It could be the perfect litmus-test of the likelihood of long-lasting love. Look at a map of Sri Lanka and what do you see? If it’s a heart, it’s happily ever after. See a tear? It’s over in a year. We saw a pear, so maybe we’re just hungry. But, the point remains. Sri Lanka is an island with romance at its core.
There’s enough diversity of landscape and activities to keep the holiday passion alive past the 7-day-itch; enough breathtaking scenery to divert your gaze away from the face you’ll be staring at for the next 50 years; enough historical intrigue to make you think about the past as well as your future together; and enough fantastic food to mean breakfast in bed is not a euphemism, but a genuine feast. With all this in mind, together with luxury travel experts Ampersand we’ve come up with 7 reasons why Sri Lanka could be the IDEAL honeymoon destination.
Beach Basking Seclusion
Sri Lankan lovebirds and honeymooning visitors alike head to the South Westerly beaches for romance. This stretch of coastline is home to the most idyllic offerings; sand and surf aplenty. There’s enough privacy for a spot of smooching but be wary – this is a religiously conservative country and any funny business laid out there in the open may land you in trouble. Holidaymakers usually make for Bentota, a town replete with stunning vistas and perfect white sand. Cocktails, coconuts and canoodling on the beach – could there be a more perfect lover’s holiday?
Wildlife Spotting
For something more serene, embrace stunning, natural beauty with some wildlife spotting. Sri Lanka boasts a varied ecosystem and biodiversity rarely matched across the globe. Going on a land-safari may be your best bet to catch the richest range of animals, whereas whale watching or turtle spotting will give you a more specific but no less exciting experience. Get more hands on and volunteer at a conservation project when conversation with your loved one runs dry, with elephant sanctuaries being the most popular choice.
Aphrodisiacal Seafood
Sri Lankan food is a beautiful amalgamation of regional and past-colonial influences, exploiting spice and heady aromatics. There really is no other cuisine like it. The island makes the most of being one with a diet heavy on the sea’s bounty. This, of course, means plenty of shellfish, often cited as the world’s primary food-based aphrodisiac. If you lacked reason enough to get frisky on your honeymoon, a plate of plump oysters from Sri Lankan shores should see you right.
See Into Your Future At The Tea Leaf Plantations
Sri Lanka is famous for its exquisite tea, and vast tea plantations can be found on the island, with insightful tours provided by various local companies. There’s history at work here too, with many citing British involvement in the Sri Lankan tea industry as the catalyst for its enduring popularity in the U.K. Ceylon Tea is perhaps the island’s most famous export and has accessible plantations in Kandy, Nuwara Eliya and Uda Pussellawa. Not only is this a fascinating trip, but the views from these plantations, usually located on elevated points of the island, are fantastic. You could even engage in a bit of tea-leaf fortune telling, and see if your marriage really is forever.
Give Me Some Kandy
The town of Kandy contains the most sacred site on the island, the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, which is reason enough for a visit. There’s more though. The whole place is cloaked in an otherworldly mist (due to the altitude and the dense jungle-like vegetation) and cooling temperatures, combined with a huge ornamental lake and surrounded by a seemingly halo-shaped forest. There is just an aura of the mystical here, something that touches the soul. We couldn’t think of anything more romantic than that.
Raise The Pulse With Adventure Sports
Sri Lanka’s diverse landscape lends itself perfectly to a huge variety of pulse-raising, adrenaline-fuelled adventure sports. If your newly-wed love is already failing to get the butterflies in your stomach fluttering, a dabble in recreational sport might be the answer. Starting in the sea, there’s surfing, kayaking, scuba-diving and more. Moving inland, white-water rafting keeps things wet and wild. If you fancy keeping dry except for the type of perspiration only fear can cause, rock climbing and extreme mountain biking will be your go-to. Whatever you tipple in the adventure sports arena, Sri Lanka has it.
Highland Love
When you want to get away from it all with the one you love (what a honeymoon is all about, isn’t it?) head for the hills, or more accurately for Sri Lanka, the highlands. There’s plenty of trekking on offer, with the UNESCO World Heritage Central Highlands of Sri Lanka offering incredible walks, views and bird-watching. The air is so fresh it seems to cleanse your soul of past misdemeanours, and the view so infinite you feel as if the future stretches out in front of you blissfully – the perfect metaphor for your honeymoon, we think.