I’ll check in with you later in the week from NY.

Talk soon,

Mark F.

Kenwood, CA

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Mark traveled through Sri Lanka and Dubai on a custom trip arranged by Asia Travel Specialist Eric Kareus. This was his third trip with Asia Transpacific Journeys. We look forward to helping Mark plan his next trip to Asia.

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All Rights Reserved © Stacey Schultz

One of our newest small group trips, Splendid Sri Lanka, departs in March.

Author Paul Theroux wrote in Ghost Train to the Eastern Star of his stay in Galle, Sri Lanka:  “I considered this one of the best evenings of my trip: the muted buzz of the small seaside town at night the soft, air, the perfume of the blossoms.”
Sri Lanka’s population is less dense than that of neighboring India, a reality that gives traveler’s unexpected breathing room in acres of wildlife sanctuaries while searching for leopards, elephants and other creatures of the jungle. On this trip to Sri Lanka tour guests virtually hop scotch from one UNESCO World Heritage Site to another along a route scheduled to accommodate one of Asia’s most spectacular festivals, Esala Perahera, a celebration of Buddhism held annually in Kandy.

In addition to bottle-feeding orphaned elephant babies and dipping into regional cuisine through cooking classes, our clients will enjoy pampering at elegant and authentic accommodations, including a masterpiece of water and rock called Heritance Kandalama created by Geoffrey Bawa, an architect whose name is synonymous with Sri Lanka, once known as Ceylon, the country that lent its name famously to tea.

The majority ethnic group of Sri Lanka are Sinhalese, which loosely translated means “lion people” from ancient myth. An element of their mythology that visitors will experience is a visit to the Sri Maha Bodhi (Sacred Bo-Tree), considered a sapling from the original tree under which Prince Siddhartha (Buddha) attained enlightenment and became the Buddha. It is over 2,200 years old and is the oldest historically documented tree in the world.

A custom trip to Sri Lanka can also be arranged on a private basis around your dates for just friends or family. To find out more information about travel to Sri Lanka or other desitations click here.

The New York Times featured an article on tourism in Sri Lanka as reported by Lionel Beehner

“…In recent months, tourism has steadily inched upward from past years, thanks to efforts by the government and local entrepreneurs to redevelop the eastern coast and to build an airport down south near Hambantota. The tourism ministry has also begun a “Visit Sri Lanka 2011” public relations blitz to rebrand itself after the war…

But it is the country’s tranquil beauty that draws most visitors. “You don’t need to do a great deal to have the good life here,” said Ivan Robinson, a British real estate developer who refurbished a colonial manor in the south. “The rivers are full of fish. Fruit falls off trees.” Water buffalo graze beside Buddhist stupas. Elephants roam freely. And innkeepers warn guests to keep their windows closed to avoid pickpockets — not people, but monkeys swinging from the trees.

Then there are Sri Lanka’s famed beaches, crescent-shaped coves of white sand framed by colorful bungalows and bamboo groves. An unintended consequence of the war is the coastline’s lack of development. You can stroll past beat-up outrigger boats, which look like showpieces from a maritime museum, and past fishermen on wooden stilts. Or hike inland to discover hideaway guesthouses carved from old gem merchants’ homes, with mango gardens and infinity pools tucked into their courtyards…

But it is the southern town of Galle that is the coast’s biggest draw. The city feels more European than South Asian, owing to the fact that its center — a jumble of quaint gem shops, cafes and guesthouses — sits within the weather-beaten walls of a Dutch-built fort…

High up in Sri Lanka’s hill country, the feeling is more authentic, less touristy. To get there, hop on the train that rattles past rain forests, tea plantations and elephant orphanages. The final stop is Kandy, famous for its lakeside shrine called the Temple of the Tooth…

But it is Kandy’s Buddhist roots that entice most visitors. Head to the Y.M.B.A. (Young Men’s Buddhist Association) around sundown to witness a pooja dance. Dancers twirl about in red and gold sarongs, clink brass rings and bang on drums before staging a fire-eating ritual. Or hop on a tuk-tuk, the motorized rickshaw taxis all over Sri Lanka, to make the drive to Dambulla, an ancient complex of cave temples stuffed with reclining Buddha statues.”

To read the complete article, visit NYTimes.com

Visit our site for information on creating a custom private trip to Sri Lanka for just you and your family or friends.

“Where can you experience authentic Southeast Asia without sharing it with busloads of other travelers?

The answer is simple: Find the places that fewer people know about. Throughout Southeast Asia, it’s easy to find viable alternatives to the wonderful but overcrowded destinations to which throngs of travelers typically flock.”

To read the entire Forbes Traveler article, visit ForbesTraveler.com