Where is Sri Lanka located and how to get there?
Sri Lanka is a teardrop-shaped island located south of India in the Indian Ocean. Colombo is the primary gateway to Sri Lanka, and it is well connected with many major travel hubs across Asia and further afield. From London, Sri Lankan Airways operate direct scheduled flights, and from the US and Canada, there are excellent flight options via Dubai on Emirates, Doha on Qatar or Abu Dhabi on Etihad. Colombo is also connected with Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Male.
Where are Sri Lanka’s top places and experiences?
Sri Lanka has a great diversity of landscape ranging from tropical rainforests to verdant tea plantations, elephant speckled grasslands to pristine golden sand beaches, bustling cities to quaint countryside dotted with sleepy villages and ancient monuments. Thanks to its relatively compact size, travelling within the country is hassle-free, and the combination of safari, beach and culture makes it one of the finest family holiday destinations in Asia. Some of our favourite highlights include:
When is the best time to visit Sri Lanka?
Being a tropical island, Sri Lanka enjoys plenty of sunshine and warm temperatures throughout much of the year. However, the island experiences two monsoons at different times of the year, so the best time to visit depends on the areas and activities you are planning to focus on.
Vast majority of first-time visitors tend to focus on the west and south coast regions along with the hill country, as this is where Sri Lanka’s primary highlights are located including the Cultural Triangle, tea plantations, Wilpattu and Yala national parks, as well as Galle and the pristine south coast beaches.
The best time to visit this region is between December and April, which makes Sri Lanka an excellent option for Christmas vacations. If you don’t mind hot and humid conditions, the period between mid-July and September is a great secret season for summer holidays, especially along the south coast and in the hill country. The period between May and September is also an ideal time to explore the areas in the north and along the east coast.
How can you help protect and nurture Sri Lanka’s local environment and communities?
Like most developing nations, rapid urban and industrial development has resulted in serious environmental, economic and social imbalances across the country. In 2020, the German Watch declared Sri Lanka as sixth most vulnerable country threatened by changing climatic conditions in their annual Climate Risk Index. There is a lot that needs to be done for the protection and restoration of Sri Lanka’s unique ecosystems, and sustainable and responsible tourism could play a vital role.
There are various avenues that can be explored for a meaningful philanthropic engagement during your holiday. These range from education and sports to wildlife and nature conservation. Depending on the cause that is closest to your heart, you could choose to support a local primary school and engage with the students and teachers, spend time with tea plantation workers learning about the ongoing initiatives to make tea production as green and sustainable as possible, learn about marine as well as terrestrial ecosystem conservation, and explore the possibility of funding a local cricket club or helping to alleviate the plight of stray animals.
- Utterly designed and tailored around you and your requirements
- Totally unique every time you travel with us
- The very best hand picked guides which can make the difference between a good and an outstanding holiday
- Established over 30 years ago we have been around longer than most
- Our specialists come from, have lived in or travelled extensively in the regions we cover
- Unparalleled knowledge provides you with the best possible experience
- Philanthropy is our philosophy
- Our founding principle is to always ‘put something back’
- An amount from each holiday is donated to our selected conservation and humanitarian charities
By Marcela Kunova - 20th April 2017
Nicola Shepherd, founder and CEO of The Exploration Company, organises unusual trips for HNW and UHNW clients ranging from birthday parties at an Indian Maharajah's palace to reliving Sir Vivian Fuchs's 1950s expedition to the South Pole. Citywealth caught ...
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