SAFARIS & SPICES OF SRI LANKA

Check into your Premium Ocean View Room at Colombo’s Galle Face Hotel. Admire the timeless grandeur of this Sri Lankan landmark on the shores of the Indian Ocean. 

Basking in our exceptional location, the morning is ours to rest. Following lunch at the Gallery Café, embark on a guided walk of Sri Lanka’s capital with local expert Mark Forbes. Tonight, we dine at the culinary hotspot, the Ministry of Crab. Owned by former Sri Lankan cricketers, Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara, this restaurant celebrates the country’s prized crustaceans, the giant lagoon crabs.

Excitement builds this morning as we make our way to the Bandaranayake International Airport where a helicopter waits to whisk us away to Sigiriya Air Base. Once on the ground, we visit the World Heritage-listed Dambulla Cave Temple complex, which has drawn pilgrims and preachers for more than two centuries. Afterwards, we head to a nearby Buddhist temple, where we join with some local families as they perform their evening rituals and invoke blessings. 

This evening’s gourmet affair takes place inside one of the region’s famous caves, whose interior is illuminated by the flickering of candles. The atmosphere is further enhanced by the strains of woodwind instruments as we dine. Our home for the next three nights is the sublime Heritance Kandalama Resort. Vistas of lush forest, as well as Sigiriya itself, are to be enjoyed from our Luxury Rooms.

An early morning Your World experience presents a unique opportunity:
— Our hotel overlooks what is often described as the eighth wonder of the world – the rock fortress of Sigiriya. Rise early and set out to climb to its peak.
— You may prefer to relax at the Heritance Kandalama Resort. Perhaps indulge in a spa treatment or simply admire the extraordinary views from our hillside resort.

Later this morning, we travel to nearby Hiriwadunna Village. This remote region grants us further insight into day-to-day rural life in Sri Lanka. For lunch, we dine on nourishing and organic cuisine among lush surrounds at Cinnamon Lodge, where nearby, serpent eagles, kingfishers and monkeys make their home. Take this afternoon on your own schedule before we reconvene for a seven-course dinner at our hotel. Savour an evening of fusion fare, served at the exact site where our hotel’s architect drew his plans.

This morning we visit the ancient city of Polonnaruwa, where a former guide shows how society once functioned in this former kingdom. This afternoon is set aside for a spectacular Jeep safari with conservationist and photographer Chitral Jayatilleke. Watch as the elephants of Minneriya National Park graze upon the grassy plains, enjoy a bath in Minneriya’s reservoir and roam the vast expanse of the park.

In a spice garden in Matale, we learn to identify the flavours of cinnamon, cardamom and cloves. Crossing the hills into Kandy, we check in to Earls Regency Hotel, where we stay in Deluxe Rooms. Afterwards, we are invited into the home of a batik artist for lunch. This afternoon, arrive at Peradeniya Botanical Garden and join an enlightening walk with a professor of botany. Gaze skyward as you stroll along the grand Avenue of Royal Palms and absorb the myriad colours of some of the many thousands of plant species here. This evening, we are treated to a cultural show.

Following breakfast this morning, we visit the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic. Here, we witness a Hindu pooja ceremony, which involves prayer offerings through song. Adjourn to the sacred inner shrine and receive a blessing from one of the resident Buddhist monks. You will also receive a blessed cord, tied around your hand. This afternoon, take the opportunity to learn the delicate art of gem identification and cutting. Under the guidance of an expert gemologist, design and cut your own unique keepsake from the island’s precious gems.

We travel to Nanu Oya in style aboard the Viceroy II, a private vintage carriage attached to the public train. Roll along tracks cut through flourishing jungle, passing terraced tea plantations and skirting precipitous hillsides. Arriving in Nuwara Eliya, in the heart of Sri Lanka’s tea country, we head for the Heritance Tea Factory. Here, our Superior rooms look out over the area’s lush mountains.