Rediscovering Sri Lanka

Question: What is one of the safest holiday destinations in Asia?

Answer: Sri Lanka. Don't let Sri Lanka's civil strife way up north stop you. Tourist destinations have never been in danger - nor more popular (statistics bear this out: of over 4 million visitors in the last decade, not one tourist has ever felt threatened, let alone been affected).

The simple fact is that you are far safer in Sri Lanka than in Indonesia, or even Disney World, for that matter!

Question: Which Asian country offers the greatest variety in terms of climate (from desert scrub to alpine meadows) and an amazingly intact 3,000 year old culture?

Answer: Sri Lanka. Surprised? You're not the only one...

Lying, as we all know, just off the southern tip of India, this little gem of an island is much smaller than Peninsular Malaysia, but offers more in terms of cultural and climatic variety. Much more.

People 'in the know' keep coming to Sri Lanka despite civil strife up north simply because this island, believed by some to be the Biblical Eden (Adam is said to have been placed here), is one of the most stunningly beautiful - and now most under-appreciated - destinations in the region.

Strangely though, while over 100,000 Europeans flock to her balmy shores and chilly highlands annually, only just over 200 Malaysians went there last year - even though we are just 3 1/2 hours away. Go figure.

Possibly the best way to describe this little known island is not with cliched adjectives like "resplendent" or "serendipity" found in common travel guides, but rather by relating the diversity of culture, climate, scenery and experience found here on this small, gentle island.

There's definitely something for everybody. If you want to doss on the miles of beaches, go ahead. If shopping is your thing, go for it. But if you want to find out what makes Sri Lanka so very different from Malaysia, you've got to explore the heart and soul of this place.

Sri Lanka is a world compressed; a place where you may go to sleep by the warm tropical waves of the Indian Ocean, wake up in time to go on an elephant safari through the Africa-like bush, have a lunch or tea in a jungle resthouse, and end your evening in an old planter's bungalow with a fire to keep off the chill.

Here are five short, easy-paced, yet very different adventures that let you discover the delightful culture, varied scenery and truly exciting wildlife of this Eden next door. These can be done separately or as one comprehensive tour.

Elephants: Sri Lanka's Famous Giants

Elephants - all but gone from the rest of Asia - still play a significant role in the working lives and culture of Sri Lankans. Just two hours out of the bustling capital of Colombo lies the biggest elephant orphanage in the world.

Take the Kandy Road and then turn up a windy lane that takes you through clean villages perched on the jungles edge, overlooking a quiet river. Just when you start to think that you might be lost, your car rounds a corner and is suddenly surrounded by up to 60 elephants on their way down to the river for a bath!