Sunday Times

TRIPLE-C SRI LANKA

Richard Holmes explores the cities, culture and coast of ‘India lite’ — and plans to go back for more

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It’s less than a decade since the end of the 26-year civil war that fractured the country, but Sri Lanka’s tourism fortunes are on the up as travellers flock to the “teardrop of India”. And it’s not hard to see why. From the colonial heritage of Colombo and Galle to the captivatin­g cultural heartland, there’s a wealth of history and tradition. There’s no shortage of natural beauty either. Udawalawe National Park is famous for its Asian elephants, leopards are the star of Yala National Park, while twitchers head straight for the Sinharaja Forest Reserve, one of the island’s eight Unesco World Heritage Sites. And, oh, the beaches! While tourist pressure and careless developmen­t has

 ?? Pictures: Richard Holmes ?? SWEET DESTINATIO­N The train from Colombo to Kandy crosses a magnificen­t viaduct on its journey to the hills.
Pictures: Richard Holmes SWEET DESTINATIO­N The train from Colombo to Kandy crosses a magnificen­t viaduct on its journey to the hills.

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