Sri Lanka: The Pearl of the Indian Ocean

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Summary

Like a pearl earring set in the Indian Ocean, Sri Lanka is a perfect jewel of an island, with a wonderfully warm climate and a rich and varied culture. It is also home to lush vegetation, colourful flora, amazing wildlife and a stunning collection of gardens. Our itinerary has been designed to lead you through the horticultural highlights of this beautiful island, with national parks, spice gardens and verdant gardens to discover. Combined with some of the cultural highlights and relaxed way of life, it should be as refreshing as a cup of finest Ceylon tea.

We begin in Kandy where we visit a spice garden and the splendid Royal Botanical Gardens of Peradeniya, both of which will give us an insight into the spectacular flora that thrives here. We then move into the cooler hill country and visit the garden at Hakgala and tour the outstanding nature reserve at Horton Plains. Another fine reserve awaits us at the Yala National Park where we go on safari and see elephants, bears and monkeys; tropical birds and fragile butterflies. A couple of days on the beach, in the south west near Galle, follows along with visits to Bevis Bawa’s famous Brief Gardens and Lunuganga Estate. One of the highlights of the tour will be our stay in Sinharaja, the country’s last viable area of primary tropical rainforest where we will have the most wonderful experiences of flora and fauna with which to conclude our circular tour of this glittering island gem.