SRI LANKA IS OFTEN (AND QUITE EGREGIOUSLY) CONSIDERED JUST AN OFFSHOOT OF IT’S RATHER ENORMOUS NEIGHBOUR BUT IT HAS ENTIRELY ITS OWN VERY ANCIENT AND VARIED HISTORY AND CULTURE.

DIVERSE IN RELIGION AND ETHNICITY IT’S BEEN THAT PROVERBIAL MELTING POT FOR CENTURIES. WITH A CONCERTED EFFORT NOW TO PRESERVE AND CLAW BACK SOME IT’S RICH HISTORY IT CAN BE A FASCINATING COUNTRY TO EXPLORE.

ANCIENT CITIES, FORTRESSES OLD AND OLDER (tea and a little beach in between)

14 nights - from USD 8,400

Best pack your Fedora and bullwhip as you start off in Indiana Jones (Temple of Doom) territory in the shadow of the rock fortress of Sigiriya. Here, in the 5th century AD, King Kashyapa developed a remarkable defensive palace, remains of which are seen today.

You’re close too the ancient capital cities of Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa, where temples, bathing tanks and universities more than a thousand years old are being pulled back from the jungle. Both are famed archaeological relic sites with Polonnaruwa a UNESCO World Heritage location.

From the heart of the so-called Cultural Triangle, head south to Kandy - the last Sinhalese foothold on the island in the wake of European invasion. Kandy remains the cultural and religious capital of Sri Lanka, the Sri Dalada Maligawa (or Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic) a site of pilgrimage for many hundreds of thousands of Buddhists.

A stunning train journey into high Hill Country takes you from Kandy to Ella for 3 nights at a classic tea planters bungalow - nostalgic stuff with log fires, afternoon tea, and guided walks in estate and nearby hills.

After a fairly active first week things relax as you make for the beach, staying at the final house built by Sri Lanka’s most renowned architect, Geoffrey Bawa. A classic example of Bawa’s Tropical Modernism, the aptly-named Last House house sits on a beautiful but not-too-visited beach at the Southern tip of the island.

You’ll finish the trip in grand surrounds with two nights in the heart of Galle Fort at the impeccable Amangalla. Classical Dutch colonial style is reconceived with flawless Aman style; the hotel the perfect spot from which to explore the maze of boutiques, gem stores and battlements that make up this truly unique enclave.