The warmth of Sri Lanka is present from the moment you step on to their national carrier, with the crew’s palms pressed in a “namaste” welcome, ushering you into a world of peacock-coloured gowns.
It's a 10-hour flight from London, where my family and I are travelling from, and just over four from Abu Dhabi. And that warmth of SriLankan Airlines is more evident when you arrive in the embracing tropical heat and a people who are unfailingly courteous.
Sri Lanka is an emerald gem. Verdant, certainly, not only in its lush landscape but in its multi-ethnic people who, despite their lower incomes, appear to welcome all that life throws at them.
In 2019, it was hit by the ISIS Easter bombings, followed two years later by the constrictions of the Covid-19 pandemic and then a financial crisis of the now-collapsed former government.
Those were severe blows, with the country’s annual 2.3 million foreign visitors, accounting for 12 per cent of GDP, plummeting to a mere few hundred thousand in 2021. But a suggestion of Sri Lanka's resilience – an innate attraction – is that the tourism is returning.
Not in droves as yet, but that will surely happen if the current political climate remains sensible while natural and man-made shocks remain dormant.
A family adventure across an emerald island
Travelling as a family always comes with its challenges, as two teenagers and a child will testify, but not for a single moment do we experience any threat or danger.
In a two-week journey, spanning great swathes of the country, the only remote peril comes from sharing a swinging suspension footbridge with a large family of boisterous Macaque monkeys.
In Sri Lanka's North Central Province, about 182 kilometres from Colombo, we skim the edge of Minneriya National Park’s broad, shimmering lake. We pass small herds of water buffalo gently grazing on the shore. Driving for an hour through forests of rosewood and ancient weera trees, where overhanging branches create an enchanting aura of the unexplored, we reach a large clearing, where in the distance a herd of 26 elephants nuzzle together.
Males, females and playful youths drink water through their trunks and sweep the grass in graceful swishes, engorging great mouthfuls. One tusked pair have a mock fight while another dashes a good few metres, showing the scope of their immense power, size and speed, before all melt back into the bush. These are just a handful of the herds that can number up to 700.
Sigiriya rock magic
We return for a welcome dip in Cinnamon Habarana Village’s diamond-shaped pool before contemplating the climb up legendary Sigiriya.
From afar, Sigiriya is a granite rock that stands far above the surrounding forests whose canopy hides a 5th-century palace of carefully crafted pools and stone walls.
The ascent begins with endless stone steps, trodden by visitors for 1,500 years, leading up to a staircase that clings to the sheer rock face and ancient wall art featuring partially dressed noble Sri Lankan ladies.
At the foot of the final ascent lie two giant carved lion’s feet, a place for ancient worship that now merits an Instagram stop.
Passing through the formidable paws, we begin the final ascent up the last 100 metres of steel staircase, zigzagging up the cliff.
The nerve-racking ascent is rewarded by a plateau and astounding views of the jungle, lakes and rivers that appear unchanged since the days of the dinosaurs.
Ancient swimming pools make you wonder how people from 1,500 years ago might have contemplated their place in the world.
Secrets of Kandy
Bustling Kandy, a large city in the centre of Sri Lanka, contains the sacred shrine of the Buddha’s tooth, well recommended for an alternative cultural experience. The delightful Mahaweli Reach Hotel is cocooned behind high walls and green terraces that lead down to the river, with the steep city hills framing the background.
Initially there are teenage groans at the prospect of visiting the Royal Botanical Gardens, but these are soon stifled amid the long limbs of the mahogany trees that lend themselves to climbing or the astonishing California-like avenues of high palm trees.
In addition to 4,000 different plant species, it also holds a gem of a corner where scores of trees have been planted by dignitaries ranging from Queen Elizabeth II and her grandfather George V.
Through the tea hills
The tea plantations that straddle the sharp hills of the central highlands cascade down hillsides that offer a beguiling aspect not dissimilar to England’s Lake District, albeit with a more accommodating climate.
With waterfalls gushing in the distance, the area is flowing with terraces of green bushes where we are expertly shown the process of turning them into tea – green, white or black.
