Why Sri Lanka should be on your bucket list

When it comes to authentic travel where you can experience culture, diversity and culinary delights Sri Lanka is often overlooked by many travelers and I simply do not understand why?

This week I have had the absolute pleasure of recommending this stunning country for two very special trips because it ticked all the boxes for each client brief. One is for a once in a lifetime experience to celebrate a 50th birthday with family, and the other is somewhere unique to visit for the new year that combines luxury experiences with something a little different than your average fireworks in a city at midnight.

But what makes Sri Lanka so special in my eyes? Well I travelled here in 2020, just at the start of the pandemic before the virus started spreading around the world and I am so eternally grateful that we got the opportunity to see this wonderful country and culture pre pandemic times.

We traveled as 3 women to celebrate my 40th birthday in a mix of style and experience, exactly how I wanted my 4th decade to go. Post divorce I was a brand new person and wanted brand new experiences to shape my future. I wanted to see the world with a fresh set of eyes, take in what I had missed out on for the last 2 decades and see exactly what diversity around the world looked like. Sri Lanka did not disappoint.

Due to childcare we were limited to only 8 days including travel and with a 14,5 hour flight from the UK we set out to pack a lot in. Landing in Columbo, slightly worse for wear after a few early birthday drinks on board our wonderful driver collected us for the next 2.5 hour drive to Galle, where we had booked a private villa that sleeps 12. The journey was pleasant and took us out of the city and via the country roads through villages and locals. Already my eyes were ablaze with sights of tiny homes made from natural materials, and tin. Street dogs wandered and people sold wears by the side of the road, hoping to make a living from passing traffic.

Once we arrived our host a UK ex pat, welcomed us and introduced us to the villas staff, our chef and security guard. When our chef realised she was catering for just the 3 of us after asking “just you?” We all laughed that she was probably in for an easier week than she was used to. Our villa was situated directly on the beach with its own gated access, and with a private pool it felt like we arrived in a little piece of heaven just for us. We settled in to a wonderful traditional curry and an early night.

At 4.30am we were up again, bleary eyed and ready to go on an adventure. Our driver collected us while it was still dark outside, and handed me a bouquet of local flowers made by his wife for my birthday. Today I tuned 40 and the plan was to spend it in a nature reserve watching elephants roam in the wild. We arrived 2 hours later to catch the sun rising, and meet our game driver who spoke no English but our driver had already been arranged to stay with us and translate as we were escorted by jeep around the vast expanse of the protected park. Within no time at all we had our breaths stolen watching a herd of elephants move closer to our vehicle complete with babies in tow. That’s it I thought that’s what we came for and I was both awestruck and memorized by not only the sights but also the sounds and smells of what is so completely different to life at home.

We completed the day and headed back tired and full of contentment to we welcomed by our host and our chef to a Sri Lankan bbq, ready for my birthday celebrations to be continued. The villa had been carefully decorated with banners and balloons and they had even arranged a birthday cake for me. The day couldn’t of been any more beautiful.

Like I said we packed a lot in over the coming days, each day bar one we were off up and out to take in as much as we could, we visited temples, tea plantations, a local turtle sanctuary and released hatchlings into the open ocean and even visited a local family to make our own silver jewellery and choose semi precious stones to take home with us.

Each experience unique, each journey a view into a completely different way of life.

The food still to this day is some of the best, most flavorful and delicious that I have ever tasted. The people were warm and welcoming and glad to let us explore and embrace their way of life, helping educate us on the differences between our culture and theirs.

This trip helped me grow as a person and is probably the number one reason I chose to change my career from interior design into travel.

In our modern world of central heating, big Tesco and designer handbags to envelope yourself into a world so vastly different but where food and purpose brings people together the shift from what we value changes.

Travel does that to you, and for you. It allows you to clear the smears off your tainted lenses of life and view the world with clean fresh eyes. It takes you to simple yet enriching, stripped back (and yes we still had huge levels of luxury) but at a different pace of doing and being at the same time.

For me this is why places like Sri Lanka should be experienced but preserved. I don’t want to see coast lines full of swanky high end chain hotels and resorts. I want to see real people, hospitality in form of generations. I want to see authentic properties and original food not curated menus and contemporary copycat designs of being anywhere in the world.

For my clients who want to step out and experience something a little different to your average 5 star but with all the convenience and comfort Sri Lanka will remain top of my must see recommendations.