Remote Lands

Sri Lanka

Suggested Itinerary

Day 1 – Colombo

VIP arrival at Colombo airport, and transfer to the venerable Galle Face Hotel for the ultimate in colonial splendor.

Take a private tour of Colombo City, followed by cocktails at the hotel's beach bar where Somerset Maugham and Noel Coward once held court.

In the evening, dine with the Chairman of one of the great old trading houses, established in British colonial times and still flourishing.

Day 2 – Galle

Drive south along the spectacular coastline past endlessly fascinating village scenes and some of the loveliest beaches in the world.

Pause at a toddy tapper's house for lunch and watch him walking on ropes between palm trees, gathering toddy to be distilled into a potent drink called arrack.

Arrive in the ancient port of Galle, a charming UNESCO World Heritage site previously colonized by the Portuguese, Dutch and British. Wander through the Dutch fort, and along the old ramparts overlooking the turquoise sea.

Check in to the old Portuguese officers' mess now meticulously converted into Amangalla, a magnificent five-star Amanresort.

Day 3 – Tabrobane Island

Witness the captivating stilt fishermen perched on sticks planted in the sea, employing a fishing technique unique in the world.

Take a boat to Taprobane, your own private island, a tropical paradise built by the eccentric English Count de Mauny in the 1920's as his dream house.

Indulge in a champagne lunch on the verandah of your large villa with sensational panoramic ocean views, and a private staff of seven including your own chef. Have a dip in the pool and relax, you might never want to leave!

Day 4 – Tangalle

Set off for a delicious fresh seafood lunch on the beach with local lobster fishermen.

Attend a devil dance, a bizarre magico-religious ritual aimed at exorcising demons via a masked and sinister dancing ceremony.

Check in to the opulent Amanwella in Tangalle. Have a sunset cocktail while relaxing in your own private pool, or have a walk along the pristine beach just outside your door before a gourmet dinner.

Day 5 – Yala National Park

Drive north through sugarcane plantations to Yala National Park. Yala shelters important populations of Asian elephants, leopards and a variety of other species.

Check into the simple but comfortable Yala Village Hotel, and spend the day amongst Yalas wildlife on an elephant safari.

Visit the local school and have tea with the children.

Come back for a traditional massage and a delicious dinner cooked in clay pots over a wood fire.

Day 6 – Nuwara Eliya

Drive up into the mountains — and back in time — to Nuwara Eliya, the delightful hill station known as the "Little England" with its many old British colonial buildings.

Nuwara Eliya is in the heart of the Sri Lanka's breathtaking tea country. En route, stop by a tea plantation and factory for an education in the art of tea production. You will have a private tasting of that days product with the plantation manager.

Check in to the Grand Hotel — the former residence of Sir Edward Barnes, Governor of Sri Lanka from 1830 to 1850 — which perfectly captures the colonial ambience of Nuwara Eliya.

Play golf on one of Asia's best courses, the 117-year old Nuwara Eliya Golf Club course, right in the heart of town. Then, unwind with a perfectly served British afternoon tea.

Day 7 – Nuwara Eliya

After a hearty English breakfast at the hotel, drive one hour to Horton Plains, a National Park enclosing two of the country's highest peaks and acres of cloud forest and rolling grassland. The park is home to a wealth of species including leopards, wild boar, monkeys, river otters and numerous kinds of birds.

Hike through this diverse ecosystem with an expert biologist and learn about Sri Lanka's efforts to protect its wildlife. Pass waterfalls along the way, and end up at "World's End" a dramatic cliff that towers up to 3,000 feet above the valley floor.

In the evening, share in the wedding celebrations of a Sri Lankan couple, with an all-night feast and traditional dancing to follow.

Day 8 – Kandy and Dambulla

A helicopter will take you over Adam's Peak, Sri Lanka's highest mountain and a sacrosanct site for Hindus, Buddhists, Christians and Muslims.

Land in the ancient capital of Kandy, the cultural and religious capital of Sri Lanka dating back to the 14th century. Attend ritual ceremonies at the sacred Temple of the Tooth, home of a genuine tooth of Buddha, and have a private audience with the top priest.

Visit the world's only baby elephant orphanage at Pinnewala and watch these adorable creatures being bottle fed by their loving mahouts.

Take the helicopter to Dambulla to the astonishing Kandalama Hotel, an extraordinary eco-resort which blends so seamlessly into the environment that it can hardly be seen from the air.

Day 9 – Dambulla and Sigiriya

Take a hot-air balloon trip over Dambulla.

Visit Sigiriya, a massive rock fortress over 650 feet high that was carved into a small city by a king in the 5th-century, complete with palace, swimming pools and fountains. To elevate water to the summit, the rock citadel employs some astonishingly sophisticated early hydraulic technology; Sigirya is both a man-made and natural wonder of the world.

Visit Dambulla Caves, a fascinating Buddhist shrine filled with impressive frescoes over 1,000 years old.

Helicopter on to Colombo and check back into the Galle Face Hotel.

Finish the day with an elegant Sri Lankan dinner at the home of a retired Air Force Commander.

Day 10 – Colombo

Have a private lunch at City Hall with the Mayor of Colombo or similar senior government leader.

Attend a private informal cooking class of Sri Lankan cuisine conducted by a famous local chef at his home, and dine with him and his family before boarding your flight home.

^Top

Luxury Bespoke Travel to Asia & Private Jet Journeys.