…Sri Lanka.

I wanted to go on a ‘special’ holiday this year. The kids are growing up and thought it could just be one of the last family holidays together. I needed to find something that would appeal to all of us with our varied interests and spurred on by recommendations from one of our clients (Natalie from Editrack) who had visited Sri Lanka last year, I came across a small tour company in Hampshire that specialises in trips to Sri Lanka. The tours focused on the culture and character, supporting local communities and being eco-friendly. This all appealed to me and the next thing it was booked – eighteen days in Sri Lanka!

This holiday was a non-stop feast of fun and adventure! There were just seven of us on the tour and we all hit it off straight away. Every two or three days we were on the move through the most varied landscape – beaches, rainforest, jungle, plains, mountains and lush hillside. Our first day launched us into a totally different world – walking through rainforest and white-water rafting down the river in thick Sri Lankan jungle at Kithugala. As the light began to fade and we jumped into the (croc-free!) river to swim, dusk drew in and huge bats came swooping over our heads! I never thought I would ever be swimming with bats! What a way to start a holiday!

Throughout the trip I saw more and more wildlife – especially on Safari in Yala National Park: eagles, monkeys and elephants galore plus a rare sighting of a Sloth Bear and a leopard. The wildlife experiences, together with the amount of walking, cycling and climbing that we did made for a very busy, exciting and exhilarating holiday.

The Sri Lankan people are so friendly and they are always smiling, which just added to the beauty of the country. We stayed in some magical places with rooms that had breathtaking views over the rainforest, hilltops, lakes and tea plantations. We visited hilltop temples and explored ancient forts and caves and experienced the spirituality that makes Sri Lanka so very special. At the end of the holiday we did manage to have a day or two on the beach relaxing – I needed it to recover from all our exploration! It was a truly amazing trip – a holiday of a lifetime!