Ever wanted to channel your inner Indiana Jones but haven’t quite known how to go about it? Well, I have found the answer – sign up for a guided tour.
Jules Verne has nearly 50 years’ experience of escorting travellers to the most exotic locations in the world, and I joined an itinerary in Sri Lanka that took in temples, jungles, wildlife and much more. In the past, I’d turned my nose up at guided tours, but the bespoke nature of trips offered by Jules Verne gives you a level of control and reassurance that makes them hard to ignore.
Let’s face it, travel can be daunting, particularly when you might be putting yourself out of your comfort zone far away from home. But all those worries vanished into thin air when my group was warmly greeted at Colombo airport by expert guide Bernard Machado.
Bernard has been taking intrepid travellers around his island home for more than 30 years. Knowledgeable and avuncular, with endless patience, he walked us through the firm’s Highlights of Sri Lanka package.
This eight-night adventure takes you across the island starting in the capital. From there you travel clockwise from north to south taking in the lung-busting Sigiriya Rock Fortress, tranquil Buddhist temples and lush tea plantations before ending up in the charming coastal city of Galle (pronounced “Gaul”).
In all you’ll end up visiting five UNESCO World Heritage sites while sampling sublime food along the way, be that munching on a picnic at Lipton’s Seat, or enjoying a farmer’s feast after a jeep safari in Udawalawe National Park, one of the country’s best places for spotting Asian elephants.
Elephants are something you’ll get very used to very fast in Sri Lanka. While not venerated quite like the holy cows of northern neighbour India, they occupy a key place in local culture and are heavily guarded by the government and given great respect from the locals.
There are about 7,000 of them roaming a country slightly less than the size of the Republic of Ireland, meaning it is not out of the ordinary to see them casually blocking traffic or searching for food by the roadside. So much so that they soon become a regular part of the landscape.
After navigating a few of our new roadside friends we were soon ensconced in our first home for an adventure in the small town of Habarana. It’s the gateway to the country’s Cultural Triangle and we took refuge in the lush four-star Habarana Village by Cinnamon hotel. Flanked by forest and set by a picturesque lake it was the ideal place to shake off the 10-hour plane journey from Heathrow.
It proved to be the perfect base for exploring and we started as we meant to go on with the spectacular Sigiriyafortress. Eagle-eyed pop fans of a certain vintage will recognise it from Duran Duran’s 1982 music video for Save A Prayer, where the boys sung their hearts out from the top of the 600ft citadel.
And your heart will be pounding as you start the long 1,270 step ascent to the summit, which takes about an hour, depending on your fitness levels.
There are two routes with one being easier than the other – but even the easier one takes some stamina so make sure you take your time and have water on hand. Parts of the walk up can get narrow and crowded so be aware of that before you set out. However the effort is worth it as you first pass through the Lion’s Gate, a staircase with two huge stone lion paws on either side.
Allegedly there was once a lion’s face hewn into the rock as well which has long since been eroded by the elements. It’s the reason it’s called Sigiriya, which translates as lion rock. While the rock, built as a safe place and pleasure palace by King Kashyapa in 477 speaks to the many political upheavals Sri Lanka has endured, one constant has remained in Buddhism.
Wonderful examples of this are the Dambulla Cave Temple – where rock-cut shrines have been drawing worshippers for more than 2,000 years – and Kandy’s Temple of the Sacred Tooth relic, the most revered site in the country. You will visit both of these with Jules Verne and it’s when you see the queues and the tour groups that you soon become very thankful that someone like your expert guide Bernard takes all the stress away.
Another site with Buddhism at its heart is the massive Polonnaruwa complex where you can get lost like some 18th-century adventurer among the many scattered temples, palaces and shrines. The home of the second most ancient kingdom and the country’s capital between 1017 and 1235, it is an evocative site and a UNESCO World Heritage destination. With the Cultural Triangle behind us we then set forth south on what had to be the highlight of the entire trip, a breathtaking train journey from Nanu Oya to Ella.
This took us into the hills past cascading waterfalls, lush tea plantations and rural villages to reach Bandarawela, a charming hill town in Sri Lanka’s central highlands known for its English colonial architecture. As charming as the trip was, there is no avoiding its popularity and doing it independently would have its pitfalls.
But having Bernard to calmly steer us through made the experience easy and enjoyable. While watching tea plantations rush by on the train is one thing, nothing quite beats experiencing them in the flesh, and an early morning drive to catch the sunrise at Lipton’s Seat made for an unforgettable experience.
The seat is simply the spot where Scottish tea magnate Sir Thomas Lipton used to come to observe the surrounding hills, valleys and tea plantations bathed in gold at sunrise. It was a serene place to meditate in the dawn’s afterglow and a wonderful spot to relax with a breakfast picnic and a nice cup of Ceylon tea.
After that we ventured ever further south and into the sprawling jungle landscapes of Udawalawe NationalPark. Here we embarked on an exciting jeep safari where we got up close to some of the nation’s other abundant wildlife, such as peacocks, macaque monkeys and even crocodiles.
Accommodation here was provided by the nearby four-star Grand Udawalawe Safari Resort, which felt like staying in an exotic hunting lodge from a bygone era and provided the dream night’s rest after a long day. We finally rounded off our visit to Sri Lanka by heading to the south coast to soak up some sun in the sultry city of Galle.
A former Portuguese port with a fort at its centre, and impressive lighthouse, it can feel more European than Sri Lankan attimes. Wandering around Galle’s cobbled streets, which are lined with cafes, boutiques and old colonial buildings, was like wandering through a history book as you go from one era of architecture to another.
Restful, friendly and engaging, it was the perfect ending to the trip and in many ways summed up the best that this wonderful island nation has to offer. So if you have a thirst for adventure, but are not sure how to make it happen, give Jules Verne a chance. Even Indiana would approve.
Book the holiday
Jules Verne offers an eight-night guided Highlights of Sri Lanka tour from £2,295pp, departing on March 7, October 12 or November 20. Includes flights from Heathrow, transfers, breakfast daily, one lunch, two dinners and visits to Colombo, Galle, Bandarawela, Hill Country by rail, Sigiriya Rock and safari in Udawalawe National Park. vjv.com
More info at srilanka.travel