Sri Lanka is a compact country, not much bigger than Wales, but it has ancient cities, hillside tea plantations, wildlife sanctuaries and, of course, glorious beaches.
Travelling around the country is relatively simple, with a good network of buses and trains, but to make the most of your visit the best way is to rent a car with a driver. It’s not expensive, less than £50 per day, including the driver’s meals and accommodation, and gives you the flexibility to stop whenever you want. The added benefit is that many of these drivers make excellent guides, just make sure they speak good English. You can do this itinerary in a week, but it makes sense to spend more time to give you time to stay.
Colombo
After a long flight, it is worth stopping for a night in Colombo and the city is less than an hour from the airport. Of course, like most Asian cities, a selection of high-rise buildings is growing rapidly, but it still retains much of its lush charm, partly because investors refused during the long civil war. Explore its narrow streets lined with colonial buildings to get an idea of ancient Colombo and tourist attractions include the National Museum, Gangaramaya Buddhist Temple, the restored Old Dutch Hospital and the busy Pettah markets.
Galle
There is a new road linking Colombo to the south and it only takes about two hours to cover the 128 km of the city of Galle. The 18th century Dutch fort area is a UNESCO world heritage site and is the best example of a fortified European city in South Asia.
Remarkably, despite the boutique hotels and craft shops, it remains a working city with the courts of law and local drawing schools every day. You can get hot here so walk the walls and get some refreshing sea breezes, watching local guys jump into the ocean. The 17th century Dutch reformed church is worth a visit, but the best thing is simply to stroll through the narrow streets that pass through crumbling colonial buildings and soak up the atmosphere.
Turtle hatchery
Heading east along the coast is worth visiting the Kosgoda turtle hatchery. The beach here is a prime nesting site for turtles, but locals have a taste for their eggs so they are often stolen. The good people in the hatchery pick them up from the beach, or buy them at the market, and incubate them until the young come out. Then they are released back into the sea after a few days. They also rescue injured turtles and you can see some specimens here.
Nuwara Eliya
Returning north and up the hill, it’s a grueling six hours on narrow, winding roads to cover 253 km. The climate cools noticeably and the vegetation changes. It is worth stopping at Ella, 1,000 m away, to enjoy panoramic views of the jungle-covered mountains, especially through what they call Ella gap, a niche in the hills next to Ella Rock.