We are then given a wicker basket and told to start picking, which the children take to with smiling alacrity. Though it would not last the full eight hours it takes expert pickers to fill a quota of 18kg for $3.25 a day.
We find ourselves in Nuwara Eliya walking in a refreshing, air conditioning-free climate. English Tudor and Scottish granite-style houses nestle in the town’s slopes. The colonial aspect – it was where the British migrated for long weekends away from Colombo’s heat – is most evident in the wood-panelled Grand Hotel, where high tea can be taken on the lawn or drinks savoured at its tasteful Art Deco bar.
Leaving in tepid 17ºC, we descend through roads hugging steep river valleys, terraced with rice paddies, down to a railway station where the temperature surges to 32°C.
Curving around an emerald hillside, the train pulls into the station for its short journey to the popular backpacker town of Ella.
Passengers lean out of a doorway as the train chugs over a nine-arch viaduct. Vegetation is within touching distance and the piping of the engine’s whistle makes it an exhilarating experience.
Hambantota heaven
It is the little, almost unseen touches at the Shangri-La Hambantota, located along the ancient Spice Route, that sets it apart, complemented by its pleasing interior design of timbered ceilings and wide openings.
The rooms have those hidden touches that enhance a stay such as noiseless air-conditioning and deeply soft pillows.
We open the blackout curtains to a vista of waving palm trees, pleasant green gardens and, beyond, the crashing waves of a beach completely unspoilt by any man-made intrusion.
The food – as it is across Sri Lanka – is a fine mixture of spicy local, Eastern, European and Chinese cuisine. At times the choice is so broad and tempting that it is impossible not to load up a multinational plate of excellence.
A short drive from Hambantota lies Yala National Park that has the attraction of glimpses of white deserted beaches with waves crashing before coconut-laden palm trees.
It also has at least 35 of Sri Lanka's leopards, which can occasionally be spotted lying on rocks, as well as families of elephants.
But it is the slightly menacing proximity of its many crocodiles that gives Yala an added aura – watching the reptiles slide under the surface then emerge close by, wondering what their reaction would be if game were to approach.
From east coast to west coast
While Sri Lanka’s east coast is fabled for its white sands and resorts, there is also beauty to be found on the west of the island, where the outstanding Teardrop Hotels have their luxurious Kumu Beach residence looking out on to the Indian Ocean.
Bathing in its eternity pool, watching the waves crashing in while basking in sunshine, is accompanied by excellent pool services and knowledge that the evening will bring a superb dining experience.
Similarly, its sister hotel the colonial-era Wallawwa, close to Colombo and closer still to the airport, is an excellent soft landing or departure spot with its gardens enclosed by dense vegetation, cocooning the visitor from the outside.
Sri Lanka has many qualities, foremost its people, including our driver and national tourist guide Kelum Jayasinghe, who is unfailingly polite and a library of useful information. With liberal and clever use of the horn, he smartly navigates us past slower tuk-tuks and carts.
After two weeks of travel there are no upset stomachs nor severe ailments, instead deep tan lines and a reflection of the smiles that grace our Sri Lankan hosts.
The final hours of the country’s hospitality are enjoyed on the busy flight home, with the customary warmth of SriLankan Airlines, where, with laptop out, a flight attendant asks what I'm writing.
“A travel piece on Sri Lanka.”
“It had better be good,” she responds.
“That won’t be difficult,” I reply.
