Sri Lanka holidays

What are the best options for a Sri Lanka holiday?

Sri Lanka's cultural heritage marks the country out as a truly extraordinary luxury holiday destination. The Cultural Triangle in the northern centre of the country, comprising the tongue-twisting cities of Polonnaruwa and Anuradhapura, as well as Dambulla and the island's crowning glory - the rock fortress of Sigiriya - together making this an astonishing heritage heartland. Heading south the leafy holy city of Kandy and Sri Lanka's tea plantations are also highlights. Finally, Yala and Wilpattu National Parks might not have the tigers that make India's reserves so popular, but they are both beautiful and home to populations of leopards.

And then there are the beaches. Palm-fringed and stretching for mile upon mile, Sri Lanka's beaches are some of the least spoiled in Asia. The south coast is home to some of the very best, with an ever growing number of charming boutique hotels looking straight out onto the ocean. The centre of the south coast action is the wonderful walled city of Galle, like a Lankan Lucca and potentially worth a day or two's exploration before the lure of the beach overwhelms all your other luxury holiday plans.

Who is Sri Lanka best for?

A Sri Lanka holiday is perfect for travellers who want to push themselves to their limits and find wisdom. For travellers who want a bit of everything in a single trip. Nature and culture, sea and mountains, walks and relaxation, cuisine and spirituality. For those who might not necessarily believe in the existence of heaven, but want to be convinced otherwise. For those who already acknowledge the existence of heaven, but want to spend more time there. For those who want to surf, walk, climb, meditate and taste new foods all in the same day. For travellers dreaming of visiting tea plantations. For those who want to meet Buddha, or rather, 'Buddhas'. For those who want to visit both king's palaces and colonial houses. For travellers who like history and stories. For family travellers who want to introduce the next generation to another culture, especially a warm and welcoming one. For real travellers.

These are some things that can only be found in Sri Lanka.

Arugam Bay offers a variety of surf spots and almost deserted beaches. Visit giant stone Buddhas, like those in Buduruwagala and Maligawila, or go blue whale watching off the beautiful beaches between Mirissa and Tissamaharama. See the fast-flowing Kelaniya Ganga river where you can go rafting. Explore the city of Galle, founded by the Portuguese in the 16th century. Then head to Kandy, the last capital of the Sinhalese kingdom before the British arrived. Kandy and its Temple of the Sacred Tooth with the relic of Buddha's tooth. A major site of pilgrimage for faithful Buddhists. See the Buddhist and Brahmanic remains in Polonnaruwa - Sri Lanka's former royal capital. Above all, Sri Lanka holidays offer the delights of a gentle lifestyle and hospitality like nowhere else. And last but not least, it offers sublime cuisine.

Enjoy an original experience on your Sri Lankan journey

As the sun rises over the Maskeliya district and the town of Dikoya, take a walk along dirt trails in the tea plantations and see women with their wicker baskets, leaning over and tending to the shrubs. With their delicate hands, they pick just two buds between their fingers; no more, no less. Continue along the paths and you will see children on their way to school or perhaps a woman adjusting her bright pink sari. At the bottom of the hill, a Buddha watches over a selection of amulets and offerings. Sit and rest for a while and allow yourself to be overcome by an immense sense of calm. Feel the light breeze, hear the call of a bird, the laughter of a child, the whispering of the wind among the tea pickers. Experience a sense of fulfillment. A feeling of gratitude. This is what Sri Lanka can do to you.

Visit the banyan tree at Anuradhapura that - 2,300 years ago - Sangamitta brought back as a cutting from India. This was the tree beneath which Buddha attained awakening, and which continues to thrive, attended to night and day by a team of seven monks who care for it, and a crack team of 1,000 soldiers and policemen who protect it. Votive lamps illuminate the sacred tree to a soundtrack of mantras chanted by devotees who believe that one day the venerable and venerated tree will return to the void where everything springs from.