Amazing Sri Lanka

Day 1 - Collected from Colombo airport for a night in the city to allow some rest after the flight. Dinner at the award winning Gallery Café – an award winning restaurant with local and international well-priced dishes and amazing cocktails! Day 2- Early start for a 4.5 hour drive into the cultural triangle and the capital of Sri Lanka’s North Central Province to Anuradhapura – an amazing city on the banks of the Malvathu River, recognised by UNESCO. A city which was developed around the third century “tree of enlightenment”, Sri Maha Bohi – said to be the oldest tree on earth. 2 nights at the beautiful Uga Ulagalla Resort. 150 year old mansion at its centre with 20 ecologically built “chalets” across 58 acres of land and is one of the small hotels of the world. It has its own solar far generating half of its own energy requirements, this is a really unique boutique hotel, with stunning suites with their own plunge pools – fabulous in the heat of the day! Day 3 – On route to visit to Dambulla Cave Temple – A World Heritage Site. In the Central Part of the country it is the best preserved cave temple in Sri Lanka, containing statues and paintings related to Lord Buddha and his life. The murals cover over an area of 2,100 square metres. Not for the faint hearted as there are 364 steps to climb to get to the temple. On the way we see our first wild Elephant at the roadside. In the afternoon we visited Kala Diya Pokuna Forest Monastery where we spent time with a Hermit Monk and were blessed to have meditated with him in his favourite place. Authentic Kamatha meal – a rice paddy dining pavilion serving royal recipes from a Kingdom long forgotten. Think fragrant spices and utensils still in use after 2000 years and food in hand made clay pots and open wood fires. Really tasty. A very spiritual and emotional day for many different reasons. Day 4 – Sunrise Nacchaduwa drive in rural countryside. Off the beaten to see many bird species, buffalo and other wildlife with a scenic breakfast alongside Nacchaduwa Lake – a vast reservoir set amongst hills and forest. 2 nights at Santani Wellness - in the hills near Kandy. A purpose built wellness resort designed with sustainability and Eco-standards in mind. Relaxation and Rejuvenation here. See clouds rolling in and out. Rooms open to the elements so you can hear the birds and nature beyond. Cocktails by the bonfire followed by an astounding 7 course dining experience. Day 5 – 7am yoga session where I relaxed so much I went back to sleep at the end! After breakfast we took a guided walk along the Hulu River which ended with a beautiful swim in the clear waters followed by a spa treatment to really understand what this resort has to offer. Food is sublime here and the attention to detail like nothing else. Day 6 – Off to Gal Oya National Park. We stayed the night at Gal Oya Lodge. A unique location where you can take walks with local tribespeople – and dine with them as we did. The rooms here are luxurious with unique outdoor bathrooms. Day 7 – An early rise for a Jungle Drive and walk through the park with in house naturalists and breakfast by the river. After lunch departure to Yala National Park. In the Southeast corner of Sri Lanka. Stunning landscapes, wildlife and cultural attractions. A must visit destination for nature lovers with a leopard density reportedly higher than anywhere else in the world. The journey here did not disappoint either as we encountered 2 huge elephants at the roadside. Thank goodness for our amazing drivers who know exactly what to do when you are face to face with them! Another emotional site. Checked into Uga Chena Huts. This place is just WOW. Elephants are free to roam the hotel grounds which is beachfront with crashing waves. You can’t swim here and if an elephant is present you will be informed that you will need escorting from your room. Day 8 – Up super early for a morning game drive (block 5) which is not so popular amongst tourists as a little further away, which made it really peaceful. The scenery was spectacular on a clear sunny morning. It wasn’t long until our ranger pointed out a leopard hiding amongst the bushes and leaves – without them there is no way we would have seen it. Bird life, monkeys, deer and so much more to be seen. We only saw 3 other trucks in this less popular part of the park. A little further on, another Leopard on a rock! A sight to behold. Well worth the early rise to have breakfast amongst the leopards! Lunch and a nice bit of relaxation around the resort and the private pools we each had, to really get the feeling of this unique place. In the afternoon we took another game drive – this time to block 1 – so many more vehicles here. And the opportunity to see another young leopard in close up. This time too we saw elephants – including a mummy and her baby! Returning to the hotel beach for sundowners and another delicious dinner in the glass fronted restaurant – just in case the elephants wanted to pop along!! They didn’t sadly. Day 9 – We reluctantly departed Uga Chena Huts to head towards Galle. Visiting some lovely villas on the way, we arrived at The Six – Six villas fully serviced villas – we had 3 of them, all along the sea front where we saw turtles swimming in the sea, and an evening with bonfire and relaxed dinner. Day 10 – On the way to our last stay in Galle Fort. Galle Fort is a walled city built by the Portuguese in the 16th Century, A World Heritage Site with grand colonial houses and boutique shops as well as some beautiful beaches along the edges too. Rated by cricket fans too with the Galle International Stadium said to be one of the most picturesque cricket grounds in the world. We experienced a walk around Galle with a resident expert too – encouraging supporting locals and their businesses and improving sustainable business practices within the Fort Community. We checked in to the Galle Fort Hotel – luxurious surroundings and accommodation with a beautiful on site restaurant. We had an arrack experience – a taste of the locally brewed tipple. Similar to Whisky. Not my ideal, but we gave it a good go! Day 11 – an early departure for the 1.5 hour journey to the airport for and the last goodbyes. In brief, a county of smiles, simplicity and contentedness, which is refreshing in the busy world in which we live. I would return in a heartbeat to this diverse country – all budgets can be matched too.