Sixteen kilometres north of Tangalle, rising out of flat scrub with very little warning, Mulkirigala is one of those places that makes you feel the Cultural Triangle has been overselling itself. The rock — a dramatic granite outcrop pushing some 200 metres above the surrounding plains — contains a series of cave temples cut into the cliff face at five successive terraces. The earliest date to the...
A love letter to everyday Sri Lankan domestic life. There is a sound so woven into the fabric of Sri Lankan domestic life that most people stopped hearing it years ago — the rhythmic rasp of coconut being scraped from its shell. The tool responsible is deceptively simple: a serrated metal blade mounted on a low wooden stool or block in the kitchen or on the veranda. This is work done sitting down,...
Coffee may not be the first hot beverage that springs to mind when thinking about Sri Lanka, but the island's coffee story predates that of its tea! Coffee was introduced in the 1820s under British rule, growing into a major industry by the 1840s in the Kandy highlands, ideal for Arabica beans. At its height in the 1860s, the island exported over 50 million kilograms yearly, reshaping the economy...
The Dutch held Sri Lanka for approximately 150 years from the mid-17th Century, and whilst they left over 200 years ago their influence on the architecture can still be seen and felt. It is most evident in the coastal towns, especially Galle where the iconic Galle Fort stands as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Dutch architecture on the island blended European design with local materials and...
Sri Lanka is renowned for its tradition of Batik. This art form has found its home in the heart of our island nation, reflecting its vibrant culture and deep-rooted history. Batik is a method of fabric decoration, where wax resist techniques are used to create intricate patterns and vivid colors on textiles. The practice is relatively modern here, brought by the Dutch from Indonesia just a few hundred...
A recent social media post about the British TV series Good Karma Hospital from one of our managed properties, the gorgeous Satori Villa, started us thinking about Sri Lanka's sideline as a film location. In particular we were musing over how people don't know how much is filmed here as our stock-in-trade is "pretending to be somewhere else" Of the many to choose from here are two of Sri Lanka's perhaps...
Picture courtesy of Shikra Cinnamon, Dondra An essential ingredient in global cuisine, cinnamon as we would recognised it is the peeled bark of the cinnamon tree rolled in to "sticks" and often thence ground to a powder. Louis IX of France reportedly believed that cinnamon was fished up in nets at the source of the Nile "on the edge of the world", In fact Cinnamomum Verum...
At first sight the Ambuluwawa Tower looks more Gormenghast than Sri Lanka. This extraordinary structure sits atop the stupa of the Buddhist Temple at Ambuluwala and should definitely be on the "must see" list for any visitor. It is possible to climb right to the top of the 48 metre spire via an external staircase, and whilst the ascent is not for the faint hearted, the views from the top are...
In July and August you don't have to travel far along any main road before stumbling upon a pop-up stall groaning under the weight of mountains of bright crimson balls. These are rambutan and on opening their hairy casing you will find inside a milky-white juicy nugget of deliciousness. Very similar to a lychee they are usually eaten raw but can also be cooked into curries and desserts - if you manage to...
For tourists and residents alike, the quickest and most convenient way of making short journeys is by the ubiquitous tuk-tuk. The colourful three-wheelers, often adorned with stainless steel "bling", multi-coloured transfers and (sometimes incomprehensible) slogans and mottoes, are so synonymous with Sri Lanka that it is hard to believe that they were only first introduced to the island in 1981. There are...
