A handpicked selection of experiences endorsed by our experts. If you can’t see what you’re looking for, let us know, as our extensive network of local contacts can open many doors.
Depending on the schedule, attend a cricket match in Colombo. While technically cricket is not Sri Lanka’s national sport (volleyball is), it is by far the most popular, a status helped by the national team’s upset of Australia in the 1996 Cricket World Cup finals.
Stroll along the edge of the Indian Ocean on the Galle Face Green and arrive at the landmark Victorian Galle Face Hotel. Enjoy cocktails at its beach bar, where Somerset Maugham and Noel Coward once held court.
Visit the Gangaramaya Buddhist Temple, one of the central places of worship in Sri Lanka. The complex is a vast group of shrines dating from various periods and built in a wide range of architectural styles, which can lend the temple a quirky, patchwork feel. The grounds also contain a bodhi tree said to be grown from a cutting of the one under which the Buddha gained enlightenment, as well as a crystal lotus reputed to contain one of his bones.
See the Jami Ul Alfar mosque in the Pettah neighborhood, whose garish exterior of red and white stripes, checkers, spirals and other patterns makes it one of Colombo's most recognizable religious landmarks.
While at Gangaramaya, see the Seema Malaka Temple, one of Sri Lanka’s most unusual shrines. Built in the 1970s to replace an earlier 19th-century building that was slowly sinking into Beira Lake, Seema Malaka was designed in a serene, minimalist style by renowned Sri Lankan architect Geoffrey Bawa. Several simple pavilions appear to float on the surface of the lake, connected to each other and the mainland by walkways lined with statues of the Buddha.
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With Remote Lands you'll travel with people who have made Asia the solitary focus of their own lifelong adventure. As our guest, you'll discover Asia on a journey that is completely, authentically your own, adapted from our own remarkable experiences and adventures over the years.
With Remote Lands you'll travel with people who have made Asia the solitary focus of their own lifelong adventure. As our guest, in the continent that our north American founders Catherine and Jay have adored and explored for decades, you'll discover Asia on a journey that is completely, authentically your own, adapted from our own remarkable experiences and adventures over the years.
Multi-Country Specialists
Remote Lands
Choose somewhere you’d like to visit, something you’re interested in, and when you’re planning to travel and we’ll suggest sample itineraries to inspire your bespoke journey.
An Asia-focused magazine brought to you by Remote Lands – a platform for adventure, luxury, and authenticity from experts and explorers around the continent.
Park your bags at Tintagel or Uga Residence and then head on over to these charming Colombo seafood staples for Crabzilla and ambulthiyal.
From the 17th century architecture of the luxury Amangalla to some of the best seafood in Sri Lanka, a day in Galle Fort is for history lovers, epicureans, and shopaholics alike.
Wild Sri Lankan leopards roam the vast Yala National Park alongside crocodiles and elephants, a chance for travelers to see the heart of Sri Lanka in both comfort and authenticity
Here is a small selection of the kind words our guests have said about us, as well as features by journalists and travel writers.
From the moment I happened upon the REMOTE LANDS website over a year ago, browsed the options, I knew that this would be well worth it. The entire staff is nothing less than professional with service that made us feel like royals.
This was truly the trip of a lifetime. Magical destinations, the most luxurious hotels in the world, and the most wonderful travel companions we could’ve wished for. We were treated like family everywhere we went and we have 14 new best friends.
We have used some of the top rated travel specialists all over the world and, without question, Catherine Heald and Remote Lands are at the very top of the list!
