Sri Lanka is home to a colourful and extraordinary collection of characters, and each time we travel to this mesmerising island we uncover another. We thought it was time to share some of our favourite people with you and so we are thrilled to present five new, private and exclusive experiences with some of Sri Lanka’s most extraordinary characters.

Galle Fort with resident author & photographer Juliet Coombe
Discover Galle Fort with resident author and photographer Juliet Coombe. Relive Galle’s merchant past through a labyrinth of cinnamon warehouses, pigeon posts, Dutch prisons and local hawker food stalls, then take a peek inside some of Galle’s beautifully restored colonial villas.

Dutch designer shows us Colombo’s art galleries, markets & boutiques
Irstel Jansen, Dutch long term resident and designer, shows us Colombo’s best-kept secrets. Visit the bustling Pettah bazaar which has traded spices and gems for centuries, the city’s best art galleries and most colourful temples, as well as interesting boutiques where you can pick up unique gifts to take home.

An education in the art of tea with Andrew Taylor
Bearing the title of Planter in Residence, we visit Norwood Tea Estate privately with the charming Andrew Taylor, a genial descendant of James Taylor, the pioneering Scotsman who introduced commercial tea-growing to Sri Lanka in 1867.

Visit painter & musician Rahju’s Kandyan village home
Enter artist Rahju’s sparse, non-mechanised Kandyan village home and soak up the unique atmosphere. Rajhu is a Sri Lankan-Norwegian painter and musician who lives in a simple home on a hill top overlooking Hunas mountain near Kandy.

Kandy’s Royal Botanical Gardens with Palipana, Professor of Botany
Bandara Palipana, Professor of Botany, takes us for a fascinating walk around the Royal Botanical Gardens in Kandy, renowned for its collection of orchids.

For more information about our extraordinary Sri Lanka journey and these exclusive experiences, please do not hesitate to contact us. We’d love to let you know more about these unique experiences and how we can customise your Sri Lanka journey for you.