!!!Sri Lanka is a compact country, but don’t let its diminutive size fool you. With landscapes ranging from postcard surf beaches to mountainous tea plantations to arid plains, and a vivid cultural and culinary scene, making the most of this Indian Ocean gem takes some careful planning.
Or you could leave all the details to somebody else, and join a small group of like-minded people, who value luxurious, frictionless travel full of adventure and authentic experiences.
Abercrombie & Kent’s 14-day Secrets of the Spice Island trip bundles the must-see items on any Sri Lankan bucket list with exclusive opportunities not available to other tourists and carefully chosen five-star boutique accommodation.
And while some group tours can feel impersonal and inauthentic, each Abercrombie & Kent journey includes a resident tour director who breathes and lives, quite literally, the destination, as well as carefully curated opportunities to meet, walk and dine with local experts.
Cocktails and cuisine
Secrets of the Spice Island begins and ends in Colombo where your first two days include a tuk tuk tour of the city’s bazaars, an afternoon at the expansive seaside park Galle Face Green and a guided walk through Colombo’s old town with resident and photographer Mark Forbes ending with arrack cocktails at a speakeasy and dinner with a local culinary expert.
Architecture and design
The next day is for art and culture. You’ll visit No. 11 Bawa Residence, designed and built by famed Sri Lankan architect Geoffrey Bawa en route to Sri Lanka’s so-named Cultural Triangle, where World Heritage sites abound. Dinner is with Oxford-educated Sri Lankan architect, historian and critic Dr Shanti Jayewardene.
Wildlife and adventure
The secluded Ulagalla Resort is your base for exploring this region. While here you’ll visit an organic garden to pick fresh produce for a cooking demonstration and lunch then choose from activities including a tuk tuk tour of local villages and a kayaking trip on the Wannemaduwa Tank waterhole to spy wildlife as the sun goes down.
Religion and history
Subsequent days are for exploring the origins of Buddhism in Sri Lanka, with a visit to the country’s first ancient capital, Anuradhapura, a blessing at the sacred Bodhi tree, planted in 236 BC, and a climb to the summit of Mihintale, where Buddhism was introduced to the country.
Forts and food
Sri Lanka’s wildlife is on full display during a game drive in Minneriya National Park where you’ll keep your eyes peeled for elephants, purple-faced langurs and toque macaques.
Then it’s on to the ruined fortified city of Sigiriya, and a hot air balloon ride over this fifth century landmark and its surrounding landscape. The afternoon here is for meeting a local farming family and enjoying a homecooked meal in their residence.
Caves and culture
The next morning you’ll visit the World Heritage-listed Buddhist cave temples at Dambulla with their statues and mural dating back to the first century BC, before moving on to Kandy, Sri Lanka’s cultural capital.
Here you’ll attend a traditional performance and meet the dancers, experience a pooja worship ceremony at the Temple of the Tooth with VIP access to the inner ‘Shrine Room’, where the sacred Tooth Relic of Lord Buddha is kept, and enjoy a guided walk through the Royal Botanic Gardens at Peradeniya with noted botanist Bandara Palipana.
Tea and trains
After a thorough exploration of all the cultural delights of Kandy, it’s on to Nuwara Eliya and the world of Ceylon tea.
While here you can choose to spot sambar deer and monkeys on a trek in Horton Plains National Park, take a scenic train ride to the Ella hill station or wander the tea fields with a local guide.
The final days of this show-stopping exploration of Sri Lanka are in the colonial walled city of Galle, where you’ll dine in the home of a local family, visit an old Dutch house and meet the family who have lived in it for generations, and walk through Galle’s famous fort with local archaeologist and heritage expert, Tharanga.
Abercrombie & Kent’s 14-day Sri Lanka: Secrets of the Spice Island journey departs Feb 12, 2024 and March 10, 2024, priced at $11,725 per person based on double occupancy. Or customise your own Sri Lanka adventure with the help of one of Abercombie & Kent’s Journey Designers. Call 1300 489 896 or visit abercrombiekent.com.au.
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