Welcome to Sri Lanka

The prospect of peace in Sri Lanka is quite the best news to come out of Asia for a long time. Ravaged by factional violence for the best part of two decades, the island has suffered numerous terrorist attacks and enormous loss of life. Negotiations between Tamil separatists from the north and the Sinhalese majority, who live largely in the south, drew to a successful conclusion in 2002, finally granting this beautiful island nation certain hope for the future.

Sri Lanka has had a chequered history. Known to Arab traders as 'Serendip', it fell first under Portuguese then later Dutch and British rule. It was the British who imported Tamil labourers from India to work on tea and coffee plantations, and after Sri Lanka achieved independence in 1948 relations between the two main ethnic groups gradually went downhill.

In the past, visitors to Sri Lanka have tended to keep to the south, mainly due to the terrorist problems but also because most of the island's attractions are concentrated there. The chief delight of Sri Lanka is its variety – from the beaches along the coast to the rolling hill country around Kandy, whose main temple is home to a sacred tooth venerated by Buddhists (who make up 70 per cent of the country's inhabitants) and the focus of a spectacular procession of drummers, dancers and elephants every July. Galle, centred around the beautifully preserved 17th-century Dutch fort, resonates with history, as does Nuwara Eliya, a hill station highly favoured since British colonial times. Ratnapura forms the heart of the country's gem industry, rugam Bay on the east coast enjoys a top ranking among the world's surfing community and Kataragama hosts an annual fire.

walking ceremony. Wild elephant roam around Uda Walawe and the rainforest is practically untouched in the Sinharaja National Heritage Wilderness Area. Further north, culture vultures can hop between the millennia-old ruins of Polonnaruwa and Anuradhapura and climb the famed rock fortress at Sigiriya. The 2002 ceasefire should see other parts of Sri Lanka opening up again, in particular the untouched beaches of Nilaveli on the northeast coast. The special joy of Sri Lanka is that its relatively small size allows visitors to take in the best of its attractions within a couple of weeks, perhaps starting in the capital, Colombo, venturing into the interior to explore tea country and the historical sights, and then ending with a couple of days kicking back at a beach resort.

Sri Lankan hotels are a mixed bag, starting with the hospitable likes of Mrs Chitrangi de Fonseka's Paying Guesthouse, all the way up to grand colonial dames like the Mount Lavinia and Galle Face hotels. International chains are few, and the bulk of the country's accommodation is locally owned and – patience, patience – locally run. Service priorities can see smiles put before speed, and facilities can be touch makeshift, however rates are generally reasonable, especially in the low season when the monsoon strikes from April to November. Sri Lanka is at its most climatically hospitable between December and March, which is when it sees the majority of visitors, especially Europeans on packages, escaping the northern winter. Incidentally every full moon in Sri Lanka is marked by a public holiday ('poya'), when alcohol is not supposed to be sold in hotels, restaurants or shops, though some establishments have been known to oblige with 'special' pots of tea.

Both the island's geography and its multi-ethnic community are reflected in the national cuisine. Spices, in particular cinnamon, initially drew traders from overseas, and they feature strongly in curries, which tend to be rather hotter than their Indian equivalents. 'Hoppers', a delicious sort of pancake, make a welcome appearance at breakfast buffets, and a cornucopia of locally grown fruit – mangosteen, rambutan, mango and a host of others – can be turned into juice or eaten at any time of day.

Marco Polo waxed lyrical about Ceylon, as Sri Lanka was then known, and its even more ancient name – Serendip – has come to imply making fortunate discoveries by accident. After a chapter of accidents over the past 20 years, Sri Lanka is in the fortunate position of being at relative peace once more, meaning that the island that Marco Polo described as 'the finest in the world' is fully open for business – and even more importantly pleasure – once again.