Small group tours to Sri Lanka

The famous ‘Elephant Gathering’ and the pros and cons of Minneriya National Park

Trincomalee, a brief history The historic Sri Lankan port of Trincomalee has been known by various names throughout its convoluted history however today you’ll hear locals more commonly referring to this northeastern town simply as Trinco. The town today is a rather sleepy, mid-sized, regional capital with a predominantly Tamil population yet Trinco’s rich and complex history goes back well…

Wilpattu National Park Wilpattu National Park is one of Sri Lanka’s oldest national parks, as well as its largest, and since its original creation in 1938, has grown to cover an area of some 1,300 square kilometres. (This may appear small compared to certain parks elsewhere but bear in mind Sri Lanka is a small island.) With myriad lakes, or willus,…

Sri Lankan National Parks The small Indian Ocean nation of Sri Lanka is said to be comparable in size to the island of Tasmania and slightly smaller than Ireland yet manages to squeeze in no less than 26 national parks, (including marine national parks, bird sanctuaries and a forest reserve), covering a total area of some 5,700 square kilometres. While…

Best time to visit Sri Lanka Not for nothing did early foreign visitors name Sri Lanka ‘the Island of Serendipity’ and conveniently, the geography and weather patterns of Sri Lanka mean that our answer to, ‘when’s the best time to visit Sri Lanka’? is…pretty much any time of the year. The pear, or more aptly mango-shaped, island has a broad…

What’s the food like in Sri Lanka? In the UK in particular, Indian food is very well-known and restaurants serving Indian food ubiquitous, (even if chefs and owners are often of Bangladeshi or Pakistani origin). However, prospective visitors to Sri Lanka are often less familiar with the island’s cuisine, so, in reply to some of the FAQs; what’s the food…

Horton Plains National Park Horton Plains National Park is situated on the southern edge of Sri Lanka’s central highlands region and forms part of the eponymous UNESCO World Heritage-listing Central Highlands of Sri Lanka. The Park’s altitude is between 2,100 and 2,300 metres with vegetation consisting of a mixture of montane forest, gallery forests and heath/grassland. Flora is correspondingly varied…

Dambulla The Rangri Dambulla Cave Temple – to give it the full name – is located in the area of north-central Sri Lanka known as the ‘Cultural Triangle’ due to its proliferation of spectacular ancient sites such as the nearby, UNESCO-listed rock fortress of Sigiriya, and also World Heritage-listed ancient cities of Polonnaruwa and Anuradhapura. The series of 5 shallow,…

Sri Lanka – recommended reading. Published in 2015 Elephant Complex by English author John Gimlette is not only the best book we’ve read on Sri Lanka but simply one of the best travel books we’ve come across on any destination, anywhere! This compact yet insightful account covers over 2,000 years of the Island’s complex history, culture and society as well as…