In January (2025) we were kicking around ideas of where we might go in March (we had to be home by the last week of March, and wouldn’t be able to travel again until late May). I contacted several travel companies to see what they might have to warm destinations, that would also be fairly easy travel, ideally offering a mix of culture and critters. In that process I also asked friends who had been to the Seychelles what they thought of that as a destination. They said it was beautiful for sure, but otherwise not much going on - instead they said we should consider nearby Sri Lanka, where they had been several times. As it happens the two of them were returning to Sri Lanka, plus a few days in India, in February - they invited us to join them!

I knew next-to-zero about Sri Lanka, but one of the tour companies I had contacted for ideas had also suggested a Sri Lanka tour they were running in March & April - and the owner whom I’ve known for years raved about the destination (his trip dates didn’t work for us though).

So that’s how we decided to go to Sri Lanka with less than 4 weeks notice!

SRI LANKA

Our itinerary included 2 weeks in Central and Southern Sri Lanka, traveling by private van for the 4 of us, with a guide and a driver. This was planned through Blue Lanka Tours although Tony selected when and where we were going. In addition to the guide traveling with us Blue Lanka also booked local specialist guides at a number of places.

For anyone as ignorant as I was, Sri Lanka (previously know as Ceylon) is an island essentially dangling off the southern tip on India, famous for tea. Sri Lanka is home to 8 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, of which we visited 4: Dambulla Royal Cave complex, Sigiriya ancient rock fortress, Kandy and the Temple of the Tooth, and Galle city and its fort. We also explored Yala National Park, with the highest density of leopards anywhere on the planet.

After a very quick overnight in Colombo we planned to be on our way mid-morning. Unfortunately our guide and driver, on their way to pick us up, topped off the van fuel tank with diesel, rather than gas. Or maybe it was the other way around, but the result was the same - a non-functioning van! It would be 90 minutes before Blue Lanka could get an alternate van cleaned and delivered to us, but it all worked out. Our big stop this day was the Rangiri Dambulla Royal Cave complex. This fascinating complex of caves sit atop a small mountain and dates back to the third century BCE. Still adjusting to the time change, and heat, Mike decided to wait in the shade at the base of the mountain while the other 3 of us trekked up to see the cave shrines.

From Dambulla we drove to Sigiriya, where we circled, lost, for upwards of an hour as our driver and guide searched for our hotel! At last we found it in time for a sunset cocktail overlooking the ponds, serenaded by myriad birds and frogs. Our villas were unbelievable suites: 950 square feet each, with private swimming pools! The grounds were a maze of waterways and pools, resembling rice paddies, and a paradise for countless birds.

We were here to visit Sigiriya Rock Fortress. This is the ruins of the capital built by King Kassapa I (reining 477–95). Paranoid for good reason (the king murdered his brother to ascend the thrown himself) Kassapa built his fortress atop a granite peak standing some 180m high. Also known as the Lion’s Rock because to reach the summit one had to enter through an enormous facade of a lion. Tony had visited Sigiriya on previous visits to Sri Lanka, but climbed it for the first time (with Joel & I) this visit - Mike opted for a relaxing massage at the hotel, in air conditioning!

We were also scheduled to visit some nearby elephants in a reserve this afternoon. We had been warned from the start that the elephants tend to move around and can be harder to see - that was the case for us. The afternoon safari was an adventure, but a bit of a bust as far as wildlife sightings go!

From Sigiriya it would be a 3 hour drive to Kandy, still in central Sri Lanka. The city of Kandy is built on a collection of steep steep hills with narrow roads and houses just barely clinging to them. Again we were lost as we drove up and down various hills! After stopping and asking directions repeatedly we finally found the lovely King’s Pavilion boutique hotel. The city is a famous pilgrimage site for the Temple of the Tooth, said to hold a relic of Buddha’s tooth.

Here was one of many occasions where our guide made sure to give Mike the best experiences possible, even though he can’t predictibly undertake long walks or stand for long periods. A golf cart picked him up at the entrance gates and took him to a service elevator inside the temple so he could share the experience with us. These shortcuts made it so Mike had the energy to undertake shorter walks and see the best stuff!

