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The Handpicked
Collection

Experiences

The coast, privately.

32 things worth doing between Bentota and Hiriketiya, every one arranged for you alone and timed around you.

Alone, or with us.

The same coast, the same day. The difference is who has thought about it first.

Arranged aloneArranged by us

Whales off MirissaA public boat at 6:30 with eighty others, chasing the same whale.A private boat out before the fleet, a naturalist aboard, breakfast on deck.

Galle FortA map and the heat of the afternoon.A historian at eight in the morning, doors opened that are usually shut, lunch in a merchant's house.

YalaA shared jeep in a queue of jeeps at the park gate.A private jeep and tracker in at first light, to the quieter blocks, a picnic in the shade.

DinnerA table for two in a restaurant by the road.A table on the sand below your villa, the chef cooking a few paces away, nobody else in sight.

Getting aboutA taxi you hope will come.One driver for the whole stay, who knows your name, your flight and your favourite café.

When something changesFive bookings, five companies, five phone calls.One message to a person in Galle, and it is done.

For the few.

December to April

Whales off Mirissa

Blue whales, sperm whales and spinner dolphins pass close to this coast between December and April.

Add it to a stay

Galle Fort, on foot

The lighthouse, the clock tower, the Groote Kerk and the Old Dutch Hospital, walked with a guide inside the UNESCO-listed ramparts.

Add it to a stay

Dinner on the sand, by lantern

A table set on the beach below the villa, with the chef cooking a few paces away and nothing else in sight.

Add it to a stay

November to April

A private catamaran at sunset

Out of Mirissa harbour as the light goes, on a boat with nobody else aboard. Calm seas from November to April.

Add it to a stay

Ayurveda, properly

A consultation with an Ayurvedic doctor, then treatments and food shaped to you. For a few days, or as a programme of two weeks or more.

Add it to a stay

November to August

Yala National Park

A full-day safari in leopard country, with elephants, sloth bears and crocodiles along the way.

Add it to a stay

When are you coming?

Galle Fort, on foot

Heritage · Culture

Galle Fort, on foot

The lighthouse, the clock tower, the Groote Kerk and the Old Dutch Hospital, walked with a guide inside the UNESCO-listed ramparts.

Closest stays: The Fort Printers, Seven Pillars

Koggala Lake by boat

Nature · Wildlife · Romance

Koggala Lake by boat

Still water, mangroves and small islands where cinnamon is still peeled by hand. Birdlife at every turn.

Closest stays: Kurulu Bay, Sisindu C

Madu River safari

Nature · Wildlife

Madu River safari

A slow boat through one of the island's great wetlands, with 64 islands and tunnels of mangrove.

Closest stays: Kirana, a Santani Villa, Sisindu T

Whales off Mirissa

The sea · Wildlife

Whales off Mirissa

Blue whales, sperm whales and spinner dolphins pass close to this coast between December and April.

Closest stays: Halala Kanda, Kurulu Bay

Sinharaja rainforest

Nature · Wildlife · Active and sport

Sinharaja rainforest

A guided walk in primary rainforest, home to most of the birds found nowhere else but Sri Lanka.

Closest stays: Kahanda Kanda, Halala Kanda

Back roads by bicycle

Active and sport · Culture · Family

Back roads by bicycle

An easy ride with IDLE through paddy fields and villages behind the coast.

Closest stays: Miss Ceylon, The Fort Printers

Yatagala temple

Culture · Heritage

Yatagala temple

An ancient rock temple a few minutes inland from Unawatuna, quiet enough to hear the monks.

Closest stays: Miss Ceylon, Why House

Yala National Park

Wildlife

Yala National Park

A full-day safari in leopard country, with elephants, sloth bears and crocodiles along the way.

Closest stays: Ginger Palm Villa, Halala Kanda

Udawalawe elephants

Wildlife · Family

Udawalawe elephants

Open grassland and wild elephant herds, by private jeep.

Closest stays: Ginger Palm Villa, Halala Kanda

Handunugoda white tea

Tea country · Food · Culture

Handunugoda white tea

A tasting on the estate that makes virgin white tea, cut with golden scissors and untouched by hand.

Closest stays: Kurulu Bay, Kahanda Kanda

Kanneliya forest reserve

Nature · Active and sport

Kanneliya forest reserve

Waterfalls and jungle trails in a lowland rainforest few visitors reach.

Closest stays: Kahanda Kanda, Sisindu T

Stilt fishermen at first light

Culture · The sea

Stilt fishermen at first light

Fishermen perched on poles above the surf, a sight found almost nowhere but this stretch of coast. We go before anyone else is about, and meet the families who still fish this way.

Closest stays: Kurulu Bay, Sisindu C

The mask carvers of Ambalangoda

Culture · Heritage · Family

The mask carvers of Ambalangoda

Masks for the old kolam and healing dances, carved from kaduru wood and painted by hand. A morning in a family workshop, and its small museum.

