The ten of us held our breaths as our bus approached the submerged causeway lining the edge of the lake; water rushed over the road in a torrent. Our driver steamed ahead, and everyone laughed as the bus made it out of the water onto drier pavement.
Adversity breeds companionship, and so does joy. The ten of us bonded during the trip. At our “glamping” site in the Knuckles Mountain Range, we laughed about tiny frogs in our showers, and gave sympathy to those of us who experienced leeches. We shared our excitement at seeing a leopard up close on safari, our awe at the gorgeous scenery in Horton Plains National Park, and our admiration for the artistry of enormous Buddha statues from centuries ago.
12th-century Buddha at the Gal Vihara, or “rock monastery,” at Polonnaruwa
When on a tour, the quality of the guide makes all the difference, and we hit the jackpot with this one. Our Sinhalese Buddhist guide taught us the basics of Theravada Buddhism, the most common religion in Sri Lanka. He also explained the other forms of Buddhism, including Mahayana, which was widely practiced in the country during the 7th century. Passionate about his country’s history, our guide was excited to share stories of the era of the Kings (500 B.C. – 13th century A.D.) while we toured Anuradhapura, Sigiriya, Polonnaruwa, and Kandy.
The guide also shared personal stories to illustrate the horrible civil war that ravaged Sri Lanka for almost thirty years (1983-2009). He gave equal blame to the government and to the Tigers (the LTTE) and their leader, Prabhakaran, stressing that most of the people – whether Tamils or Sinhalese – were innocent of wrongdoing.
On this trip, we learned so much about Sri Lanka, not just about its history, but about its present situation as well: its economy, its people, its government. Our guide never failed to give us his honest opinion about things, the bad parts along with the good. Sri Lanka is rich with ancient history, delicious food, beautiful scenery, and challenges. We visited a tea plantation and cinnamon gardens, learning about these two famous Sri Lankan exports, and witnessed the ongoing hardship of the tea laborers.
Our itinerary was a loop that generally followed the same 1818 trip from March 2025 (you can read about the details in that blog). Basically, we started and ended in the capital city, Columbo. We traveled north and had a jeep safari in the Wilpattu National Park, where we saw elephants, a leopard, a sloth bear, water buffalo, beautiful birds, and more (this safari was a new addition since the 2025 trip). Then we continued north to the “cultural triangle” where the ancient Kings ruled. We turned south and hiked in the central mountain range, and continued on to the southern coast, where we enjoyed the city of Galle, with its Portuguese and Dutch influences.
Purple-faced langur, also known locally as a “bear monkey”
We loved the mix of trekking and cultural site visits. We had a separate trekking guide who was a naturalist, and that meant that our hikes weren’t just a way to get exercise and enjoy the scenery; the guide would stop and identify birds, wildflowers, trees, and lizards.
Our group prior to climbing up to the Sigiriya fort (5th century, atop that giant rock in the background).We also had a medic along for the hikes. At first, we wondered why we needed him, but we ended up grateful for his presence. He was skilled at removing leeches and dressing their wounds, for the four of us who experienced those unpleasant hitchhikers in the highlands. He dispensed much-needed pills for the eight of us who passed around an intestinal bug (which was thankfully short-lived). He bandaged up those who slipped and fell on a hiking day that featured a monsoon-like downpour.
This was Jill’s first trip with the 1818 Society, and she was very impressed with the other members of our group: “I learned that World Bank retirees (including the one I married) are not only knowledgeable and well-travelled, but are also inquisitive, open to new ideas, and eager to learn.” We encourage anyone who hasn’t been on one of these trips to give it a try.
And if you have a chance to go to Sri Lanka, take it!
KEYWORDS Buddhism, cultural, guide, hiking, Sri Lanka