From Kandy we boarded a train to the tea country. We were in lovely funky old first class cars for what was maybe a 3 hour ride. Much of the time I sat in an open doorway, hanging partially out of the car, savoring the breeze and views! As our train reached our stop in the town of Hatton, there were our driver and guide to meet us and continue on to our next hotel!

Resplendent Ceylon operates a collection of 5 historic Tea-Planter bungalows in the heart of the tea country. Each of these homes has been refurbished to the highest standards as small full-board lodges. The settings are serene with dramatic views, opulent surroundings, glorious meals, and much more. I don’t understand the management organization really, but the bungalows are also under the umbrella of the Relais & Chateaux brand, which are some of the best accommodations in the world. Our home for three nights was a luxury suite in the Summerville Bungalow. We didn’t spend much time in our posh room but instead on the veranda taking in the views, by the fireplace during happy hour, or by the gorgeous pool. Our stay included a morning tour and tea tasting at a nearby factory which was a treat for nearly everyone (I’m personally not a tea fan, although I enjoyed the touring). Joel and I also enjoyed a couple of hikes, plus a kayak on the lake. I borrowed a bicycle for an independent ride one morning (had to focus on remembering which side of the road they drive on here!), and hired a bird guide for a short sunrise walk our last morning. A VERY well traveled friend had told me before the trip that this one of his “top 10” hotels in the world! I’m not sure it makes my “top 10”, but it’s easily in the “top 20”!

After a lovely time in the tea country our next destination was Yala National Park on the southeast coast of the island. The drive would be fairly long, but varied and beautiful. We started in the tea county with plantations climbing every hill around us. We passed through Hatton again and stumbled upon a Hindu festival that we stopped to enjoy for a while. There were waterfall stops and viewpoints. We stopped for lunch and discovered a whole different slice of Sri Lanka - after seeing no budget travelers anywhere this town was overrun with them! We suspect because there was particularly good rock climbing in the area. We enjoyed a lovely lunch amid the budget travelers and then set out again for the last leg of today’s journey.

Yala National Park was the part of Sri Lanka I was most looking forward to. I’d even splurged on a new 600mm lens for my camera for this (after being spoiled in Botswana where our tour operator - Pangolin Photo Tours - loaned all participants a big lens if they wanted). Other than the afternoon game drive to see elephants outside of Sigiriya, three nites at Yala was the wildlife-focused part of the tour.

For our visit to Yala we stayed at Resplendent Ceylon’s Wild Coast Tented Lodge. We arrived just before twilight so a golf cart whisked us to our room for a quick look-around before we reconvened with Joel & Tony on the beach for happy hour. These gorgeous tented cabins were built to resemble cocoons, and they are glorious, with tons of space, free-standing copper bathtubs, A/C, and really any amenity you could ask for. Our’s even had a private swimming pool!

The best thing about Wild Coast however was our private guide and the arrangements to visit the park. Our stay included 3 game drives into the park (and we booked a 4th private drive while there). By 5:45am we were on the way in our open-top 4-passenger jeep towards the park. Together with 2 other beach-side lodges nearby we are the closest accommodations to this entrance to the park. Most other visitors stay an hour away in the village of Yala. As we approached the park entrance a crazy scene of jeeps and busses unfolded in front of us, with people in line to purchase entrance tickets. This looked like mayhem! Our guide already had our tickets though so we weaved around all the haphazardly parked vehicles along the road and continued another couple of kilometers to the entrance gate. It’s about 6:10am by now and the gates open at 6:15am.  The scene now in front of us is easily 100 or more jeeps in a single file line, parked, waiting for the gates to open so they can have their tickets checked and go in. We instead sailed up the wrong lane of the road, to within maybe 10 cars of the entrance. Turns out our guide had also pre-arranged for a sort of “bypass” permit to let us jump the line. As we’re briefly waiting there just outside the gate our guide said that some of those jeeps in the other lane had probably left their hotels as early at 3:30am to be waiting that near the front!! As soon as the gates opened it was again utter chaos with both lines moving forward and jockeying to get into the park ahead of as many others as possible. Our guide had already suggested we rush to the middle of the park to search for leopards first, and bypass anything else we might see along the way, to give us the best opportunities…

