Travel Troopers Tour Sri Lanka 2025

A day of leisure..... Travelling can be very tiring without a day of leisure to catch your breath, catch up on the undies washing - more detail than you need I know - and give you a chance to process all that you have seen. Mind you, just because you don't have any activities organised that doesn't mean you can't have an adventure or two. Although Jan wasn't her usual chirpy self, we headed for the beach which is close to Hen's place. It's known as Turtle Beach for good reason: giant sea turtles come to feed at the shore. We couldn't access the beach as the tide was in but there was still one large sea turtle swimming in the shallows.....but more were yet to come. All of the meals at Why House are served in a beautifully appointed open air patio. Henrietta was with us for most meals and is the perfect hostess, making sure everyone is well looked after. The breakfast menu was vast - from fresh curd to french toast to Sri Lankan food - so we endeavoured to try...

I started the day with a swim all by myself in the infinity pool. The early morning light was dim and the mountains shone. Because I was on my own I could enjoy the birdcalls of many of the birds who thrive here. Suddenly a troupe of macaque monkeys ran through the trees next to the pool, swinging on vines and jumping deftly from branch to branch looking for fruit. In the distance I could see one monkey with a very long tail and a chunky body sitting quietly in a tree looking out over the view. He was different to the macaques and turned out to be a purple-faced leaf monkey well-known for their beefy shape. The only other animal I saw was a giant squirrel which is about the size of a brush-tailed possum with an equally fluffy long tail. They move so fast they're difficult to see. After delicious egg hoppers for breakfast it was time to farewell Lucy and her staff, who had made our stay so memorable. Living Heritage is a stunning place as it is so remote and jungle-bound. There'...

After a delightful breakfast we headed off on a mission to see the heights of the tea mountains. Making our way up curving roads between steep tea plantations was complicated by the presence of cows and goats who wandered untethered on the roadside. There were formal signs along the way declaring the name of each Plantation Company and the buildings contained there: Manager's bungalow, Tea Factory, Tea Lounge etc.  I did find it very intriguing that every sign was dark green lettering on a white board and in the same lettering. It must be a colonial tradition that has continued. Each Plantation had a village within its grounds where the tea pluckers and workers lived, but more of that later. We were on a mission to get to Pilkington Point for a panoramic view whilst the sun was shining. The journey should have been straightforward: just keep climbing along the only road to get to the top.  Instead it was an adventure!!! It was difficult to navigate some of the roads and work o...