53 tel: 0845 330 8579 (local call rate, UK only) international tel: +44 1453 844 400 www.himalayankingdoms.com Left: Caption Photo: Photographer Right: Caption Photo: Photographer Ellie family at Uda Walawe Photos: Seraphina Berry Sri Lanka £1,550 £995 Sun 09 Mar – Sun 23 Mar Sun 13 Jul – Sun 27 Jul £1,650 £995 Sun 21 Dec ’08 – Sun 04 Jan ’09 Price TBC: 2009 dates: Sun 15 Feb ’09 – Sun 01 Mar ’09 land only land only Grade: Gentle Day Walks: 7 days In-Country Leader Nights’ Accommodation: Hotels: 11 Guest Houses: 2 Optional: Single Room £295 Insurance: £95 (Standard Policy) Days Itinerary Duration: 15 days 1–3 Fly to Colombo, transfer to Ranweli 4–5 In Kandy, sightseeing and walking 6–8 On trek using simple lodges –9 Drive via Dambulla to Harabana –10 Sigiriya, day trek –11 Poolonaruwa, cycle tour (optional) –12 Ritigala, day trek 13–15 Drive to Colombo, sightseeing, fly home Guaranteed to run for a minimum of clients Other Christmas treks – see pages 21, 23, 28, 29, 32, 34, 55, 56, 58 & 67 2 Gentle Trekking – Kandyan Kingdoms We have designed this trek to combine walking in the remote Knuckles Mountains with a chance to visit the main cultural sights of central Sri Lanka, using carefully selected hotels of character. There is a gentle start to the holiday with a visit to the unusual and fascinating Ranweli Hotel. Travelling on to Kandy, situated in the hilly heart of the island, there will be opportunities to visit the central tenets of Sinhalese culture. Three days are then spent in the Knuckles range, offering a chance to experience, walk and stay in this beautiful area, using twin bedded simple lodges. We then drive north to visit the great sights of Sigiriya, Dambulla, and Poolonaruwa. We have organised a full day trekking at the little visited and mysterious ruined forest monastery of Ritigala, before returning to Colombo. £1,495 £975 Sat 15 Mar – Sat 29 Mar Sat 22 Mar – Sat 05 Apr Sat 26 Jul – Sat 09 Aug £1,595 £1,075 Mon 29 Dec ’08 – Mon 12 Jan Price TBC: 2009 dates: Sat 04 Apr – Sat 18 Apr ’09 land only land only Grade: Gentle/Moderate On Trek: 6 days In-Country Leader Nights’ Accommodation: Hotels: 7 Camping (Fixed Camp): 2 Colonial Bungalow: 3 Buddhist Temple: 1 Optional: Single Room £195 Insurance: £95 (Standard Policy) Days Itinerary Duration: 15 days 1–2 Fly to Colombo –3 Drive to Bandarawela, walk 4–10 On trek, transfer to Tasks Camp –11 Uda Walawe National Park –12 Kitulgala rafting and walking 13–15 Drive to Colombo, at leisure, fly home Guaranteed to run for a minimum of2clients Hill Country Heights Trek Few treks in Sri Lanka offer the chance to ‘trek’ in traditional sense, and we are very pleased to have designed an itinerary that does. The trek starts in Bandarawela, a typical hill country town, small and bustling, and takes us through a mixture of virgin forest, tea plantations and small settlements, staying simple tea bungalows, plus a night in a Buddhist temple. can promise that we shall see few other trekkers, if any. The wildlife parks of Sri Lanka are superb. We visit Tasks Camp and Uda Walawe before a rafting trip at Kitulgala. Sri Lanka is a relatively small island – approximately the size of Ireland – but within its palm-fringed shores, it offers an astonishing diversity of landscapes, flora and fauna, religions and cultures. It is a land of outstanding beauty, from the verdant lowland jungles and farmland to the misty highlands, covered in places by perfectly manicured tea plantations. Once away from the tourist honey-pots, visitors are assured of a genuinely warm welcome (and are often viewed with amazement). As Sri Lanka continues to make a remarkable recovery from the 2004 Tsunami, the people are keen to welcome overseas visitors. Since introducing Sri Lanka to our portfolio of destinations, our first clients have returned full of enthusiasm for this beautiful country. Murals at Sigiriya Photos: Steve Harbert

Spilling down from the eastern end of the Himalaya are vast mountain ranges that predominate South-east Asia. For the best in ‘cultural tours’, ‘gentle treks’ and ‘Hill Tribe’ trekking we have extensively researched a wide ranging collection of hand-tailored itineraries. 54 tel: 0845 330 8579 (local call rate, UK only) international tel: +44 1453 844 400 www.himalayankingdoms.com Japan South East Asia Golden statue at Royal Palace, Bangkok Photo: Malcolm Rutter Karen lady with pipe Photo: Clive Hughes