Beautiful sunrise panoramas flashed by, as well as water buffalo, deer, birds. Our driver though, and many others, were single minded in getting to where the leopards are most likely at this hour. We figured there were only maybe 20 jeeps in the park ahead of us so each time we overtook one on the road, or someone paused for a photo and we passed, was like a small victory. We were ultimately rewarded with a brief look at a leopard hiding at the edge of the forest. And there were half a dozen jeeps there ahead of us with better views!  After that we relaxed the pace and explored the park via a network to dirt roads, passing through a mix of open forest and grasslands - the scenery was spectacular. The birdlife was wonderfully unconcerned with out presence, often staying near the road (jeeps are required to stay on the roads inside the park). Other wildlife sightings included Asian elephants, monitor lizards, mongoose, langurs, water buffalo, crocodiles, sambar and spotted deer. Alas, we didn’t see the sloth bears that frequent the area. Here, and really throughout Sri Lanka, I never got tired of the ever-present wild peacocks.

We would essentially repeat this process 3 more times, with two afternoon drives that were a bit more leisurely. That second morning I filmed a quick video of us passing all the parked jeeps in line to enter the park and it took us over 2 minutes to pass them all, and we were moving at a good clip!  I would absolutely stay at Wild Coast again for this amazing access to the park!

We were rewarded with a wonderful leopard experience on our final afternoon drive. While our pace was leisurely we drove to the same spot where a leopard had been sighted that morning in the hopes he was still around and would become active late in the day. Our guide called it! Within minutes of our arriving, and just as we were digging into our individual happy hour treat boxes,  there was movement in the forest… Jerry (the leopards have fairly defined territories so the guide knew who we were seeing) stepped out, stretched, yawned, marked his territory, and strolled off. He was less than 100 yards from the road. As he began moving so did the other half dozen jeeps who were waiting there - everyone going the same direction he’s going, some in reverse. A wild ride, with everyone vying for the what they hope will be the best vantage point ensues. Jeeps are racing on the rutted dirt roads and passengers are bouncing everywhere. We keep getting glimpses of Jerry moving through the forest while our guide directs the driver to where he guesses Jerry will cross the road. By now there are maybe 15 jeeps in this leopard rally, with many near collisions in the excitement. The whole thing took just 8 minutes from first sighting to last, but what an 8 minutes it was! I loved it. I do look back on it with humor though since a couple years prior we had such peaceful and slow paced leopard encounters in Botswana - quite zen by comparison as they strolled the grasslands next to our jeep and lounged in a tree overhead until we got bored hanging out with them!

INDIA

From Sri Lanka the 4 of us flew on to India. Our destination here was the city of Udaipur, in Rajasthan (northern India). Tony had been to Udaipur 30+ years ago and wanted to return and share it with Joel. Mike and I had been to other parts of Rajasthan ourselves, 20 years prior. The plan was for 3 amazing nights at the Leela Palace Hotel, located on the banks of Lake Pichola. Another truly over the top property… guests arrive by private boat and as you enter the hotel musicians are serenading you, while staff rains red rose petals down on guests from their perch in the rafters, and you are served tiny cups of ultra-rich hot chocolate while invited to sit while they do the check-in formalities for you. You also meet your room butler now who will be on hand for any requests throughout your stay!  Our suite included a private terrace looking across the lake for more beautiful views (views also enjoyed by the pair of pigeons trying so hard to build a nest on our terrace floor!)

Udaipur and the Leela Palace was largely about rest and relaxation amid the opulence. We did have a pre-arranged full-day tour one day, booked through Viator, visiting most the the city’s key sites including the elaborate City Palace, gardens, a lovely lunch, and a wee bit of shopping. After a great day with our guide he suggested we independently check out a temple near our hotel the following day (he was already booked for that day so unable to take us). We received a similar recommendation from a couple of hotel guests too, which led to the following adventure, as described by Joel:

