Anne and I awoke to another beautiful day in Kandy, Sri Lanka’s cultural capital. At last we were over the jetlag and in good form.

Saturday 15 February

We began with a relaxing stroll round Peradeniya Royal Botanic Gardens, amongst the best planted and most attractive I have ever seen, with an orchid collection, thousands of tropical house plants, palms of many species and a great circle of trees planted by visiting royalty from Britain and bigwigs from all over.

We could have continued with a walk round the lake, but decided to return to base and enjoy the fine facilities of the Earl’s Regent hotel.

A swim, a massage and a book on the terrace

Perhaps it’s my age (yes, it is) but I do appreciate a bit of downtime. And it was a holiday after all.

Sunday 16 February

We left Kandy and drove to a rafting station on the River Kalani at Kitugala, where David Lean filmed Bridge on the River Kwai.

After some thought I chose the lazier option of a leisurely paddle downstream while listening to the birdsong, whereas Anne went for the full white-water experience.

And fell in

After yet another buffet we crossed the river on a wobbly suspension footbridge and walked through a farming village of vegetable gardens and fruit trees of all sorts. A wonderful, peaceful place.

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The bus then headed south, climbing up into tea-growing country. After a pause for a cup of tea and a view of Devon Falls, we reached Nuwara Eliya. Our hotel was a monstrosity we referred to as “Schloss Colditz”, but it was only for a couple of nights.

Monday 17 February 

No need to venture any further than the hotel car park to see tea-pickers in action. What a tough way to earn a living. We walked for 15 minutes into Nuwara Eliya, AKA “Little England”, visiting the famous post office and the ever-so-English Victoria Park. Allowing ourselves to be defeated by the heat, we sought relief through cocktails on the terrace of the Grand Hotel. 

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The afternoon visit to the Damro tea factory turned out to be quite interesting. Very personnel-heavy and – typical of Sri Lanka – using machinery that looked, and probably was, a century old.

We returned to the Grand for a Thai dinner (good, if strangely bland).

There was an opportunity to climb the huge sacred mountain known as Adam’s Peak. This takes all night and is not to be lightly undertaken – so we didn’t undertake it, although two of our party bravely did. Sheila, an experienced hill-walker, was determined to go, and reached the summit with no apparently difficulty. Sarah, bless her, volunteered to accompany her and also made it to the top.

She suffered for days

They were rewarded for their efforts with a magnificent sunrise panorama.

Tuesday 18 February 

It was a cold 5 a.m. start for the drive to Horton Plains National Park, 2,000 metres above sea level. I was beginning to think I was a bit underdressed, but it stayed dry and warmed up as the sun broke through the mists.

We were fortunate enough to see a bear monkey clambering in the treetops just after we reached World’s End, a celebrated viewpoint with a scary 870-metre sheer drop. We walked through English-looking countryside, seeing lots of birds but no mammals. Probably they heard us coming. We stopped again at Baker’s Falls for another well-needed rest before heading back to our starting point.

My knees were killing me but it was a great 10 km walk.

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Back on the bus, we moved on to Pattipola, the highest railway station on the island, to take the train down to Ella. Tip: third-class reserved is perfectly adequate, but do make sure it is reserved! On the journey we fell into conversation with a young woman from Los Angeles called Tess, who told us that her partner was a film director. I was about to ask his name but never got round to it before we arrived at Ella.

It had been a long day, and the excellent food and swimming pool at Hotel Mandara, Kataragama, were welcome.

Wednesday 19 February

The morning was spent off the beaten track at a farm near Tissamaharama where, in circumstances I won’t go into, I lost a pillow fight with Anne.

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Then to the leopard-infested Yala National Park.

Another bone-jarring three hours in a jeep

We saw zero leopards and but one bull elephant… however, there were crocodiles, water buffaloes hares, lots of spotted deer and hundreds of birds, including painted storks, green bee-eaters and a crested serpent eagle.

Thursday 20 February

First stop was Uduwalawe for the orphan elephant feeding centre; there must have been 40 elephants converging on the site. Then to our beach-side hotel at Ahangama.

Friday 21 February

An enjoyable, lazy day bathing in the Indian Ocean was rounded off by an end-of-trip group BBQ.

Thanks were expressed and photos taken

Saturday 22 February 

It was just a short drive to the Martin Wickramasinghe Folk Museum at Koggala, a traditional long house set in bird-filled gardens, and then to the Dutch fort at Galle, the heart of the former colonial town. But Lord, it was hot and humid. We sightsaw for a couple of hours before heading off for yet another Lion lager. Then some lunch and more beer.

So, at last, to Colombo, a city we had not had yet the opportunity to explore. We took an evening stroll along Galle Face Green, where every family seemed to have gathered to nibble snacks and fly kites. There was a cooling breeze and a happy relaxed atmosphere, so we lingered on the seafront to enjoy a good dinner and a refreshing margarita or two.

A memorable end to one of our best ever holidays.

Would I go again? I liked what I saw and there is a lot more of the island to explore. But, as I said when starting this account, I am not a fan of the long-haul flight. If I am going to subject myself to it again, it would probably be to a different destination.

But you should go!