Why go to Sri Lanka: the ocean, tea and elephants

Sri Lanka’s main advantage is distance. In the morning you are on a tea plantation in the hills, by evening on an ocean beach. Nothing like the internal flights of India or Vietnam is needed here.

The ocean

The south-west has the calm beaches of Unawatuna and Mirissa, the east has the surf of Arugam Bay. For beginner surfers Weligama is the easiest: a gentle bottom and schools on every corner.

Tea and mountains

The plantations around Nuwara Eliya and Ella are the reason to climb into the middle of the island. The Kandy to Ella train is considered one of the most scenic rides in the world; second-class tickets are bought in advance and window seats go fast.

Wildlife

The Yala and Udawalawe national parks — leopards, elephants, buffalo. Elephants are almost guaranteed in Udawalawe; leopards are luck, though Yala is said to have the highest density of them in the world.

• Safaris go at dawn or late afternoon: in the middle of the day animals stay in the shade
• In Pinnawala and similar “sanctuaries” elephants are used for rides — better avoided
• Whale watching is a separate boat trip, best in the dry months

Ancient cities

Sigiriya is a rock with a palace on top and frescoes on its side, Polonnaruwa and Anuradhapura are capitals more than a thousand years old, Dambulla has the cave temples. All of it sits in the Cultural Triangle in the centre of the island.

Food

Rice and curry here comes as a set of several bowls — not one dish but a whole meal. Also worth trying: hoppers, coconut roti and the local mangoes.

How much time to allow

• A week — the ocean plus one trip to the hills or a safari
• Two weeks — the full loop: south, centre, Cultural Triangle
• Three weeks — the same plus the east coast

Everyone needs a visa: the electronic ETA is arranged before departure, usually within a day or two. Children need one too; we arrange them together with the adults.