If you’re looking for an exotic, sun-kissed honeymoon destination with stunning scenery, white sand beaches and luxury hotels – Sri Lanka ticks all the boxes.
Sri Lanka is blessed with unrivalled natural wonder; whether it is the stunning array of exotic wildlife you’ll regularly encounter, the best beaches found anywhere in the world or the breath-taking scenery found all across the island. Not only that, Sri Lanka is a treasure trove of ancient relics and cultural gems – eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites are waiting to be explored, that’s more than you’ll find in Egypt!
Sri Lanka proudly holds the title of the best place in the world for whale and dolphin watching.
Pods of Bottlenose, Spinner and Striped dolphin glide through the warm, crystal clear waters off the coast of Sri Lanka year round. If the sight of dolphins torpedoing through the Indian Ocean isn’t enough, you’ll also get to encounter Sperm whales, the occasional Killer whale, and the largest creature ever – the Blue whale!
Flame of the forest would come in to flower around mid-April & the flowering season could stretch till early June. Its name itself describes this tree very well. This does look like the flame in the forest & stands out in the wet evergreen vegetation.
Depending on soil conditions, the flowers can vary in colour from pale scarlet and almost orange to deep russets and vermilion. Beneath the trees become thickly carpeted with fine red petals for weeks. The trees take about 10 years to mature into attractive flowering specimens.
In a few weeks, one could spot this beautiful tree in Sri Lanka very easily as this a common tree in the wet zone. Imagine having a king[Bright orange] coconut under the red carpet.
The Good Karma Hospital is now in Series 2. The story is an uplifting drama that’s captured the hearts of the nation as well as providing us with some tropical sunshine! It is the story of Ruby Walker, a junior doctor who is looking to begin a new chapter of her life following a heartbreaking end to her relationship. The UK resident heads over to a new Indian community, where she does her best to blend in. It stars Amanda Redman, Neil Morrissey, Amrita Acharia and James Floyd.
It is actually set in the southern Indian state of Kerala, however due to the monsoons in that area, the producers decided to film in Sri Sri Lanka instead, in particular Unawatuna (in the Galle area) known for its coral reef and palm-lined coast. This has a similar landscape to Kerala in terms of its tropical forests, coastline and tea plantations.
Behind Unawatuna beach there is a teacher training college which forms the set of the hospital which features in the series.
The filming locations of The Good Karma Hospital have been slightly extended for Series Two. Two episodes have been filmed at a tea plantation in Wilehena – an hour’s drive east of Unawatuna. It is here that Dr Ruby Walker will get in touch with her roots at an outreach clinic.
Koggala Lake, a half hour from Unawatuna will also feature when the characters pitch up in an Keralan house boat.
Koggala was significantly affected by the 2004 India ocean tsunami where the waters measured 31ft high.
Pamela Goodwin, as the Travel Editor of House & Garden magazine and the magazine’s Editor of the annual Hotels by Design Supplement (May issue) has come up with her top 10 places to visit in 2018. Sri Lanka and in particular, the new Wild Coast Tented Lodge, near Yala comes as the first mention on her list – http://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/gallery/best-holiday-destinations-2018
www.houseandgarden.co.uk The best holiday destinations for 2018, with the help of Hotels by Design 2018, our guide to the most beautifully designed hotels in the world right now
We are delighted to work with Teardrop Hotels, the owners of Wild Coast Tented Lodge, and can offer this as part of our Tailormade Tours – https://www.theuniquetravel.co.uk/tours/tailor-made-sri-lanka-tours/
