Sri Lanka is blessed with natural diversity made up of fauna and flora, rivers and mountains, valleys and views, and so much more. Across this island are an abundance of national parks, sanctuaries and forest reserves that are home to endemic and non-native birds and butterflies, animals and plants, marine life and land creatures, great…

It’s pitch dark outside in spite of the few stars that dot the cloudy sky. Intermittently, the rains come crashing down. And it is very cold. The three of us are huddled under blankets, with a fierce fire burning at our feet. Despite the cold weather, the lack of electricity and thankfully, no telephone signals,…

I see a sign that tells me I have another 18 kilometers of driving past this laid back town of Deniyaya. The road from here onwards is steep, narrow and very lonely at this late hour of the evening. But I finally reach the Rainforest Ecolodge located on the 500-acre division of the Enselwatte Tea…

As I alight from my jeep, I hear the inimitable, plaintive call of the peacock. I see him wandering through this garden calling for his mate. The garden is a veritable jungle of trees comprising Gammalu, Palu, Burutha, Teak, Athdemata, Kumbuk and Khaya.  This peacock is not alone. There are plenty more, wandering freely and…

Up in the hills, high above low clouds, surrounded by terraced tea fields, I am in the heart of Haputale which is almost 180 km from the capital city of Colombo. The weekend is a cool getaway from the scorching heat of Colombo and I am at Sherwood, a quaint planter’s bungalow that has an…

I have a long drive ahead of me: it’s approximately 220 kms from Colombo to Kirinda. The others have already gone ahead and I look forward to joining them at the Panthera Lodge in Kirinda. By late morning, I reach Kirinda and my weekend begins. The Panthera Lodge is a rustic dormitory-styled open-aired bungalow that…

High on the Bahirawakanda mountain range stands a tall, glass-encased building with an amazing view of the city of Kandy down below. We make our way up steep and winding roads, and as we climb higher and higher, the chill in the air gets nippier at this early morning hour. But it is a welcome…

Expo Air’s brand new 12-seater Cessna Grand Caravan takes off at 7 a.m. from the Ratmalana Airport.  On this clear day, at 8000 feet, the sight of this lush, verdant land below is amazing. I am visiting Jaffna after almost ten years and I can’t wait to see what this historical city looks like, post…

It is a clear and beautiful day. We set off from our overnight abode in Galle en route to Mirissa. As we speed along, the sight of the sunrise is breathtaking. The boats against this backdrop are picture perfect and we stop for a few minutes to take photographs. Forty five minutes later, we arrive…