8. Tea and an early morning hike
Sri Lanka is famous for its Ceylon tea. Walk past lush green tea plantations on a four-hour trek up to Ella Rock for amazing views.
Tea pickers get to work on a steep slope
9. Hotels to get excited about
Plenty of new hotels have opened in recent years, including a handful of beach resorts, including contemporary KK Beach, with its own beach club near Habaraduwa.
Also see the luxurious but sustainable Tri, chic Chena Huts, the Anantara resorts and beautiful boutique Owl and Pussycat.
10 ...there's also one in a giant elephant
This elephant villa is probably the only one like it in the world
11. A totally tropical Greggs
Forget cheese lattices and limp sausage rolls, Perera and Sons sell tasty Chinese rolls, samosas and savoury bites. They’re literally everywhere but cheap and hugely popular in Sri Lanka.
12. To surf and to party
In the south east of the island, Arugam Bay is a crescent of golden sand that offers barrelling breaks during summer days and beach parties galore on balmy nights. In winter, drag your board to Weligama.
Surfers enjoy Arugam Bay
13. It’s 'India Lite'
It’s just so much easier to travel here than in India. Transactions go more smoothly, things work and best of all, trains and planes leave near enough on time. And there’s a fantastic network of hotels, all of which you can book on the web.
14. For a vision of hell
Inside Wewurukannala Vihara temple are models of humans being boiled alive and sawn in half - eek! Visitors must first walk past these horrors before reaching a giant Buddha.
Some of the less sadistic demons at the Wewurukannala Vihara temple
15. To think of England
The British-built town of Nuwara Eliya is “where the elite go to be cold and damp and imagine they’re in England”, according to John Gimlette.
16. Peaceful beaches
Uppuveli and Nilaveli, both close to Trincomalee on the north east, are secluded and stunning stretches of sand. The few accommodation options are spread out, making these beaches perfect for lonely wanderings.
...[ Continue to next page ]
Comments