“We had arrived to our hotel in Udaipur by boat, so were not familiar with what is referred to as “the main gate” on the road side. The Hotel Concierge told us, if you want to visit the Jagdesh temple - which everyone was raving about - just go through the main gates, and its an easy walk 15 minutes on “the main road” past some shops, and it’s right there. This, I must tell you is Indian-speak. For Indians, this might actually be some form of reality. Do NOT, under any circumstances take such polite instructions on face value. You and generations of your offspring will likely spend your days attempting to find your way back to said hotel. At a BARE minimum, bring with you the most enormous ball of string you can find, and tie it to those gates, so that you have a fighting chance of returning one day. INSIST on being driven, at least by TukTuk to your destination. When we went from the lobby to “the main gates” and looked outside into the extraordinary, exotic “situation”, we burst out laughing. THANK GOD we hired a tuktuk to take us to the Temple. We have video to show what “the main road” looks like. And I can tell you with utmost certainty, it is NOT a straight shot up to the temple. Never have I imagined such a network of tiny intertwining, and utterly confusing alleys. The pandemonium was a thrill.” -Joel

After our time in Udaipur is was time to strike out on our own - Joel and Tony flew to Mumbai, and from there had Singapore Airlines flights home. We still had another country to go however. We were off to Qatar!

QATAR

Once again we were heading into unknown territory. I’d spent a couple hours on line researching Qatar once I knew we would be going there, but that was the sum total of my regional knowledge.

We had been advised to stay in the old Souq Waqif (traditional old Arabian marketplace) area. That was great advice! We loved our glorious old hotel - the Al Jasra - again with a private terrace and views across the city… If we looked to the left we had the Emir’s camel stables, backed (across the harbor) by the modern city skyline in the distance, and to our right the old marketplace and city skyline. Each morning we would be awakened by the Muslim calls to prayer echoing around the Souq!

Our time here would be short so I had booked a private tour to the northern tip of the country (Qatar is a peninsula, reaching north into the Persian Gulf, with it’s only land border in the south, with Saudi Arabia).  I used the Tours by Locals site to book our full day tour and couldn’t have been happier with our guide and tour. If fact before the day was over we booked him for a full day tour the following day as well, this time going south, plus exploring the city. Between our 2 full-day tours, plus some wandering around on our own, I feel like we’ve seen Qatar!

The population of Qatar, which is roughly the size of Connecticut, is around 2.6 million, of which maybe 300,000 are Qatari citizens, and the rest foreign workers. Qatar is an Islamic state, with an Emir as the head of the monarchy. Only recently are a couple of his advisors elected to their positions.

A few highlights included:

Exploring the National Museum independently, where the architecture was some of the most amazing I’ve ever seen.

Visiting 2 different fish markets, neither of which looked (or smelled) like any fish market I’ve seen anywhere in the world - they were pristine buildings where fish was displayed on ice at immaculate counters. There were separate rooms where you could have your purchased fish cleaned for you (roughly the equivalent of $1 to have 10 pounds of fish cleaned) - this also keeps the market from smelling “fishy” by moving the cleaning stations to a different room.

The skyline of ultra-modern high-rises with elaborate designs, including illumination.

Visiting the country’s only UNESCO World Heritage Site: Al Zubarah Fort and the ruins of the walled coastal town by the same name - once a center for pearling and trading, the city was destroyed in 1811 and finally abandoned in the early 1900’s, after which drifting sand buried the city remains.

A private sunset tour around the port via traditional dhow, for views back to the old city, or across the water to the opulent skyscrapers.

Wandering the streets and alleys of the souq, where streets often had a theme to the shops, from gold to falcons, antiques to housewares. Throughout there were countless places to eat, many with sidewalk tables. The majority of the people out strolling and shopping were from Saudi Arabia (their more conservative dress gave them away, although our guide taught us a few other tricks to identify Arab visitors from nearby countries), including the most impeccably groomed men being from Oman.

Marveling at the ultra-modern city facilities, like vacuum trash cans so trash trucks never need to enter modern neighborhoods but trash is instead sucked away via underground shoots to a processing facility, or air conditioned open-air shopping malls, or a pedestrian street where you walked over glass topped “aquariums” (quotes because rather than water and fish the aquariums are all filled with crystal fish, sea creatures and plants. The country loves to play up its wealth!

Prices are large very affordable. One dinner, in a Michelin watch restaurant, included appetizers, soup, entrees, dessert, mock-tails and bottled water, all for roughly US$50 for the two of us.

I should probably list the Qatar Airways business class service in Doha among the country’s highlights. Business class has a separate entrance into the airline terminal, and private check in counters. The lounge is the largest lounge I’ve ever seen, with space for a reflecting pool nearly as large as a tennis court as a focal point on one floor. There are also gym and restaurant facilities, all included. In the restaurant you can order from a menu or stroll the buffet… It’s all very fussy. And for a country where alcohol is only barely available, the champagne in the lounge is free flowing!

