Asked to name the product most closely associated with Sabaragamuwa, most Sri Lankans would probably say ‘gems’. The valleys of this fertile and beautiful province are home to alluvial soils rich in precious stones, including sapphires, rubies, moonstones, cat’s-eyes and star sapphires. The mines of...

Probably the best-known of Sri Lanka’s tea-growing districts, Nuwara Eliya is also the most rugged and mountainous, with the highest average elevation. The air is cool and bracing; the winds are scented with eucalyptus and wild mint. Rainfall is moderate except during the dry season,...

You may think I write too much about the scenery,’ suggested James Taylor in a letter home to Scotland, ‘but if you could see it for yourself, you would understand why I write so.’ The pioneer of Ceylon Tea was describing the views from his...