Tika Traveller

Discover Sri Lanka & Maldives From Those Who Know It Best

Blogs from Tikalanka are designed to enhance your knowledge of Sri Lanka and Maldives and keep you up to date with recent developments. We intend to post regular features on travel, news, lifestyle and accommodation as well as guest articles from current and past customers, which will give you first-hand experience of Tikalanka, Sri Lanka and Maldives.

Local school children on a well-earned drinks break, AMBA Estate, Ella, Sri Lanka

TikaWeeks #25/2023: Sri Lanka update

Posted by John on 21st June 2023

For a “hands-on village experience” in Sri Lanka there is no better place than AMBA Estate, which is a community-run social enterprise in the stunning Uva Highlands outside of Ella in the southern Hill Country. Based around an organic farm, you will be interacting with villagers in a practical way during every activity at AMBA Estate, whether it is a tea plantation tour, a hike around the valley or artisanal product-making. Come and enjoy the fun!

TikaWeeks #24/2023: Sri Lanka update

Posted by John on 15th June 2023

Resplendent Ceylon is the sole member of Relais & Chateaux in Sri Lanka, the global fellowship of family owned and operated luxury hotels and restaurants. We have enjoyed Ceylon Tea Trails, Cape Weligama and Wild Coast Tented Lodge for many years. Now their sister Reverie Collection – Kayaam House and Ahu Bay – opened in February to critical acclaim. Sharing Resplendent’s core values, Reverie encourages guests to slow down, be mindful, and embrace a simpler version of life, surrounded by nature and harmony.

TikaWeeks #23/2023: Sri Lanka update

Posted by John on 6th June 2023

As another sign of Sri Lanka’s economic recovery, the central bank cut interest rates for the first time in three years last week, while in May, India extended the US$1bn credit line by a year, further easing the financial burden on the country. Inflation is coming down, government revenues are looking up and pressure on the island's balance of payments is diminishing. "This can possibly be seen as an end to the crisis.”

TikaWeeks #22/2023: Sri Lanka update

Posted by John on 30th May 2023

We are delighted to tell you that our latest holiday to return from Sri Lanka is featured as this week’s 'review of the week' in the current Responsible Travel newsletter, rated as “10 out of 10 – if I could rate it higher I would”. Our customers’ personal insights in choosing Sri Lanka as a holiday destination are enlightening, including their initial concerns, and their experiences of the island and Tikalanka are incredibly gratifying – “Visit Sri Lanka immediately!” they implore.

TikaWeeks #21/2023: Sri Lanka update

Posted by John on 25th May 2023

Sri Lanka is home to well over 400 species of exotic birds with names to match, like the White-throated Flowerpecker, Blue-faced Malkoha and Sri Lanka Paradise-flycatcher. Thirty three species are endemic while the vast majority are vagrants, migrants or residents. The joy of bird watching on the island is to see them wherever you travel, although some areas are better than others. You don’t need to be an avid ‘twitcher’ to enjoy the birdlife across the country as the little peckers seem to come to you!

TikaWeeks #20/2023: Sri Lanka update

Posted by John on 19th May 2023

Sri Lanka is definitely top of the wish list for travellers with bookings for this and next year returning to pre-COVID levels. This is fantastic news for the island and its people who rely heavily on tourism for their livelihoods and wellbeing. However, many hotels are realising that next year may be a bonanza for them and room rates are beginning to return to 2019 prices in 2024. This means that 2023 may be the end of the discounted period post-COVID so you had better hurry to take advantage of this year’s bargains!

Golden sand, swaying palms and the clear blue waters of a typical sun-drenched beach in Sri Lanka

TikaWeeks #19/2023: Sri Lanka update

Posted by John on 11th May 2023

When is the best time to visit Sri Lanka? Since the end of the civil war in 2009, there is no ‘best time’ to travel as the entire country is open so you may visit when it is best for you. However, different areas are better than others at particular times of the year depending on the prevailing monsoon season. The Maha monsoon affects the north and east of the island between October and February, while the Yala monsoon arrives in May and lasts until October in the southern and western regions.

TikaWeeks #18/2023: Sri Lanka update

Posted by John on 2nd May 2023

The financial crisis in Sri Lanka is still on many potential visitors’ minds. The political and economic mire that left Sri Lanka in a parlous state last year has passed, thankfully, and a much needed IMF intervention has boosted the island’s economy. The Government took the unprecedented step of slashing fuel prices at the end of March this year, and an international consortium of Sri Lanka’s creditors recently launched an initiative to restructure the country’s debt. Things are definitely looking up…

A train negotiating the tortuous railway line through the Hill Country in Sri Lanka

TikaWeeks #14/2023: Sri Lanka update

Posted by John on 3rd April 2023

Trains are now part of everyday life in Sri Lanka but the railway has had a tumultuous time ever since British colonists first explored its possibilities for transporting coffee, coconut, rubber and tea from the plantations around Kandy to Colombo on the coast for export back in 1842. Today the railways are fundamental to the public transport network around the island as well as a popular tourist attraction. Here are five of the best rail journeys in Sri Lanka.

TikaWeeks #13/2023: Sri Lanka & Maldives update

Posted by John on 27th March 2023

BREAKING NEWS. We are now collaborating with Tropic Breeze on our Sri Lanka and Maldives holidays. Tropic Breeze is a UK-based travel specialist to Maldives, the Caribbean, Seychelles and Mauritius, and we have been working with them in Maldives for the last nine years. We believe that this is the best way forward for Tikalanka and our valued customers after a few very difficult years. We are now in a strong position to look to the future with renewed confidence.

Independent Tailor-made Holidays to Sri Lanka & Maldives