hospital, and new city bus tours. Infrastructure developments like the international airport at Habarana and the highway between Colombo and Galle are making it much easier to get around Sri Lanka.” Madubhani Perera, Marketing Director, Sri Lanka Tourism
Where to book it COSMOS HOLIDAYS - 0871 423
8518. A week all-inclusive at Club Hotel Dolphin, Negombo is priced from £1,049pp with fl ights from Heathrow with Qatar Airways in June 2104.
cosmos.co.uk EXPLORE - 0844 499 0901
A 14-day Active Sri Lanka tour including cycling, mountain trekking, rafting, leopard safari, ancient cities, and relaxing on the beach is priced from £1,716pp including fl ights, accommodation and activities.
explore.co.uk
COX AND KINGS - 020 7873 5020
A 14-day Exclusive Sri Lanka private tour, staying in boutique hotels such as Heritance Tea Factory costs from £3,295pp including fl ights with Sri Lankan Airlines, private transfers and excursions, and accommodation with breakfast daily.
coxandkings.co.uk 2BY2HOLIDAYS – 020 7873 5020
A seven-night safari taking in Udawalwe, Yala and Galle visits two of Sri Lanka’s top wildife parks: Udawalwe for elephants and birdlife and Yala for leopards. Visitors can also expect to see water buffalo, jackals, land monitors and crocodile. The week ends in the old fortifi ed city of Galle. Prices from £895pp, excluding fl ights.
Sri Lanka is a year round destination. The east coast is best visited between May-October, a time when the west coast can be wet. New air services from Cinnamon Air or Flyme, with fl eets of amphibian aircraft that can land on water or land, are linking new destinations. For example, the unspoiled beaches on the east coast are gaining popularity and you can now can fl y to Tricomalee or Batticaloa from Colombo.
Describe a unique experience
How’s this for unique? Take a helicopter or hot air balloon ride over Sigiriya Rock, join a night safari in Yala National Park and see the Esala Perahera festival in Kandy, with its decorated elephants.
Sample package W&O’s 15-day Culture, Wildlife &
WHO FLIES THERE
srilankan.com (direct); batraveltrade. com (via Maldives); emiratesagents. com/uk (via Dubai);
qatarairways.com (via Qatar)
Beach tour starts from £2,249pp. There’s an option to add new east coast hotels or the Maldives as an extension. Prices start from £147 per night for Jungle Beach and £165 per night for Uga Bay. 020 7666 1234;
westernoriental.com
www.sellinglonghaul.com December 2013 51
Meet the Operator
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