By
Jon Lloyd
It was going to be India. Then came the tsunami and advice in the travel press to help the stricken countries by spending our holiday money there. Our attention turned to Sri Lanka which seemed to offer an extraordinary variety of natural and manmade attractions in a small island.
Our researches led us via
/ to a small independent operator. We were attracted by the offbeat and informal approach, the emphasis on eco-friendly tourism, and the idea that our money would go direct to Sri Lankans rather than to a first-world operator.
It took a few e-mails and phone calls to agree our itinerary, guided by Kumar who is the UK based partner of the company. We booked our own flights to Colombo. Our expectations were to stay in half a dozen completely different locations, get off the beaten track and close to nature, and meet plenty of Sri Lankans, We were not disappointed.
We were met at Colombo Airport by our driver/guide Deepthi. We had not properly understood that he would be with us throughout the tour. This could be difficult if there were to be a clash of personalities, but Deepthi proved to be an informative and resourceful companion who added hugely to our enjoyment of the trip. We were still able to have plenty of time to ourselves.
He dropped us off for our first two nights at a small and very comfortable hotel on a coconut estate called Horathapola an hour or so from the airport. As a place to unwind and acclimatise it was perfect; simply but beautifully furnished and with large windows, doors and balconies, the eye was constantly drawn to the luxuriant greenery outside where the swimming pool was framed by palms and a sweet-scented frangipane tree.
On day one we saw the value of the operator's approach. In the morning we explored the estate on bicycles by ourselves, and then in late afternoon accepted the offer of a ride in a bullock cart. Our expectations were not high but we soon realised that we had cycled round with our eyes closed as two of the estate workers revealed the wealth of fruits and spices all around.; there appears to be hardly anything that does not have a value as spice or medicine.
The learning curve approached vertical at our next venue, in the Sinharaja rainforest. We spent two nights at the simple lodge created by Martin, a former forest ranger, with the sounds of the jungle all around. Our diminutive guide, Chandra, led us on a five hour trek into the forest; her trained eyes and ears identified so much, tiny frogs, lizards, insects and birds, and while we sat on a huge rock looking down on the forest we had come through she pointed out first a brilliantly camouflaged chameleon and then the most beautiful delicate green (and harmless) snake. As we sat there the rain swept in and on the way down we experienced the rain forest in the wet, leeches and all.
From here it was no more than 50 miles to the hot, dry Uda Walawe National Park. We were up before dawn to be at the park gates by 6.am. and as the sun came up we were fortunate to see elephants, deer, crocodiles, monitors, monkeys, giant squirrels and add to the steadily growing list of birds we had already seen.
Our walks from the lodge around the village gave us a great insight into rural life. What was becoming clear was how few tourists were around. Both here and at our next venue we were the first guests for over a week.
The tourist trade in Sri Lanka is down over 60% since the tsunami, and it is the whole country, not just the affected coastal resorts, that has been hit. It made the welcome for us particularly warm.
We moved on into the hill country of central Sri Lanka, passing through exquisite scenery of tea estates and market gardens to a small villa and estate run on principles of biodiversity – nothing was too much trouble for the small staff, and we particularly enjoyed an informal cookery lesson in the kitchen. The food was a real treat throughout the trip. The practice of serving half a dozen small and varied spiced dishes and the several ways of cooking rice meant that we were constantly experiencing something new. The food was never dull, always good, and, at Horothopola and Ecolanka, outstanding.
At one of the lodges we arose early one morning and set off at 5.30 a.m. for Horton Plains, a rare mountain ecosystem over 7000 feet high. One needs to be there early because the cloud tends to form during the morning and obscure the views.
We were lucky and walked in early morning sunshine through terrain reminiscent of British moorland and past gnarled lichen encrusted “cloud forest” to the beautiful Baker Falls and aptly named viewpoint of Worlds End where the cliff drops away a full kilometre. In the smart new and extremely informative Visitor Centre there is a chilling room detailing the exploits of one Colonel Rogers and his chums who succeeded in exterminating the entire elephant population of the plains for fun – a far cry from the values of modern conservation and ecotourism. One aspect of the holiday that seemed distinctly eco un-friendly was the many kilometres of travel by private car.
We determined to try the trains. Our driver left us to join the train at Nanu Oya for the 40 minute late afternoon journey through the tea estates to Watagoda where he would pick us up. We found seats in one of three crowded carriages on a goods train. After much delay and some activity with a large spanner under our carriage we were told to get off and we learned that our coach was broken. After much shunting the offending coach was removed and the train reassembled but the displaced passengers now had to squeeze onto the two remaining carriages. By now it was dark, and there was no light in the carriage, as finally the train wound its way along the side of the valley, and we could only guess at the stunning views.
It was entertaining but confirmed the advice in the guidebooks that train travel is for people with a lot of time to spare. Buses are the same; they are plentiful, but they are old, slow, uncomfortable and crowded. We would have spent almost the entire fortnight on the road if we had tried to travel by public transport. So there really is no alternative to the car but even that does not mean that getting around is quick. The roads are poor and the driving code is completely alien to the western driver. The locals say that to drive you need three things: “good horn, good brakes and good luck”. We were very happy to have the services of Deepthi who proved to be an able and safe driver.
After this it was on to the more travelled tourist trail. We had two nights in Kandy where we appreciated the faded grandeur of the Hotel Suisse. Even here the operator's approach proved valuable. Deepthi was not only a very knowledgeable guide as he took us around the Temple of the Tooth and other sights but knew exactly where to take us for the particular shopping we wanted to do. One evening here we were the guests of Kumar’s uncle Ragu and his wife Kamela who was keen to get us involved in the kitchen. They were most gracious hosts, Tamil Hindus with close family still in India.
We were struck throughout by the easy integration in most of the country of the four religious and ethnic groups; Buddhist, Hindu, Moslem and Christian, reflecting the rich history of the country, and, like urban Britain, creating a rich diversity. It was hard for the outsider to understand the recent civil war.
Finally we travelled east and here there is still a strong but relaxed military presence.
We had asked for a couple of days on the beach before we flew home. Options are at present limited and the operator had booked us into an accommodation near Trincomalee. The area was devastated by the tsunami and over 2000 people died there. The hotel had somehow avoided serious damage and the beach is beautiful. But the tourists are not yet coming back and many of their guests are NGO staff. The narrow streets in the centre are the chaotic bustle and cocktail of smells that they have always been, and the new brightly painted fishing boats and numerous signs of rebuilding give a very positive buzz to the town.
Give it a couple of years and Sri Lanka as a beach holiday destination will be back big time. In the meantime our message is: go and enjoy it while it is “undiscovered”. It has been said that the small island of Sri Lanka encapsulates the best of India. For us the experience has only increased our fascination for India itself – this operator arrange trips there too…
Interested? Take a look at our Sri Lanka holiday
