Sri Lanka: 'I visited Sri Lanka where the list of attractions is endless - but they always find time for tea'

To this day, the one-time colonial link between the old country and the modern-day, proudly independent Republic of Sri Lanka remains strong.

There’s still that comforting connection, and a source of great affection, as Noel Coward might have said. There’s even a very cool place called ‘Little England’, high up in Sri Lanka’s Central Highlands.

It’s there – 6,000 ft up, on the monsoon-soaked hillsides – that the tea plant thrives in this country known traditionally as ‘The Pearl of Southeast Asia’.

It hangs off the southern tip of India like a tear-shaped earring, and it still produces much of the tea that we drink back home.

And in line with tradition, there’s still a tendency in Sri Lanka to have an afternoon cuppa, just like we do in Britain.

The staple beverage is still picked by teams of women, and then processed in the nearby tea factories.

It’s fascinating for tourists to savour tea production first hand, either through a visit by mini bus, or by walking a section of the Pekoe Trail, which is part of an epic 190-mile trek in total.

Even in the rainy season, it’s a life-affirming experience.

With a cape wrap-around, protecting you from the periodic rains, you are led by guide Miguel Cunat, who came up with the idea to create a sustainably-based trek that would earn revenue for local communities (www.thepekoetrail.org).

Miguel explains how a single tea plant, brought from India in the 1860s by planter James Taylor – no relation to the singer – kick-started the tea-producing tradition.

As you trek along the ancient trail between row after row of tea bushes, you can chat to the brightly dressed pickers.

They may not be paid much, but they seem at peace with the world, as they deftly use their fingers to take off the bright-green new shoots, before flicking their produce into their collecting bags.

In truth, the whole island of Sri Lanka is a delight for visitors, most of whom come from Britain, and many of whom travel with Blue Lanka Tours (www.bluelankatours.com), as we did.

It’s fascinating to watch fishermen hauling up their traditional, wooden catamarans onto pristine sandy beaches.

Or to marvel at the 600ft rock edifice of Sigiria Fortress – ‘the eighth wonder of the world’ – where you can clamber up 1,200 almost-vertical steps hugging the side of this giant volcanic plug, to then see views you can only dream of.

Or to gaze at huge Buddha statues in awe-inspiring temples, where artwork and colourful depictions blow your mind. In the charming, lakeside-based old capital of Kandy, the scale and the serenity of the Temple of the Tooth are a fantastic experience in themselves.

Or to clamber down a hillside to mediate with a Buddhist monk in an isolated cave. Or to be enthused by a school of traditional male and female dancers, where participants range from a woman in her eighties to young children.

Or to stay in hotels ranging from old-style colonial properties like the Suisse or the Grand – the former governor’s residence – in Kandy.

Then in the ‘Little Scotland’ area of mountainous Nuwara Eliya, there’s the wonderful St Andrew’s Hotel.

Being high up, it can be nippy at night, but an evening hot water bottle is put in your bed. Very comforting. Very British! Or in the superbly-appointed, Modernist-style hotels run by the Jetwing group (www.jetwinghotels.com).

The list of attractions is endless. It’s a thrill to go on safari at Yala National Park in the south west, taking in the sight of wild elephants with their babies in tow. No leopards this morning, but crocodiles, safely at a distance, and there are birds galore, from eagles to diving cormorants and kingfishers.

Moving on, you can feel historical connections all around you, as you stand on the seafront fortress walls of Galle, the southern-most port, where the Portuguese, Dutch and then British traded with the Far East across the Indian Ocean.

However, visitor numbers plunged during Sri Lanka’s civil war conflict between the Sinhalese majority and the Tamil Tigers in the North. That finally ended 16 years ago.

But that’s in the past, and today the tourist is welcomed with the traditional Sri Lankan smile, and a genuine wish to make you feel at home.

That’s not hard, since Sri Lanka – then called Ceylon – was a British colony for most of the 19th and 20th Centuries, until independence in 1948.

Physical evidence of the British connection still abounds, with English being spoken by nearly everyone. Mixed with the colourful Sri Lankan heritage and culture, it all makes for a wonderful backdrop.

The predominant Buddhist religion and way of life is a constant, with Hindu temples being featured in the Tamil heartlands. There’s a sprinkling of Christian churches, and the Muslim call to prayer can be heard in parts.

There’s room for everyone in modern-day Sri Lanka, which is keen to make its fresh start of stability and tolerance count.

The tourist board aims to at least double the number of visitors, which currently stands at a million every year.

There’s every chance of success, and there’s an added attraction as the country gets up to speed with the concept of sustainable tourism.

Leading the field is the Jetwing group of hotels. Their luxurious but affordable properties are not only stylish, tasteful and comfortable, but their flagship Negombo Beach hotel leads in the sustainability stakes.

It is all very impressive. Just like the country.

For more info: www.srilanka.travel; Sri Lankan Airlines - www.srilankan.com