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Formerly known as Ceylon , the lovely island of Sri Lanka has known Portuguese, Dutch and English colonisation, and today still displays a fascinating blend of local and old colonial cultures in a landscape of upland tea plantations, jungle and a coastline of palm-fringed beaches. A short distance from Colombo, the Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage will introduce you to baby elephants who will later become valuable working animals.
To discover the history of Sri Lanka, visit Anuradhapura, the 4th century BC cradle of Buddhism, here, a Bo tree grows, said to have been grown f ... [more] |
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Lying off the southern tip of India, the slender chain of coral islands known as the Maldives are strewn like a magical necklace across the shimmering azure waters of the Indian Ocean.
None of the islands are over 4 metres above sea level and less than 1% of the whole country is land! Some islands are no more than uninhabited sandbars peeping just above the waterline and embraced by brilliant blue lagoons.
Only a few have been developed to offer some of the most breathtaking exclusive hideaways. Here you will enter a world of pure escapism, a world where time stands ... [more] |
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Once home to the ill-fated dodo and uninhabited until the 16th century when it was colonised by the Dutch, Mauritius today is a thriving cosmopolitan polyglot, a true melting pot of cultures where a diversity of races blend into one that is unspoilt by mass tourism.
Driving across this spectacular island you see visions in saffron saris walking gracefully under the shade of banyan trees, lurid Hindu temples covered in writhing psychedelic deities rising out of fields shoulder high with sugar cane and sophisticated resort hotels that have staked their claim to this islan ... [more] |
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The seductive Seychelles offer unspoilt beauty in a natural setting where 86 islands cover just over 100 square miles of land, carpeted by rich vegetation and dominated by towering granite mountains. These tiny island hideaways with their coral sand beaches and takamaka-shaded lagoons, offer an irresistible invitation to the simple, castaway, lifestyle. Winding lanes meander through swaying coconut groves, crystal clear waters lap the shore where by night, you enjoy intimate candlelit dinners beneath the stars. Truly, when you visit the Seychelles you are a guest in a Rouss ... [more] |
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