Never have I been to a country where I almost felt like I was in the scene of a wildlife documentary!

I loved Sri Lanka, really loved it.  The people, the wildlife, the diversity of beautiful beaches to crazy busy cities, full of colour, smells, life and the cities never seem to sleep.  If you want to travel to India but are not sure if you will like it, take a trip to Sri Lanka first as its almost a stepping stone into the different culture but will provide the perfect insight into this truly beautiful part of the world.  The country has everything from world-famous tea plantations to national parks made for safaris.

You will find colonial history, you will see poverty, you will find scenery in abundance, you will find religion, you can immerse yourself in the local culture and animals can be seen at every turn.

The country is large.  Many make the mistake of trying to do too much in a short space of time.  I highly recommend taking a tour, and actually it’s not expensive to have your own private driver/guide for the tour.  Whilst on our trip, our guide, Elmo was as much a highlight of the trip as many of the other factors.  The times he spotted elephants from afar, the little quirky places we stopped on route to meet locals with the largest land monito, the attention to detail he put into every day and ensuring our interests were a priority was what made our trip so memorable.

Some of our top tips for visiting Sri Lanka include:

1. Let us help you arrange a tour with a private guide, it’s such a vast country we don’t want you to miss the best bits!
2. Make sure that you travel at the right time of year that fits in with the animals that you want to see most, or you will end up disappointed
3. Take a train journey from Kandy to Ella or vice versa,it is considered to be one of the most scenic, beautiful and epic train journeys in the whole world
4. Visit a tea plantation in Nuwara Eliya
5. Include the beautiful town of Galle Fort and enjoy its colonial history
6. Don’t overdo the travelling and ensure you find some time on one of the beaches
7. Visit at least one of the countries beautiful National Parks, enjoy the animals and the scenery
8. Take time to learn a little of the culture when visiting the temples and places of worship
9. Visit Sigiriya rock fortress near the town of Dambulla, it is a UNESCO listed World Heritage Site and is also considered the 8th Wonder in the World. If you are feeling fit why not climb to the top, we did and it was so worth it!
10. If like me you are a fan of elephants – then you must MUST visit Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage –You even get a chance to play with Elephants!