PARADISE found
It’s the perfect place to discover ayurveda – and Sri Lanka ofers plenty of other soulboosting charms, too. Abby Ray explores 2019’s hottest travel tip
The Barberyn Reef Resort offers holistic treatments and fantastic views
Every year from July to October, around 300 wild elephants escape the dry season of the northern provinces of Sri Lanka and descend on Minneriya National Park to feast on the sweet grass and year-round water. A pilgrimage thought to have been happening for centuries, this is the world’s largest gathering of Asian elephants and a sight to behold.
I’m on an open-topped safari at Minneriya, which provides ample opportunity to spot elephants, from newborn calves to big tuskers, all of them trampling the savannah among the buffalos, pink-faced leaf monkeys, eagles and peacocks.
My journey began 18 miles away, in the heart of the Sri Lankan jungle close to Dambulla. A lively town a few hours’ drive northeast of the capital, Colombo, it provides a springboard for exploring the island’s UNESCO World Heritage sites. Upon arrival at Diyabubula, a small, luxurious boutique hotel comprising five sleek villas built out of 100-year-old railway sleepers, you can’t help but be transported into a calmer state. Each unique house stands on stilts over its own small pond and, once you climb the stairs to your private bedroom, offers large, lush vistas surrounded by tropical canopies. Come morning, cups of tea are accompanied by tawny monkeys swinging past the balcony, howling playfully at each other.