Closest stays: Kirana, a Santani Villa, Sisindu T

Mulkirigala rock temple

Heritage · Culture · Active and sport

Mulkirigala rock temple

Cave temples cut into a rock that rises from the plain, reached by hundreds of steps. Reclining Buddhas, painted ceilings, and a view to the sea from the top.

Closest stays: Ginger Palm Villa, Halala Kanda

Martin Wickramasinghe house, Koggala

Heritage · Culture

Martin Wickramasinghe house, Koggala

The village home of the island's great novelist, with a folk museum of masks, puppets and old coastal life in the garden behind it.

Closest stays: Sisindu C, Kurulu Bay

Dondra Head, the southern tip

Heritage · The sea

Dondra Head, the southern tip

The southernmost point of Sri Lanka, with a lighthouse built by the British in 1889 and nothing but ocean between you and Antarctica.

Closest stays: Ginger Palm Villa, Halala Kanda

Galle market and the fish auction

Food · Culture

Galle market and the fish auction

The morning catch sold on the beach by the fort, then the market for fruit and spices, with the villa chef choosing what you will eat that night.

Closest stays: The Fort Printers, Seven Pillars

Cooking with the villa chef

Food · Family · Culture

Cooking with the villa chef

Curries, sambols and hoppers made in the villa kitchen, from coconut scraped by hand to the tempering of the spices. Then you eat it all.

Arranged at your villa

Dancers and drummers at the villa

Culture · Family

Dancers and drummers at the villa

An evening of Kandyan and low-country dance and drumming on the lawn, arranged for a celebration or simply for the night.

Arranged at your villa

A private catamaran at sunset

Romance · The sea

A private catamaran at sunset

Out of Mirissa harbour as the light goes, on a boat with nobody else aboard. Calm seas from November to April.

Closest stays: Halala Kanda, Kurulu Bay

Dinner on the sand, by lantern

Romance

Dinner on the sand, by lantern

A table set on the beach below the villa, with the chef cooking a few paces away and nothing else in sight.

Arranged at your villa

A spa ritual for two

Romance · Wellness

A spa ritual for two

Two therapists, two hours and oils blended for the day, at the villa or in a spa pavilion among the tea.

Arranged at your villa

Ayurveda, properly

Wellness

Ayurveda, properly

A consultation with an Ayurvedic doctor, then treatments and food shaped to you. For a few days, or as a programme of two weeks or more.

Arranged at your villa

Private yoga and meditation

Wellness

Private yoga and meditation

A teacher who comes to you at sunrise or sunset, for one person or the whole party, and a monk who will teach meditation if you would like it.

Arranged at your villa

Surf lessons, Weligama or Hiriketiya

Active and sport · The sea · Family

Surf lessons, Weligama or Hiriketiya

Soft, long waves at Weligama for a first time on a board; the horseshoe bay at Hiriketiya for the confident. A private coach either way.

Closest stays: Halala Kanda, Kurulu Bay

Diving the reefs and wrecks

Active and sport · The sea

Diving the reefs and wrecks

Reefs off Unawatuna and wrecks along the coast, with a private dive master. Courses for beginners, or straight to the deep for the qualified.

Closest stays: Miss Ceylon, Why House

Snorkelling at Jungle Beach

The sea · Family · Active and sport

Snorkelling at Jungle Beach

A sheltered cove below the Rumassala hill, with reef fish and turtles in clear water during the calm months.

Closest stays: Miss Ceylon, The Fort Printers

Rumassala hill on foot, at dawn

Active and sport · Nature

Rumassala hill on foot, at dawn

A jungle path over the headland to the Peace Pagoda, with Galle Fort across the bay as the sun comes up.

Closest stays: Miss Ceylon, The Fort Printers

Sea turtles at Kosgoda

Family · Wildlife

Sea turtles at Kosgoda

A conservation project on the beach where five species of turtle nest. In season, a release of hatchlings at dusk.

Closest stays: Kirana, a Santani Villa, Sisindu T

Bundala wetlands

Wildlife · Nature

Bundala wetlands

Lagoons and salt pans full of birds, flamingos among them in the winter months, and crocodiles in the shallows.

Closest stays: Ginger Palm Villa, Halala Kanda

Deep-sea fishing from Mirissa

Active and sport · The sea

Deep-sea fishing from Mirissa

A morning far offshore for tuna and sailfish, then the catch grilled for lunch back at the villa.

Closest stays: Halala Kanda, Kurulu Bay

A Test match at Galle

Culture · Active and sport

A Test match at Galle

The most beautiful cricket ground in the world, under the ramparts of the fort, when a match is on. We will find the best seats.

Closest stays: The Fort Printers, Seven Pillars