5. Sri Lanka is home to one of the world's most scenic train rides
Sri Lanka’s Hill Country can make a refreshing respite if you’re coming from the parched plains of the Cultural Triangle or the South Coast’s beaches.
But for many people it’s the getting here that counts: the dramatic ride from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya is considered one of the world’s great train journeys. Weathered locomotives heave themselves up through eucalyptus forests to a rolling landscape of immaculate tea estates. Stand (carefully) in the open doorways and watch some of the finest scenery in Sri Lanka roll by.
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6. You can watch turtles lay their eggs by moonlight
The coast around Tangalle is one of the most beautiful in Sri Lanka, attracting weekenders from Colombo and sun-worshipping tourists – and hundreds of nesting sea turtles.
Turtle-watching tours are run on Rekawa Beach, where you’re likely to see a green turtle laying a clutch of shiny white eggs in the moonlight before (very) slowly returning to the sea.
Where to stay: Backing onto a fabulous stretch of beach just west of Tangalle, The Last House was designed by Sri Lanka’s premier architect, Geoffrey Bawa, and bears the hallmarks of his unique style, with plenty of open, airy spaces blending the outside with the in. Large families can book the top-floor Cinnamon Hill suite, whose wrap-around balcony overlooks the Indian Ocean.