Top Tips on Sri Lanka

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Our Asia Specialist, Pete has spent quite some time in Sri Lanka. He is always overjoyed to see that a country that receives ever increasing numbers from tourists each year, still feels so untouched.

Sri Lanka offers an enormous amount of variety, best experienced staying in boutique properties, privately owned, highly individual and set in incredible locations across the country. What’s brilliant about Sri Lanka is the ability to be able to combine great experiences that are so different from each other but that can also complement each other so well. With our specialist and expert guides, your trip will be complete.

1. Research and invest in a great guide

A good trip in Sri Lanka is heavily influenced by your reliable driver/guide. Although the roads aren’t too bad, Gal Oya Lodge was one place where we zigzagged down the infamous 18 hairpin bends of the Mahayana Road from Kandy. In the clearings, you ware blessed with blue mist covered vistas and an abundance of greenery. I enjoyed being in the competent hands of Punchi. We were constantly stopping to take photos and whenever we were thirsty, we would stop for fresh coconuts in local markets.

2. Not all National Parks are equal

During our visit to Gal Oya National Park we were the only boat out on the water, and having a cup of tea, downwind from a herd of Indian Elephants was quite mesmerising. Sri Lankan National Parks are not managed very well. We can advise you on the best parks to travel to.

3. The choice of accommodation can really set your trip apart

A joy of travelling is meeting locals, lodge owners and building connections with your guides. At each lodge, after an afternoon of guiding, a fleet of friendly faces welcomed me at my hotel. They would help us settle in, offer us a cup of Sri Lankan tea or perhaps something stronger. The sense of community amongst the various lodge owners in Sri Lanka is refreshing. They were always so complimentary of the other lodges I was yet to visit. The network of boutique lodges in Sri Lanka shone out. You really feel looked after. We’ve built these relationships over years working with local owners and we can put special requests in for you.

4. Be patient and plan your journeys

The pace of the country and the locals is more sedate than you may be used to. The transport infrastructure in particular can be quite trying, with fewer options to get around and tight twisty roads to navigate. Build in plenty of time into your trip to ensure you aren’t rushed when do arrive at your location.

It helps to embrace the trips and journeys as part as of the overall experience and go along with it. You’ll find you will have more opportunity to take in the local atmosphere of the country and you will appreciate the beauty of the surroundings.