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.

Category: Sightseeing

TikaWeeks #04/2025: Sri Lanka update

Posted by John on 23rd January 2025

If you are looking for an authentic Sri Lankan beach town experience then seldom-visited Matara may appeal to you and look no further than Collectors House for a place to stay, which is a newly refurbished bijou boutique residence in the heart of the fort district. Also in Matara, 3 Sisters Beach House fronts a spectacular and secluded sandy beach, and it offers an ideal and exclusive villa stay for couples, families or friendship groups.

View of the Pennines from our house near Penrith, UK

TikaWeeks #02/2025: Sri Lanka update

Posted by John on 8th January 2025

Happy New Year! We hope your festive season was full of fun and joy. Being snowed in up here in The Lakes makes the idea of a tropical holiday to sun-soaked Sri Lanka very appealing and this is the busiest time of year for us for just that reason. Please contact us asap if you are thinking of travelling in the next few months as accommodation is booking up fast. Our first update of 2025 is dedicated to the lives lost and changed forever by the Asian Tsunami Disaster 20 years ago.

Lion Rock at Sigiriya, Sri Lanka (courtesy of Shutterstock)

TikaWeeks #46/2024: Sri Lanka update

Posted by John on 11th November 2024

Quite an accolade for Sri Lanka – voted the Most Desirable Island (World) by Wanderlust’s 168,000 passionate and globetrotting readers. After more than 3 million votes were cast, the results of the 23rd Annual Wanderlust Reader Travel Awards are now in. Destinations, tour operators and travel brands have been recognised across 22 categories, including the Most Desirable Countries, Cities and Islands in Europe and around the world.

TikaWeeks #31/2024: Sri Lanka update

Posted by John on 1st August 2024

One of our all-time favourite places to stay on the island has reopened following its closure as a result of the pandemic. The Mudhouse near Anamaduwa is a real gem. Tom and Kumar created a one-of-a-kind property in the ancient rural heartlands of Sri Lanka many years ago and it is a truly unique experience. The clusters of traditional mud huts constructed from local, natural materials have recently been renovated – Tom tells me that three out of the five original units are fully restored along with the restaurant – and the restoration project will continue this year and into next. Past customers have loved the place so book now to avoid disappointment!

Visiting family welcomed at a local school near AMBA Estate, Ella, Sri Lanka

TikaWeeks #22/2024: Sri Lanka update

Posted by John on 29th May 2024

Hopefully all of us strive to be sensitive and responsible travellers but there are still incidents of inappropriate behaviour and disregard for local cultures as well as a disconnect with the climate crisis. Yesterday’s Guardian had a much-needed article on how to be a better tourist, from thinking about the experience and impact of your holiday to slowing down and getting off the beaten track. May be consider taking a personal pledge to ‘travel better’, like our Tika Travel Troth, which is a promise to yourself as well as everyone and everything around you to try to improve the world we live in.

Maalu Maalu Resort & Spa, Passikudah, Sri Lanka

TikaWeeks #10/2024: Sri Lanka update

Posted by John on 5th March 2024

Imagine coconut palms swaying rhythmically in the fragrant breeze, the shallow, clear warm waters of the Indian Ocean lapping gently onto sun-kissed tropical beaches, and ice-cold sundowners and the freshest of seafood to savour – this is summer in Sri Lanka. Our Summertime in Sri Lanka Tika Taster itinerary is ideal for adventurous couples or families seeking an extra-special summer holiday in the resplendent land of Sri Lanka.

Lunuganga, Geoffrey Bawa's country estate near Bentota, Sri Lanka

TikaWeeks #07/2024: Sri Lanka update

Posted by John on 15th February 2024

As promised, our dedicated Tika Taster to Geoffrey Bawa is now live. The tour is mostly arranged around visits to or stays in his most iconic buildings as well as visits to the ancient sites of Dambulla, Polonnaruwa and Sigiriya to offer you an historical perspective to his work. The 14-day guided trip includes his own town house and country estate, major masterplan projects, hotels, and villas. Your accommodation includes four Bawa-designed hotels to ensure you have the full experience of his design genius.

Ayubowan, may you have the gift of a long life, is the traditional greeting salutation in Sri Lanka

TikaWeeks #05/2024: Sri Lanka update

Posted by John on 31st January 2024

Apologies for the lack of updates over the past couple of months. Sri Lanka has had a dramatic turnaround in tourism since November and suddenly everyone wants to visit the Resplendent Isle. It has become particularly busy for us since the New Year for immediate holidays as well as ones well into 2025, so the future looks bright. Why not travel in May, June or September when there are great deals on hotels and the island is quieter?

View from the lawn, Summerville Bungalow, Ceylon Tea Trails, Sri Lanka

TikaWeeks #44/2023: Sri Lanka update

Posted by John on 31st October 2023

It has been a very successful year for hotels in Sri Lanka. Ceylon Tea Trails is on the Condé Nast Gold List 2023 and featured on the acclaimed BBC TV series "Amazing Hotels" in September. The pioneering eco-luxury resort Jetwing Vil Uyana has earned a coveted spot on Fodor’s List of the Finest Hotels in the World and rated as one of Condé Nast Traveller’s 15 of the best eco hotels. While Travel & Leisure has ranked Fort Bazaar the Best Overall Hotel in Galle fort to soak in and discover the magic of a 16th-century fortress.

Papare - a lively genre of Sri Lankan music - goes hand in hand with cricket (courtesy of Hafsa Adil/Al Jazeera)

TikaWeeks #40/2023: Sri Lanka update

Posted by John on 3rd October 2023

Despite Sri Lanka’s crushing defeat at the hands of arch rivals India in front of a capacity home crowd in last month’s Asia Cup final, there were still plenty of smiling faces, dancing in the aisles and party music resounding around Colombo’s R. Premadasa cricket stadium. Even at the height of the island’s civil war and during the recent political and economic chaos, cricket has been a unifying force, a soothing balm at the time of crisis.

Independent Tailor-made Holidays to Sri Lanka & Maldives