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
FROM%20THE%20ASHES
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Khalid%20Fahad%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Shaima%20Al%20Tayeb%2C%20Wafa%20Muhamad%2C%20Hamss%20Bandar%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs: 2017 Dodge Ram 1500 Laramie Longhorn
Price, base / as tested: Dhxxx
Engine: 5.7L V8
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 395hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 556Nm @ 3,950rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km
Abu Dhabi GP schedule
Friday: First practice - 1pm; Second practice - 5pm
Saturday: Final practice - 2pm; Qualifying - 5pm
Sunday: Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (55 laps) - 5.10pm
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Scoreline
Australia 2-1 Thailand
Australia: Juric 69', Leckie 86'
Thailand: Pokklaw 82'
More coverage from the Future Forum
CONFIRMED%20LINE-UP
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Non-oil%20trade
%3Cp%3ENon-oil%20trade%20between%20the%20UAE%20and%20Japan%20grew%20by%2034%20per%20cent%20over%20the%20past%20two%20years%2C%20according%20to%20data%20from%20the%20Federal%20Competitiveness%20and%20Statistics%20Centre.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EIn%2010%20years%2C%20it%20has%20reached%20a%20total%20of%20Dh524.4%20billion.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ECars%20topped%20the%20list%20of%20the%20top%20five%20commodities%20re-exported%20to%20Japan%20in%202022%2C%20with%20a%20value%20of%20Dh1.3%20billion.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EJewellery%20and%20ornaments%20amounted%20to%20Dh150%20million%20while%20precious%20metal%20scraps%20amounted%20to%20Dh105%20million.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERaw%20aluminium%20was%20ranked%20first%20among%20the%20top%20five%20commodities%20exported%20to%20Japan.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ETop%20of%20the%20list%20of%20commodities%20imported%20from%20Japan%20in%202022%20was%20cars%2C%20with%20a%20value%20of%20Dh20.08%20billion.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
THE SPECS
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 275hp at 6,600rpm
Torque: 353Nm from 1,450-4,700rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Top speed: 250kph
Fuel consumption: 6.8L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: Dh146,999
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Match info
Liverpool 4
Salah (19'), Mane (45 2', 53'), Sturridge (87')
West Ham United 0
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
MATCH DETAILS
Juventus 2 (Bonucci 36, Ronaldo 90 6)
Genoa 1 (Kouame 40)
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
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The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 620hp from 5,750-7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm from 3,000-5,750rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh1.05 million ($286,000)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
NATIONAL%20SELECTIONS
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MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
DUBAI SEVENS 2018 DRAW
Gulf Men’s League
Pool A – Dubai Exiles, Dubai Hurricanes, Bahrain, Dubai Sports City Eagles
Pool B – Jebel Ali Dragons, Abu Dhabi Saracens, Abu Dhabi Harlequins, Al Ain Amblers
Gulf Men’s Open
Pool A – Bahrain Firbolgs, Arabian Knights, Yalla Rugby, Muscat
Pool B – Amman Citadel, APB Dubai Sharks, Jebel Ali Dragons 2, Saudi Rugby
Pool C – Abu Dhabi Harlequins 2, Roberts Construction, Dubai Exiles 2
Pool D – Dubai Tigers, UAE Shaheen, Sharjah Wanderers, Amman Citadel 2
Gulf U19 Boys
Pool A – Deira International School, Dubai Hurricanes, British School Al Khubairat, Jumeirah English Speaking School B
Pool B – Dubai English Speaking College 2, Jumeirah College, Dubai College A, Abu Dhabi Harlequins 2
Pool C – Bahrain Colts, Al Yasmina School, DESC, DC B
Pool D – Al Ain Amblers, Repton Royals, Dubai Exiles, Gems World Academy Dubai
Pool E – JESS A, Abu Dhabi Sharks, Abu Dhabi Harlequins 1, EC
Gulf Women
Pool A – Kuwait Scorpions, Black Ruggers, Dubai Sports City Eagles, Dubai Hurricanes 2
Pool B – Emirates Firebirds, Sharjah Wanderers, RAK Rides, Beirut Aconites
Pool C – Dubai Hurricanes, Emirates Firebirds 2, Abu Dhabi Saracens, Transforma Panthers
Pool D – AUC Wolves, Dubai Hawks, Abu Dhabi Harlequins, Al Ain Amblers
Gulf U19 Girls
Pool A – Dubai Exiles, BSAK, DESC, Al Maha
Pool B – Arabian Knights, Dubai Hurricanes, Al Ain Amblers, Abu Dhabi Harlequins
The%20specs
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HWJN
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