The Delights of Sri Lanka

I Have recently returned from a wonderful holiday in Sri Lanka. This is my 2nd visit to this beautiful country. On my first visit 4 years ago I realised that not only are there paradise beaches, wonderful people and beautiful scenery, but there is so much more to get out and see.

Last time I visited we stayed South of the capital, Colombo and this time we were further North just outside the town of Negombo. We were only there for a week last time on our way to the Maldives and having previously done a 2 day trip taking in an elephant orphanage, Kandy, botanical gardens, several temples and white water rafting we had more to tick off our list, so this time as well as some as having some well earned R & R we wanted to visit Galle on the South coast, Yala National Park and try our luck with some whale watching.

Before the main event we booked a superb little half day tour which took in a train ride, a tour round Negombo in a tuk tuk (hairy at times) and an exhilarating boat trip that took us straight back to our hotel.

We were very unlucky to have a lot of cloud and rain in first week, so our tour was postponed. Having done lots of research we found a company to book our trips through that had nothing but fantastic reviews, See Lanka Travels. Our tour company wanted us to get the best out of our trip and knew that to wait for better weather was the best decision – and boy were they right! After a long drive to Yala, stopping at a Gem mine we dropped our bags at our overnight accommodation, had lunch then were rushed off to start our safari. They had looked at the weather forecast and rain was due later. The animals go in to hiding when the weather is inclement.

The safari experience was amazing. We saw so many animals including elephants, monkeys, mongoose, crocodile, oodles of different types of birds & unbelievably SIX leopards!!! Even the safari guide was impressed & Raj, our tour guide who had done the job for many years said he had never seen so many leopards in one trip as there are only 25 in the whole park. Having done a safari in Kenya we weren’t expecting too much and we were well impressed.

Unfortunately our whale watching experience was cancelled due to bad sea conditions, but on the plus side we got a few more hours in bed and cancelled the 4am alarm call! Our journey to Galle was broken up by our guide stopping to show us places of interest, local roadside craft stalls and food offerings as well as stopping to watch the stilt fishermen and a tour of a turtle hatchery. Galle was a lovely town on the coast with lots of history, which our guide brought to life really well.

Our hotel, the Club Dolphin was fantastic and the weather in the 2nd week was just as it should be – barely a cloud and temperatures around 33 degrees. We took long strolls along the beach and enjoyed the superb food and service in the hotel.

I rarely visit the same place twice, but I would re-visit this hotel again. The staff made the place and the food, especially the many curries that were available for breakfast, lunch and dinner were so delicious they were addictive. I will definitely return and will be in touch with See Lanka Travels to arrange a tour to the East Coast, which is yet to be explored by us.

Sri Lanka isn’t a rich country, but the people generally have a smile on their faces and are so respectful to each other and it’s somewhere I feel incredibly safe. Several religions including Buddhists, Catholics and Muslims live side by side in perfect harmony. Isn’t that the way it should be?

If you want more information or are interested in any cruises that call at Sri Lanka, feel free to drop me an e-mail at [email protected] or call me on 0333 300 8205.