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Sri Lanka’s sustainable ethos comes from a deep appreciation for nature and wildlife, finds Beverley Watts


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DESTINATIONS SRI LANKA | SUSTAINABLE TRAVEL E


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efore breakfast, my Sri Lankan travel companions, Chitral and Nandana, drink a glass of warm water ‘for detoxification’. Instead of tea or coffee, this Ayurvedic


practice known as usha pana chikitsa is crucial to their wellbeing routine. Ayurveda and Buddhism are deeply intertwined throughout this island nation, supporting physical and mental balance. “Warmed water is important to promote digestion,” says Chitral


Sirirathne, management assistant at the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, before he drains a large glass. I stick to tea – lots of it. Although Ayurvedic medicine favours


non-caffeinated brews, Sri Lanka has been exporting world-class Ceylon tea since 1867. The Amba Estate in the Uva Highlands is an organic farm and guesthouse surrounded by forests and tea fields, offering tastings and a daily tour. Tea is rich in polyphenols – particularly antioxidant catechins – and I learn about the camellia


sinensis plant while surrounded by this stunning landscape. It’s a revealing stop on my journey through Sri Lanka’s western and southern coastal plains and into the central highlands.


DESIGN IN MIND I’d started my journey in the capital, Colombo, where the 19th-century Gangaramaya Temple complex, with its museum and library, is a fascinating introduction to Buddha’s teachings about living in harmony with nature. Sri Lanka’s renowned architect Geoffrey Bawa planned the meditation temple of Seema Malaka inside this shrine. The late visionary designer incorporated natural light and ventilation in all his projects and used renewable local materials long before these became buzzwords in sustainable architecture. Bawa’s ‘tropical modernism’ style is the epitome of climate-responsive design.


² travelweekly.co.uk 4 DECEMBER 2025 45


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PICTURE: Shutterstock/trabantos


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