This is how you can tackle Sri Lanka as a mature traveller when you want both adventure and a comfortable ride, writes Sue Halliwell
The flower seller stepped into our path as our small bus began its winding mountainside descent near Sri Lanka’s Ramboda Falls.
Clutching a fulsome bunch of local blooms and waving furiously to get our attention, what followed was a short but extraordinary interaction that for me became a metaphor for my experience of his country as an older traveller.
Beyond each hairpin bend he would magically reappear, his blossoms intact. That his winning smile found our women passengers was no surprise, but how he cut five steep, rain-soaked corners without calamity and at such speed in jandal-clad feet, remains a mystery.
By some superhuman feat, he and his grin were still there to greet us after the final bend. “Pull over!” we instructed our driver, and all nine of us clubbed together to purchase his magnificent bouquet.
This delightful interaction occurred midpoint in an organised tour of Sri Lanka that I was enjoying with my significant other. Both now over 65, we pursue our love of adventure travel in greater comfort, and booked a 12-day, small group tour of Sri Lanka’s must-sees to get a handle on the customs, culture, cuisine, currency and climate before going it alone. It was a good move.
At slightly over half the size of New Zealand’s North Island, the “Teardrop of India” or “Pearl of the Indian Ocean”, as Sri Lanka is variously described, is not large. However, its rich soup of sights, sounds, smells and tastes can be almost overwhelming, especially for the newly arrived whose entry point is the hectic, spice-infused city of Colombo.
That said, Colombo’s sensory mix was for us also a great introduction to the culture, cash and cuisine of the country — and to the traffic. Here, for the first of many times, we would bless our decision to let someone else navigate Sri Lanka’s chaotic roads, starting with our tour bus driver.
Ours was a comparatively inexpensive Inspired Vacations tour, but there are many other options, although I obviously can’t vouch for their quality of accommodation, meals and interpretation as I can for ours. It travelled a popular tourist route from Colombo south to the intriguing fort town of Galle and Sri Lanka’s southern coast. Yala National Park followed and our first two wildlife safaris, and then the charming town of Ella and entry into the lush — and cooler — high country.
We hiked Horton Plains National Park before taking a magical train ride through jungle and tea plantations, and falling for the falls and a certain lad’s smile in Ramboda. From there we would explore the colonial grace and Buddhist significance of Kandy, immerse ourselves in the antiquity of Unesco World Heritage sites at Polonnaruwa and stately Sigiriya Lion Rock, marvel at Dambulla Cave Temple and mix it with the elephants of Minneriya National Park before returning to Colombo through the coastal city of Negombo.
At each stop our accommodation, activities and transport were arranged, and if we wanted it, our meals. Our interactions with residents would further our practice of important etiquette, and our patient Sri Lankan tour guide would grow our understanding of his country through a knowledge as broad as our flower seller’s smile.
Yes, as mature travellers we were sold on an organised tour as an effortless introduction to Sri Lanka, and we weren’t alone.
Sri Lanka Travel Feneteko