The other side of the Qatar experience is the watchful government. Our guide extolled the total lack of crime, largely because penalties are so steep should anyone be caught (foreign workers would likely be expelled). To his point about safety he routinely left his car with the keys in it, and his phone or other valuables sitting on the seats while he showed us different sights. On one occasion he left it running so the AC would keep it cool while we wandered off out of sight for 15 minutes!

Our guide was from Sri Lanka himself, but had worked in Qatar for 16 years (he goes home to his wife and 2 children in Sri Lanka for a month at a time, two or three times a year). The only time we heard him say anything remotely negative about Qatar was when he mentioned a new law that will not allow windshield glass to be tinted any longer, so cameras can see into cars (ostensibly to make sure drivers are wearing seatbelts and not on their phones - if you are caught for an offense a digital ticket will already be waiting for you by the time you get home!) At one point I tried asking him about healthcare and unwed mothers - he absolutely swore that that could simply never happen in Qatar - he was so firm on the absolute impossibility of that, that I didn’t try asking about homosexuality (which is illegal). For that matter unmarried male/female couples may not live together here, and even simple acts of affection such as hugging or kissing in public can result in a fine!

While we saw so many shows of wealth among the Qataris, from mansions to summer houses to Ferraris, there is a quirky culture around Toyota Land Cruisers. They are clearly a status symbol to the point that if you are driving one you essentially own the road. Other cars will move out of your way so you can pass, although the Land Cruisers will let Ferraris pass them, they won’t move out of the way for other types of car.  Our guide had a used Land Cruiser which he treasured!

Qatar is rich, literally, in Natural Gas and Oil. There is no sales tax, property tax, or income tax in Qatar (with only a few taxable exceptions for businesses). When Qatari men reach around the age of 20 they are given roughly one million dollars by the government. When they marry they are again given a similar amount to build a house. We were told that all Qatari citizens are rich!  While that might make the foreign visitor anticipate high prices, the country is instead remarkably affordable for tourists.

I’m often asked if I recommend a destination when I get home. I guess my answer often hinges on if I would go back, and I would definitely go back to Sri Landa, India, and Qatar. There is much more to see of both Sri Landa and India. We were in Sri Lanka at the perfect time of year for the central and southwest coast areas. Mid-year the seasons reverse and that becomes the time of year to visit the east and northern areas we understand.

I feel like we’ve seen the best of Qatar already but its a great place to lay over on flights for a day or two, to adjust to time changes and just enjoy somewhere that feels so different.

Since this wasn’t a “package tour” but rather something wonderful that Tony put together piece by piece I don’t really have much of an idea of rates. Qatar was certainly the cheapest country, but Sri Lanka and India could be done so much more affordably if one wanted, but this luxury sure was delightful!

Our itinerary at a glance:

SFO/DOH/CMB on Qatar Airways (2.5 hour layover in Doha), arriving Colombo at 2:55am

Vivanta Colombo Airport Garden Hotel (1 very short night)

Water Garden Sigirya (2 nights) https://www.watergardensigiriya.com

Kings Pavilion Kandy (1 night) https://www.kingspavilion.com/

Resplendent Ceylon Tea Trails (3 nights) https://www.resplendentceylon.com

Resplendant Ceylon Wild Coast Tented Lodge (3 nights). https://www.resplendentceylon.com

Galle Face Hotel (2 nights) https://www.gallefacehotel.com/

CMB/BOM Air India

Leela Mumbai (1 night)

BOM/UDR Air India

Leela Palace Udaipur (3 nights) https://www.theleela.com/the-leela-palace-udaipur?utm_medium=organic&utm_source=GMBlisting

UDR/DEL on IndiGo

Ibis New Delhi Aerocity (1 night) https://all.accor.com

DEL/DOH on Qatar Airways

Al Jasra - Souq Waqif Boutique Hotels by Tivoli (3 nights) https://www.tivolihotels.com

Tours by Locals: Siham guide

DOH/SFO on Qatar Airways

Just as I love visiting grocery stores in other countries, I am captivated by signs and translations as well…