Sri Lanka: A Bespoke Journey Through "The Island of Serendipity"
Serendib, also spelled Serendip, Arabic Sarandīb, name for the island of Sri Lanka (Ceylon). The name, Arabic in origin, was recorded in use at least as early as AD 361 and for a time gained considerable currency in the West. It is best known to speakers of English through the word serendipity, invented in the 18th century by the English man of letters Horace Walpole on the inspiration of a Persian fairy tale, “The Three Princes of Serendip,” whose heroes often made discoveries by chance.
Nature, culture, animals, food, tea, the old Ceylon is a beautiful island in south India with many authentic experiences to offer to the visitants.
1. Surf and Yoga Paradise
The Sri Lankan coast is home to dreamy surf breaks for beginners, and pumping waves and reef breaks for advanced surfers. The best part? The lineup is still relatively uncrowded so you can catch wave…after wave…after wave. Not to mention, the water is delightfully warm for the majority of the year so you can leave your wet suit at home. The surf season in south Sri Lanka runs from about November to April (though you can still find great surf spots outside of this season) and the surf season in eastern Sri Lanka runs from about May to October.
Sri Lanka is also a hot spot for kite-surfing (mostly on the northwest coast), water skiing and SUP-ing.
The country is a wonderful destination to deepen your practice, with a plethora of yoga retreats available for any budget, or head to a drop-in class at one of the dozens of yoga studios around Sri Lanka.
2. Beautiful Produce and Food
Sri Lanka cuisine is typically wholesome, relatively healthy, and features a wealth of spices and flavours – like its neighbour, India, quintessential Sri Lankan meals consist of colourful curries (in general, milder than Indian curries), rice and roti, but also string hoppers (steamed rice noodles), kottu (a carb-heavy diced roti dish, often served with veggies, eggs or chicken), tons of fresh seafood from the Indian Ocean and an abundance of wonderful tropical fruit.
3. Wildlife Biodiversity
Sri Lanka possesses a very high degree of biodiversity and is considered one of the top biodiversity hotspots in the world. You can’t visit Sri Lanka without visiting one of the many national parks to try to catch a glimpse of an elusive spotted leopard or see elephants, bears, deer, monkeys, mongoose, wild boar, water buffalo, peacocks and many other beautiful species in their natural habitat. It also happens to be one of the best places to see Asian elephants in the wild.
4. Incredible Sights and Cultural Heritage
Sri Lanka boasts a vibrant and unique cultural heritage with 8 UNESCO World Heritage Sites scattered around the country and many colourful religious festivals hosted throughout the year. Sri Lanka has a diverse and rich cultural history and was a Dutch, Portugese and British colony from the early 1800s to 1900s, so expect splashes of European influence to be reflected in the architecture, food and drink and passion for cricket.
Spend some time strolling through Galle Fort in southern Sri Lanka and admire the beautiful architecture, and take a walk along the fort wall for panoramic coastal views.
Sinhalese and Tamil are the two primary languages spoken in Sri Lanka, but most people who work in, or live around, major tourist destination cities like Galle, Mirissa, Weligama, Unawatuna, Colombo and Kandy will be able to communicate in conversational English.
Unlike other popular tropical destinations, Sri Lanka remains relatively pure, untouched and unspoiled.